The other day, I grabbed my film SLR from its sleeping position (which it occupies most of the year) and rushed off to a group meetup. I had my digital gear as well but wanted film because the homestead was a vintage scene. I was so sure of myself, I didn't check for motion in the rewind lever and after 26 shots, figured that either the film was not advancing or there was nothing in the body. I had the cardboard film box end inserted on the back of the camera (where digital bodies have the LCD panel). Sigh! There was no film in the body.
It's moments like this that I remember why I am so much more successful with digital cameras. Aside from the cost-free multiple shots, instant review on the LCD, easy restore of preferred settings, digital doesn't allow me to shoot endlessly without a recording medium.
So, why do I continue to shoot film from time to time? Well, I shoot 35mm film. Sometimes expired film. Often home scanned with a low-end scanner (lately the Epson Perfection V370). Comes with dust bunnies and organic visual elements. Imperfect dynamic range, colour rendition. Manual focussed with inexpensive old lenses.
The imperfections are a cornerstone of what I feel are believable.
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| The moorhen and the lonely bench (old Kodakcolor Gold 400 in Olympus TRIP 35) |
Above is a somewhat iconic Australian bush park reserve - a digital version could potentially (or certainly) have been sharper, cleaner, shot in raw and "worked" in Adobe Lightroom (or Capture One Pro, whichever is the editor in favour). With this, I set some scanning parameters, cropped and that was about it. I feel that it conveys the mood to me, I have a rough feel for the greens and browns instead of riding the vibrance and saturation sliders.
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| Gumtrees with the brown tones (old Kodakcolor Gold 400 in Olympus TRIP 35) |
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A look across the water, embellished with dust bunnies
(old Kodakcolor Gold 400 in Olympus TRIP 35) |
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