Street Focus 39: On Shooting Film

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Street Focus 39: On Shooting Film

Many street photographers are shooting film again, some never stopped and often shoot both digital and analog. I gathered an international panel of street photographers who shoot film for some or most of their street work and we spent an hour discussing the pros and cons of shooting film.

Please join me as I spend an hour with street photographers Marco Larousse , Walter Rothwell, Shawn Brezny and Philippe Justel.

Marco Larousse: www.MarcoLarousse.comwww.FujiXfiles.com, Twitter: @HamburgCam, Flickr group, Podcast.

Walter Rothwell: www.walterrothwell.com, Twitter: @walterrothwell and the Street Focus Panoramic Street Photography Podcast episode.

Shawn Brezny: www.ThePhotographyGuild.comGoogle Plus, Twitter: @Filmtographer, Instagram

Philippe Justel: www.fotojustel.comwww.flickr.com/photos/pjustelwww.pdxstreet.com/

14 Comments

  1. Thank for all the great information! I’ve been thinking of trying out film but didn’t really know where to start. Do you think its the camera, lens, or film type that makes a difference in film photography? Ultimately I know its the person behind the camera, but am not sure if a Leica would give better quality than say a Canon AE-1 Program.

    1. Chris, see Shawn’s reply on separate comment. Thanks for listening to Street Focus!

  2. Hey Chris, glad you liked the show. Film is a main driver for the look so would lean that way. You can get a very similar image from a Canon AE-1 or Leica film camera so don’t feel that you need a Leica to be a serious film shooter. The AE-1 is a great classic and I think that would be a good camera to get started with as someone new to film or as an experienced film shooter. The Leica is popular mainly for being a classic rangefinder camera that is built well and has some great glass to go with it. It’s also small enough to be inconspicuous so as not to draw a lot of attention for street shooting. I also shoot with a Nikon F100 and F3. The F3 is probably closer to the AE-1 where you have a basic light meter, manual focus and can shoot full manual or use aperture or shutter priority modes. Both are built very well and will last for decades if well cared for and both are great film cameras.
    Hope this info helps.

  3. Nice podcast. As a digital AND film photography shooter I enjoyed the discussion. I really liked the comment about the lifespan of both the cameras and the medium. I have digital DSLRs that are 5+ years old that I no longer use and are out of date whereas I have several film cameras 40+ years old that work fine. The nice thing about film in my opinion is that it forces you to slow down. All 4 guests brought a unique perspective on why they shoot film. Nice.

    1. Thanks Steve, you would have been a great addition to the panel. Next time!

  4. I really enjoyed this show! Not only was the content interesting but I really appreciated the panel’s open mindedness and enthusiasm for getting the most out of both analog and digital photography. I recently started shooting film (B&W) for the first time ever using my late father’s Minolta SRT-101 and I’m enjoying it tremendously. I shoot differently and more deliberately with film and I think it’s improving my digital photos as well.

    The discussion of the economics of film was excellent. I don’t (yet) develop my B&W film but use “The Darkroom” who also provide basic scans. They do a fine job but the cost is not insubstantial for me when you add the shipping in as well. Your panel’s discussion about the enjoyment they get from developing film – as well as economics – was really encouraging. Maybe this would be a good topic for a future podcast episode…

    1. Thank you for listening to Street Focus Tyler, and for taking the time to write a comment. Much appreciated!

  5. Great show… and perfect timing. I’ve been loving my Fuji X100T for all photography, especially street… but lately have been trying an old Nikon F3 film camera. I find that shooting film, instead of digital, focuses my intention and mindset, and I’m much more discerning in the shots I choose to take. I definitely shoot less images, but they’re usually better overall. I’m hoping at least some of this more conscious deliberation bleeds through into my digital photography, and weans me away from my “spray and pray” tendencies.

    The only problem with the F3 is that the shutter is so loud, as soon as I fire off a shot, all heads turn to stare, and I’m busted. Today I picked up an old Yashica TLR on eBay for $75. I’ve never tried medium format before, and the shutter is quite discreet, so I’m looking forward to trying it for street. With the TLR, I won’t have to raise the camera to my eye and can literally fire from the hip. Which is sort of what I tried recently with the Fuji X100T, using the wireless connection to the Fuji app on my iPhone.

    Again, thanks for the show, and the ongoing podcast. Your photos are beautiful, and I admire and applaud your street philosophy.

    1. Thank you for listening to Street Focus James, and for your kind words.

  6. I still sometime use film Trix, HP5 plus, Fuji ieven did Medium Large Format from 6×6, 6×7, 6×9 then 5×4 in & 10×8 in 7then made the Prints , it was very enjoyable.