Film Photography

Many of us photographers have a penchant for vintage lenses, but this one might top the lot.

Film photography is enjoying a bit of a resurgence at the moment, with many people flocking to it for reasons ranging from the abundance of cheap used equipment, to the enjoyment of the process, or the look of the results. And while film can certainly be both a fun and rewarding way to shoot, it is important to be aware of its downsides as well, one of them being the fact that it is not friendly to animals.

The world of analog photography went through a dry spell for a while but has been making a strong comeback in recent years.

Created for cinematic use under Tungsten lighting, Cinestill 800T is arguably one of the most highly sought-after films on the market. Should you manage to get your hands on some, what are you going to do with it?

There is no doubt that digital is by far the choice of the majority of professionals nowadays, but there is still a contingent of photographers who are avidly devoted to shooting film, either exclusively or in tandem with digital. This interesting video takes a look at using both simultaneously and why that can benefit you as a photographer.

There's been a lot of doom and gloom about film and its viability as a photographic medium in the last few years. Film stocks seemed to be fading away faster than ever. However, this past year, Fujifilm decided to bring back one of their most beloved modern films, Acros, in a new formulation: Acros II. In this great video, Roger from Shoot Film Like a Boss puts the film through its paces and gives his thoughts.

For those that are unaware, the Fujifilm GA645 is capable of 100% auto settings like a true point and shoot – autofocus, autoexposure, as well as autoadvance.

The amount of work that goes into a Hollywood production cannot be overstated. These days, it is usually up to a VFX artist studio to finish off what the director had in mind. What happens when you take modern VFX artists and ask them to analyze how old-school special effect artists worked? Praise!

Those growing up in the States during the 70s and 80s will no doubt remember adverts for Kodak’s various products, especially around Christmas. One year in particular proved disastrous for Kodak, and Azriel Knight and his magnificent beard take us back in time to explain how it happened.

For those that don’t already know, film — particularly Kodak’s Portra 400 — has a fair amount of exposure latitude. And by fair amount, I mean loads and loads.

Let’s face it. Film photography is having a bit of a moment, and the growth in popularity is exponential. The question is: is it a fad or is it going to be around for a while?

While it would be too early to say that we are in full-fledged film photography revolution, it is clear that the market for film is growing in a great way.

KCET’s “Lost LA” does deep dives into the lesser-known history of Southern California. In a recent episode, photography takes center stage as they tell the story behind some of the most famous images from one of the darkest chapters in American history.

This video is produced by Matt Day, he runs through 10 suggestions for holiday gift ideas for the photographer in your life.

I’ve shot this camera in a studio, taken it on long hikes, shot it in a blizzard, and taken it out into the dessert. I’ve used and abused it and it’s still going.

I reviewed the newly revived Nik Collection in June. It was nice to have the collection back, after Google bought it and then let it sit idle. Now it's been sold to DXO, and it's compatible with the latest PC and Mac operating systems.

Getting film developed is expensive, and depending on where you send it, it can take more than a few days. If you find yourself with some old negative film strips and you're wondering how they would look today, check out this fun tutorial for developing them in Photoshop.

Have you tried taking film photographs and then scanning them in and performing post processing? Perhaps now is the time.

Kodak’s Portra 400 is arguably the most popular color negative film stock in the world right now and for good reason. For those that don’t already know, Kodak offers two other variants in the Portra family: Portra 160 and Portra 800.

It is properly difficult to overstate how much different large format photography is compared with 35mm or 120 film, much less digital. Is it worth it?

Presented by Matt Day, this video dives into several of the ins and outs of the Hasselblad XPan (akin to Fuji TX-1 and TX-2).

Why do we love the colors of a printed photo in our family albums so much? It's something we've all asked.

A core value in being able analyze, interpret, or critique a photograph is the knowledge gained which can then be applied to your photography. Furthermore, applying those same observations in an honest way to your own images is a powerful tool for creative growth.

In a world of mirrorless cameras, vintage glass is coming back and for good reason.

The Mamiya RZ67 remains one of the most legendary cameras of all time, well known as a beloved medium format portrait camera. This great review takes a look at the camera and what it is like to shoot with a medium format legend.

Intuitive and compact smartphone printer to appeal to the social generation? Take a look at Fujifilm instax latest product in instant photography field.

More than ever, people are trying their hand at photography and with it comes a lot of photos meant to emulate the work of others. Do you strive for originality?

If you have ever shot with certain film cameras of the past, you have probably noticed that the prints came back to you with the date of capture superimposed on them in the bottom corner. It is a neat and very useful function, and this fun video will show you how cameras of the past made it happen.

The long take has been a staple of film for decades, showing off a director's capability at managing a set and camera movement. Some directors have been ambitious enough to create entire films using a "single shot," which are really many shots cleverly stitched together to appear as one long, continuous take. But none have been as ambitious as Sam Mendes with his upcoming film, "1917."

It's so easy I thought I did it wrong.

Here’s the story of how one photographer turned a huge symphony hall into potentially the world’s largest darkroom. From the stage, he took a tintype portrait and developed it in front of a 1,400-strong audience.

Is any purpose of creating more important than producing something of lasting value?

Over the last couple of months, I've been getting to know a photographer called Adam French who lives in the same city as me. French is a photographer who primarily shoots with a large format film camera. I was utterly blown away by some of the work he produced, and I asked him if he'd be interested in working with us on a YouTube video.

To preface all of this, I shoot film 90% of the time (if not more). I firmly believe that my work is more meaningful because of it. I also believe that we all have our own thoughts/opinion and there is no universally observed benefit to shooting film.

A photographer visited the factory of analog concept store Supersense in Austria to document the team who is creating a new way to use vintage Land Polaroid cameras and shoot Peel-Apart instant film. In his two-part video blogs, Mathieu Stern revealed how the collective of photographers is creating the FP-100C film that is no longer produced by Fuji.

We often hear that learning on film is a quick way to learn all of the basics, because every mistake will cost you money, but I recently heard a differing opinion that opened my eyes.

Us photographers love our expensive gear that features the best quality in optics, autofocus, sensor design, and more and offers us the utmost control of every last setting. So, could you take a shooting challenge with the lowest quality camera and absolutely no control over any settings? Check out this fun disposable camera challenge.

Film use is definitely on the rise. However, when you start to play around with this admittedly archaic technology, one fact of life rears its head very quickly: the film needs to be processed. Although you can go the lab route, I've always found a certain satisfaction in processing my film myself. For those of us with means, however, there may be another option: The Filmomat!

In the modern world, very few of us take the time to slow down and really explore the best possible expression of a subject. With much of the photography industry being results focused in the fast-moving market we live in and even personal work being shared directly to social media for instant gratification, very few of us take the time to photograph a laundromat for six months.

Though film has long since fallen to digital, it is still a passion for many photographers, and medium format film still offers the beauty of large negatives that are not matched in size even by the most expensive of digital options. This awesome video review takes a look at one of the best options from yesteryear, the Mamiya 645.

Photography is a dream job for many, and everyone thinks we’re so lucky to do it. To that extent, they also all “would love to get more into photography.” While we get pretty good at sifting out which of our friends are actually serious about that goal, here are a few suggestions for how to get over the biggest barrier to entry by starting with film.

Far from dying out, film photography still has a place in many people's hearts. One of the companies which has warmly occupied this space is Harman technology Limited, which has been trading as Ilford Photo since 2005. This lovely short film documents what still goes on in their factory today.

An amazing new exhibition has just opened, depicting images once lost to history and giving us a behind the scenes glimpse at some of the greatest mysteries of our time.

One photographer has turned a shipping container into a huge camera, complete with a built-in darkroom. The creation is capable of producing large, traditional analog prints.

Modern cameras are rather remarkable pieces of technology that make capturing stunning images even in the most difficult shooting scenarios easier than ever. But there is still a lot of magic in the early processes of yesteryear. This awesome video goes behind the scenes of shooting with a camera that's a century and a half old.

Old school instant cameras have long been a popular alternative to traditional film or digital photography. The film they use and images they produce have a quality unlike any other medium.

Old film cameras captivate so many people in the photography industry, but they are a depletable resource that will naturally dwindle. This 22 year old is working on countering that trend.

In part of three of making prints of my shoot with Cognito, I made a kallitype from a film scan. A kallitype is an iron-based contact printing solution that yields a wonderful tonality that, in my opinion, can only be found in analogue printing. Here's a quick overview of the process and some thoughts on why you should venture out and try something different!

As a sort of part 2 to my last video, I'm taking the black and white film from that same shoot and jumping into the darkroom. It's been a while since I've ventured in, so I thought it would be fun to take you along with me while I kicked off the cobwebs.

Let's be honest. While we as photographers have a troublesome relationship with gear at times, we could mostly do with a lot less of it. In yet another wonderful discussion, Nick Carver gives us his thoughts on hiring a wedding photographer, using less gear, choosing a rum as a digestif, and what it means to be a photographer.