It's not fun being a fun film shooter

M Stat · Sep 4, 2012

By the way, where are the prints from these hoards of digital shooters? My sister in law used to photograph with a point and shoot film camera whenever she came to visit with my niece and nephews. Invariably I would receive prints in the mail a few days later. Alas, her old film camera finally bit the dust and now she shoots with a digital camera. I have yet to even SEE one print from that danged thing (let alone get to keep any). I suppose everyone is stupidly content with merely viewing the images on the back of the camera.

Edward_S · Sep 4, 2012

Talking of digital camera users not knowing how to use film cameras...

A week or two ago I was down at Tower Bridge (been looking very pretty lately with the Olympic rings and so on and so forth) when a young couple asked me to photograph them with their camera phone. Except I didn't realise it was a camera phone so I turned it round and put the tiny lens to my eye, thinking it was the viewfinder. "Oh no", they said "you're supposed to hold it the other way round".

Needless to say, I felt a right twerp.

NedL · Sep 4, 2012

Dear said:
I have a Weston light meter too, and it seems to work just fine.
The thing is, I don't know how to translate it to iso.
Could you please tell me how to use it?

This was answered above, and I agree about 1/3 stop slower for Weston. Here is a good reference:

http://www.jollinger.com/photo/meters/other/speed_table.html

-Ned

markbarendt · Sep 4, 2012

MattKing said:
For colour, I just hand the exposed film to a good lab and get nice colour prints back.

Way easier than trying to do it with digital.

Yeah, that.

markbarendt · Sep 4, 2012

MFstooges said:
I do the 'stand here' too! But between my intention to use larger aperture and the volunteer's effort trying to add her/his own artistic touch it's 50-50 possibility to nail the shot.

Tripod?

Cable release?

Self timer?

markbarendt · Sep 4, 2012

Diapositivo said:
I have the opposite problem.

Tourists see me with a photo bag, a tripod etc. and think "this might be the right person" and ask me to take their picture.

They give me a small piece of plastic with a small LCD on the back.

Believe it or not, you have to keep this in front of you (between you and the subject) and look inside the little LCD to find traces of a composition. There usually is too much ambient light and the image is very confused.

The LCD thing also has some flashing points that probably mean the camera is focusing on the wrong place.

When I see the picture after the fact, it is usually awful. Tilted sideway, half-heads cut or feet cut away or something like that.
I know I blush while offering to take another.
They usually say "fine" and go away very puzzled, or happy that somebody with a complete gear set was not able to compose a picture decently.
They probably think: "next time I'll ask someone younger".

One has to get a bit accustomed to anything new, no matter how easy it is to operate it.

I face the same issues. Typically though the people who hand me the camera have very low expectations.

I do love handing someone a Holga to take a shot of me. "put me in the middle and push the trigger"

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 4, 2012

No problems with me if somebody identifies me as a photographer and asked me to get their pic. In recent times I've been asked "hey mate, can you take a photo of us please?" and expecting to hold a camera, find myself holding an iPhone or any manner of peculiar contraptions, but not a digital camera or even a film camera. This has been the case on 5 occasions recently. I'm concerned the OP's title, "It's no fun being a film shooter" is having an undesirable effect on the wider population...

Dear · Sep 7, 2012

Steve Smith said:
Weston = 0.8 x ISO

So ISO 100 is 80 Weston, ISO 400 is 320 Weston, etc.

Steve.

Thanks!
I didn't expect it to be that simple!
I'm so relieved now.

Prest_400 · Sep 7, 2012

Many people don't know how to use a manual camera. That has been for a long time, but before one needed a little bit more involvement, cameras having a more rudimentary automation.

I remember being handed a blackberry by a classmate to take pictures of them. I was struggling with the thing (shutter lag and lack on responsiveness), she said to me: "I see that being a photographer is not your thing!". However, I've never talked about photography with them, neither they do know it's my hobby. Smartphones might be decent for snapping, but quite frustrating!
And from that same person, I handed my digi P&S to another classmate for a group shot. It was a bit badly framed, with some hair cut. "I quite liked the pictures that your camera made, now not so much"
Well, I guess that handing them an unmetered manual camera would be a sweet vengeance.

Back on the topic, I think that presetting the camera and giving general indications is ok for the touristy grab asking. About your friends, perhaps is an opportunity for some teaching/learning.

It's not fun being a fun film shooter

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