Catching Up this Month

setting sun, Cobblestone Farm, iPhone SE

Here it is, already the end of May, and I realize that I have not put up a post in 2 weeks.  I have been busy developing and scanning all those films from April and early May, and have more to go before I catch up, that is, if I ever do.   To me, that has always been the fun aspect of film.  While I do shoot a fair amount of digital images, and appreciate the immediacy and creative aspects that it offers, my first love is film.  Developing a roll that I shot last month gives me a different sort of appreciation for "the moment" and of course, a much different interaction than if I were just downloading a hundred images off my SD card.  There have been numerous arguments put forth about the benefits of "slow photography", the "love of film" and so forth, and of course they all have some merit.  The developing and scanning routine for film isn't for everyone, of course, and if your main interest is sharing on social media, then maybe film isn't the best thing.  What really matters is what YOU like.  If you love shooting photos with your phone and are happy with it, keep doing it.  Don't take up shooting film just because it's what all the cool kids are doing.  I recently got my first Apple iPhone, and it's an SE model.  I love it.   I find myself doing things with it that allow me to create some fun and interesting images (IMOO), and it's always in my pocket.  That's not a bad thing. It's a great creative tool. Sometimes, having those tools inspire us to try different shots that we can then later say,  "I want to shoot that same thing on my Pentax K1000."  So, the iPhone (and other cellphones) can also be a sort of  "idea notebook" to augment and improve our photography overall.  We can also use them to document our set-up for a shoot, which is also valuable.  You've seen all this before, but since this is primarily a blog about film cameras (though I daresay I have a more than a few digi-entries), I figured that I may as well state the obvious.  The iPhone can make you a better artist, if you choose to let it.  Yes, those Hipstamatic filters are fun, but never confuse the results with the real deal, okay?

The other thing I have been doing is mentoring a young woman in film developing.  What I have found, contrary to my previous expectations, is that C-41 processing is probably the easiest intro to film developing!  EVERYTHING has the same time.  You only need to watch the temperature, which is easy with a water bath.  No confusion about times for different films and developers, etc.  Since a 1 liter kit is $20 at the Film Photography Project Store, and I can easily get over a dozen rolls developed from a kit, it is a huge money saver for a beginner.   Then of course, there is the scanning, which has various price points. In the end, it is all quite cheaper than sending your film out, and certainly more satisfying.

I recently had my two Nikon FE bodies fully serviced, so there will be a post about that soon.

So, as we enter the summer, I'm well-stocked with film, and hope to get a lot of photography done. I want to experiment more with color IR, and do even more shooting with medium-format.  I'll also be sharing my exploits via Instagram (mfophotos), if you care to follow.

A few examples of recent C-41 developing...

Minolta X700, Superia 800 film

Minolta X700, Superia 800 film

Minolta Maxxum 5, Superia 800 film

Minolta Maxxum 5, Superia 800 film

Lomo Sprocket Rocket, Kodak Profoto, 200

Olympus Trip 35, Kodak Profoto 200

Olympus Trip 35, Kodak Profoto 200