How to Get Into Film Photography on a Tight Budget

 

1. 1
   Buy a camera and lens cheaply. Check eBay or other online auction sites to find a used camera. There are several things you can do to find the best camera at a good price:
   • 

     A tiny plastic Nikon F55 film SLR camera, dwarfed by an enormous Nikon digital SLR.
     Buy a cheap plastic autofocus SLR if you already have compatible lenses for it (if you have a digital SLR, for example). Plastic consumer cameras like the Nikon F55 and Canon EOS 300 sell for absurdly low prices. You may look silly shooting them, but the results you will get from these little cameras will be identical to those you would get from a much bigger and heavier professional SLR costing thirty times as much.
     
     Beware, however, of lenses that are specifically designed for digital SLRs, which usually have smaller sensors than 35mm film. They either won't mount on your camera (like with Canon lenses marked EF-S), or they won't cover the full 36x24mm frame (Nikon's DX lenses).
   • Basic autofocus zoom lenses a few years old are also inexpensive used. They are not good for low light, and not great in the moderately low light their maximum apertures permit, but about as good as any others at f/8 to f/16 (past that, diffraction limits the resolution of all lenses) except in trivial cases such as with brick walls. Autofocus lenses can help you save money from wasted pictures if you have trouble focusing manually, and are much better for moving subjects (which autofocus film SLRs can track and predict, though digital SLRs are much better for capturing single decisive moments reliably through bursts of photos, such as in sports).
   • 

     Cameras and lenses from obsolete camera systems, like this Canon A-1 and 50mm f/1.8, sell for absurdly cheap prices.
     Buy into an obsolete system. Demand for lenses from obsolete camera systems, meaning those completely incompatible with today's digital SLRs, is much lower, because nobody is buying them for use with digital. A couple of examples are Canon FD mount cameras (like the Canon A-1 and T90) and Minolta manual-focus cameras.
   • 

     Prime lenses in normal focal lengths are very cheap and sharper than lenses that cost several times as much.
     Buy simple prime lenses. "Prime" means a lens of a fixed focal length (i.e. not a zoom). "Simple" means lenses that are easy to manufacture. Very wide, and/or very fast, lenses cost more because they need very complex optics; lenses of sensible speed in normal focal lengths don't require complex optics and, consequently, are much cheaper. Best of all, these will permit you to shoot in less light and get sharper pictures than you would with a slower, more expensive, and heavier zoom lens. Look around for a 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8 (or f/2 if you're looking at Pentax), and 135mm f/2.8.
   • Alternatively, don't buy a camera. You probably already know several people who have an old, unused film camera or two whom you might be able to convince to lend one to you, or even give it to you.
2. 
   2
   Shoot colour negative film. Colour negative film can be developed very cheaply just about anywhere; slide film requires a very different process called E-6, which only a very small number of photo labs do. You won't get the same punchy colours that you can get on slide film (though some negative films, like Kodak Ektar 100, come close), but then you won't need to take out a bank loan to pay for each roll to be developed, either. On the other hand, the slides only need processing and then can be directly seen on a projector but with film you might want prints, which can be expensive. (If you intend to scan to digital, you only need the negatives.)
   
   If you like the look of black-and-white film, there are a couple of films that can be developed in the standard C-41 process used for colour negative films. Look for Kodak BW400CN (relatively low-contrast, great for people photos) and Ilford XP2 (high contrast).

   • Slide film has a much smaller exposure latitude and thus a much greater failure rate than print film except where one is consistently very precise, which doesn't suit many kinds of subjects. Projecting slide film destroys it in a matter of hours; regular slide shows do gradually consume the pictures' longevity.
   
   

 

1. Stick to 35mm. While other film formats will offer more surface area (and, consequently, more resolution, and less grain at a given enlargement), many minilabs will not be able to develop and/or scan it, which means you'll have to go to a much more expensive lab to get it developed.

   • Proper technique with a slow film such as Fuji Velvia or Kodak Ektar, correct exposure, a moderate aperture, and a moderate shutter speed or tripod, can produce very sharp, fine-grained photos with an old 35mm SLR or even a nice point-and-shoot (which should choose a moderate or small aperture and a moderate to high shutter speed on its own in bright light).
2. 
    
   4
   Buy lots of film. Buy as much as you can afford. Like everything else, buying things in bulk works out much cheaper. Also, if you buy film that is close to the expiration date it's cheaper. Wrap it tight in plastic and throw it in the freezer. It will keep for years. Just make sure you defrost it in the plastic--otherwise you'll get condensation on the film.

   • Even kept in a freezer, film eventually deteriorates and high-speed film - ISO 400 and above -- deteriorates faster. Long-expired film isn't worth the trouble of shooting and the cost of developing unless one wants special effects technically poorer than a cheap digital camera's photos.
3. 

1. 5
   Don't buy a scanner. Your lab owns some incredibly expensive equipment and nearly all of them will have a scanner built into their mini lab. Most labs will get great results with their automated scans. Shop around.
2. 
   6
   Shoot film for what it's best at. Film is ill-suited to action (sports, moving wildlife, and so on) that require split-second timing and usually need several shots taken in a second. That gets expensive; get a digital SLR for that kind of thing. On the other hand, film is great for stills, like landscapes, statues, and plants.
3. 
   7
   Get out when the light is good. Meaning, don't shoot in boring midday sunlight. Great light happens in the early morning and late evening, within about a one-hour window before and after sunset and sunrise. The better the light, the fewer mediocre pictures you'll take, which means more winners per roll, which means you're not blindly shooting tons of film in the hope of getting one or two good ones, which saves you money!
4. 
   8
   Think before you shoot. Rather than blindly shooting, learn to see. Spend a few minutes refining and simplifying your composition. More winners per roll means you'll be spending less on film.
5. 
   9
   Shoot a frame at a time. If you've got a motor-driven camera, set it to its single-frame mode. If you've got an add-on motor drive, leave it at home (or keep it on your camera but turn it off, because they look seriously cool). You can easily find yourself taking several shots of the same thing if you have some film-burning motor-driven monster. Your roll won't go as far, which means you'll be wasting money.
6. 10
   If you are unsure about exposure, such as with a backlit subject, err toward overexposure with color print film (unless the shutter speed would have to be so slow as to cause blur). If you want a darker picture you can adjust it on a computer, but you can't add detail that isn't there. Two or three stops over shouldn't blow out most of the highlights badly. (You could bracket exposure, but this is an article about how to get decent results for cheap.)
7. 11
   Don't get prints. If you're looking to show off your work on the Internet, the following process usually works out quite a bit cheaper: Just get your scans toasted to a CD, and if there are some you really like you can always get them printed later at a very reasonable price. The pharmacy CVS, the warehouse store Costco, and the mail-order processor Dwayne's Photo will inexpensively process and scan film without printing it. Costco and Dwayne's Photo tend to have multiple knowledgeable staff at any given time and use higher resolution.
8. 
   12
   Go for a longer development time. Unless you're terminally impatient, rather than go for one-hour developing, get it developed next-day, or maybe over a few days if you're extremely patient.
   
   On the other hand, some labs will give you a free film if you go for one-hour developing. Sometimes these give superb results, so take one for a spin.

In case any of you missed some of the free Photography ebooks we post each week, here's a link to over 20 of them...and you'll love the price.

https://www.lightstalking.com/23-more-ebooks-for-photographers-that-are-completely-free/

23 eBooks For Photographers That Are Completely Free

Here's some of the free books.  Enjoy!

3 Quotes for the Creative Photographer

By: Mat Coker

Most of us photographers struggle with our creativity. As time goes on you’ll likely experience fewer moments of passionate inspiration and longer periods of hard work and creative dryness.
It was during a period of creative dryness in my photography business that I discovered a whole breed of photographers who had been able to express their creativity in surprising ways.
They brought every part of their life to their photography, found beauty in unlooked-for places, and got in over their heads. Their ideas were just what I needed to breathe new life into my own photography.
Let me share with you three quotes that will help you understand yourself as a creative photographer.

It’s liberating as a creative photographer to forget about making money or
comparing yourself to other photographers and just go play with your camera.
For me, it’s climbing sand dunes or wading through water at sunset. It brings me to life.

1. You Bring Your Whole Self

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.” – Ansel Adams

When you first became a photographer you likely focused on finding the perfect camera and lenses. For a while, it was all about chasing gear. But in the end, the gear doesn’t satisfy. Unless it helps you expand your creative horizons it becomes a worthless dust collector sitting on a shelf somewhere.

These are my favorite cameras to use. The Fuji x100s is perfect for everyday life. I’m 

nostalgic about the photo quality of the iPhone 4s. It was the first phone camera I ever 

used. The Fuji XT1 along with a portrait lens and silent shutter mode is perfect for portraits.

You probably tried your hand at copying what you saw on Pinterest or other photo sharing groups. I bet that once you were successful you got bored and moved on quickly.
Gear and gimmicks don’t satisfy you. In fact, you’re more likely inspired by the books you read, even though they are non-visual because they fire up your imagination.

Two winters before this photo was taken, my imagination had been fired up after reading 

“The Wind in the Willows.” But I had no idea how to capture that in photos. That is until 

one spring when the bay that we live on overflowed its banks and took over our yard! I bought 

a dingy for my son, put on my chest waders and spent the evening in and on the water. Ratty 

would be proud of us.

The creative photographer brings to their work their whole life, their whole selves. That usually includes a whole host of other creative endeavors like music, painting, writing, or acting, even if you pursued them at different moments in life.

Though I loved photography as a kid, I was a musician before I became a photographer. 

Knowing what it’s like to perform and connect with the audience, I always look for those 

engaging moments when I photograph bands. Is there anything more engaging than 

Alice Cooper in a straight-jacket staring down the barrel of your lens?

An Alice Cooper performance goes beyond the music and incorporates drama as well. 

The story that is played out for the audience is part fiction and part biographical. Alice 

brings everything to the stage, including his past battles with alcohol, showing the audience
and fellow musicians what can be accomplished in life and art.

2. Making Beauty Out of Chaos

“I don’t just look at the thing itself or at the reality itself; I look around the edges for those little askew moments – kind of like what makes up our lives – those slightly awkward, lovely moments.” – Keith Carter

As a creative photographer, you’re often going to feel like you don’t fit in. You’ll likely find it hard to commit to one type of photography for the rest of your life (or as a business).
Here’s one idea that might characterize everything you photograph; beauty out of chaos.
Creative photographers are often at the fringes, on the edge of chaos and order, in unpredictable situations, trying to make something beautiful in difficult situations.

Many of us deeply resonate with Carter’s words as we “look around the edges for those little 

askew moments.” While it’s natural to photograph the happy, predictable moments of life, I’m 

most at home looking around the edges. When a little guy “acts up” he’s taken out of the 

game to the edges for a time-out. But aren’t these the defining moments of life? I was 

drawn by the boy’s face and his inability to look his father in the eye.

The situation was irresistible to me as a photographer. It was a “theological” moment and 

I was fascinated by the boy’s unwillingness to look his father in the eye. He expressed 

himself through his hands and fingers instead.

I love that even the dirt on his arm speaks to his guilt. You can’t plan these moments, you 

just appreciate them as they come.

You’re likely drawn to “the real,” not being satisfied with mere poses but what happens between the poses, at the edges of a photo session – those “slightly awkward, lovely moments.”

No parent in their right mind would allow their kids to play in the curtains. Those curtains will 

end up a complete mess. But, even for just a moment, I saw beauty in that mess.

Sometimes those moments in the window are more serene. I couldn’t help but notice 

afterward that the curtain ties were “slightly askew.”

3. You’ve Got to Get in Over Your Head

“I realize more and more what it takes to be a really good photographer. You go in over your head, not just up to your neck.” – Dorothea Lange

With the pursuit of the perfect camera behind you (happy to use whatever camera you’ve got on hand), and Pinterest a distant memory, you bring everything you’ve got to your photography. But even when you find yourself up to your neck, you’re still holding back.
There’s nothing to force your creativity quite like walking into a situation that puts you in way over your head. You’ll be forced to figure out what to do at the moment.

I still remember the first time I took the stage as a musician. It was a high school talent show 

on a makeshift stage in the cafeteria. All I could think was, “How did I get myself into this?” 

I knew I wasn’t qualified in any way to be on that stage (even though it was just a bunch of 

tables pushed together). But the moment took over and I knew I was made for the music.
To this day, I look for raw emotion when photographing musicians.

I daresay that, for most of us, going in over our heads means overcoming ourselves. Overcoming
our social anxiety, fear, and laziness. While a little social anxiety, introversion, or laziness can kill your creativity – it can also fuel it.
Successful creative photographers talk about how they challenged themselves through their fears and assumptions and constantly embraced constraints that forced them to grow as people and as photographers.

What do you look like as a creative photographer?

I love hearing from you. Which ideas do you resonate with and what do you look like as a creative photographer? Let’s chat in the comments below.

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How to Simplify Your Life as a Photographer

By: Mat Coker

Whether you’re an amateur or a professional photographer, complexity, confusion, and chaos are your enemies. When your life is chaotic and you’re feeling out of sorts, you’ll be unfocused and your photography will suffer. As a creative person, the last thing you want is to neglect your creative pursuits like photography.

“The more simple we are, the more complete we become.” – August Rodin

Here are 5 ways for you to simplify your life so that you can focus clearly on your life and love of photography.

Embrace simplicity in your photos by including as little as possible in the frame. In this photo, 

I eliminated the foreground as well as boats and other objects that could have been in the
frame. All our attention is drawn to the clouds and the lighthouse in the distance.

1. Tidy up a mess

“Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris

One of the simplest ways to bring some order to life around you is to tidy up a mess. Find space that you’ve got control over and clean it up. Start with your desk, or clean up your bedroom. Maybe you’ve got piles of stuff laying around the house. Choose one pile, sort it out, and put it away.
Once your space is clean, make it beautiful. Make a print of your favorite photo and frame it. Place it on your desk or hang it on the wall. Creating a tidy and beautiful space around you will help you simplify the chaos and encourage your creativity.

With nothing else present in this photo our full attention is drawn to the little jellyfish.
Sometimes simplicity in photos is hard to achieve because there are so many other
distracting elements.

2. Organize your photography gear

“There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” – Jackie French Koller

Gather up all your photography gear into one place. This is especially helpful if you’ve got equipment stashed all over your house or apartment.
Clean it thoroughly, sort it out, and sell what you don’t need. By simplifying your gear, you’ll have fewer decisions to make and you’ll be freer to take photos when you’re in the moment.
For example, instead of wasting time wondering which of your eight lenses you should use, you’ll have three favorite ones from which to choose.

Silhouettes are an excellent way to simplify and draw attention to your photos. The
frosty glass adds an interesting background.

Organizing and simplifying the gear you own is one way to simplify your life. But another way
is to simplify your desire for more gear.
Photographers are notorious for suffering from GAS – gear acquisition syndrome. Buying new
gear is necessary from time to time, but sometimes buying stuff is an easy way to feel like a photographer rather than actually being one.
Make the most of the gear you’ve alredy got and only purchase what will truly allow you to take more creative photos.

I love taking photos with my Fuji x100s because it has just one prime lens. I don’t have to
think about lens choices or focal lengths. Instead, I forget about my camera and just observe
what’s around me.

3. Learn one new thing

“Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.” – Martin H. Fischer

You’ve embraced simplicity by cleaning up some small space, you’ve made that space more beautiful by printing and framing one of your photos, and you’ve begun relieving your GAS.
Now, take your favorite camera and lens and go learn something new. But learn just one new thing at a time. As a creative photographer, you’re likely eager to learn many new things and become a better photographer. That is a worthy ambition. But don’t pile on too much learning at once. That will only hold you back.
Choose just one article, book, or course, and master that before moving on. DPS has a lot of tips and articles for you to learn from, but they have also organized and simplified topics with their books and courses.

I decided to spend some time trying to learn food photography. It’s a fun skill to study about. I 

needed to create some sort of background for this coffee mug and decided to stack up a few 

other mugs behind it. I like the repetitive pattern, another form of simplicity in photos.

4. Create a photography project

“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.” – John Maeda

With your new learning, why not tackle a photography project?
Many photographers have thousands of disorganized and disconnected photographs. And they have dozens of ideas in mind for what they will photograph next. Make of list of everything you’re interested in trying as a project and then choose one thing from the list to accomplish.

I have a growing collection of silhouette photos with my living room window. Soon, I’ll gather 

them all together and choose my favorites for a photo book. The symmetry in this photo is an 

element of simplicity.

Instead of the chaos of too many options and ideas, choose one thing and bring it to life. Maybe you could take a day trip to a favorite location. Or gather together friends for a portrait project. Maybe you should sort through photos from the past and create a photo book.
In just a few days or weeks you could have a finished project and something new to hang in your tidied up space. Tackling a project will help simplify your life and bring order and accomplishment to your day.

Close-ups simplify portraits by eliminating distracting backgrounds. Toddlers and kids have 

lots of fun peering into the camera or playing peekaboo.

5. Photography business

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

It is natural for photographers to consider starting a photography business. It’s a natural move since entrepreneurs and creative people are cut from the same cloth. Starting a photography business may seem like the ultimate way to live as a photographer. But even with a business, you must keep it as simple as possible.

I love to show up early before family photo sessions. Arriving at the harbor at 5 am in the 

morning, I captured this beautiful silhouette of a father and son heading out on one of the 

Great Lakes to fish.

If you’re already in business consider ways that you can simplify your photography business:

• Keep your business aligned with what you actually love to photograph.
• Offer one type of photography rather than doing everything.
• Choose a simple pricing strategy.
• Create a simple mobile-friendly website.
• Put limits on how long your workday will be.
• Create simple systems to make your workday flow.
• Carve out lots of time for family and friendships.

I played baseball as a kid and feel nostalgic about it in the autumn months. Photographing a 

single object, such as a baseball, is a way to practice simplicity in your photography.

Start simple and make steady progress

Take the next 90 days (3 months) to simplify your life and your photography. Clean up your spaces, appreciate the gear you’ve got, learn just one new thing, and bring it all together with a photography project. If you have a photography business or are thinking of starting one – keep it simple by keeping all the parts simple.
Let me know in the comments what you plan to simplify first.

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5 Reasons Why You Might Want to Try Black and White Photography

By: Nisha Ramroop

There are different schools of thought when it comes to black and white photography. Some believe it was a technical limitation of the past that you need to get over and move on. While others see it as a creative choice, that needs to be explored in great depths.
As camera technology gets better, with more emphasis on improved color ranges, why would you choose to shoot or process your images in black and white? In this article, we’ll look at five reasons why you might want to shoot or convert your images to black and white.

1. B&W Helps you see differently

The old “Masters” of photography shot in black and white initially, because they had no choice. Even with the advent of Kodachrome, which introduced the world to color photography, there was still a pursuance of black and white. This was because black and white was (and still is by some people) seen as photography in its the purest form.

When you remove color the emphasis shifts to the other compositional elements of the image. These include lines, shape and texture, contrasts and tones.
With this in mind, it is obvious that not all images will translate well to black and white. So, look at all the elements and deduce what else you have to work with, besides color.

Many times black and white helps you develop a different perspective from what you are used to seeing, which nurtures your photographic eye.

2. B&W Eliminates distractions

You are used to seeing the world in color and there nothing is wrong with that view. Sometimes this contributes to other elements or details being lost or taken for granted. Some of the elements (highlighted before) required for a great photo include contrast, texture, lighting, shape, and form.
When you shoot for black and white, you challenge yourself to remove the distraction of color. These include color casts and differences in color temperature (ambient light sources), as well as specific colorful elements that are strong, which may reside in the background or take away from your story.

Monochromatic imagery forces you to focus on form, shape, and texture while composing. If your emphasis is on making colors work together, these elements are sometimes overlooked. With black and white, distracting colors are now translated into shades of gray that add to your image.

3. B&W Offers creative choice

Since your world is in color, it is safe to say that color photography depicts reality and is more realistic. Thus, black and white photography is viewed as a rendition of reality – or how you interpret what you see.
When you remove color, you not only isolate the different elements, you are compelled to find how they relate to each other. This helps you explore and create different ways to tell your story.
When you take away color, you remove what your viewer is used to seeing. Now you are charged with finding the stronger elements in the scene and figuring out how to use them to convey what you want to depict.

4. Adds emotion or mood

Something about the variance of tonal ranges, rich blacks, and deep contrasts appeal to us psychologically. It creates a connection that makes you stop and pay attention to what is being presented.

Many photographers use black and white for storytelling in travel and street photography, as well as when portraying religious or cultural activities. Monochrome in some genres connects, enhances and strengthens emotions and mood.

5. Timelessness

Even though this is lower on the list, it is one of the more common reasons why some photographers shoot in black and white. Monochromatic photography adds what is seen as a timeless quality to your images.
Black and white photos seem to transcend reality and take you back to a time gone by. Historically there were color schemes that were specific to types of film or trends in digital photography that can date your image. The removal of color makes it tougher to figure out when the image was taken/produced.

Bonus

You no longer have to imagine what your scene will look like in black and white, as current camera technology allows you to try this on the spot and see if it works. While some photographers prefer to shoot in black and white, others prefer to shoot in color and then process or convert their images to black and white to get a different or better tonal range.
Note: If you shoot RAW format and set your camera to its version of the monochrome setting, you will see a black and white preview on the LCD when you review your images. But you will still have all the color data available in the RAW file at the post-processing stage. This gives you the best of both worlds – a quick b/w preview and ability to convert later.

This image was shot in black and white using the camera’s monochrome settting.

This image was shot in color and then converted to black and white in the processing stage.

While black and white photography still has an important role in photography, please note that not all subjects translate well to this mode. Even though a strong composition is not color dependent, sometimes the power of the photo is its color. This is why it is good to know when to use black and white.

If you are interested in pursuing the monochromatic, look for the other elements of composition like texture, shape, form, lines, and contrast. Experiment with shooting and processing black and white images and figure out which resonates with you more.

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