Fail. Learn. Repeat.
Struggling with film after decades of digital.
Ok, this one is a little different. I’ve been down with a cold for a few days so brain fog settled in. I’d had a ‘brilliant’ post idea about the tipping point of when a “Main Street” becomes too empty to refill, complete with all sorts of beautiful abandonment and economic planning theories. Yeah- so, hold your breath and wait on that.
Around a year ago, I shot the first roll of film I’d shot in 25 years. Not because film is trendy or hip, but because I had my hands on a borrowed Hasselblad 500 and had always want to shoot one. (Should have bought them all for a dollar in 2000 when they were in trash heaps)
Following that side quest, I came to realize how much the amazing technology we hold in our hands is propping me up.
2012: Fujifilm and the XPro1
The release of the Fujifilm xPro-1 in 2012 made me fall in love with photography again. After years of terrible digital point and shoot snaps, or early phone pics, this was slow and mechanical and thoughtful. It was a chance to look at the world again.
Since then, I’ve been with Fuji and moved through the lineup- Xpro2, XT-4, X100VI, X-H2s. I’ve loved some more than others and slowly narrowed down my lens selection to two.
But somewhere I realized I was letting the XH2s do all the work. So I set about to shoot a few rolls of film now and then to force some discipline.
Ouch.
My first camera was the remarkable Minolta XE-7, a co-production from Minolta and Leica. This was about 40 years ago and yet somehow I think I had more keepers. (I still have that camera.)
Great write-up about the venerable XE7 here: https://casualphotophile.com/2023/10/12/minolta-xe7-review-2/
Now, on a borrowed Lecia MP, with a Summicron 35mm, I started again. Simple (rudimentary?) metering, manual focus, rangefinder- what could go wrong.
All of it. Woof:
Somewhat traumatized, I took this setup to Portugal, but was too afraid to miss shots, so I also carried my Fuji XH2. When in doubt- this is what I used most.
As for the film- at this point, I would be happy for exposure to be correct. Composition and subject matter be damned!
Slightly better ratios:
A year and few dozen rolls later and this was the contact sheet I received this week. And the reason for this post. A high ration of properly exposed, properly focused images. Even a photo or two I like. But I am suddenly less inclined to throw all of my camera gear away and take up the harmonica.
One thought is that, as per usual, social media, YouTube, etc are probably not showing all the ugly mistakes and terrible rolls, learning curves- whether it is film, or digital or off camera flash or portraits, or learning a laguage or fixing up cars.
Learning is ugly and may be expensive. But it feels like the best investment.
I’ll keep shooting this camera, and definitely will keep shooting my Fuji. I think the two inform and improve each other, at least for me.
Nice Film Club
I have been using Nice Film Club for developing and scanning. The service has been quick, simple and the platform has been easy to use. You can do one-offs or join as a member for steeply discounted rates. If you want to give a membership a try, consider using this referral code- we each get a free roll out of it.
I love seeing the contact sheets. Thanks for showing your progress. - For me, if I can get 10 shots from a roll that I’m happy with, I consider that a success. More, and I’m ecstatic, Less, and I shrug hoping to do better next time.
I enjoyed reading about your journey back into film. Thanks for sharing. Now that you’re making progress, how would you compare the two mediums (digital and film) in terms of your own photographic fulfillment? Do you find the film process is holding you back, or is it adding to the experience?