It all started with a tweet resolution in 2021… and I actually committed to it through 2022! Follow along with me on this retrospective... Hey, I just wanna take some pictures.
I learned a lot this past year as it was my first time capturing moments on 35mm film. At the start, I'd adopted a Minolta Maxxum 7000, and since, I've made small additions to the lineup with a Canon F-1 and a little pocket-sized point-and-shoot for concert mosh pits, the RETO Ultra Wide & Slim. Retro tech is like my family...
Some quick notes: Lighting is everything. Understand the output of certain film stocks. Not everything needs to be captured. Triple-check your settings. Watch your fingers... I'll elaborate on these things in another post. But for now, enjoy the lack of backstory like TARS in Interstellar.
Throughout this year I was fortunate enough to have dabbled with a variety of 35mm film stock. From the cheapest on a whim to market price, and black & white to color, I was even gifted a handful of rolls to test out by some gracious friends. I'll drop a full list of film that I've used at the end of this post and link back to some of my favorites from each roll in more blogs moving forward, so stay tuned!
Now, I don't personally develop my film (because NYC apartments + 2 Dogs don’t cater to an optimal workspace), instead, I make it a point to visit the affordable and knowledgeable camera shop for processing, K&M Camera, as often as possible. From chem lab to scanning table, always support local!
If shooting on film wasn't antiquated enough, I do this roundabout thing where I scan them in to make them digital. I handle my own film scans using Lomography's DigitaLIZA+ kit and my Canon EOS 6D DSLR with a 100mm macro lens. I'll do a walkthrough for the DSLR film scanning process in full detail a little later this year and break down my workflow and editing techniques for your enjoyment.
Once the film is scanned, I do some light editing, such as color correction, photoshopping out any obnoxious dog hair or dust/scratches, export web & print-ready files, then label, organize the photos, and finally decide when (if ever) to post them to social.
With any luck (or hype) some of these captures will end up in my shop. I recently kicked off a new vertical selling some film prints there, so please, take a look and buy a print or two to help support your friendly neighborhood film photographer. Film prices keep going up and…
Sorry to blab… If you're a speed reader, you didn't wait long for this moment. But, if you've enrolled in Derek Zoolander's Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good, we're in the same boat... let's just look at some pretty pictures of people and captured moments from my daily life in 2022. Now, without further ado, the long-awaited gallery... did you make the cut?
Favorite portraits and people-y moments from 2022.
Select film prints are available for purchase. Shop now!
Film Used:
Kodak T-Max P3200 - Kodak Tri-X 400 - Kodak UltraMax 400 - Kodak Portra 400 / 800 - Ilford 3200 Delta - Ilford HP5 400 - Cinestill 50D / 800T / BwXX - Silberra Color 50 / 100 - JCH Street Pan 400 - Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400 - Rollei Paul & Reinhold 640 - LomoChrome Metropolis 100 - Lomography Potsdam KINO 100
Follow along with my film photography in real-time on social #GrainyDaze
