Learning Film Photography: very first roll
Why film, you ask? The color and the ability to push my light like crazy! I love bright and colorful images that look organic. Natural. Simple. And then mixing warm tones with cool tones? What?! Makes my heart swell. For my birthday this year Isaac gifted me with a film camera (Canon EOS 1v). He is the best, I know. I stared at that camera while waiting for film and batteries to come and wondered how in the world I would find the right settings to get that magical image I could only see in my head. I read through some great film books (Elizabeth Messina, Jose Villa) and while absolutely stunning with incredible ideas, they weren't as technical as I needed to start this new endeavor. Jonathan Canlas' book, which can be downloaded HERE, was an extremely helpful resource while I waited on my first roll of film. He walks you through different types of films, cameras and approaches leaving you the opportunity to make educated and strategic decisions. I loved it.
I am sharing every image off my first ever film roll so I can hopefully encourage those of you who are hoping to try it out. I will share what I learned and what I will do differently in the future. These images have not been edited in any way (except the black and white images), which is precisely why film has captured my heart.
I did not use a light meter for these readings, but hopefully my sektonic will arrive today! I will be sure to let you know what I think about using a light meter.
Canon EOS 1V Canon 85 1.2 Canon 100 2.8 Fuji 400H rated at 200
Left: f/2.0 1/125 200 ISO Right: f/1.2 1/80 200 ISO
Left: f/250 1.2 200 ISO In the future I will overexpose a little bit more like in the above image (right side).
Right: f/1.2 1/15 200 ISO
Left: f/2.8 1/160 200 ISO Right: f/2.8 1/125 200 ISO
Left: f/2.8 1/80 200 ISO Right: f/2.8 1/125 200 ISO
Below: f/2.0 1/320 200 ISO I will overexpose by another stop in the future.
Below: f/2.8 1/200 200 ISO
Left: f/1.6 1/125 200 ISO Right: f/1.6 1/400 200 ISO
Left: f/2.8 1/250 200 ISO Right: f/2.0 1/320 200 ISO
Below: f/2.0 1/500 200 ISO
Left: f/1.2 1/400 200 ISO Right: f/1.2 1/400 200 ISO
Left: f/2.0 1/500 200 ISO I would over expose by 1-2 stops next time.
Right: f/1.2 1/400 200 ISO
Below: f/1.2 1/2000 200 ISO
Below: f/2.8 1/200 200 ISO
Left: f/1.2 1/500 200 ISO Right: f/2.0 1/125 200 ISO After looking at my notes, I think I metered for the tea pot instead of the shadows. If I could redo the image, I would change my settings to f/2.0 1/15 200 ISO.
Left: f/2.0 1/640 200 ISO This image was taken on a covered deck with sunlight hitting the ground in the background. I would change my settings to f/2.0 1/125 200 ISO.
Right: f/1/6 1/160 200 ISO
Below: f/1.2 1/1600 200 ISO
Below: f/2.8 1/60 200 ISO
Left: f/1.2 1/60 200 ISO Right: f/1.2 1/80 200 ISO
Left: f/1.2 1/50 200 ISO Right: f/1.2 1/15 200 ISO
Left: f/1.2 1/25 200 ISO Right: f/5.0 1/320 200 ISO
Left: f/1.2 1/60 200 ISO Right: f/1.2 1/40 200 ISO
Below: f/2.0 125 200 ISO These settings are the same as the very first image, but I took two exposures because I was afraid I had exposed a frame when trying to load the film.
In conclusion, here are a few things to keep in mind when beginning film (I used fuji 400H and the Canon 1V, so results may vary with different varieties of film/cameras):
- Keep a detailed notebook of the lighting situation, your camera settings, film type, etc,.
- Overexpose - I overexposed by 2-4 stops and loved what happened with the film
- Photograph different lighting situations
These images were developed and scanned at my local walgreens to ensure the camera was working properly. I can't wait to send my next images to Richard Photo Lab!
