Does Shooting Film Make You A Better Photographer?
admin | Jun 05, 2008 | Comments View Comments
In today’s photography world it’s easy to get caught up in all things digital. I have, however, seen a surge of interest in film photography the past few weeks. We’ve seen digital photographers like Brian Auer discuss cross processing which raises the question. Does shooting film make you a better digital photographer?
The short answer is yes it can!
While we could argue that by shooting film you have to use your camera in manual mode so you must have your camera set up properly and not to over or under-expose the images, we won’t. While that may be a good point, the truth is that some film cameras have sensors that allow for an automatic mode, and many digital photographers are already using manual mode anyway.
Here is why film can make you a better photographer.
By limiting the number of images per roll, you instinctively become more aware of each image as an overall composition. If you don’t, you’ll find your wallet empty much faster.
Yes, I know it sounds simple, but sometimes these things truly are.
If you don’t already have a film camera and you don’t want to break the bank, I suggest getting a Holga which you can purchase here
Now go out there and be creative!
Photograph Overview by nihiels who also has a wonderful photoblog borrow a view, go check it out.
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As a 35mm alternative, rangefinders can often be had quite cheap. Brain mentioned that he just picked up a minolta one, while the Olympus XA is a popular favourite as well (I even learnt to shoot on one!).
I’m loving this resurgence in film
^^Whoops! I meant Brian instead of Brain…
I think that film still plays an important role in photography.
Like you said, a Holga is a cool camera for film photography. Pretty cheap.Just point and shoot and sometimes has marvelous results.
The shot at the top of the article was taken with a Yashica D. A very cool TLR camera, fully manual.
I’m actually going through the process of “re-learning” photography right now by only shooting film. After a year or so with a DSLR, I realized that the camera makes more of the decisions than myself. Great post!
The funniest thing about the resurgence of film in my opinion; it will help digital photographers become better at their craft by making them slow down.
Less click, check the view finder, adjust, click, check the view finder, adjust…
Get a light meter!
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