Jeffery has been encouraging me to shoot with film for a few months now (I think secretly he wants to build another darkroom and is using me as an excuse). Having never really done it, except for an old Kodak 110 when I was little, I was a bit intimidated and very hesitant to try. Actually, I was a lot intimidated. What if I did it wrong? What if the shots didn’t come out? Manual focus?? What’s that? And then, it hit me, who really cares? What is the worst that could possibly happen except that I waste a few bucks on film and developing. Besides, I might actually learn something… now there’s a thought.

The more I thought I about it the more excited I got. It would not only be a new challenge, but it could be a lot of fun. I have never been one of those that think film is better than digital or vice-versa. Gear has never been a big selling point for me. I think you can get similar shots whether you shoot film, digital, Canon or Nikon. The person behind the camera is what matters. There is something very unique about shooting film, though, that you don’t get with digital, and that is the mystery of it. You don’t know what it is you’ve shot until it’s been developed. I love the thought of winding the film and pressing the shutter. The whole idea of shooting a roll of 36 exposures and not knowing if you got anything at all is very appealing to me and a little bit romantic. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I did want to try it.

When I picked up Jeffery’s Nikon F2, one of the first things I noticed was how heavy it was. It was not easy to just lift up and snap off a few shots like I’m used to doing with my D90. I also knew every shot was going to cost something. I had to make it count. I found myself looking through the viewfinder and asking myself is it worth pressing the shutter. Do I really want that shot? Is it communicating something that I want to share? And, if it is, how do I make it the best I possibly can? I started looking slowly and carefully, checking every square millimeter of the frame for distractions. Checking the exposure, not just once, but twice. Focusing as carefully as I possibly can and then pressing the shutter. And, I’ve got to say, pressing that shutter, although scary, feels pretty good. The sound of it and the feel of it is amazing. It sounds permanent. It’s like it’s saying, “You finished it. You’re done. Now you can move on to the next one.” There is a completion to it that you don’t get with a DSLR.

When I shoot with my DSLR I never get the feeling that I am done. There is always one more shot to be taken. I can always change the exposure or change my angle. I can’t walk away until I have explored every single minute possibility of shooting that one image. Shooting digitally means we are able to “spray and pray”, hoping that we get something we can call good. We bracket our shots, we have our cameras set on rapid-fire, we take shots from every angle with every possible exposure setting thinking that is the way to get better at what we do. I was taught that to get better I need to shoot a lot. Experiment. Take chances. After all, it costs us nothing except space on a memory card or hard drive. I agree with that, to a point. We do need to shoot a lot. It’s good to see how different settings will affect the same shot. It’s good to experiment with composition to see what looks good and why. I believe, though, that there comes a point when that experimenting becomes something other than trying to improve. It becomes laziness. We are no longer shooting with purpose. We are shooting in the hopes that we’ll get lucky. It often becomes quantity over quality.

Shooting film is a new area for me and, who knows, I may completely suck at it (I don’t know yet since I haven’t gotten my film back yet), but I am going to keep at it at least for the foreseeable future (or until Jeffery gets his darkroom). If nothing else it has shown me that photography is not, and should not, be easy. I shouldn’t be able to simply pick up a camera and call myself a photographer. I should constantly be working at getting better both aesthetically and technically, and I think film is a great avenue for that.

Here are a few things you can do, even if you are not shooting film, that will help you make better photographs:

• Slow down. You only get 24 or 36 moments to capture and share. Make every exposure count.
• Try shooting setting your LCD to display in B&W so you start to see form and tonal relationships, without the “distraction” of color. It may change what you look for.
• Practice shooting with manual focus. Seeing things come in and out of focus in the viewfinder allows you to adjust the main draw of the photograph.
• Shoot in Manual mode rather than Auto. Learn the mechanics of exposure and how controlling shutter speed, aperture, and ISO allow you to make better, more creative photographs.

I would invite any of you who have been thinking about picking up a film camera to just go for it, at least once. Either borrow one from a friend, or perhaps buy an inexpensive one from Ebay. If you do decide to take the plunge into film, be sure share your results in our Flickr group. Just be sure to tag your images with “film”.