I recently found a box of photos from high school… there were so many photos of just nothing… in class, walking the halls, making faces, at parties… not necessarily big events just everyday photos. It didn’t occur to me at the time but looking back I remember always having one of those disposable cameras with me. All the time. I’ve always loved taking photos.
When I was in collage I took a photography class and fell in love with it (it was all film still back then). I spent so many hours in the dark room. In this particular time in my life I took some of the most meaningful photos Ive ever taken of my grandparents who have long since passed away. They are a treasure to me. I remember playing around with different techniques and developing methods. I found this time in the darkroom to be so fulfilling. One day, Ill have my own darkroom.
Once I entered the “real world” work and life had me put the camera down for a while. After I had my daughter everything had switched to digital photography. I bought a little point and shoot and shot tons of pictures of her. Eventually, I upgraded my camera and had to “relearn” how to shoot with this digital equipment. It wasn’t the same as it had been for me in the past and there was just something different about this new world of photography. But I kept shooting, discovered new editing techniques and began shooting friends, family and of course, my two kiddos all the time…. my business was born during this time.
A few years into it I began feeling so disheartened that this thing called photography just wasn’t “doing it” for me as it had done in the past. I spent so many hours behind a computer and hardly any behind a camera (which was one of my favorite parts). I realized that to me, “Photography” had become “editing on a computer”. It felt to me like the very things that had drawn me to photography had been stripped away. I wasn’t fulfilled with what was left. (side note: I have many super talented digital photographer friends that blow me away with their skills and I do not consider digital photographers any less of a photographer than I am… this comes down to personal preference really)
So guess what I did? I dug up my old film camera I shot with in college and shot a roll. And poured myself back into film. It took a while to “re-learn” everything because yes, its a different beast than digital. (in the best way, in my opinion! :-) ) I haven’t looked back. I shoot almost exclusively film now for all my clients. I would say Im about 90% film and 10% digital depending on the circumstance. And as an artist it has completely given me new life. Let me tell you why!
Its Authentic and imperfect
Hear me out here… Yes, you can edit a film image but the most wonderful thing about film is how little (if any) you need to edit. Its quite the opposite of digital in that way… all the work of shooting is in the front end: making sure your light/exposure is right is critical. There is so much you can do to a digital image to make it an entirely different image than what you actually shot. You really don’t get the leeway with film. To some people this is the reason they DONT like film! But to me, it’s everything I love about it. Its raw and imperfect and to me, thats how I want to shoot.
the colors/the grain
Its truth. there are colors on a film image that you just really cant get with digital. I know that sounds crazy given everything I just mentioned about editing but its true. And especially when it comes to skin tones. My gosh, there is something about a baby and that creamy skin I can get on film thats near impossible to recreate on a digital image. Its yummy and delicious and oh man, I love skin on film. Also, most photographers try to get the most crisp grain free image they can and I just have a crush on grain. Grain is that slight “fuzz” you see on a film image or a digital image that has been shot in low light. Its AUTHENTIC and lovely and vintage and I love it. To me, its like a fingerprint of a person…. What if all our fingertips were just smooth and plain? No fun. (gosh, did that get weird? sorry :-))
the wait
When I shoot a roll of film I don’t get immediate feedback….. I cant chimp (this is what digital photographers do when they look at the back of their camera to make sure they got the shot). Sounds crazy that someone would LIKE this doesn’t it? Hear me out. Lets say I finish a session and Ive got 5 rolls of film…. I send it to a professional lab that develops it for me and sends me digitally. The fact that I cant chimp the back of my camera and check myself during the shoot causes me to be more INTENTIONAL when Im shooting. I have to make sure Ive got that connection with my subject and engage them in a way that will allow me to get the shot. I cant just fire off 200 shots and pray Ive got one … (honestly that is a lot of what I did when I shot digital). It felt all wrong to me! It almost forces me to be more present in the moment, which is always a good thing. Also, it takes 7ish days to get my images back from the lab. That waiting time can be torture but in a weird way, I LOVE it. Ive realized that it really helps me to have a bit of separation from the shoot to the final result. When I get the email from the lab that my images are developed and ready It honestly feels like Christmas morning. (All my other film shooters know what I mean here ;-))
i feel more creative
My two favorite film cameras are a beast. They are heavy and bulky and I swear, the minute I grip them with my hands I feel more creative. Instead of choosing things after the image is shot, I begin to create before the image is shot. I choose which film stock I want to use (which is a whole other rabbit hole I could go down with you!), where I want to shoot, the light, the colors… I feel myself thinking about these things which makes my creative juices flow more freely. … I love playing around with different techniques and stocks.
These are just a few things that I love about this medium and I honestly can say that I love what I do so very much. I pinch myself all the time that I can call this my “job” and It brings me so much joy and fulfillment! Thank you so much for reading this and hearing me out. If you think Im nuts, thats ok too. Thats the great thing: we all get to choose our own favorites. This just happens to be mine. If you have any questions Id love to answer them! Or chat with you about any of this! I love talking about it! (just ask my film friends who I geek out with on a regular basis :-))
XOXO
Katy