I’d been working on this project in one form or another for about 6 months, trying various methods to return the old selenium light meter on my Rolleiflex 2.8F to a functional and usable state. Without giving it all away, this article/informal guide covers the end result of replacing the camera’s original light meter cell […]
Category: Guides & How-Tos
Guides, How-tos and articles describing process, technique, film and gear a created by EMULSIVE and members of the analogue photography community. From shutter speed testers to large format cameras, we’ve got you covered.
Using filters with monochrome film
If you have been giving monochrome (aka black and white) film photography a go, you will have realised that film doesn’t quite see things the way your eye does. With modern, panchromatic film stocks that “see” the entire visible light spectrum, the difference isn’t great but can be significant in some areas. In this article, […]
How-to: Light portraits on film using LEDs + ideas for all budgets
Like anything in life, it’s important to choose the right tool for the job. When it comes to shooting portraits you can choose strobes or constant lights for your lighting. In this article, I’ll chat a little bit about my workflow for portraits with photographic film and why I choose a certain light type for […]
Can you shoot Instax Mini in a 35mm camera? Well, yes… maybe
As I write this in mid-May 2020, it’s week seven of lockdown here in the UK. I’ve been furloughed and have found myself at home with buckets of time and very few ideas on what to do with it. Having burned through much more film than I normally would, just because developing it was something […]
Making a working LEGO wide-format pinhole film camera
The purpose of this article is to guide you through my journey from a random pile of colourful bricks, to a pretty much fully functional 6×12 LEGO pinhole camera. The camera went through various versions, good, bad and ugly, each with their strengths and drawbacks until finally, I got to what I felt to be […]
Find your perfect Leica or M-mount film camera with the help of this interactive tool & reference data
Enter your criteria and discover the perfect Leica for you based on the features and functionality you need for your photography. It’s that simple.
Managing exposure: Using Sunny 16 and the Zone System at the same time
Linking a relatively simple and intuitive method for photographic exposure determination to a highly complicated and comprehensive system for analysing every step for making a high-quality photographic print may seem to be stretching things a bit. But the fact is there are a couple of features of the Zone System that are are very useful […]
How-to: Make a UV LED box for cyanotype prints
In this article, I’m going to show you how to make a Cyanotype print with UV LED box as the light source. Cyanotypes are traditionally developed in sunlight and the prints are often referred to as “sun prints”. But it is winter, it is cold and UV light isn’t so strong and readily available as […]
So you want to shoot Fujifilm Instax? These are your options today
Fujifilm Instax covers a huge range of instant film and cameras created and sold since 1998. Over the past 2+ decades, while the number of other instant film options have dwindled to just enough to count with your fingers and toes, Instax has gone from strength to strength. In this article, I cover the history […]
A guide to Simple, effective and CHEAP macro photography
Business closures, stay at home orders and the imperative for social distancing have probably cut you off from your normal sources of photographic inspiration. Your project Strangers Touching Each Other’s Faces in Dense Crowds is on hold for the foreseeable future. So rather than capturing the wide world, here is a technique to explore the […]
65 photographic projects you can do when you’re stuck at home
To help beat the boredom, I reached out to the film photography community and asked what kinds of photography projects they’d be doing while stuck at home/physically distancing over the next…
What is exposure? How to use light meters in film photography
Getting your exposure right is the first priority in making a photograph and comes before almost any other decision after the initial idea for a shot. Nowadays though, it is hardly given a thought. With many cameras making the basic choice, the photographer only needs to decide if any adjustment should be made to achieve […]
How-to: Your ultimate guide to printing a photography zine
This article covers everything you need to understand when it comes to printing your zine and owning the selection process for paper, binding, finishing and preparing your file(s) for print
How to shoot expired film or, no you do not need to add one stop per decade
There is a “rule” for shooting expired film. This “rule” states that when shooting expired film, one should add one stop of exposure per decade it has been expired. The rule is wrong and by blindly following it, you are doing yourself, your film and your subjects a disservice. No-one knows where the rule came […]
How to organize a photowalk: A guide by Anil Mistry
I love the social aspect of photography. Meeting other photographers and discovering the way they approach their passion has always been an enjoyable part of mine, so a few years ago I started to arrange little photowalks – mainly with groups of close friends. Some of these friends started to invite other friends and so […]
Introducing the Crumpotype : Buttery Summertime cyanotype fun
Traditional photographic processes require forethought, preparation and involvement on the part of the photographer. To demonstrate this, I made crumpets from scratch and then made cyanotypes using them. Because, obviously.
How to: Make a simple large format pinhole camera
In this article, I will be guiding you through the construction of a simple pinhole camera out of a cardboard box, which uses photographic paper to make photographs.
How to: Get over early hurdles in film photography
Film can be daunting for some, but I find it is worth the investment of time and money, as long as you understand exactly what your expectations are from the medium.
How to: Connect legacy film scanners to modern computers
It’s time to simplify and demystify the dark art of connecting legacy film scanners and other hardware to modern computers.
Research: is there really a difference between real and simulated film photographs?
To answer this question, I researched the foundations of film and digital photography; and which factors can influence the style of the results for my bachelor thesis.