I Still Shoot Film

In the words of Aretha Franklin, “THINK.” Stop and reflect upon your shot for a minute. Is there a better angle? Are you shooting from the best location? Compose your photograph instead of just pulling a point and shoot. (This is one of the reasons I love shooting film, because you are restricted in your number of shots, so you make each one count)

Stop testing exposure limits. You all know what I’m talking about. Switching your ISO on your DSLRs to super high even though you know you will hate the noise afterward… Opening your shutter and pretending your body is strong enough to prevent camera shake… You know when you don’t have enough light, and you need to respect that.

Get close. Using a telephoto lens may be appropriate for wildlife and sports photography, but in many cases it actually separates you from your subject - which prevents your photograph from creating a connection. Try shooting with a lens that doesn’t extend over 50mm to force yourself to get close to your subject.

Use a light meter. This goes for you too, my digital pumpkins… if you think that looking at the screen on the back of your camera is sufficient for determining a correct exposure, you are mistaken. When you use a light meter, meter the four corners of your frame and various angles of your primary subject to get an accurate stop range.

Ask permission. Fear of bothering people is one of the main things that prohibits photographers from getting the shot they really want… but you would be surprised how often people say, “yes” when you just ask.

(Source: istillshootfilm.org)