Help: Why do you still shoot film?

[Vaughn]

Why do you still shoot film?

One of the reasons I photograph is to learn how to better see. After years of 4x5 camera work and silver gelatin printing, with lots of dodging and burning, I transitioned to larger negatives and alternative processes. I found that I enjoy printing without any cropping and burning/dodging. It forces me to see even more intensely in the field -- to see the available light and the forms it creates seemingly independently of the objects reflecting the light. I am just not interested in the filters, and controls of PhotoShop.

What is your area of photography...color or B&W? Primarily B&W Fine Art Photography

What type of camera 8x10 and 4x10

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes Carbon printing, Platinum/palladium printing

Do you shoot digital at all? To get things images of my prints on the web, etc. Family snapshots.

Vaughn

 

[Akki14]

Why do you still shoot film?
Because I want to. I'd rather be in the darkroom (or in my case, mostly the slightly dim room) actually physically doing something than having to hunt down files that temperamental computer has made and possibly destroyed.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
Amateur. I shoot whatever I want. Lucky, eh?

Do you do color or B&W?
Both, though mostly B&W

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
nearly everything. I have 35mm, medium format (6x6, 6x4.6 rarely, 6x9 in my Brownies for cyanotypes mostly), and now a 4x5 camera too.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Yes and unusually I prefer to make real darkroom enlarged negatives with APHS ortho litho film. This is no more diffcult than making a paper negative because the film has the same non-reactivity to red safelight as paper. I even use the same paper developer to get continous tone out of it. It's faster than RC paper because I get development times of less than a minute (I give the sheet a quick dunk in a sinkful of water before sliding it into the developer tray, especially for 8x10 sizes) and the fixing times even seem quicker. I wish people wouldn't be so turned off by this method and just jump straight to digital negatives as I think the OHP film for inkjets is slightly more costly than the ortho litho film and you don't have to sit at a computer fiddling around with stuff. I currently print cyanotype and gum bichromate, going to get started in Vandyke Brown soon. Ptd/pd seems too expensive for something that looks a bit like an FB print to me (sorry pt/pd printers ) and I don't really like B&W prints that much.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
I have a digital camera and i tend to use it for random showing stuff on flickr. Like I took a picture of my stairs because the restaurant I live above has decided they will look nice with bright red hand railing and banisters and black steps :confused:

 

[walter23]

Why do you still shoot film?

I like old cameras, and for most serious shooting I shoot large format (for the resolution and perspective control). I also enjoy meddling with traditional printing methods, like bromoil, lith printing, etc.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

I suppose "fine art", though I'm not sure it's really all that fine. Landscapes, still life, and architectural subjects for the most part.

Do you do color or B&W?

Both.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

4x5, 8x10, and medium format. I also have a 9x12 plate camera that just needs a couple of holders before I start shooting it.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)


Yes, cyanotype is my favorite (it's so simple and I like the blue colour) but I have printed van dyke as well, and I'm trying to learn bromoil. I also lith print (is that an alt process?).

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

I shoot digital for light travel (e.g. backpacking), photojournalism, and any paid event photography (I've done a few weddings), and studio work (had a temporary job as principle photographer in a small retail studio). I also use digital for macro work (my 4x5 just doesn't have the extension, and I'll admit I do like the luxury of a compact AF macro lens). Basically anything that would call for 35mm film I'd rather shoot digitally - I hate handling roll film in the dark, and I hate the grain of small format film, though I do think a 35mm velvia or E100VS slide beats digital hands down.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Backup, backup, backup!

Why do you still shoot film?

A friend of mine who had been in business in San Franciso for many years just retired to Nevada, his new house caught fire, his computer burned along with his prints, his negatives were stored in a safe deposit box at his bank. He had gone all digital, now he is looking for an enlarger. A co worker cannot longer open 3/4 of his digital files, including his backup files.

Nothing's perfect. The remaining negatives of my father's and his father's work have all crinkled and reticulated. I presume all acetate backings. But the prints we have going back 130 years are fine. Even the silverfish here in hot and humid Florida don't seem to like snacking on barium sulfate, I guess. Let alone silver.

Digitally acquired images can be printed to avoid magnetic media storage issues. At the least, send the important ones to Walgreens or whatever and pick them up two hours later. You'd be surprised how well the digital printing process duplicates your black and white! Not master quality, but for $2.50 for an 8x10? Nineteen cents for a 4x6? (Kodak claims 100 year in display conditions, 200 year dark.)

As to all the photos on my hard drives, including digital scans of thousands of family black and white, backup, backup, backup! I do "clone" backup of my C drive very frequently when adding new material. I then have a third drive in my car in a tupperware that I backup "now and then." Probably some day in the future we will all need to migrate digital information to newer technologies, but so what?

Or, send those family photos, the most valuable kind there is, to other family members via the internet. There're your fourth level of backups.

I had a garage fire in 1986. Many family photos in a big box got singed or burned on edges. Mostly, still usable even if damaged. Time will get your negs on acetate, fire and floods and divorces can get your prints.

Nothing's perfect.

 

[Guillaume Zuili]

Why do you still shoot film ?

It's the best medium, period.
Digital is ok for instant news or assignment. But is a scam on the long run.
How long can you keep (open...) your archive is the question ? There are many others...
Digital print is basically a reproduction, not a print, and certainly not archival.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Photojournalism & Fine Art.

Do you do color or B&W?

Less and less color. More and more B&W...

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

From 35 to 8x10.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

Silver print, Van Dyke. Soon Platinum.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Yes. Assignments for french magazines because I have to.
Pressure to do so doesn't come from DP's but from Financial direction
of magazines.

G.





I appreciate any help that I can get from my colleagues here on APUG...

Thanks,

Ed Sanford[/QUOTE]

 

[Marc Akemann]

Why do you still shoot film?
Because it's something I can do with my own hands and vision. I feel my slides and negs are more secure in the long run. I prefer the look of film. I like to be different. I much prefer the darkroom over sitting in front of a computer (like I am now). Film cameras last much, much longer and are better made. I can play with old, classic cameras. There is no good reason for me not to shoot film. I think analog leaves less of a dent on the environment. Where are all the billions of obsolete digital electronic devices ending up (old cell phones, digital cameras, computers, monitors, mp3 players, laser disc players, dvd players, etc., etc., etc.). I have cameras from the 1920's that still work just fine. My 5x7 Elwood enlarger (that should arrive today) is probably around 70 years old.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
Commercial and pure fun.

Do you do color or B&W?
Yes

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
1/2 frame 35mm, 35mm, 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 4x5, 5x7

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Not at the moment, unless you count Polaroid transfers. I'm doing research on carbon processes and hope to do some later in the year.


Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
Only when I need a photo for eBay or things like that. I do not own a digital camera of any kind, but my daughter has a digi point 'n shoot that I use for the eBay stuff.

Hope that helps.



Marc

 

[DannL]

Why do you still shoot film?
I shoot film for basically the same reason I shoot digital . . . to produce a final print/image for others and myself to enjoy. With minimal investment, anyone can print at home. No special talents are required and the processes are easily learned. As long as photography supplies are affordable and readily accessible, and I can physically endure the rigors of hauling heavy gear to worthwhile places, I'll probably continue to shoot film.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
No specific limitation. Non-professional. Given the opportunity, I would probably photograph anything.

Do you do color or B&W?
B&W, specifically because I can quickly and easily produce prints of acceptable quality in a home environment.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
Though I have owned many cameras of varying formats, I have only been using film cameras that accept sheet film.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..) I hope to learn the tintype process and other historically significant processes of the past, in the future.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
Yes. No specific limitation. Non-professional.

 

[gainer]

I think it's because I'm an 80 year old massochist.

 

[sanking]

Why do you still shoot film?

More bang for the buck. Film gives equivalent result in MF to digital MF backs costing 10X the equivalent of a good 6X7 outfit. And since I don't need the instant gratification of digital film serves me better.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Fine Art.

"Do you do color or B&W?"

I shot both, and scan to print digital negatives.

"What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)"

MF, 5X7 and ULF.

"Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)"

Yes, many of them. This is what I primarily print.

"Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography."

Yes, I have a 12.1 mp digicam that I use for HDR work in color. It is virtually impossible to duplicate this type of work with color film, even though film as one shot has more dynamic range than digital.

I also like film because it is easy to archive.

Sandy Kiing

 

[RobC]

Cos I spent so much money on cameras, lenses and darkroom equipment that I'm still trying to get my monies worth out of it

 

[PhotoBob]

Some Answers

Why do you still shoot film?
I still feel comfortable with film - however, nothing really pressing against digital.
I also have a substantial amount invested in film gear from cameras to processing tanks to darkroom stuff.


What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
I enjoy fine art, editorial (calendar, magazine) and when I can exhibition.


Do you do color or B&W?
I work primarily in B&W and occasionally with colour transparency film.


What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
I use a Toyo 4x5, Mamiya 645 Pro TL, and a Nikon FM3A
As well I use a few different pinhole cameras.


Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
No

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
I use very simple little digital cameras on occasion to make a quick document for something. They do have a place and can be valuable.
It is nice to have the choice of tools, but digital is not my main form of image making. Maybe some day.

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

Why do you still shoot film?
I love the process of developing film and printing in a darkroom. I learned the process of photography before digital was affordable as well.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
I guess it's fine art. Mostly found objects, abstract things, texture.

Do you do color or B&W?
Black and white.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
4x5 and medium format.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Cyanotypes and Van Dyke Brownprints. I am looking to get into Gum Bichromates as soon as money permits. Some day I would like to tackle wet plate collodion as well.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
When i'm on vacation somewhere that it isn't practical, when the girlfriend wants a picture of something quick, when I want something in color. Snapshots.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Why do you still shoot film?
The following gently paraphrased quote displayed in my darkroom sums it up pretty well for me:

"We choose to go to the moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win."

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
Since ROI is not a consideration, whatever catches my eye. But my favorite link in the chain of making a film-based photograph is the time I first spend walking around without a camera and simply looking at things. I just love that.

Do you do color or B&W?
Black-and-white.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
8x10, 4x5, 6x6, 35mm, in that order whenever possible.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Did some cyanotypes once. That was a blast. Currently, if I could just find a way to use an 8x10 or 4x5 glass plate in either one of my existing cameras, I'd be all over PE's emulsion-making subforum.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
Sorry. Not a single frame to date. Never even touched one. But I did look at a display of them at a store once. They looked... delicate.

 

[Andrey]

Why do you still shoot film?

I switched to film from digital SLRs.

1) I like the fauvism of black/white film. I can't shoot good black and white on digital.
2) Good film gear is very inexpensive, because everybody's dumping it going digital, which was a money drainer for me
3) I'm at a level where I don't need a histogram anymore... or a camera meter, more often than not
4) I get prints in the process of working on them.
5) Darkroom is my yoga practice, I get away from the world.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Fine art, landscape, street, family.

Do you do color or B&W?

Black and white. It's simpler and allows me to hide undesirable elements of composition.

Color I can only shoot properly in studio, where I control light, wardrobe, posing... etc.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

Mostly 35, some MF but that'll probably change eventually.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

No. I don't believe there's a practical reason for me to go down that route at this point.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

I shot digital and had a full canon EF system. It was a good system to learn on, but I discovered I like film better.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

I belong to an Arts League and we are conducting two photographic workshops.... one on digital and the other being conducted by me... on film photography. I wanted to kickoff the workshop with some quotes from photographers who still shoot film to provide a platform to begin my talk. I would appreciate it tremendously if as many of you as possible could briefly answer the following questions:





I appreciate any help that I can get from my colleagues here on APUG...

Thanks,

Ed Sanford

Why do you still shoot film? I strongly prefer film for Fine Art photography (Nature and Landscapes).

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Film: Nature and Landscapes

Do you do color or B&W? Both

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

LF: 8x10 Wehman, 5x7 Deardorff, 4x5 Shen Hao

MF: 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 Crown Graphic, Hassleblad, Rollei, Fuji 6x7, Fuji 6x9, Mamiya 7II 6x7

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

YES: Cyanotypes

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Digital, YES: Data recording & Test documentation (Science and engineering).

 

[Mark Antony]

I abandoned film for digital totally in 2003 only to re-discover it a couple of years later.
I shoot film because I like the reality of it. By that I mean that when I expose my neg/slide the light from the scene is recorded in a mechanical way rather than interpolated through a filter array and outputted to 0100011100010.
When I hold a sheet of trans up against the light I have a direct link:- the film was there at exposure, I don't get this feeling with a DVD of raw files.
I shoot digital too, especially when I need speed or snaps for my blog or a few commercial jobs.
I prefer B&W but shoot colour, most of my images are scanned as space (I have 3 kids) dictates that I have no darkroom, although I itch to get back printing again.
I use 6x7 and 35mm and love the aesthetic and beauty of film and will shoot it as long as I can buy it!
Mark

 

[nyoung]

Why do I still shoot film?
Quality - head to head - 35mm color print negs digitally printed at a ni lab look better than digi pics from the same lens at the same event printed by the same mini lab
Versatility - my negs and transparencies may be optically printed or digitally printed as time and quality needs dictate.
Storage - negs and transparencies hang out in archival sleeves and folders in steel cabinets for years and years with no maintenence.
Equipment - I have a considerale collection of film cameras amassed over the last thirty years that are nowhere near worn out.
Amusement - I like to watch the 20-year-old Canon digi shooters on the sidelines of high school football and baseball games point and whisper as they try to figure out where the LCD is on my monopod mounted F5 and 300 2.8
My work - currently HS sports, documentary, some landsacpe and portraits.
My Formats - mostly 35mm, more and more 4x5
Film types - mostly B&W (except for the HS sports which I shoot on color neg and run at the mini lab)
I shoot digital for Ebay, other web presentation and only when I know I will never need to print it to hang on the wall.

 

[eddym]

I belong to an Arts League and we are conducting two photographic workshops.... one on digital and the other being conducted by me... on film photography. I wanted to kickoff the workshop with some quotes from photographers who still shoot film to provide a platform to begin my talk. I would appreciate it tremendously if as many of you as possible could briefly answer the following questions:

Why do you still shoot film?

Because I prefer to make silver gelatin prints from film.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Portraiture, PJ, and fine art

Do you do color or B&W?

Both, though I prefer B&W. All my "fine art" work is B&W.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

All three of the above.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

No.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Yes. Much of my dance photography has gone to digital, because of client demands. It pains me, because I still prefer doing it with film.

 

[kevs]

Why do you still shoot film?

I'm not a commercial photographer, so i only need to please myself. I enjoy the physical involvement with the medium. There's a visible cost factor involved (film, processing etc) that slows me down and makes me think; 'do I really want to press the button?'. I enjoy taking the process from unexposed to final negative. i like the control it gives me, and the image quality too. I scan these days, as i have no darkroom access, but i enjoy the hands-on ritual of printmaking. I have no plans to change, and see no immediate reason to. Somehow, digital imaging leaves me cold.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Landscape, still-life.

Do you do color or B&W?

Both, depending on subject and the final destination of the image.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

Occasionally I'll use 35mm film, but more often than not it's a 6x6 SLR (Bronica SQ-B) or T.L.R. (Yaschica-mat 124G).

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

Not at present. I've experimented with kallitype and cyanotype, and i'd like to try again some time.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Not now - i did as a student, up to last year, for peripheral assignment pics and happy snaps.

 

[nickandre]

Why would anyone do digital?

Why do you still shoot film?

Because film has substance to it. A digital "image" is merely a sequence of bits stored on a memory card. A true image on film is an actual representation in the form of which it was shot. Never is it encrypted, compressed, or stored in any other form.
Film costs money. In that manner, I am less likely to attempt the "shoot-as-many-pictures-as-you-can-and-pray-ones-good" photography method than with digital. Not that this doesn't work but the alternative is better for one's photo experience
Having to wait for your images builds excitment, but also helps you to envision what your images will look like and compare that to the final product to adjust your visualization. This helps you know your image before you shoot it.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Hobby. Its mad fun to enlarge color pictures and the contacts look really cool.

Do you do color or B&W?

I do both. B+w is completely different than color (some people don't understand this) in that it is about contrast and shapes and texture and the make-up of an image whereas color is about color (duh). I do color when there's colors and B+W when there's all the other stuff.
B+W is one of those things that is better done on film because digital is a completely color geared system based on black and white sensors (this leads to digital hocus-pocus).

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

A little of both. 35mm more often because it's cheaper. 4x5 because of the tiltyness.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Yes. I have more in the past before I understood photography. I really have grown to dislike it because of the instant-ness. If you need that instantness use polaroid. I dislike it especially because the colors in a properly exposed image suck because digital handles highlights like dog crap. I have to underexpose which gives it this dark milky texture and then lighten in photoshop which adds noise and I just don't like it. Works for the newspaper, but I'm moving towards a 4x5 packfilm (instant) camera because computers annoy me in their neverending quest to work against us in everything (even though I base my life around them).

 

[CBG]

Why do you still shoot film?

1. I like the grain and the things that happen when you're working with a physical medium.
2. I'm looking forward to setting up my darkroom again so I can print paper prints using non-traditional techniques that are not suitable for digital work.
3. I like the physicality of film and photo paper.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)
1. fine arts.
2. Copywork of my paintings for my galleries and website.
3. Some commercial work.

Do you do color or B&W?
Both

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)
35mm, MF; various 2 1/4 cameras, LF; 4x5, 5x7, 8x10 cameras

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Not yet.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.
A tiny amount - for quick low quality shots of my paintings for my gallery when I don't have time to do best quality work.
I also do some commercial work in color film and get scans for a hybrid output.

Best,

C

 

[DBP]

Why do you still shoot film? Because I'm too cheap to spring for glass plates

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)?

Whatever strikes my fancy

Do you do color or B&W? Usually, though I am contemplating IR

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)? Everything from a Yashica Atoron (Minox Format) up to 5x7, except APS, 70mm. and a bunch of obsolete roll sizes like 122

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)? Cyanotypes

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography. I did take some pictures of a potters fingers once, if that counts as photographing digits

 

[Gary Holliday]

Why do you still shoot film?

It is a craft that takes me away from mind numbing hyptotic computers. Film has a softer, more pleasing look than digital.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Portraiture/ landscapes.

Do you do color or B&W?

All B&W.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

Medium format.

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

No...will do some lith shortly.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Don't own one but will consider buying a 'cheap' digital camera for web uploads.

I appreciate any help that I can get from my colleagues here on APUG...

Thanks,

 

[declark]

Why do you still shoot film?

Haven't seen a decent slide from any digital cameras yet.
More choices with camera equipment and more fun.
Less hassle with the computer. It's just easier to drop off a roll and pick up finished prints for my 35mm family snapshot stuff.
The darkroom is a nice retreat from the world.

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Hobby.

Do you do color or B&W?

Both.

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

35mm & 645 & 6x9

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)
Only accidentally.

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

Of course, it's a must have for auction pics and for stuff at work where we have to document engineering issues.

 

[nworth]

...

Why do you still shoot film?

What is your area of photography (e.g. Fine art, photojournalism, etc...)

Do you do color or B&W?

What type of camera (e.g. 4X5, medium format, 35 etc)

Do you perform any alternative photographic processes (e.g. Platinum/PD etc..)

Do you shoot digital at all? if yes what type of photography.

I appreciate any help that I can get from my colleagues here on APUG...

Thanks,

Ed Sanford

For black and white, I use film because the converted digital images just don't look right to me. I also think that traditional gelatin-silver prints still look better than digital black and white prints, although the digital product is improving rapidly. Judging by results, I think I shoot color film mostly because of habit. I do like the idea of having the physical negative (or transparency). I also appreciate being able to exploit the qualities of films, and I like the large images that I get.

I mostly shoot landscape and architecture.

I shoot mostly color, but a significant amount of black and white.

I usually use medium format (both 645 and 6X9), but I also use 35mm and large format (4X5 and 8X10) significantly.

I have not done a significant amount of alternative process work, but I like the qualities of some of these processes, and I may try more work soon.

I shoot a quite a bit of digital, and I usually carry a small digital camera. Digital comprises about 40 percent of my exposures now.