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 […]
Category: Opinion
Jump in for, thoughts, musings, and opinions on traditional/film photography, process, films stocks, gear and technique.
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Focal Length Feud: 28mm vs 35mm for telling a story
Two street photographers make their case for their preferred wide-angle focal length, explaining what works to fulfill their respective vision.
Posted inOpinion
Seasonal Reflections of an Analogue Photographer
“It’s Christmas Theo, it’s the time of miracles”Hans Gruber, Beloved Christmas Terrorist Christmas is a piece of family-orientated theatre, rich with idiosyncratic traditions that only exist within our own eccentric little bubbles, along with the shared, large scale infectious hysteria of a nation psyching itself up for some overly indulgent festive respite. The glittery extravagances […]
Posted inOpinion
Working inside the ‘limits of your equipment’
When choosing to use a certain camera one must come to terms with the limits inherent. Speaking in respect of my Rolleiflex MX, there are things one can do very well with a TLR. There are also things that you’d be mad to shoot with a TLR (but do anyhow). What is a Rolleiflex excellent […]
Posted inArticles, Featured, Opinion
Working the Scene from Four Different Perspectives: Protest Photography by New Exit Photography Group
Expressions of civil unrest have provided many opportunities for photographers to capture the energetic, emotional scenes which are the byproduct of demonstrations, protests, riots, and other manifestations. Crowds offer such a dynamic set of possibilities that I’ve even heard some describe protests as being “cheating,” or “too easy – fish in a barrel.” While it’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Reframing The Question: a response to Clay Daly
Back in early January, CW Daly posted an article here on EMULSIVE asking, ‘Where to from here?’. The article generated a fair bit of discussion both here and on social media, with more than a few answers I bought my first SLR towards the end of the 1970s. I’ve kept going with photography ever since, […]
Posted inWet plate collodion
Visualising the Unspeakable: Exploring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with wet plate photography
Even when the camera is focused on a single subject, photographic portraiture rarely, if ever, speaks with just one voice. It is this multifaceted layering, be it intentional or otherwise, that generates intrigue and keeps us coming back for another look, drawn to some inexplicable detail that refuses to sit quietly on the page. Historical […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop cross processing your slide film: #Saynotoxpro
That’s right I said it, stop cross-processing lovely slide film. Slide film was designed to produce lovely true striking colours, with great contrast, sharpness and fine grain. It allowed photographers, artists and printers to see exactly what they were getting. Yet you want to xpro it to make it grainy, blurry and a complete smorgasbord […]
