By: Written by Alec Shabowsky
Photographers are using film cameras to slow down their photography
With digital cameras integrated into our phones, cars, and everyday life, snapping a photo has never been easier. Some, however, have chosen to move a few decades into the past, shooting with film cameras to get a more personal photography experience. In a day where millions of photos can be taken, stored, or shared all within a smartphone, film camera users find a way to enjoy the constraints that their retro photography device gives them.
Film cameras are the older, analog equivalent to the modern digital camera. Rather than millions of light-sensing photo-diodes that each sense one fraction of incoming light and convert it into a binary value stored in a computer, analog film photography utilizes a film strip coated with a layer of light sensitive silver halide crystals [1]. Each time the crystals are exposed to light when a photo is taken, a chemical reaction occurs, forming an invisible ‘latent image’ that then must be developed.
Film development is a chemical process that transforms the latent image into a visible image [2]. To develop a photo, the film must be soaked in three chemicals baths. The first, named the ‘developer’ solution, will develop the image into something visible to us. Then, the film is soaked in a ‘stop’ bath that stops the developer. Finally, the ‘fixer’ solution causes the image to be permanent in the film. This process is typically done in a dark room or a light-proof bag called a ‘changing bag’ to ensure the undeveloped film is not exposed to any more light than it was initially when the photographer pressed the shutter [3].
On top of developing a film photo, the actual process of taking a photo is intricate. Photographers juggle three variables that combine to form a great, or not-so-great, photo: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed [4]. With a digital camera, these settings can be manipulated, but software algorithms have become so refined they can often make these decisions for photographers. With a film camera, however, there is no software integrated into the camera.Film photographers must take the liberty to dial in these settings themselves.
ISO can be thought of as the film speed, or how fast the film itself reacts when exposed to light. A film photographer must purchase films with different ISO’s depending on the scene they are shooting. Generally, photographers choose an ISO 200 film for sunny days, an ISO 400 film for mixed conditions, and an ISO 800 film for dark scenes. Once the photographer has committed to their roll of film, they load it into their film camera and must shoot at or near that light level for the next 24 exposures, or they risk wasting the film and the money spent on it.
Next, aperture, also referred to as f-stop, controls the width of the lens opening when a photo is taken. A large aperture, such as f/2.8, will bring in more of light and have a shallow depth of field (objects in the background will be blurry), while a small aperture like f/16 will bring in less light and have a deep depth of field, allowing for a sharp, distinguishable background.
Intertwined with aperture is shutter speed, which controls how long the film is exposed to light by changing how quickly the camera shutter opens and closes. A slower shutter speed leaves the film exposed longer and is best for still photography. A fast shutter speed leaves the film exposed for a shorter amount of time, which is ideal for shots in fast-paced environments like sports. These three settings, ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, make up the “exposure triangle” of photography; mastering the combination of these can make for unique, creative photography.
The exposure triangle can be daunting for any beginner photographer, and even many advanced photographers still struggle to get exactly the right settings when using film. Luckily, a modern resource mitigating this barrier to entry are digital light meter apps, which can be downloaded to a smartphone [5]. These apps use the smartphone’s array of sensors and processors to calculate the best settings for a film photographer at any given scene. This modern invention allows inexperienced beginners to have an accessible guide on what the best settings ought to be while taking their first few film photos.
It can be easy to forget just how complicated the process of taking a photo really is. From navigating the sensor and camera’s settings, to perfecting the scene, photography’s many intricacies make it difficult to do right. Digital cameras and technology can often make a photo as easy as a push of a button; however, film photography reminds its users of the subtleties involved with shooting a photo, leading to what some find to be a more intimate and intentional form of photography and photos cherished for a lifetime.
A Photographer’s Perspective:
I interviewed Trent Schmidt, a local photography student, to get his perspective on shooting with film.
Q: How was your first experience shooting with a film camera?
A: “Complicated… especially with these old film cameras [that] didn’t really have working light meters. It was a lot of trial and error figuring out a good exposure range.”
Q: Was your photography any different when shooting with film?
A: “I was a lot more careful with what I took [on film] than when I started photography. I’m used to my phone where I could take as many photos as I want, but with film photography you only get 24 [or] 36 shots per roll.”
Q: Would you say film photography is a more personal experience than digital photography?
A: “Yeah, 100%. When you are developing the photos… where you are able to work on it and bring it to life on a piece of paper, you just feel connected. I think that it’s been helpful not just in taking photos but also in realizing why I do take photos.”