The Joys of Film

Recently, I have been shooting film again. I won a Linhof 6×12 panoramic camera in a photo contest. I had a few old rolls of Velvia 50 film sitting in the freezer and thought I should expose them before the end of this decade. And you  know what?–I really miss film!

• First, I feel more connected with the scene or subject when shooting film. With digital I take the photo and then immediately check the histogram, look at the picture on the LCD,  make adjustments and shoot again. I spend most of my time fiddling with the camera and less time looking at and interacting with the scene or subject. With film, I simply take the photo, no fussing around after the fact, and  I keep my eye on the scene or subject so I never miss a special moment (unless I am reloading the film!).
• Second, I love the anticipation, the magic of getting the film back and seeing if the shots worked. There is a little alchemy and voodoo at work with film. There are always surprises, some good, some bad. With digital there are few surprises becase I look at every photo seconds after I make it.
• Third, I like the idea that with slide film, once I press the shutter, the photo is done. No computer work, no post-processing, just a lovely image on the light table. And film feels like a real photo; it is organic and sexy. A memory card is just so geeky.
• Finally, there is nothing like Velvia. I love its special rendition of the world, those amazing purples and vivid greens and blues. Digital just can’t seem to give me colours like Velvia!

Attached is a photo from the first roll of film to run through the Linhof, a camera by the way that reminds me of an Leica on steroids. No batteries that die, no sensors to clean, no firmware updates, no new models every 6 months, no black dot issues, no issues of any kind. Wow–how refreshing! Anyone want to buy a bunch of digital stuff?