Recent Film Photography Articles

Canon Finally Closes the Door on Film Cameras

A few days after Leica announced the end of production of the M7, Canon has announced the discontinuation of the 1V, its last remaining film camera, after the last remaining stock was sold, bringing an end to the storied history of film cameras made by the industry giant.

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.

Polaroid Modified to Print on Cheap Thermal Paper

If you're into tinkering gear and customizing things to the way you like them then this might be your kind of video. Be prepared though as it requires quite a bit of technical know-how to fully understand and that's before we even start talking about trying to replicate what he achieved! However even without trying to attempt your own version I am sure you'll find this to be a rather interesting video to watch.

A Comprehensive Comparison of Medium Format Film Stocks

While digital sensors have essentially surpassed 35mm film, 120/220 film is a great way to try out medium format without paying the price for digital medium format. This awesome video will give you a comprehensive rundown of the look of each film so you can choose what's right for you.

Stepping Back in Time: The Collodion Wet Plate Process

While there are plenty of aficionados still shooting film, there are very few capturing images onto small sheets of glass, and then playing with potassium cyanide, naked flames, and lavender oil varnish as part of their post-production, techniques which date back to the mid-19th century. In this short video, documentary photographer David Gillanders discusses the collodion wet plate process and explains why he loves creating these unique images.

Tips on Traveling with Film: Don't Be Naive, X-Ray Scanning Kills Film

Airport authorities officially say that film at or above ISO 800 may be damaged by X-ray scanning. But they really should tell you that ISO 800 film will be damaged and that less sensitive film still could be affected. I found this out the hard way. Here's how I learned an important lesson along with a few other tips for avoiding issues while traveling with film.

How to Create a Film Look for Your Photos From Scratch in Lightroom

The film look is currently enjoying a resurgence, and with that have come many preset packs and the like. While some of those are great, practicing how to create the look from scratch is a good way to learn to be a better editor. This helpful video will show you how to do just that.

Take a Tour of the Behemoth Kodak Complex in This Video

Kodak is sadly just a shell of what the company used to be, but the majority of the infrastructure that once made up the film giant is still very much in place. You can take a casual tour of the Kodak complex in this great video.

Netflix Teases With Kodachrome Movie Trailer

Netflix is releasing "Kodachrome" soon. It's about the journey to the last Kodachrome development lab. It's out on April 20, and if this trailer is anything to go by, it's going to be good.

Fstoppers Reviews the Kodak Scanza Digital Film Scanner

Shooting film is wonderful. Shooting film can be immeasurably rewarding. However, no matter how fun film is to shoot, there are some tradeoffs in the convenience department. We have to acknowledge that we live in a digital world. Most people need a way to get their analog images into a digital format.

How You Can Get in to Large Format Photography Cheaply

Large format photography is interesting to most photographers, but it's an expensive pool to even dip a toe in to. The Nicos Photography Show has created a guide on the cheapest way to try your hand at this coveted type of image creation.

Rare 1923 Leica Prototype Sells for Eye-Watering Price

I have a reasonable collection of vintage cameras, so I can see the allure of them, and particularly a rare one. However, if you wanted to win an auction of the rare 1923 Leica that recently went up for sale, you needed the deepest of pockets.

Some Helpful Tips for Shooting Better Film Photographs

Film is enjoying quite the resurgence in popularity right now, and with the used market flooded with affordable camera bodies and lenses, it's a great time to try it out for yourself. This great video will give you some practical tips to get you up and running shooting film.

Making Black and White Prints in the Darkroom

Just a couple of weeks ago, Ilford Photo released a video on how to develop your own black and white film. Now, they've followed it up by giving you everything you need to know in order to turn those negatives into beautiful, tangible prints.

Kodak to Bring Back T-Max P3200 High-Speed Film, Can Push to ISO 25,000

If you've ever wanted a film that you can shoot the way you can shoot with your digital camera in the dark, you'd normally be looking for the discontinued Kodak T-Max P3200. But now, thanks to a few coy teasers on Instagram, Kodak is telling us we're getting it very, very soon.

A Guide to Processing Your Own Black and White Film

If you're just starting with film photography or are interested in it, processing your own film can seem a bit daunting, but it's really not that hard, especially with black and white film. Furthermore, it can be immensely satisfying. This great video will show you everything you need to get up and running as well as the entire procedure.

Stylizing Your Work With the Use of Color

We often draw inspiration from several mediums; art, music, and film to name a few. These inspirations are blended together and found within our work. This article digs deeper into what may give our work moody undertones and makes us feel exactly how we feel when looking at it.

Printing With Gold: Learning the Kallitype Process

Sometimes, photography is too easy. After churning out perfect images left and right, I really felt I like I needed a challenge that would put my God-like skills to the test. Of course, that’s complete crap, but occasionally I do see the need to challenge myself and alternative processes are a great way to learn about the craft of photography while having a bit of fun floundering in failure. To that end, I’ve learned my first alternative process: the kallitype.

Go Retro-Nouveau with Kodak and Its Dreamy Super 8 Reel

Film lovers and analog purists are not-so-patiently awaiting the release of Kodak's new Super 8 camera, which should finally come out sometime this year at a cost of $2,500-$3,000. In the meantime, Kodak took CES as an opportunity to release some new test footage that looks rather incredible. At times, the reel displays a properly vintage look reminiscent of 1960s French films. Yet, in other sequences, the footage looks much more updated. It's sharper and boasts much higher contrast, which gives hope to directors that this will be a very flexible, very capable setup.

A Great Comparison of Shooting Film Versus Digital

There's a lot said about film versus digital, and a lot of it tends to be one extreme or the other, but like most things in life, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. This great video takes a very balanced and honest look at the merits and drawbacks of each when used in a fashion shoot.

Urban Shepherds and Medium-Format Film: The Photography of Stefano Carnelli

Stefano Carnelli is an Italian photographer living in London and Berlin, shooting socially-engaged, documentary images on medium-format film with a particular interest in the relationship between people and landscapes. His recent project, “Transumanza,” explores the lives of shepherds and their flocks in the Po Valley of northern Italy, examining how their historic traditions have changed in response to globalization and an ever-shifting landscape.

Pure Ingenuity Leads to Affordable 8x10 Large Format Video Capture

I'm no cinematographer. I mean I dabble, like a lot of still shooters do, but I wouldn't put myself under the category of video expert by any means. That being said, I do know what I like and what I think looks good. What I've always really liked is the depth and feel of large format in still photography and, now finally, in video. You don't need to spend a $100,000-plus to do it either. See for yourself how Zev Hoover from Massachusetts accomplished it.

Filmmaker Matt Mangham's 'Analog' Series Is Back With Episode 4

Filmmaker Matt Mangham has been working on an ongoing series entitled “Analog: Stories of Film Photography,” and I’m very excited to share episode four with the Fstoppers community. In this episode, Mangham explores creativity through the eyes of San Diego native, Matthew Lawless.

Technicolor Explained

In a world where flipping our images between color and black and white is as simple as the click of the mouse, photographers and cinematographers today aren’t often tasked with knowing the complexity of how those vibrant colors actually come into existence. But in the early days of cinema, when competing processes for color reproduction took turns as the next best innovation, one name reigned supreme: Technicolor.

How to Develop Your Own Black and White Film at Home: No Darkroom Needed

Shooting film is a lot of fun, but part of what pushes photographers away from it is the cost, a lot of which is tied up in developing. This awesome video will show you how to develop your own black and white film in your bathroom with a minimal kit and much lower costs than sending it out.

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.

Polaroid Feature-length Documentary: 'Instant Dreams'

"Instant Dreams" is a feature-length film about Polaroid that explores the magic of this defunct format, the pioneer of instant imagery, and documents the search for the lost chemical formula. Premiering at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam a few days ago, the film discusses what it meant to produce imagery that is physical, unique, and, as one of the subjects puts it, "an artifact of time."