Film Photography

As you might know, every Sunday I post a photo in a series called Silent Sunday.  This is where I post a photo, with no words and no real context but a nice looking photo. 

Every week I use my Silent Sunday photo to show one of my photos I have taken with my 35mm film camera.  In case you didn't know I am a big fan of analogue photography so I really like this chance to sneak some 35mm shots into Liquid Grain. 

So I thought I would write a little post about film photography- show you some photos and tell you how easy it is to get into it!  If you like this post please let me know and I'll make sure to do a post on my tips for film photography.



The Basics 

There are 2 types of film photography: 35mm or medium format (usually 120).  Medium format produces really big, beautiful photos BUT you will need to develop them yourself as it is far harder to find somewhere to develop for you. 

That's the reason (and it's more expensive) I went for 35mm format.  Although I know the theory to develop my own film my university darkroom has been out of action for years and I don't quite trust myself to mess up the process!  



To get the best quality photos you will need an SLR camera- but don't worry since most of the cheap cameras you will find are SLRs!

My Kit 

I found my lovely little 35mm Praktica camera on ebay for about £30, I have also bought 2 extra lenses but tend to stick with the 50mm lens which produces the most beautiful and blurry shots! 

I also have a Lomography fisheye camera but it's more of a novelty.  

Where / What To Buy 
For anyone wanting to give film photography a go I would say to check out ebay for some SLR cameras at a decent price.  



Look for SLRs that have an electric light meter and can do automatic shutter speeds.

The lens I would recommend as a necessity for film photography is a 50mm prime lens.  

Lomography?
Lomography is a cult movement of analogue photography.  Which although I love the aesthetics of Lomo please don't think that's all film photography is!  

Lomo is a type of photography which has done so much for raising the profile of analogue photography but I think it's more fun.  The cameras are more basic and usually have plastic lenses. 



Like I said I do enjoy Lomo and have a Home on their site (here) and my fisheye camera is great fun but I would really encourage you to look beyond Lomography if you decide to dabble in film! 

Overall
Film photography is such a great hobby to have and I encourage you to give it a go.  It's not too expensive although the developing is usually around £5- Jessops, Boots and Asda all develop around the country. 

The great thing about film photography is that it really builds a skill- you don't get the instant feedback of digital so you really learn to get an instinct and compose beautiful photos! 

Do you shoot film?  I would love to see some of your shots with film so leave a link below as a comment or tag me on Twitter or Instagram.   



Comments

  1. Beautiful photos! I want to get into film photography soon and your photos make me more excited to start! Thank you for sharing them!

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    1. You're very welcome! You should give it a go- and share your photos when you do! It's so fun :)

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  2. I do not own a DSLR but only an SLR and I love analogue photography. I tend to use my digital Fuji X100 more though as the analogue camera is heavier and I don't always feel like taking all the films on holiday. Still, there's nothing better than looking at the developed photos for the first time - just like opening a little Christmas present! :)

    darjeelingtealeaves.blogspot.com

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    1. That's my favourite thing about film photography too- especially if you are using expired film, you never know what's going to turn out!

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