Well, just a few short months after spending a good chunk of my savings on a fancy mirrorless digital camera with a beefy 40MP sensor and built in image stabilization, I realized that I no longer much care for having money and simply must get rid of it all as soon as possible. I have been interested in analog photography for quite some time now, but never felt that I was technically skilled or financially free enough to get into the medium. But after my “gosh I just love being broke” realization, I now own two film cameras, a couple lenses, and have exposed about 20 rolls of film. I have not touched my fancy mirrorless digital camera since I started shooting film, but, it’ll always be there I tell myself.

It’s hard to say whether this new venture has been fruitful or not. I have been squeaking out maybe 4-8 keepers per roll…. is that good? When I receive scans of my photographs from the lab I get super stoked on a few, but it’s been mostly disappointment. Those few that hit make it feel worth it, though. The texture and feeling the film produces makes it feel like I am not only capturing a moment, but absorbing the moment’s essence. It feels much closer to source than simply pointing a phone camera or even a fancy digital mirrorless 40MP camera and clicking away. I am learning more about exposure and different film stocks and composition with each roll. I find myself being far more intentional with each photograph. The process is slow; how refreshing.

I have been struggling with color. Black and white is so good in so many scenarios, however I find it difficult to get colors right. I’ve tried Fuji 200 and 400 (not a big fan), Kodak Gold 200 (I am a fan), and Kodak Ektachrome E100 (I can’t tell if I’m a fan yet). For black and white, I have mostly shot Ilford HP5. I tried one roll of Kodak TMax400 and I liked it quite a bit. I have also been playing around with pushing my rolls of black and white +1 and +2 stops, which provides deeper contrast but more grain. I dig it.

Here’s a few from the roll of Ektachrome, shot in the misty gulches and muddy bogs of Kohala last month.

The first camera I purchased is an Olympus XA from the early 80s, a very small rangefinder 35mm camera, with a crisp 35mm f2.8 lens. This camera has proved to be the perfect pocket companion. The nature of my work makes it difficult to confidently carry a camera around without damaging it, but the small body with the plastic dust cover has been perfect for my daily hikes. I also have an Olympus OM-1, a 35mm SLR camera originally manufactured in 1972. I have a Zuiko 50mm f1.8 lens and a Zuiko 28mm f2.8 lens for the system, and I have been greatly enjoying them both.

The intentionality and artistry that comes with analog photography has me thinking about my work differently. I want to compose projects; collections, zines, prints, and books are all I am thinking about. The tangible object-ness of physical forms of photography is what really does it for me.

I have created an Instagram page solely for my film photography, check it out @analogportals. Thanks for reading/looking.

On Film

Dropping off some photos.