I Still Shoot Film

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

Blake | Shot with a Kiev 88 (intentional light leaks) and Kodak Portra 160 pushed to 3200

Blake Myers @ Next Model Management | Shot with a Kiev 88 and Kodak Portra 160 pushed to 3200

For this image I took 2 film photos and scanned them on top of each other, not unlike doing a double-exposure on paper in the darkroom.

I decided to try pushing some Kodak Portra 160 to 3200 and intentionally creating light leaks on my Kiev 88 during my last fashion test. Although I am pleased with the results, I do not recommend trying this for something important. I was also shooting digital for the sake of the modeling agent, which means if this didn’t work it wasn’t the end of the world.

More Renee | Shot with a Kiev 88 and desaturated Fuji Provia

Renee | Shot with a Kiev 88 and desaturated Fujichrome Provia 100F

An outtake from my nude shoot with the lovely Renee

Shot with a Nikon FM2 and Ilford Delta 100 (pushed to 400)

More from the Ottavia et Emma lookbook

Shot with a Kiev 88 and Fujichrome Provia 100F

I did this for a lookbook for a young clothing company called “Ottavia et Emma.” The model is Marie Meyer, one of the most beautiful, professional and easy-to-work with models I have ever met. Shot with a Kiev 88 and Fuji Provia 100F (regular process.)

Another shot from my test shoot in the snow…

[Credit: Model - Renee LeClaire, Makeup & Hair - Julia Floch Carbonel, Styling - Noemie K, Clothing provided by Nathalie Dumeix, Jewelry provided by Nathalie Sevikian, Photo - me, obviously]

Here’s a photo from a test shoot I did in the snow last month… the conditions were completely insane and my whole team were such troopers. I shot this with a Nikon D300S and an 70-180mm macro lens that I got for my 14th birthday. I made small adjustments to color/brightness/contrast, but no major retouching.

[Credit: Model - Renee LeClaire, Makeup & Hair - Julia Floch Carbonel, Styling - Noemie K, Clothing provided by Nathalie Dumeix, Jewelry provided by Nathalie Sevikian, Photo - me, obviously]

A shot from my test shoot this weekend… unfortunately not film :(

[On another note I am doing another fashion test in February all in black and white film and I am super excited]

Let’s talk about using film for professional photography…

First off, even I do not attempt to use only film - this makes clients very nervous. Instead, I shoot both without saying anything, and I include the film photos with digital photos when I send the final image selection to the client. In my experience, clients ALWAYS choose the film photos as their favorite, which makes me smug in a good way. Personally, I shoot with both my Kiev 88 and my Nikon FM2 for professional shoots - and I always shoot Fuji Provia. (However, I do not cross process for professional shoots unless the client gives me permission to go creative crazy). I should also note that if you intend to use film for photo jobs, you must be able to provide high resolution scans.

This image was shot near the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, with a Kiev 88 and Fuji Provia 100F (c-41 process.) It’s part of a small editorial I did a couple of years ago, you can see more here and here.

Professional me, as in not vintage camera me, did a photo shoot this week with a lovely young model named Ambrine. Thought it would be nice to share (but sadly, it’s shot with a Nikon D300S, forgive me.)