There are quite different opinions and discussions about analog photography in the digital age. Between “why should I do this to myself” to “digitally does not apply” there are almost all facets.
I've always been a fan of analog photography, and I started photography in the 80s with my own darkroom and black and white films. Even today I still use analog cameras and films and I still recommend my workshop participants to buy an analog camera. Analog is not only beautiful, it brings you back to actual photography and slows you down. For months now, I've been planning to write an article on the subject of film. In this case I am happy to leave that to Matthias Hombauer and Karl Blümel, the real expertsare in the field. Matthias is a doctor of molecular biology, Karl is a doctor of medicine, both of them quit their jobs for photography and have been working with analog photography for 10 years.
We are 2 professional portrait photographers and we started our project " Analog Docs " because we love analog photography . In this article we would like to show you why many professional photographers still trust film and bring you closer to the advantages and disadvantages of analog photography.
1. The "look"
Film has a certain "look". Film photographers will tell you how much they love this particular “look”. We would compare this to the fact that music lovers also prefer the sound of vinyl to a CD. Many of the digital photographers try to imitate this "look" with the help of Lightroom and Photoshop plugins - but still fail. Film has an incredible color space and dynamic range in both heights and shadows that is second to none. So why imitate when you can take analogue photos right away?
2. Analog photography makes you a better photographer, I promise!
When you take photos with analog cameras, you learn the true art of photography. You have to know the settings of your camera, focus manually and determine the frame in the camera. The analog camera " decelerates " you. Every frame on your film costs money, so think twice when you press the shutter button. Some of our cameras are fully mechanical, meaning you have to use an external light meter to find the right exposure settings. This may seem a bit of a chore at first, but once you have learned the basics of analog photography, you will appreciate your photos much more than you would digital photography.
3. Analog photos are great without any post-processing on the computer
A big advantage of analog photography is the elimination of post-processing time on the computer. You probably know that. You come home from a photo shoot and upload your hundreds of photos to the computer to edit them. That takes time and is usually not the work you like to do as a photographer. With analog photography you concentrate a lot more on the actual photography and you will see that your photos are less in number but therefore of higher qualitywill. We have outsourced all of our post-production to a film lab. After the film laboratory has developed and scanned our photos, we are sent the digital files and receive our desired end result. This leaves more time for the things you really love, namely taking photos and not retouching.
4. Film cameras are cheap (but may change soon)
20 years ago a professional analog medium format camera like a Hasselblad or Contax was only affordable for very few people. Nowadays almost everyone can take advantage of these cameras, as they can be obtained on the used market for a few 100 euros. 35mm cameras such as Nikon F100 or Canon EOS3 are sold at low prices on ebay.
The analog boom also shows that some cameras are "in" again and thus the price is skyrocketing, e.g. Contax 645 . Take a look on ebay and make your first experiences with an analog camera.
5. Depth of field
BOKEH (Japanese for out of focus) is the characteristic that portrait photographers look at. The smaller the f-number (f1.2, f1.4, f1.8) the more the background becomes blurred. For example, only the eyes of the model are in focus, which depicts the professional "look" of portraits. The BOKEH looks so much better with medium format cameras than with digital cameras. That is why we only use medium format cameras with lenses that have a small f-number.
6. Film and mixed light? No problem!
You have probably already tried to take photos in a room with ambient light and artificial light. With the digital camera you always have problems with mixed light because the color temperatures are different. Film, on the other hand, can master these difficult situations very well and results in a natural-looking photo without color cast.
7. Analog photography sets you apart from others
There are thousands upon thousands of digital photographers, be it your uncle, sister, or neighbor. Everyone seems to have a camera these days and all photos have more or less the same "look". If you want to stand out from the crowd, grab an analog camera and start taking pictures with it. You will be surprised how many people speak to you on the street. And best of all, your photos will look different from the start from those who want to copy film with their digital camera.
Advantages of film photography
- The "look"
- You will become a better photographer through film
- Film will save you time
- Film cameras are cheap
- Dreamlike depth of field
- Film will set you apart from other photographers
Disadvantage of film photography
- Old, used cameras, service may no longer be possible
- Expensive if you don't know exactly how to take analogue photos
- Requires more willingness to learn
- For us as professional photographers, analog photography is still the way we want to go with our work. We want to deliver the best quality and we can do that best with film.
FILM RECOMMENDATIONS
Film is absolutely not dead. Quite the contrary. Some time ago, KODAK reworked its films.
PORTRA 400 is the film with the greatest latitude in exposure. It can be underexposed up to 3 f-stops and overexposed up to 6 f-stops . No joke!
Made possible by the new Vision 3 technology, which can also be used when recording motion picture films. This means that the focus is less on the correct exposure than on the composition of the image! We would recommend it as a “to go” film. Put it in if you are shooting with film for the first time or if you haven't had one in your camera for a long time. Its color palette, saturation and contrast are amazing! But only if you overexpose it! If you underexpose the PORTRA 400, make sure that the parts relevant to the image ( e.g. the face) are illuminated.PORTRA 800 is actually not a real 800 film, which means you have to overexpose it at least 2 f-stops! We like to use it on sunny days. Also for red-haired models with light skin.
Another color negative film that we like to use is FUJI PRO 400H. Known for its pastel, creamy look! The film for fair-skinned people or babies ... 🙂 We expose it with + 2stops.
EXPOSURE METER
We always use an external light meter! Measure the scenery once and you can shoot without worry. Even if you move around the model. As long as nothing changes in the lighting situation, no new measurements are made. So you are much more intense in the matter, you can concentrate much better on the editing, the visual language, on the posing. Insert the film (ISO / ASA remains the same for each roll), choose the aperture (we always take photos with an open aperture!), Determine the exposure time with the exposure meter, and you're done. That's the lightness of the film that we appreciate so much.
Below the photos information about the settings. In case you're wondering why we know, the Contax "writes" the aperture and shutter speed on the Neagtive. Cool thing!
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| Contax 645, Kodak PORTRA 800, f 2.0, + 3stops, 80mm lens |
The last question you should ask yourself is: What do I want to use my camera for? If you're a press photographer, then analog is probably not the best choice because you have to deliver the photos quickly and there is no time for development. But if you photograph portraits, landscapes or architecture in your projects and are willing to invest a little more energy at the beginning, then you should definitely give film a chance. You will be amazed !
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