Using film slows my world down
IN last week’s tips I finished with an image which was from my project on Alzheimer’s Disease, based in The Birches, Dundalk. One thing you might have noticed about the image was its shape. The image was square.
So, what’s so special about a square image? We see them every day in newspapers, social media, magazines etc. The reason I want to talk about the shape or format is the medium in which it was shot. I made the image on film.
For the last few years, when I start teaching students photography, I ask who knows what this is?
I then hold up a roll of 35mm film, and for the last three years there has been on average 2-3 students who have never seen or know what a roll of film is. These are mainly the younger members of the class, they have an interest in photography but have only used digital.
I can compare the quality of film to digital and personally I still think film has the upper-hand. Digital certainly has the upper hand with ease of processing and distribution.
There is nothing like shooting and viewing a large format negative, starting at 5 by 4 inches and going upwards.
Commercial digital cameras still have not reached this standard as yet.
For my press, sport and commercial work I use digital. I just couldn’t go back to film, mainly from a time perspective.
I remember a time when shooting an assignment for one of the daily newspapers, driving to Dublin, developing the negatives in their darkrooms, printing from WET NEGATIVES and printing an image which was rush processed, washed and dried extremely quickly to be given to the editor for inclusion in the paper. Now, we shoot, process on a laptop and send via email or other software.
Sending pictures to local papers used to be a night’s work, print and caption the images using a typewriter, drive to the various newspaper headquarters and deliver the images.
A point of interest: the gospel according to Google suggests that we, the people of this world will make approximately 1.4 Trillion digital images this year!!!
Right, if I don’t shoot film for my day job why should I want to shoot film anyway? The answer is simple yet complicated! Film for me slows the world down.
No longer have you a 64gig SD or CF card in your camera with the space to shoot several thousand images, you have a roll of film, a camera that’s usually 20-30 years old (or older) and you can’t see the image you’ve just made. When you get comfortable with making images and believe in your ability film is an amazing medium.
Every week I finish this piece with enjoy your camera and stay safe. ‘ Enjoy Your Camera!! For me making images on a film camera, whether it be a 35mm camera with up to 36 frames, or a 6 by 6cm (2.5 inches in old money) with 12 frames or a large format camera with ONE frame available, is like meditation.
It is time-out from life in general, slowing down, your thoughts are only about getting that special image, even if you make a mistake or two.
When I go on a walk with my film camera time literally flies. I don’t take my phone and I disconnect from the outside and connect to my inside, my thoughts and make images.
Film has a different feel to it compared to digital. It is soft yet very sharp, hard to describe until you see it. It doesn’t have noise as with digital it has grain. A completely different thing adding atmosphere and texture.
Of late, I only shoot black and white film. For this I am totally self-sufficient. To be able to load the film, make an image and then develop and print a photograph allows the photographer total control.
The only thing that I think beats this feeling is when you pass on the skill to other photographers.
Being a photographer and teacher does bring its challenges but when you see people grow with the knowledge you have imparted to them and they now see the world from a different perspective it is on a par with making great images.
Every year some students excel and some struggle but all try their best.
Recently I have been lucky to teach two students in particular, Siobhan Englishby and Maddy Andersone who have excelled. Please have a look at their websites and Facebook pages if you get a chance.
It’s not just the standard of their work that’s important it is the attitude and outlook they have on life that their photography has assisted with.
When they finished their Level 6 Photography course this year they were supposed to have an exhibition in the County Library in Dundalk which did not happen but hopefully will, in the not too distant future.
Some of their images appeared in this paper a few weeks ago. I thought this might be an ideal time to display some of their black and white images as they have just successfully completed their level 6 course.
Learning to print high quality black and white images from scratch is not easy.
It takes lots of attempts, gaining experience with some failures along the way. Courage and strength are necessary to keep going, believing in yourself, just like life in general.
Please enjoy their images and until next week, ‘Enjoy Your Camera and Stay Safe’.