A Decade Shooting Film. Again.

SOLE SURVIVOR My Zeiss Ikon Continamatic III—the only film camera to escape the Great Digicam Purge of 2000.

I had a shock the other day when I realized that it had been 10 years since I got back into shooting with film. I was one of those photographers who jumped on the digital bandwagon pretty early. In fact, I shot digital exclusively for nearly a decade. So what made me go back to film?

Short answer: it’s fun. Now the long answer:

I’ve avoided getting into the whole film-versus-digital debate here on FilmAdvance.com. It just seems like a waste of energy. I honestly don’t care what other people use—I have no desire to convert anyone, and I don’t see shooting film as a “cause” in need of defending. As John Lennon once sang, “whatever gets you through the night is alright.” Having shot digital and film extensively, I see the virtues of both technologies. But I obviously have a preference.

So here’s my story . . .

APPLES Frame #3 from roll #2008-1.
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Continamatic III; Film: Kodak Gold 100.

I was an early adopter when it came to digital cameras—not on the leading edge exactly, but I climbed aboard the digital bandwagon as soon as decent quality gear started appearing at a reasonable price. My first digicam was a Canon point-and-shoot (a S100 Digital Elph) with a 2.1-megapixel sensor, purchased at some point in 2000. I loved it. The instant gratification and colourful pictures won me over and my digital-only track was set. Like so many other converts, I quickly dumped my film gear and embraced the new technology with evangelical zeal. That point-and-shoot lead to another, and then to a series of digital SLR cameras—all fabulously capable machines.

And though the gear got better and better, I started to suspect something was missing from the photographic experience. I was taking pictures by the dozens, filling computer drives with data, and yet I was enjoying the process less and less. I was getting some good shots, but I was also producing a lot of rubbish. I was growing careless and lazy. If I didn’t get the picture I wanted, I just shot more. I began to believe if I took 12 pictures, one or two simply had to turn out. Mostly what I got was 12 badly composed, (but, to be fair, precisely exposed) photos.

Then one day 10 years ago, I had an epiphany thanks to my wife. She had signed up for a photography course at the local university. I laughed when she told me she had to buy a film camera and that they’d be doing darkroom work and all that. “Seriously?” I asked. “Do they start computer classes there with Fortran punch cards as well?” It seemed nuts—quaint even, but definitely nuts. Nobody except a few eccentrics and old holdouts used film anymore.

But the day she came home from a shopping trip with a Pentax Spotmatic, I felt something inside me shift. Not a seismic jolt exactly, but definitely a change in perspective. She explained that she purchased this treasure (along with a 55-mm lens and flash) for the princely sum of $24. Inspired, I dug out my only remaining film camera (a Zeiss Ikon Continamatic III that was of sentimental value too great to ever part with) and loaded a roll of film. The next day I set out for a walk with my camera around my neck and had fun taking pictures for the first time in years. As quickly as that, I was hooked. It felt like coming home.

PARRY BAY Frame #8 from roll #2008-1.
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Continamatic III; Film: Kodak Gold 100.

So here I am, a decade later, still shooting film, still having fun. I’ve tried all kinds of cameras and each one has taught me something new about photography and about myself. I’ve gone through countless phases—sometimes favouring medium format, sometimes compact point and shoots, and sometimes 35mm SLRs. Each one has, for a time, felt like the ideal photographic tool. And then, not. I’m on a quest, though I don’t know for what exactly. It doesn’t really matter—the journey has been tremendously enjoyable. And 10 years later, it still is.

So, what advice can I offer? Just this. If you want to become a better photographer, turn off the computer, load some film into your camera, get out there and get shooting. No amount of reading blogs like this one or watching YouTube videos will teach you as much as you’ll learn by simply doing the thing you’re trying to get better at. Take your pictures, assess the results analytically and honestly, then go out and shoot some more. It’s simple.

As for me, the goal remains the same as ever—shoot more pictures that I like, and fewer that I don’t.

ARBUTUS TREES Frame #18 from roll #2008-1.
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Continamatic III; Film: Kodak Gold 100.

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