…or, forcing myself to take photos on large format film during a pandemic for an entire year. In 2021, I decided to give myself a photo challenge – to take one shot per week, on large format (4×5), for an entire year using. Though at times it certainly was a struggle, I’m happy to say […]
Category: Opinion
Jump in for, thoughts, musings, and opinions on traditional/film photography, process, films stocks, gear and technique.
Posted inArticles
My adventures somewhere in-between medium & large formats on 120 format Kodak Gold 200
Large format photography issue #1 – is it a 5×4 camera or 4×5? The answer seems to depend on where you live, and I’m in Australia, so I’m calling it 5×4. I’ve done a couple of workshops on large format cameras — a day learning the basics on a 5×4 field camera and another doing […]
Posted inArticles
The vast White: Two months on Svalbard in the arctic winter, a film photography diary – by Josua Schindewolf
Earlier this year I had the chance to travel to the arctic islands of Svalbard for two months as part of a field campaign for my studies. Being the photography fiend that I am I immediately knew that I would have to bring my cameras along with a ton of film to try to capture […]
Posted inOpinion
Why every film photographer should keep roll notes – by Wesley Verhoeve
Whenever I shoot film, I number every roll of film that I shoot as part of my archiving system. Keeping detailed roll notes is the second piece of the puzzle that makes my photo archive useful, searchable, and professional. What are roll notes? If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that […]
Posted inOpinion
The (almost) lost roll of film
When my good friend Jonas visited Gothenburg in June 2019, we spent some quality time visiting our favorite places, trying out a ramen restaurant, and in general having a great time! The results of his trip were plenty of rolls of 120 and 220 slide film, some black, and white, and a single 120 roll […]
Posted inArticles
Confessions of a film developer
Okay, so when things go wrong the best thing to do is chalk it up to experience and make sure you don’t do it again. In the real world this is sometimes easier said than done, fortunately, when developing film at home it’s a bit more straightforward, as long as you know what you did […]
Posted inOpinion
Benefits of ample exposure in black and white film photography: Or, let there be light
Detail of a component on one of the very few operating steam locomotives in the United States, Oregon Rail Heritage Center, Portland, OR. Hasselblad 503CX, Zeiss Planar f3.5 100 mm. Kodak T-MAX 100 developed in HC-110.
Posted inOpinion
Film stock roulette: How I choose the best film stock (for me) for my new photography project
When deciding whether to use expired film or fresh stock on a personal project, it’s worth considering some practical issues. In this article, I use two personal projects to illustrate how I’ve made my choice for the best film stock for my photography projects. That “my choice” part is important. The purpose of this article […]
Posted inOpinion
Anatomy of a long term documentary project – by Simon King
Storytelling is an essential part of society and shapes the way we experience everything from the obvious mass media in cinema, books, music and advertising, to more subtle things like the way a restaurant might present its menu, or the way a lawyer may present a case. Stories shape us from childhood and become what […]
Posted inOpinion
The death of my mentor: Photographing in grief
In late July 2021 my mentor suddenly died. She was very important to me and although I’d only known her for about one and a half years, I just assumed she would be my mentor throughout my career as a photographer. She was my photography teacher, she was encouraging of my project ideas, and she […]
Posted inPhotosets and stories
Beerol: How I learned to stop worrying and develop film in gas station beer
When I saw Fat Tire and Field Mag announce their contest to develop film in beer I knew I was entering a rabbit hole, but I couldn’t have possibly known how far that rabbit hole went, or what I’d find at the bottom. While I’d been told about Caffenol and its derivative formulas for developing […]
Posted inNikon film camera reviews
Best of both: The Nikon Z6 “vs” the Nikon F6 in a portrait session
After learning last year that our office was due to close, I wanted to use my photographic skills to give something back to the people I worked with, something that might help them find their next dream job. I thought I could offer portraits that people could use on their CVs and social media. After […]
Posted inOpinion
Pricing your work: Economies of print, or “assigning worth when value is subjective”
When looking back on my photographs, even as “recently” far as 2019, I feel an abstraction in what my role in these images ought to be. In the moment of pressing the shutter, I feel I am the photographer, I have taken this picture.
Posted inArticles
The ten commandments of film photography
It’s funny how things come round! I first created this article along with another draft back in late March 2020 as a scratchpad for other (not too serious) ideas.
Posted inOpinion
Film makes me lazy. And smart. And harder working.
Why do we photograph with film? On the one level, it is a silly question. Why do some people like cookies and cream, and others like choc fudge? Because it exists, it is an option, and we just do. For those of us where film photography is an equal option to digital photography, there is no need to necessarily […]
Posted inOpinion
Grandpa, how did the film revolution begin?? Analog FANFIC
December 27th, 2068 Dear Josiah, Thank you for your note. I would wager you already know all this, but I’ll do my best to remember how it all happened since I’ve never been one to miss an opportunity to flap my jaws. Do I remember when the film revolution began? It was before The Great […]
Posted inFeatured
The death of the amateur photograph
The Bombastic Proposal: the marriage of digital photography with social media has fundamentally altered the nature of the photograph for most Americans — to such an extent that this combination of technologies has resulted in the metaphorical death of the amateur photograph. During the 20th century, photographs taken by amateurs had two primary purposes: documenting […]
Posted inOpinion
Over the hill or here or there: My adventures getting started in a large format film photography wonderland
It’s mid-December 2020 and a bearded, touqued figure stands silently on the side of a frozen lake looking off towards the rising peak of a distant mountain as the sun begins to rise. A wooden camera stands atop a carbon fiber tripod waiting for the film holder to be slid home and its shutter to […]
Posted inArticles, Film camera reviews, Opinion, Reviews
Nishika & The N8000: A seedy history of telephone scams, lawsuits and fake parts
Did you ever hear the tragedy of the Nishika N8000? If you haven’t you’re going to learn all about the seemingly seedy history of this camera; from fake LCD screens to telemarketing scams ahem, creativity…
Posted inDeveloping Film
My approach to Rodinal semi-stand film development
My film development workflow shifted in 2020 and became almost entirely based around semi-stand methods. Previously I had used ILFORD DD-X and taken great care over timings and chemistry – including for stand dev, but as I’ve found more of my projects start to come together I have not been able to dedicate myself in […]
