This is not a post about Digital vs Film, it is not a post to claim one is better than the other, the intent of this post is to illicit a thought.
Reasons why every digital photog should shoot film, at least for a period of time. These are in no particular order
1) Shooting film slows your shooting process down. Unlike digital, where you can shoot and shoot and worry about processing later to correct errors and straighten images, etc., with film you have a limited number of frames per roll (24 or 36 in 35mm and between 10 and 15 for medium format, 120 film), this limited number of frames forces you to properly compose and meter. With film, every frame you expose comes at an expense, once the frame is exposed it cannot be deleted and it has to go through the development process. The need to be more meticulous, so as not to waste any frames, affords for the “training” of your photographer’s eye, this means you will improve your compositional and metering skills……making you a better photographer at the end of the day.
2) Shooting film requires patience. Unlike digital, when you expose a frame on film you cannot review the image on the back of the camera, you have to wait to process the film, if you process yourself, or wait for the developed film to be returned to you from the lab. This means you have to patiently wait before you can review what you have shot…….this make the above reason, proper composition and metering, more important because you may be unable to re-shoot the images.
3) Image quality. The use of film generally affords you a broader dynamic range. Films like Kodak Portra, for example, will allow you too over expose up to 5 or 6 stops and still retain the highlight details. Every the best and most expensive digital cameras will not afford you such leeway. Yes, some film stocks will produce grainy images but you can also control the grain through exposure and development. The below image of the straw bags was shot on Kodak TMax 400, a low grain B&W film, as you can see grain is nearly non-existent. However, grain in film is different from noise in digital, the grain, by many, including myself, view grain as part of the beauty of film photography…….ask yourself why there are so many digital editing presets looking to replicate film grain.
4) The here and now. How many times have you been shooting a subject and after even capture, or every few captures, do you stop to review the image(s)? This takes you out of the being present with your subject, it is a disconnect. This is important because if you are shooting a model the best images result from developing a photographic connection with the model, each time you stop to look at your screen you create a disconnect and depending how long you take to review and make adjustments the more time your model is waiting for you. Stopping to review could also result in missed photo opportunities. With film you don’t have this issue because you have nothing to review.
Again, this is not about one being better or worse but it is intended to help you to understand how shooting film, even casually, can improve your digital photography work and your workflow.
Happy, as always, to discuss this and any other photography subject.
