How shooting film will improve your photography (part 1)
About two years ago I took a major step with regard to my photo equipment: I sold my Nikon D700 full-frame DSLR and my Nikkor 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses, went mirror-less, and also started shooting film again.
The main reason for this was that I relocated from South Africa to South Carolina. The D700 was just too heavy to lug around at trips to small towns and local events, and there are a lot fewer wildlife parks in South Carolina. Although the 24-70 would be great for capturing the images I started taking here, the 70-200 really didn't make any sense anymore to me. Instead, I purchased the (then quite new on the market) Fujifilm X-Pro1 with the 18mm and 35 mm lenses.
The sale of the D700 and lenses left me with some money after the X-Pro1 purchase, and since I had been reading some articles and blogs about medium format film I thought I would give that a try. I eventually ended up with a Mamiya RZ67 ProII (talking about weight!!!) and the 110mm standard lens. And now I am shooting film again...
I actually started photography in the film-age: my first camera, an Agfa ISO Rapid I-c I got in the early '70s, later moving on to SLRs. I switched to digital when the Nikon D70 came on the market, and since then I really forgot how working with film is do differently from the digital experience. And I love it! After the Mamiya, a FED 2, Canonet QL17, and Voigtlander Vitessa T have been added to the collection. All of which I use regularly.
Working with the medium format Mamiya, however, is a revelation! Looking through the viewfinder is looking at a miniature real-life version of what I see in front of my lens, with an almost 3-D feel to it. And the quality of the lenses is just great.
I am not unique in going back to film photography: there is an abundance of sites and blogs from enthusiasts and pros who fully or partially are shooting film again. And on each of those, you can find several reasons why you should try film too.
This is the first blog post of five in which I will share the five best reasons why I will continue to use my film cameras. Reasons, for which I recommend that you also should consider picking up one of those older cameras, a roll of film, and giving it a try; and why it actually will improve your photography.
You need to be disciplined and follow a set process
Most of the older film cameras do not have any auto mode settings. You all have to do it yourself: transporting the film to the next frame and cocking the shutter, setting the shutter time, choosing the aperture, focusing, and of course taking the picture. In some cases, you even have to do all these in a specific order to prevent damage to the camera. As a consequence, shooting film will slow you down quite a bit, helping you to really think through why you are making specific adjustments to your settings.
Furthermore, you only will see the results of your actions hours, days, or even weeks after taking the pictures. No chimping... You better spend some time on making sure that the composition is right, that your lens is clean, and that you exactly have in your frame what you want to be in it.
The next post in this series will focus on how shooting film will help you to learn to make better pictures.