Recent Film Photography Articles

Negative Lab Pro 2.0: C41 Scanning Heaven!

Scanning film has always been a bit of a pain. However, with time comes progress, and Nate over at Negative Lab Pro has been doing some awesome work, making scanning C-41 film using a DSLR or mirrorless easier than ever. However, using Negative Lab Pro with a flatbed scanner has always been a bit lacking. That just changed with Negative Lab Pro 2.0 and an unlikely partner: Vuescan.

Why Resolution Isn't Everything for Print

Camera resolutions are soaring in recent years, with Canon unleashing a 50-megapixel DSLR and Phase One showing off the new XF 100MP back. The unending argument of why manufacturers bother with such resolution swirls around one thing: printing. Photographers argue that a higher resolution camera will produce a better print with more detail. Technically, that is absolutely true, but most photographers aren't printing much these days.

How Edgar Wright Puts American Directors to Shame with Visual Comedy in Movies

A teacher once told me that filmmakers need to fully utilize the frame within their scenes and move the camera in ways that help drive the story forward; otherwise they're just filming a play. That always stuck with me and it's a point I still take note of in movies. Tony Zhou from Every Frame a Painting does a great job of explaining why the camera frame is so important in comedic cinema along with a slew of other techniques that few people other than Edgar Wright are making use of in today's comedies. This is eight minutes of insight you're not going to want to miss!

We Review The Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Lens

For the last few weeks, I've been carrying around the new Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 M mount lens. When I test new gear, I try to incorporate it into my everyday carry kit and use it on actual assignments and stories to see how it performs under real-world conditions. Sometimes, a piece of kit that looks great or has fantastic specs underperforms in the field; other times, you get something that exceeds expectations.

Shooting a Challenging Large Format Photo

Large format photography is already a highly challenging genre, as it requires a lot of technical considerations other formats don't. This great video follows a photographer as he shoots a difficult scene with an 8x10 camera while walking you through his methods and creative decisions.

Watch This Amazing Video Portrait About Fashion and Street Photographer Jimmy on the Run

Jianmin Huang is a fashion and street photographer born in village in China. He can now be found chasing moments throughout the streets of Amsterdam, which has earned him the nickname of Jimmy on the Run. In this seven minute video portrait, we learn how he got his start, what his aspiration as a photographer are, and about his struggles to earn the respect of his family.

Portrait Shoot With the Diana Instant Square Camera

I was challenged to photograph a portrait shoot on another random camera, but this one was really not what I was expecting. How do you take artistic portraits using an instant camera?

Walking the Streets of Havana, Cuba With the 35mm Film Canon AE-1 Program

Back in April, I ventured on a trip to Havana, Cuba with the lofty goal of capturing the culture and people there within with my favorite little 35mm film camera. With the recent news that President Trump plans on buckling down on all travel and trade to Cuba, I'm all the more grateful than ever to have made the trip when I did. The Cuban experience is easily the most surreal of any international travel that I have ever experienced.

How to Achieve a Film Look Without Shooting Film

Digital film simulations have become a popular way to capture the look of classic film stocks without the hassle of processing and scanning. They’re practical for anyone who wants a specific aesthetic without spending time on extensive post-processing, and they give you the freedom to focus on composition and light.

Old Documentary on Richard Avedon Reveals Methods of a Master

Browsing YouTube can be an exercise in either frustration or bliss, depending on the day. Today, though, I happened upon something that truly speaks to me. If you are a portrait photographer, or anything resembling one, you owe it to yourself to check out the documentary, "Darkness and Light," a part of the American Masters Series, produced by PBS.

The Challenges and Rewards of Large Format Photography

Large format is a unique process that requires a lot of specialized technique and expensive gear, but the results are unlike anything you've seen before. This awesome video takes you behind the scenes to show you the process and images.

[BTS Video] This Short Film Will Blow Your Mind

Shot with the Red MX Camera, director Andrew Huang created this incredible short film about the gaps between people and the way those gaps are filled. Solipsist is the antithesis of human connection. This video had me glued as the models swayed back and forth in a Yin & Yang fashion, often times co-creating each other.

What Could You Accomplish With a $3 Thrift Store Camera?

There are loads of cameras with incredible capabilities out there that make getting images under even the most difficult conditions possible. However, could you spend just a few dollars on a camera and still take great images? This fun video shows what you can accomplish with a 30-year-old camera from a thrift store.

Game of Thrones Season 3 - Behind the SFX curtain

I'm sure if you're reading this you are a Game of Thrones fan just like me! Spin VFX has put together an amazing peek behind the visual wizardry that they do for the HBO series. Sometimes you will see some poor visual effects take you out of the experience, but this video is a study in how to do it right.

The State of Kodak at PhotoPlus Broke My Heart

There are a few names in this industry that have always meant something. Nikon. Canon. Hasselblad. Fuji. Kodak. The latter has had a rough go of things in the past couple years, culminating in what can essentially be called a final meltdown in early 2012. Chapter Eleven bankruptcy and a rapidly collapsing stock price have left the company a shell of what it was. This week at PhotoPlus, I saw the realization of that at their booth, and it was one of the saddest things I have experienced in recent memory.

How the Camera You Choose Changes the Way You Shoot

A camera should work for you, not the other way around. The tools you choose shape how you shoot, how you move, and how much you think about settings versus composition. Some cameras get out of the way. Others force you to slow down. Understanding how different cameras affect your workflow can help you make better choices before you even press the shutter.

Double Exposure: What Happens When Exposing The Same Film (Or CF) Twice

Double Exposure is something most of us who ever had a film camera experienced at least once. By accident. It happened when the film got stuck, or when we used a used film again by mistake. With the digital age coming in and replacing film, in-camera double exposures became a very rare kind of photography, but in recent years, many DSLRs added the option to create a double exposure in camera, and this old style came back to life. Check out these great examples of Double Exposure found on Flickr.

Step by Step Guide To Wet Plate Photography

Guest writer Josh LeClair is a commercial photographer based out of Marquette, MI. After seeing the stunning work done by Ian Ruhter with wet plate photography, he decided to try it for himself. LeClair does it on on a much smaller scale using a holga camera.

Meet the Photographer Who Turned a Camper Into a Giant Camera and Darkroom

What's the biggest camera you've shot with? If you're like most of us, you might have dabbled with medium format or if you're really passionate, maybe even a 4x5 or 8x10 large format camera. This photographer is putting all of us to shame with his camper that he converted into a giant functioning camera and darkroom.

Pentax 17: A New Film Camera in the Digital Age

The Pentax 17 is generating a lot of buzz within the film photography community. Exploring its features and design, you might find it a compelling option for your photography needs.

Leica Finally Discontinues the Last Numbered M Series Film Camera

While film has long been outpaced by digital, a few iconic films and camera have stuck around after the industry transitioned, one of the most notable being the Leica M7. Now, the last vestige of the film side of the iconic numbered M Series has been discontinued.

Travel Through Doha In 220 Seconds With This Timelapse

It's not the first time I'm sharing Michael Shainblums work and it won't be the last time. Timelapses are one of the most time consuming forms of photography and only a dedicated person with patience can produce quality results as often as Michael.

The Film Photographer Who Came In From the Cold

It's winter in the Northern hemisphere. Though it's only been winter for about week – at least if you go by the Old Farmer's Almanac, which I'm certain we all still read religiously – it's been cold for a while. For film photographers, summer is a happy season with enough light, with gorgeous colors, and little worry about malfunctioning equipment. If you're not hanging out in the wettest of jungles or the hottest of deserts, anyway. The cold is less kind to our equipment and our medium. Cameras are susceptible to malfunction, film becomes brittle.

Is There Any Film Left in Japan?

From time to time you see images circulating on social media of Japanese camera store shelves awash with film. I’m not talking about half a dozen pro packs of Portra, I’m talking about hundreds and hundreds of rolls of film. More film than you could shoot in 10 years. Names of long-forgotten emulsions that many die-hard film shooters can’t even recall.

Low-Cost 8x10 Camera Kickstarter Set to Launch May 25th

The Intrepid Camera Co. is on a roll. With the lofty goal of bringing low-cost large format film photography to the masses, they launched their initial 4x5 model's Kickstarter in the fall of 2014. Although plagued with fulfillment issues and mixed reviews (You can see our review of the original model here), enough attention was garnered to warrant a follow up of a much more refined model in 2016. Now, Intrepid is stepping up and hoping to swing for the fences with a big boy: an 8x10 camera.

The Process of Restoring a Leica Film Camera

As a film photographer, the need for camera repair and restoration is not a new one. Watch as someone goes through the step by step process they went through to obtain the camera, details the camera's history, and the restoration of the camera.