You guys know me. I love photography. I've been shooting with a digital camera since middle school, maybe elementary. But finally in my last year of college, I started playing around with a film camera for class in 2021. If you've seen my Xenophobic Crime Scenes project, most of those photos were taken with a Mamiya7ii--a medium format film camera.
Even with the increasing interest in film--blurry/noisy photos, motion blur, disposable cameras--I somehow always thought shooting with a digital camera was superior. But was I wrong...
I've always loved having clear and crisp photos. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a shallow depth of field. But what's in focus, needs to be in crisp, clear focus. I thought shooting film just wouldn't be able to give me that same level of quality.
But when I finally got my hands on the Mamiya7ii and was tasked to start shooting on it, I was so excited but also so terrified. How would I know if what I'm taking photos of will even turn out good, let alone okay? I won't know what they will look like until after I develop them--and that's if I develop them correctly.
The Mamiya7ii is a beauty. It's a rangefinder camera, which means that if the lenscap was on, you wouldn't even realize it. In other words, you would be shooting with the lens cap still on, and you wouldn't even know it, AND all your photos would turn out pitch black. TERRIFYING. Because when you're shooting with a digital camera, you would know and stop yourself before it's too late.
Thank goodness I didn't make this mistake... but that was only because my professor drilled it in my mind that it's happened numerous times before to other students. I will not be one of them.
Anyway, all that to say, I fell in love with film. I loved taking my time, making sure I'm framing the shot I really wanted. It was such a hands-on process, from shooting to developing the film (don't even get me started on how long it took me to put a roll of film onto a reel to be developed...)
And... I have a couple film cameras now!
I got a 35mm film camera in a thrift-store in Cape Cod. It's fully automated, so it's more like a point and shoot. I believe it's the Chinon Genesis GS-7. She's cute and I've loved carrying her around.
I also got myself a medium format (120mm) because I just fell too deep in love with the Mamiya. I decided to get the Mamiya RZ67 because it was so different from other cameras I've seen and used. And thinking about the waistlevel viewfinder just made me too excited.
So, I wanted to share a few of my favorite black and white film shots:
I really want to explore photography a little more this year. To push and challenge myself to shoot things I normally wouldn't. I told myself I would go out and shoot at least once a month -- even if it's just to take one single photo.
Love,
Tiv
Comments