When did you last promote film use?

David A. Goldfarb

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I've been talking with one of my colleagues at work, who is a film maker, mostly experienced with video and digital video, though she's done still photography with film, and is working on a project with a friend partially in Super-8. I even had my Beaulieu serviced, which I needed to do anyway, and offered to let them use it, though they may go with a more lo-fi camera for a more "home movie" aesthetic. They haven't done much work with Super-8, but they're really enthusiastic about it, and now that my camera is working so nicely, I think I'll feel more inclined to shoot some Super-8.

I've been shooting some digital video for work lately, mostly of a strictly documentary nature, and that's leading to some more creative projects outside of my day job, where I'd really like to be able to have a chance to cut some film into the mix.

This is all hybrid work, since digital is the dominant medium and film is kind of an "effect," but I think there's a sense that even in the age of DSLRs that shoot with pretty amazing motion picture quality for their cost, there's an aura of authenticity in film that is missing from digital.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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And whaddya know, the DP had to cancel for the first day of said film project, so it looks like I'll have another opportunity to promote film use this weekend.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Turned out to be a great shoot yesterday. It was a chilly, windy day on a beach, so I'm glad we weren't using my freshly serviced Beaulieu 4008 ZMII, because sand was getting into everything, but I think we had some good takes. The scenes we were shooting were done in parallel on Super-8 (a Canon 518) and DSLR video, and even though I was operating the DSLR and the other person was handling the Super-8 camera, it was totally collaborative, and we were using digital to rehearse the scenes, check the framing, lighting, and exposure, and shooting the final takes on film, trying to get it close enough that they could cut Super-8 and digital together as needed. The goal is for the shots to look like a home movie made in 1968, so the director wants to use as much Super-8 as possible. We were shooting Kodak 100D.

Anyway, this use of digital to rehearse and have a backup is a good way to promote film use among low-budget film makers who want the look of film, but just can't afford to shoot and process every take on film, and since the editing and distribution are ultimately going to be digital, there's a strong practical and financial incentive to shoot it all on digital.

One of the co-producers was very enthusiastic to talk about film photography. She said she'd been shooting some medium format stills recently and was looking for a lab in northern New Jersey, since the lab she used to use wasn't processing film any more. We may see her on APUG in the not too distant future.
 

patois

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I tend to create new rangefinder users because the rangefinder experience is a very different one from most digicam users. I think I pimped my film camera about five minutes ago.
 

BirgerA

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I was at the baptizing of one of our neigbours girls last sunday, and brought a Rolleiflex and an Olympus Trip 35. A few of the kids were fascinated by the Rolleiflex, and I'll see if I can get the opportunity to make some portratits of them later.

Also talked with the grandfather of the girl being baptized, and agreed for him to come visit to look at my darkroom and have a chat about photography in general. He came over yesterday and we had a nice chat.
 

Vaughn

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About three months ago I met with the photography club of the local 4-H group on the plaza of our fair city -- I showed my prints and talked a little about compostition and a few things like that, and they went off to photograph (digital point-and-shoots). Before they left I did a quick group shot of them standing by the statue of President McKinley in the middle of the Plaza with my Rolleiflex and B&W film.

Today I met with them in the university darkroom and I printed the group shot as a demo, and they each got to hit the "print" button and run a print thru the chemicals. So they got an idea of what photography is all about, see the magic of the print coming up in the developer, and each got a print to take home!

Vaughn
 

Sirius Glass

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Vaugh, this is a great way to get people interested through actions rather than works! I am sure all of us thank you!

Steve
 

Vaughn

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And I played dirty -- they each now have an 7x7 print from a medium format negative (nicely focused, exposed and developed -- and sharp). They'll look at their Costco digital prints and wonder why the B&W print looks so much "better"! LOL!
 

Diapositivo

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A friend of mine, who recently bought a Canon G11 (that's not analogue) and soon after an Olympus 620 with two zooms (that's not analogue, either) came with me taking pictures on a couple occasions recently. He brought his Pentax ME Super which he bought when he was young, but for which he never bought a wide angle. I told him that's too bad, that he hasn't a wide angle for his best camera.
He phoned to me just today because he wants to buy a second-hand Pentax zoom (28-80 f/3.5 or something very similar).

I think this is the second person to whom I pass the film bug. He wasn't using film since years.
 

removed account4

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not just film use - but analog photography ...

today i will be giving a hands on workshop with a elementary school class.
i will be promoting "film use" and we will all be making sun prints.
it should be FUN !
 

Thingy

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I'm about to buy my first Nikon camera (I already use and love the Nikkors I use for 5x4 large format photography).... a secondhand F4.... removable prism (always fancied one), lock up mirror, the option of using a spot meter (my Olympus OM1 lacks one of those), a 55mm Micro-Nikkor, manual focus lenses...... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
 

bblhed

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The other day when a SCUBA instructor tried to get me to take a Digital Underwater Photography class. The color on underwater slides is beyond great!
 

jp498

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That's a nice combination and upgrade. You can remove the prism for waist level or over your head focusing and use the green focus indicator LED/arrows for getting it focused right. The spot meter is handy, but matrix metering is very nice. The 55 micro is a nice all purpose lens with a painterly bokeh depending on the background and aperture; real nice for brightly colored backgrounds. I upgraded from an om-10 to a f4s back when the f4s came out.
 

jp498

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Vaughn said:
And I played dirty -- they each now have an 7x7 print from a medium format negative (nicely focused, exposed and developed -- and sharp). They'll look at their Costco digital prints and wonder why the B&W print looks so much "better"! LOL!
Click to expand...

That's not playing dirty; MF on an old TLR is an affordable choice to start B&W with if you develop film yourself.
 

Sirius Glass

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One of the guys I work with is being let go due to customer cutbacks. A while ago he commented that he liked on of the HIE photographs that I took in the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since he has helped me by supplying tools to fix a Graflex focal plane shutter, I printed an 11"x14" print this weekend that I will buy a mat for so that I can give it the matted print to him before he leaves.

Steve
 

Steve Smith

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I had to take some fairly boring photographs of our factory. I started out with my now almost unused Nikon D100 but had a flat battery so I did them on film with my Minolta XE-1 much to the surprise of our managing director.


Steve.
 

removed-user-1

Today at the Common Market Deli in Charlotte, the cashier (who knows I'm a photog) asked me for advice about waterproof digital point and shoots. I told him I didn't know much about them, but while we were talking he let me know that he still has a Yashica T4 and an Olympus Stylus Epic. I suggested he look for a waterproof housing for the great little cameras he already has.
 

Thomas Bertilsson

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I promoted film use today, talking to a retired professional model. Very bright young woman too, who completely understood my views, and respected my approach. We had a great conversation about different ways of making photographs, and I got a portrait session promised in the not too distant future as a result. I'll be shooting film, obviously.

I think it helped that I was respectful of other (more evil *grin*) ways of capturing light.
 

Thomas Bertilsson

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jnanian said:
today i will be giving a hands on workshop with a elementary school class.
i will be promoting "film use" and we will all be making sun prints.
it should be FUN !
Click to expand...

Good for you, John! Spread your joy of photography, and inspire those children to do great things. It's the greatest gift anyone can give.
 

Sirius Glass

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I have been working with a coworker who wants to buy an MF camera for his niece that wants to move from 35mm film to 120 film.

Steve
 

Jeff Kubach

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The other day my brother and sister were at the house and I was trying to give the advantges of film. I hope I was successful!

Jeff
 
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