I Still Shoot Film

Paris at Place des Vosges | Shot with a Nikon FM2 and Kodak...

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:00:00 +0200

Paris at Place des Vosges | Shot with a Nikon FM2 and Kodak Ektachrome 64 (expired 1996)

re: your scanner advice, the Epson V700 is virtually identical to the V750 and a useful amount cheaper. I have one, it's great, although the 35mm film holder could be better. Also, in the UK it's generally the case a that for any given film, 120 is cheaper per roll than 35mm.

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:07:26 +0200

Thanks for the extra info!

Since following you for some months now I have decided to sell my back up m4/3s body in order to buy a film scanner and b&w developing supplies. I've got my old Canon AL-1 and my new(to me)Canon Canonet Glll QL17. I was wondering about buying and developing medium format film and if it is a lot more expensive than just doing 35mm film because I am trying to decide if I want the higher quality 35mm film scanner or if medium format isn't too much to shoot with I would get a flat bed for future use

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:39:00 +0200

Hi! That’s great news :) While film scanners seem like a major investment, they are so worth it it’s not even funny.

Medium format film can be both more and less expensive, which I realize makes no sense. Let me explain:

Let’s say you shoot one roll of 35mm slide film and one roll of 120 slide film. Most people have their 35mm slides cut and mounted (personally, I do not). 36 plastic mounts (for a 36 exposure roll) costs far more than zero plastic mounts for a roll of 120 slide film. So, in this case, the developing costs less for medium format.

On the same note, labs that use hand developing or dip and dunk developing tend to charge less to develop medium format film because it’s less of an effort and takes less time. At my lab, developing a roll of 35mm color film (with no contact sheet) costs €9,50 while a roll of 120 color film (again with no contact sheet) costs €8. Drop of 10 rolls of film to be developed and that’s a significant difference.

Side note: for those of you who just said to yourselves, “OMG that is soooo ridiculously expensive,” get over it. Chemicals and paper cost more now than they ever did before and professional labs are taking the beating. If we as film consumers want to be able to purchase and develop our film, we need to support the professional labs that make that possible.

But back to medium format vs. 35mm. We can establish that developing on it’s own is more expensive for 35mm, however purchasing 120 film is far more expensive… which basically makes them even out.

If you’re having difficulty deciding, ask yourself these questions:

How big to you want to be able to make your final prints?
What camera do you want to use?

Those tend to be my deciding factors.

For scanners, unless you’re looking at throwing down a few grand on a drum scanner, I would definitely recommend a combo flatbed/35mm/medium format. I use an old Canoscan 8600F but am seriously considering replacing it for the newer Canoscan 9000F. It does 35mm and 120, black and white, color negative and color positive. I have also heard great things about the Epson V750, but I have never tried one. The Canoscan runs in the $150-$200 range, while the Epson is at $700-$800 (depending where you look online.)

Hope that helps :)

Film Photography Submission By: raquelphoto Film: Expired...

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:05:29 +0200

Film Photography Submission By: raquelphoto

Film: Expired Samsung 200
Camera: Minolta Maxxum 7

http://www.flickr.com/photos/r-simoes/7246302502/

Film Photography Submission By: Paulo Ricca Sofia on the swing....

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:41:46 +0200

Film Photography Submission By: Paulo Ricca

Sofia on the swing. Ricoh Singlex TLS on kodak colorplus 200.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauloricca/

NSFW: Film Photography Submission By: pan-fotograf Used Lubitel...

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:00:07 +0200

NSFW: Film Photography Submission By: pan-fotograf

Used Lubitel 166B with Fuji Pro 160

Tumblr: http://pan-fotograf.tumblr.com

Film Photography Submission By: jennahilary Shot on a Nikon...

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:05:58 +0200

Film Photography Submission By: jennahilary

Shot on a Nikon FM10 with Tri-X400

Film Photography Submission By: David McAllister Portait. Tri-X...

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:00:42 +0200

Film Photography Submission By: David McAllister

Portait. Tri-X pushed to 800. Developed in ID-11. Scanned from negative with Flextight x1.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/genkidavid/

Film Photography Submission By: sigmundaarhaug Maren F....

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:59:12 +0200

Film Photography Submission By: sigmundaarhaug

Maren F. (sinar4x5, ilford hp5).

My tumblr.

Film Photography Submission By: f-montenegro Shot with a Kiev...

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:01:38 +0200

Film Photography Submission By: f-montenegro

Shot with a Kiev 88 using TMax 100 pushed to 400 and developed with Xtol stock.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78987754@N08/6990941624/in/photostream

Film Photography Submission By: selinamayer Portrait of a Poet,...

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:39:01 +0200

Film Photography Submission By: selinamayer

Portrait of a Poet, May 2011

Mamiya RZ67 / Ilford Delta 400

selinamayer.tumblr.com / twitter.com/selinkamayer

Water gazing, Hvar Croatia | Shot with a Nikon FM2

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:15:38 +0200

Water gazing, Hvar Croatia | Shot with a Nikon FM2

Don't forget to submit your film photos for tomorrow!

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:13:55 +0200

Don't forget to submit your film photos for tomorrow!:

This week’s theme: PORTRAIT

Submit your best portraits shot on film, and don’t forget to include the camera and type of film you used :)

Marie Meyer | Shot with a Kiev 88 and Fuji Provia 100F

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:19:10 +0200

Marie Meyer | Shot with a Kiev 88 and Fuji Provia 100F

your photos are lovely! do u do any portrait photos?

x
dana

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:26:44 +0200

Hi Dana! Thanks so much :)

Yes, I definitely shoot portraits. You can view some here: http://istillshootfilm.org/tagged/portrait

Or you can have a look at my professional website here: http://rachelrebibo.com/

Waves, Hvar Croatia | Shot with a Nikon FM2

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:54:32 +0200

Waves, Hvar Croatia | Shot with a Nikon FM2

hey! I wanted to ask you if it's OK to store my negatives in a Tupperware, in the freezer of course. Isn't affected by humidity? and secondly, when I want to load the film, do I have to wait for a while or can I start shooting right away after taking the film out from the cold? thanks a lot for your advice!

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:28:00 +0200

NO NO NO DO NOT STORE YOUR NEGATIVES IN THE FREEZER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!!! You can store film in the freezer before it’s developed (more on that here) but your negatives need to be stored in a dry, dark place. I would say no on the Tupperware, as it seals in stale air and humidity…. humidity is not a friend to your negatives. Just to clarify - film = not developed, negatives = developed. Huge difference. Film needs (balanced) humidity, negatives do not.

On shooting film stored in the cold - if you’re keeping it in the fridge, it’s okay to load without really waiting. If you’re keeping it in the freezer for long term storage, you need to let it warm up. I explain all of it in How To Take Good Care of Your Film.

hello, i was wondering if you knew of anywhere online where i could buy film storage sleeves... at the moment i'm storing them in a regular folder (cry) and i'm really worried i'm going to destroy them. i've looked online but i dont really know what i'm looking for so i'm kind of stuck.

Sat, 19 May 2012 23:01:00 +0200

You can buy negative sleeves online from B&H, Amazon, Adorama, and even eBay. The technical name for what you are looking for is “archival negative sleeves.” The word “archival” is key, as it guarantees that the material will not degrade the quality of your negatives over time. If you’re shooting 35mm, you would look for 35mm archival negative sleeves. There are many different brands, but one of the most trusted and well-known is Print File.

And, if you must, envelopes are better than folders… but neither is optimal.

Hope that helps :)

Scotland plans to ban photography in Glasgow's subways (and other subway shooting laws)

Sat, 19 May 2012 17:15:00 +0200

Sigh. This obviously concerns all photographers, regardless of whether we shoot film or digital. It’s also part of a growing (and unsettling) photography-banning trend - of which I am not a big fan.

Apparently, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is looking at a set of bylaws which would make it illegal for any person riding the subway to take photographs, make visual recordings or make audio recordings in any part of the subway in Glasgow. Plan on sending an MMS to your best friends of the guy snoring next to you during your morning commute? Not so fast my Scottish friends, not so fast.

Glasgow seems to be following London, which has made photographing in the Underground without a permit illegal for quite some time. Apparently, visitors and residents alike are confused on this issue. Some say flash photography is not allowed, but no flash is okay. It turns out that actually NO PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALLOWED on the London Underground - unless you get a permit. Why? Because the London Underground stations are technically private property. Student and non-professional permits cost £50 a piece, and commercial permits will run you around £500. Ouch. Want one anyway? The Transports for London website (which, by the way, looks like it was designed in a web-hosting site builder app circa 2004) makes it very easy to give them your money online in exchange for a shooting permit at the Permit Applications page.

This no-subway-shooting-ridiculousness is technically already the case in here Paris, and has been since a law was put into place in 1968… but honestly no one pays attention to it. I know that in Paris, the idea is to prevent terrorists from plotting to blow up the metro… or something like that. However, you can ask for permission to shoot in the metro and - good news - they give permission a lot. For those of you who speak French, Droit et Photographie is a fantastic blog that explains all about laws on photographing in various French cities. For those of you who don’t, feel free to have a look at my previous post on laws for street photography in France.

Before moving to the land of wine and cheese, I used to live in New York…. and the die-hard American within me has zero memory of being forbidden to photograph on the NYC Subway. So, I looked it up and alas am totally right. For anyone who wants to shoot on the subway in New York, here is a direct quote from section 1050.9 of the MTA’s Rules of Conduct:

Photography, filming or video recording in any facility or conveyance is permitted except that ancillary equipment such as lights, reflectors or tripods may not be used. Members of the press holding valid identification issued by the New York City Police Department are hereby authorized to use necessary ancillary equipment. All photographic activity must be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this Part.

What does this mean? In means you can shoot away all by your lonesome, but don’t be trying to set up a commercial shoot on the 4 train without permission. Logical.

Now let’s move on to discuss my hometown, Washington D.C. You would think that the birthplace of the Department of Homeland Security would have a stick up its ass about photographing on the Metro… but you would be wrong. Fellow Washingtonians, Marylanders, Virginians and tourists, feel free to bust out your camera on the D.C. Metro - but please leave your tripods at home. Here is a direct quote from a statement by Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn:

People are permitted to take photos in our rail system. We do not “own” Union Station. That’s Amtrak.

We see our rail system as a tourist destination, and I’ve seen some beautiful photos of our stations, especially the ceilings.

The main restriction we have on photographers is that they are not permitted to use tripods. Why? It’s a tripping hazard. Someone else may not realize they are standing so close to your tripod and we can’t have people tripping–especially in a station environment where there is a lot of danger with trains and high voltage electricity.

We have no intention to regulate photography other than by restricting tripod use.

Hear that, y’all? Your tripods are tripping hazards. But otherwise shoot away!

(Scotland photography ban news via Amateur Photographer)

View of Ile Saint-Louis from the Voie Georges Pompidou | Shot...

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:12:37 +0200

View of Ile Saint-Louis from the Voie Georges Pompidou | Shot with a Superheadz Black Slim Devil and Kodak Ektar

I Still Shoot Film

Paris at Place des Vosges | Shot with a Nikon FM2 and Kodak...

re: your scanner advice, the Epson V700 is virtually identical to the V750 and a useful amount cheaper. I have one, it's great, although the 35mm film holder could be better. Also, in the UK it's generally the case a that for any given film, 120 is cheaper *per roll* than 35mm.

Film Photography Submission By: raquelphoto Film: Expired...

Film Photography Submission By: Paulo Ricca Sofia on the swing....

NSFW: Film Photography Submission By: pan-fotograf Used Lubitel...

Film Photography Submission By: jennahilary Shot on a Nikon...

Film Photography Submission By: David McAllister Portait. Tri-X...

Film Photography Submission By: sigmundaarhaug Maren F....

Film Photography Submission By: f-montenegro Shot with a Kiev...

Film Photography Submission By: selinamayer Portrait of a Poet,...

Water gazing, Hvar Croatia | Shot with a Nikon FM2

Don't forget to submit your film photos for tomorrow!

Marie Meyer | Shot with a Kiev 88 and Fuji Provia 100F

your photos are lovely! do u do any portrait photos? x dana

Waves, Hvar Croatia | Shot with a Nikon FM2

hello, i was wondering if you knew of anywhere online where i could buy film storage sleeves... at the moment i'm storing them in a regular folder (cry) and i'm really worried i'm going to destroy them. i've looked online but i dont really know what i'm looking for so i'm kind of stuck.

Scotland plans to ban photography in Glasgow's subways (and other subway shooting laws)

View of Ile Saint-Louis from the Voie Georges Pompidou | Shot...

re: your scanner advice, the Epson V700 is virtually identical to the V750 and a useful amount cheaper. I have one, it's great, although the 35mm film holder could be better. Also, in the UK it's generally the case a that for any given film, 120 is cheaper per roll than 35mm.

your photos are lovely! do u do any portrait photos?

x
dana