Kick my butt - get me back into film

kshapero

kshapero

South Florida Man
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Mar 27, 2006
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I haven't shot film in over a year. Please kick me back into pulling out my lovely M3 or bevy of fine Nikon's. What's wrong with me?:confused::bang:;)
 
I not sure if you are going to like it.
Your Flickr shows repetitive shots of the same.
Until you will not get tired of this; film is not going to be with you.
 
Because it’s “Same Old Same Old”. Try something different. I suggests a Stereo Realist and making your film be stereo slides. This is something pretty much only film can do, and the 3D effect is Awesome. The Realist is the Finest $75 Camera in the World.
 
One camera, one lens, one film. Shoot 50 rolls like that. It's a good excercise in self discipline!
 
Akiva, if those were Minolta film cameras, there would be ample reason to go back to film. Leica and Nikon, not so much. :D

- Murray
 
Load up your Leica or one of your Nikons with some new film you've wanted to try
and shoot at least one frame a day, every day. That will get you started...

Chris
 
Sometimes all it takes is a new camera or a new lens to change your perspective and give you that little extra motivation. Maybe testing out the waters with a larger format or a small point and shoot. If there's any interest, I can certainly loan you something.
 
From back alley’s thread on improvement:

maddoc said:
If you want to change your photographs, you need to change cameras. Changing cameras means that your photographs will change. A really good camera has something I suppose you might describe as its own distinctive aura. – Nobuyoshi Araki

I like that concept.
Click to expand...
 
Try this, shoot one shot per day using photo paper as a negative. This will help provide fairly quick feed back and if you are familiar with regular darkroom processes is cheap and fairly easy...even at ISO 6.
Just cut some paper to 34mm by 55mm and lay it on the inner rails of your SLR. Go out, you only have one chance, meter at ISO 6 (at least for Ilford MG4 RC. In cloudy bright light you should be able to hand hold at 1/30 @ f2.8 to f4 or, for smaller apertures or poorer light use a tripod.
Develop to a negative and either contact print or scan and.....well there you go.

*That’s right, I did say 34mm, prevents trying to get a precise 35mm that may be slightly wider and crowd the outer film rails.

PS; You don’t have to stick to one per day, you can do more if you like, but...do at least one exposure per day.

PPS; If you have a 6X6 laying about you can use that and get a bigger negative.
 
"You need to shoot film for longevity"...repeat that mantra three times as soon as you get up in the morning and you will shoot film with your beloved film cameras...guaranteed !
 
Pick up the film camera that catches your eye right now. Handle it, look through the viewfinder, fire off a few dry shots. Put on a different lens and shoot a few more dry shots. Play with the lenses, think of how lovely and solid their manufacture is, how images look when they are developed. Look at your old film images, as well as images taken by others, and think of how you might be able to do just that yourself.

This is what I do when I get motivated to shoot film. Thing is, shooting film costs money, so I feel like I need to justify the images I take with it. If you feel that urge to shoot film, find yourself some good subjects in your usual way and take a few images. Just a few. If you want to shoot more, do it, just feel that it's worth taking them.
 
Well, you miss it, so that's a start. Just what do you hope to gain by using film again? Why did you switch to digital in the first place? Do you feel it will improve your images to go back to film? And if so, why?

Or maybe you just miss the visceral feel of using a film camera. So just go out there, get a couple rolls of film, and have at it. Sooner or later you will settle on either one or the other, or a combination of the two.

PF
 
I dropped film two California droughts ago, but the state seems content with increasing the states population, raising both tax rates and items taxed and not a damn thing is done to increase the water supply, so I’m done with worrying about washing film, but I’ve forgotten much, but have my old notebooks. I think that I will stay digital for color, but never had an interest in digital B&W. I wonder if my hundreds of rolls sitting in my film freezer have survived the last 7-8 years?
 
kshapero said:
I haven't shot film in over a year. Please kick me back into pulling out my lovely M3 or bevy of fine Nikon's. What's wrong with me?:confused::bang:;)
Click to expand...

Maybe you simply need to spend more time away from shooting film until you yourself are the one kicking your butt. If you don't miss it then why force it? I have a number of pursuits in life that I've enjoyed for decades but often find myself taking periods of time away from those interests. Sometimes for a short while, sometimes for longer. Eventually I'll return to whatever it is that I've been taking a break from when the time is right. This can have it's own benefits when it comes to creative pursuits.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
I not sure if you are going to like it.
Your Flickr shows repetitive shots of the same.
Until you will not get tired of this; film is not going to be with you.
Click to expand...

Yup.
I think the OP needs some inspiration regardless of if they're shooting on film, digital, their phone etc...
Pick up some photobooks, think of a project you want to do ?
Perhaps also curate your flickr feed down to your best shots to gain inspiration ?
 
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