Just wanted to say hi to the group - I cut my teeth on film back in the 80s when I was a kid, and stayed with it up until 2000 when I was convinced I had to get a Nikon D1X. So I've only been away from film for about 15 years or so, but I'm back at it and my main cameras these days are Canon's EOS-1V and 1N, and a Nikon F2 thrown in for good measure. But it was the acquisition of a Bronica SQ with a waist level finder and 80mm standard lens that has me really salivating at film work that has me loving every minute of it.
But the whole process of thinking before I shoot has made me such a better photographer in the last three months is so worth it to shoot film. Personally, I've discovered that for me, digital photography is a money pit disguised in instant gratification. When I take away the instant gratification, I discovered I don't really need digital at all. Of course, I still have DSLR's (two tiny Canon SL-1's) but if I'm not shooting anything that has to be done quickly (like school portraits or group photos) then I won't use digital at all.
I wanted to post a couple from my first initial test roll with my Bronica. Like I said, all 12 were good (whether they are art is something else, but technically I can get a photograph anyway). I shot natural light with Kodak TMAX 400. I just stood the models up against a wall and really thought about the process and slowed down. It was so nice!
And now that I've been doing this, I'm finding that even after I get it into the computer, there really isn't a lot of post-editing I need to do beyond some cropping and re-sizing. I'm beginning to lose touch with those people who like to fix every image they take in Photoshop. I no longer have time to do that - I'd rather be out shooting!
Hello Bo! Nice work. Have you tried other films? Do you develop your own?
Hi Jose! Thanks for looking and following! I appreciate it! I'm debating developing my own at this time, but i think I'm leaning towards it since I bought a bunch of rolls of TMAX. I even bought a Epson V600 scanner. But, I've been sending my film off to the Darkroom.com and the price isn't that bad. When I shoot 35mm I'm shooting mainly ISO 400 color films because there's a bunch of independent labs that will develop C-41 and scan to CD for pretty cheap. I've used Portra, Velvia, Provia and Superia and Gold in 35mm. If I continue going to a lab, I may start shooting color Portra in 120 too. But the Bronica is so cool, I'm being so methodical that I'm budgeting for it and planning shoots. If the girls want color, I'll have enough time to stock up on the Portra and then we'll go out.
The folks at thedarkroom.com are awesome. I have been to their lab in San Clemente, CA and they truly care about quality.
As far as Tmax, I usually develop with Kodak Xtol for most work. Tmax 100 is very flexible, and I sometimes pull it a bit. I once shot Tmax 100 at ISO 32 to give it the look of Panatomic-X. Developed with Xtol. Worked great. Rodinal is another developer that works great with Tmax, especially in stand development. You can find examples of almost any film/developer combination on flmdev.org
I just now discovered darkroom.com, thanks for that!
Bit late to the party but these are great! Debating about whether making the step over medium format at the moment but something his just holding me back.
Plenty of good MF cameras available for $250 or less. Film is decently priced. Go ahead, take the plunge.