My Young Nieces Chose Film!

jamusu · Jan 5, 2009

This past Saturday I was photographing my nephews 4th birthday party. I have around 8 rolls of black and white film to develop so I decided to shoot an expired roll of color film that I have had for a while now because as of late I have been kind of interested in learning color for a change, so I thought.

Halfway through the roll, I noticed that I did not have the same feeling as when shooting black and white and was ready to call it quits. I thought that I had made a poor decision by using color film, but soon realized that it was a rather great one because of the following events that unfolded.

As I continued to photograph, I noticed my nephews older sister taking pictures with a digital camera as she always does at our family functions. She is now 11 years old and for the past three years (I began photography 3 years ago this month) I have watched as her interest in photography has grown. Since I was not feeling the color film, I decided that the time had arrived that I introduce her to film photography. I placed my Pentax-K1000 around her neck, explained to her how to focus and meter, told her to shoot away.

Much to my delight she was instantly hooked. She began taking pictures of everyone. Moments later, my other niece, her younger sister, who is 9 years old asked her if she could take pictures with it as well. She told her let me explain to you how to use it like he taught me. She was immediately hooked as well.

They finished the roll and asked if I had anymore film. Luckily their mother had some color film and I loaded it. They put the digital camera down and went outside and immediately began to shoot. To ensure that they understood what they were doing I would look into the viewfinder after they snapped a picture and check their meter readings. For the most part they were spot on.

My 9 year old niece then asked me if I had another film camera that they could have for themselves with a smile on her face. She also asked where my Yashica Mat was which really caught me off guard. I had forgotten that I taught them how to use it a year or so back without any film in it, and she shocked me when asking had I brought it with me.

It is hard to explain how delighted I felt watching them learn how to shoot film with my Pentax K-1000, the very camera that I learned on three years ago. I thought I could get no happier until I asked which they liked better, digital or film. I made sure to ask the question with as little bias in my voice as possible. To my surprise they both said they liked using the film camera better.

I was ELATED! Although I can't wait to see the results when the film is developed, all I could think of was get the Tri-X ready because they will be shooting with it the next time.

Would anyone happen to have any advice on how to best teach them. I know to start off slowly, but I fear my excitement may get the better of me and I do not want to rush their learning process.

Sorry for such a long post, but I felt that I should share this story with my fellow Apuger's.

Jamusu.

Stephanie Brim · Jan 5, 2009

I have a few years to go before I can introduce my daughter to it. My smaller cousins have no real interest. My friends have at least one boy who might be, though, and I keep watching for him to want a camera for his birthday. I may give him one of the Lex35 cameras I have floating around.

It's so awesome to see young(er) people getting interested in film again.

winger · Jan 5, 2009

I think it's an awesome story. I got started with a Pentax, too, so I love that part. I don't recall if you have/use a darkroom, but the classic thing that gets people hooked is watching a print show up on the paper in the developer. I don't think I'd start with that, but keep it in mind as a re-interest idea. Giving them feedback (letting them see the images relatively soon) and making the technical easy to understand will go a long way, too. The better their results, the more they'll like it.

papagene · Jan 5, 2009

COOL story!! Good luck and be sure to let them see how much fun it is for you to shoot film.

gene

nickandre · Jan 5, 2009

My friend has been shooting digital for a while and I'm trying to get him to use film. I'm developing a roll for him right now. Speaking of which, I should go check on that Film is nice in that most of the cameras, especially SLRs are large and firm. You don't get that advancing film and shutter click from digital point and shoots, which cost the same. You see what you're taking in light, not by viewing pixels. What drives me crazy is how the viewfinders on P&S cameras are getting phased out. If the screen breaks, you're screwed! You don't have to worry about that with film.

My dog prefers film over digital too. Digital doesn't include nifty little paper rolls of 120 film that are just perfect to chew and shred! His favorite so far was the Kodachrome 120.

haris · Jan 6, 2009

Nice story, but (and there is allways one but )

They are still in ages when example of older interesting or not ordinary familly member is still stronger than example of same aged friends. I would wait few years, you know, teen ages and all that, and see will they keep same interest under pressure of friends to be cool and to have newest fashionable digi gadget. If they defend themselves from that pressure, then future is bright

Good luck.

jgcull · Jan 6, 2009

>>>I would wait few years, you know, teen ages and all that, and see will they keep same interest under pressure of friends to be cool<<<

Are you kidding? Uncle *is* the cool one. (Surely they're still know that!)

Bosaiya · Jan 6, 2009

On a similar note my four year-old son was given a "kid tough" digital for the holidays. It's kind of neat, rubberized and ruggedized, made for small hands, etc. etc. What's really kind of interesting is that it has two eyepieces to view through (stereo vision) which I'm sure is greatly appreciated by many. First thing when he picked it up he looked at the two eye pieces on the back, screwed up his face in confusion, picked one, and looked through it. We tried to tell him to look through both, so he closed his other eye and looked through the other. He couldn't figure out why there would be two places to look through, as if they'd give a different view. He quickly lost interest.

He much prefers looking at a ground glass and turning the knobs to adjust the focusing bellows. All those knobs and levers are just too intruiging for his boy-brain.

jamusu · Jan 6, 2009

haris said:
Nice story, but (and there is allways one but )

They are still in ages when example of older interesting or not ordinary familly member is still stronger than example of same aged friends. I would wait few years, you know, teen ages and all that, and see will they keep same interest under pressure of friends to be cool and to have newest fashionable digi gadget. If they defend themselves from that pressure, then future is bright

Good luck.

____________________________________________________________________

Haris.

I thought of what you stated which is why I waited as long as I did. Over the past few years I have slowly introduced them to the medium. More recently I have taken them on the internet to view the work of Sebastiao Salgado and Henri Cartier-Bresson. This is when I first knew that they may have an interest because they actually sat next to me and told me which pictures they liked the most.

Also, as of late they have began to look at my cameras, inspect, and ask questions about them. It is a good thing I had that roll of color film loaded because had I not, I am certain that I would not have introduced them to the camera and found out that they had an interest in using film.

I wish you all could have been there to see them taking the pictures. They were really enjoying themselves. I don't know who had more fun, them taking the pictures, or me watching as they took them.

But well taken.
Jamusu.

JBrunner · Jan 6, 2009

haris said:
Nice story, but (and there is allways one but )

They are still in ages when example of older interesting or not ordinary familly member is still stronger than example of same aged friends. I would wait few years, you know, teen ages and all that, and see will they keep same interest under pressure of friends to be cool and to have newest fashionable digi gadget. If they defend themselves from that pressure, then future is bright

Good luck.

You haven't been paying attention Film is the cool thing with hipsters these days. Digital is normal and boring.

jamusu · Jan 6, 2009

jgcull said:
>>>I would wait few years, you know, teen ages and all that, and see will they keep same interest under pressure of friends to be cool<<<

Are you kidding? Uncle *is* the cool one. (Surely they're still know that!)

___________________________________________________________________

Not saying that I am cool, (maybe to them I am), but I do think my using a film camera so much around them played a major role in their wanting to use it. They were 8 and 6 when I started and are used to seeing me with the some type of film camera most of the time coupled with the fact that I am never without at major family events. They watch and mimic almost everything that I do, so maybe I should not have been so surprised by how receptive they were to actually using the camera?

Jamusu.

gr82bart · Jan 6, 2009

Fantastic story. I tell ya, kids love film.

Regards, Art.

StorminMatt · Jan 9, 2009

Try giving your kids some slide film to play with. Yes, it may be a little harder to properly expose. But I didn't think it was THAT hard back in the day with Kodachrome and my Petri 7s. In any case, being able to actually project a life-sized image on the wall is something that MANY kids REALLY like - especially if it is something that they actually shot themselves. Furthermore, it is something that generally cannot be done (at least with very good quality) with digital. So give it a try. Don't have a slide projector? They are DIRT CHEAP these days on craigslist.

jamusu · Jan 11, 2009

StorminMatt,

I may just give that a shot in the future. Excellent suggestion.

Jamusu.

haris · Jan 13, 2009

Jamusu,

One thing crossed my mind. Maybe fact that they are nieces not nephews will make your plan easier. I could easilly be wrong, but I think as females they maybe will not be so firmly drawn to the world of computer games, and all that iPod, iPhone, etc... digi stuff, and thus easier to defend themselves from challenges of digital.

Please, don't read me wrong. I am not telling females are not interested in technology, my girlfriend have more fashionable technical stuff than I (LCD TV, while I still use CRT, better DVD player, etc...), but we have different aproach to them.

If they develop interest to meet friends instead talking to the (cell)phone or on Facebook with them, if they write letters rather than Emails, and (hopefully) find vinyl record listening cool, then they could easilly find film photography as their choice instead of digital

If they use digital technology in all other aspects of their life and only in photography choose to go analogue, I doubt how long will be untill they switch to digital in photography too.

I start to think analogue photography is not only photography thing, it is way of life. I find hard to belive that one can be analogue only in photography and digital in rest of life. We all use digital stuff when must, but as matter of choice I belive analogue photographers love to use analogue technology in other aspect of their life (listening music, etc...). But, I could be wrong, of course.

I hope I wrote my thoughts clearly...

jamusu · Jan 13, 2009

haris said:
Jamusu,

One thing crossed my mind. Maybe fact that they are nieces not nephews will make your plan easier. I could easilly be wrong, but I think as females they maybe will not be so firmly drawn to the world of computer games, and all that iPod, iPhone, etc... digi stuff, and thus easier to defend themselves from challenges of digital.

Please, don't read me wrong. I am not telling females are not interested in technology, my girlfriend have more fashionable technical stuff than I (LCD TV, while I still use CRT, better DVD player, etc...), but we have different aproach to them.

If they develop interest to meet friends instead talking to the (cell)phone or on Facebook with them, if they write letters rather than Emails, and (hopefully) find vinyl record listening cool, then they could easilly find film photography as their choice instead of digital

If they use digital technology in all other aspects of their life and only in photography choose to go analogue, I doubt how long will be untill they switch to digital in photography too.

I start to think analogue photography is not only photography thing, it is way of life. I find hard to belive that one can be analogue only in photography and digital in rest of life. We all use digital stuff when must, but as matter of choice I belive analogue photographers love to use analogue technology in other aspect of their life (listening music, etc...). But, I could be wrong, of course.

I hope I wrote my thoughts clearly...

_________________________________________________________________

Haris.

Your thoughts were written clearly. I doubt that they will be strictly film shooters in the future or film shooters at all based on the fact that they are growing up in a digital era. It is all they know, but if I have my way, they will understand how to shoot both film and digital. Me teaching them film of course!

Only time will tell.

Jamusu.

StorminMatt · Jan 30, 2009

jamusu;735901I doubt that they will be strictly film shooters in the future or film shooters at all based on the fact that they are growing up in a digital era. It is all they know said:
This is why I thin slide film would be SUCH a good thing. It gives them something that just cannot be gotten from digital. 4x6 prints, on the other hand, can be gotten faster and cheaper with a digital camera. But if you want to project a life-sized image, there is really no way to do this with digital besides expensive and low resolution projectors.

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 1, 2009

Jamusu,

I wish you luck with your project. I think it's important that us film shooters see these opportunities and grasp them when we can. Teaching children a level of critical thinking where at least they make a choice other than going with what everybody else does - that's a success!
I have a 14 year old son, and he has shown some on/off interest with photography. He's been in the darkroom with me, he's been out taking pictures with me, and I've loaned him cameras to use on his own. He's a talented photographer, but I don't think he'll pick darkroom printing as his medium, but I may see him use film. When we bought a new computer for him last year he was all over me, wanting me to show him how Photoshop works... But that was after I showed him how to scan 35mm negatives, and he's getting into that a little bit now.

I don't think I can offer much advice. Invite them to use your cameras for a while, then show them how to develop film. Finally, if you can, show them darkroom process. Tell them why you love it, but let them decide for themselves their choices. Show them prints, take them to a museum and let them look at prints by masters. It's awe inspiring to gawk at a print by Kertesz or Salgado. It gives you an idea of what's possible.

Good luck.

- THomas

THardy · Feb 1, 2009

My 16 y/o daughter is taking photography in school now. She is using a Nikon N80 in full manual mode, knows how to develop Black and White film, but she says she likes using the enlarger more. There is a more advanced course she can take later where she can make up her own projects. The best part is that she is learning photography ... aperture, shutter speed, dof, etc and how they all interact.

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