Shooting film and shooting digital are a bit different in more than one way. Obviously the medium is different, the cameras are different, and the gear is different. But the mental preparation is also different. Thinking about what to bring, how much of it, and preparing for the known and unknown aspects of your outing are drastically different for film and digital shooters.
This list of “things to ask yourself” is primarily aimed at those new to film photography, but I’m sure some of the old goats can relate and perhaps add to the conversation in the comments below.
1. What’s the “Look” I’m Going For?
Different camera and film combinations will create drastically different results. Sometimes you want to go for a natural or pleasing visual appearance. Other times, you want things to look gritty or hard. For example, a nice TLR loaded with some Ektar can produce stunningly lifelike images. On the flipside, a lower quality camera loaded with expired film, high speed film, or orthochromatic film can produce very surreal images. My point is that you should have some idea of what look you’re after, and that should influence your camera and film selection.
2. Which Cameras Have I Been Neglecting?
I always feel bad for taking the same one or two cameras out. When I’m feeling particularly guilty, I’ll grab one that hasn’t been used in a long time and take it for a spin. I’ve found that although I don’t particularly enjoy shooting with some of those cameras, I always seem to get interesting results with them — probably because I’m not used to using them. So sometimes it pays to take the dusty cameras out for a shoot.
3. What Focal Length Will Work Best?
If you’re familiar with the location that you’ll be visiting, you should have some idea of what focal lengths will work best. Wide angle for landscapes? Normals for street? Telephoto for wildlife? And so on, and so on. The location and type of shooting should have some influence on the focal length and camera you choose to bring. Or maybe you just don’t know — maybe bring one of each to cover the bases? Or go with an interchangeable lens camera?
4. How Many Cameras Should I Take?
Most of my cameras have fixed prime lenses, so I usually bring more than one camera in order to cover a wider range of focal lengths. I also try to mix up different camera types and film formats. If I’m bringing the TLR, I’ll probably couple that with a 35mm rangefinder. If I’m bringing a 35mm SLR, I might couple that with a medium format toy camera. I like to have two completely different cameras with me — but that’s just my own preference.
5. How Much Film Should I Bring?
This is something I always struggle with, and I always err on the side of too much. For a day outing, I probably bring 5-10 rolls of film. Most of the time, I’ll only shoot 2-4 of those. And I’m totally fine with that. I figure it’s better to bring too many rolls than not enough.
6. What Speed Films Should I Bring?
There’s a lot that goes into this question: what time of day will I be shooting, indoor or outdoor, weather conditions, camera capabilities, etc. I’m more of a day shooter than a night shooter, so I lean toward the slower films. But even on a sunny afternoon outing, I’ll bring along some high speed film just in case. I’m also a fan of packing along a few rolls of HP5+ because I can shoot it anywhere between ISO 200-3200. And a couple rolls of PanF+ covers the ISO 25-200 range.
7. Black & White or Color or Both?
I go through cycles when it comes to this topic. Sometimes I’m nothing but b/w, while other times I’m shooting all color. Regardless of what cycle I’m on, I try to bring a little bit of each. Location and subject matter should also play a role in this decision. If you’re shooting a field of spring flowers in the mountains, maybe go for the color film. If you’re planning to roam the downtown alleys, maybe b/w or xpro would be a good choice.
8. Should I Carry Spare Batteries?
I’m a real minimalist most of the time. One or two cameras and a pocket full of film. I’m also comfortable with shooting in full manual mode in most lighting situations, so I’m not so worried about batteries. On top of that, a lot of older film cameras either don’t take batteries or they take those little tiny things that last for years. However, I will bring a spare battery if I’m taking a camera that doesn’t have manual overrides and if I don’t have a backup camera. No sense in leaving yourself high and dry!
9. Should I Bring a Digital Backup Camera?
Shooting only with film can be a bit nerve racking if you’re new to it — what if you do something wrong and you lose all the shots of the day? If it makes you more comfortable, bring your digital along as a second camera. I used to do this a lot, but I’ve been doing less of it recently because I’m more confident in my film abilities and because I know certain cameras of mine won’t fail me. Either way, it doesn’t matter what you choose to do — as long as you’re out there shooting!
What other questions do you ask yourself before heading out to shoot some film? Do you have a checklist or anything like that? And what are your typical responses to the questions above?
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:26 am
I agree that I pick different cameras and films depending. But when I go somewhere I almost always bring just one camera, and never more than two lenses. Usually I bring just one lens, or a fixed-lens camera. And I bring one roll of film, loaded in the camera, unless it’s a multi-day trip.
The benefit of one lens/one film is consistency*. With one lens and one film you have a single, very definite point of view available to you, and it’s easy to see the world through that point of view as you look for opportunities. For somebody like me, that isn’t all that good at composition and “seeing” images beforehand, this really simplifies things.
The downside is of course that you’ll miss some opportunities. But that’s OK; there’s always going to be new images coming up, no matter where you are and what you do. We don’t need to take them all.
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* Consistency – and light weight; a Pentax 67 is plenty solid enough without adding a bagful of lenses.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 8:31 am
I have the luxury to go roaming around with my cameras on a daily basis. I bring two with me all the time in my messenger bag. Generally they are two very different cameras (holga + rangefinder, or xpan + polaroid). The one thing I do steer clear from is bringing two heavy cameras at once as it gets to be too much for my shoulders. I try to have one bw and one colour, but it doesn’t always work out that way, and always a spare roll of each in the bag. Besides that I try not to think too much about it, I find that can really ruin things.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 10:06 am
One outing = one camera plus “enough” film. A digital camera is not needed as a “back-up”. Robert Capa didn’t have one when he shot his famous pictures of the Normandy invasion, and even though most of his negatives were ruined during processing, the few that survived made photographic history. Hey, if film was good enough for Robert Capa, then it’s good enough for me.
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July 23rd, 2010 at 11:09 am
I also take the “two very different cameras” approach, but I’ve been known to carry up to four cameras on a single outing. I remember about a year ago when I was visiting the Taos Pueblo in NM they charged an entrance fee and an extra $10 per camera. I was carrying 3 or 4 cameras at the time and I was a bit unhappy.
On the digital backup topic, I used to do that too, but then I realized that I would hardly pull out the digital since the film cameras are so much more fun to use!
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July 23rd, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Batteries? What kind of cameras are you using? 1/ISO @f/11 on a sunny day is all you need to know! I much prefer a manual camera (Leica, Hasselblad, Holga, whatever) over one the must have batteries. I guess that should be the first consideration. Second might be what kind of light meter you’ll be using.
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Brian Auer Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:52 pm
I do have a few cameras that require batteries and don’t have manual overrides… though I don’t use them much. The others take batteries for the internal light meter or for automatic aperture control. Sure, it’s easy enough to shoot manual, but it’s not all bad leaning on semi-automatic exposure controls every once in a while.
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August 3rd, 2010 at 4:33 am
Nice tips. I’ve done similar lists just for the Holga but these are great and go a little more in depth.
Great blog here, keep up the good work!
Durkin
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