Leadville Colorado

The last couple years I’ve had trouble finding myself a project, one of those projects worth putting a couple years of image making toward. My lingering dream is still a project focused on Idaho salmon, conservation, history of the sawtooths, blah blah. But last winter, and this last spring, has gotten me interested in Leadville Colorado. Leadville is one of those places most people have heard of but maybe never seen. For me it’s been a new place to explore, streets to wander through, and witness the eclectic aesthetic of a high altitude mountain town.

For this project I definitely want to focus on shooting film to hone in my workflow and discover what I need to do to get the look that I’m going for. The two images above are nearly exactly what I’m looking for in terms of warmth and tones. What I am really hoping for is getting into some DSLR scanning and really trying to pump out as much as I can without the Hasselblad X1. The biggest challenge for this project is that I want to do everything in the process, other than developing C-41 film, and I know this will take some decent trial and error. The final deliverable, I hope is a series of zines or postcards that can be sold in town.

Shooting Film

Why Shoot Film?

Most people think that film can't compare to digital, that Kodak is dead, and film is impossibly hard to find. Well I can tell you that it's not only easy to find film but it is readily available and the selection is just as good if not better as back in the day (well maybe not). Kodak is still pumping out lots of film and companies like Illford and Fujifilm are here to stay. Finally, film cameras aren't being made anymore and what’s out there is all that’s left so the race is on.

Something that you find out real quick is the best image quality you can get from any medium still comes from film. Large format film cameras can produce wall sized prints with more quality then an 11x14 made with my $1400 DSLR. Not only does film allow you to capture the best images possible, but shooting film is an entirely different experience. You have one ISO, the cameras are usually more limited in the available shutter speeds, and oh yah you have 36 pictures max.

Types of Film  

• Black and White Negative Film - Obviously this is kind of film produces a negative B&W image and is the easiest to start with and often the cheaper film to buy. It is usually a silver halide based chemistry so developing this film is very easy but often expensive because of the silver waist produced. Another important piece of jargon is the newer t-grain films v.s the older traditional grain. There are pluses and minuses of both but I find t-grain to have sharper looking results but traditional film has more freedom.

• Color Negative Film - Like the B&W this film produces a color negative image. This is the most readily available film next to B&W on the market and has many choices. The easiest way to think about it is there are cheap color neg film and expensive. Cheaper film will have more noticeable grain and be less sharp when compared to more expensive film. However, unless you have the inclination to print your images it won't really be noticeable. Color negative is C-41 chemistry and is mcuh harder to develop on your own but very cheap for labs and photography stores.

• Color Positive (Slide) Film - This is not only the most exciting film you can buy but it is by far the most expensive and hardest to develop. The E-6 chemistry is expensive and doesn’t keep well, pair that with slide film being the hardest to find on the market nothing about it is cheap. The reason this film is so cool is that it produces a positive color image and therefore the detail and colors of this film is much more spot on and real. The other issue is the exposure latitude on this film is also reduced. This means that for high contrast scenes this film usually can't capture detail from highlights to darks. That being said if you get the exposure right, the detail slide film offers is unbeatable and therefore its the first choice for professionals.

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Nikon FM, Nikkor 50mm F1.8 Ais, Kodak Color 200, V550, Bogus Basin, ID

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Mamiya C3, Sekor 80mm F2.8, Fujifilm Pro 400H, V550, Bruneau Sand Duns, ID

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Canon Snappy LxII, Fujifilm C200, V550, Caldwell, ID

What do I Shoot?

I shoot with a lot of film cameras currently and the list is always changing as new deals and film come out on the new and used market. I will save the discussion about the types of formats and good beginner film cameras for another time. It’s an a totally different discussion. I currently have a camera that shoots all formats except 6 x 4.5 medium format and the biggest and baddest of 8 x 10 film. The newest edition is my Pentax 6x7 with the 105mm F2.4 lens and it’s quickly becoming my favorite camera. I also shoot with a Nikon FM with Nikkor 50mm F1.8 ais, Canon Snappy LxII, an Anniversary Graphlex Speed Graphic, and finally my trusty Mamiya C3 with a Sekor 80mm F2.8. They all have their place in the quiver.

But back to the main point, why shoot film? For me it’s complicated and not easily explained. Though in short, it inspires me. Tearing open another roll of film just helps me point a camera and take images almost like having multiple tools allows you to complete the job correctly. Some cameras inspire projects by the way they render the images or diffuse tension in a subject. Others are pocketable and need just to be pointed and shot. It’s the lack of flexibility, knowing you have only 10-36 shots, and you need to finish a roll to move on, that’s what I like. I like the slow aspect and not being able to review your images. It’s hard to explain but film cameras have life to them that is hard to feel or see with a digital camera.

But the greatest reason why I shoot film is that it is the way I remember life going by me. I can record these fickle moments on something that will be around for ever. Something I can touch and feel just like the memories that catalyzed the images themselves.

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Nikon FM, Nikkor 50mm F1.8 Ais, Kodak Color 200, Yosemite, Ca

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Canon Snappy LxII, Fujifilm C200, V550, Moab, UT

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Canon Snappy LxII, Fujifilm C200, V550, Galena Summit, ID

My Film Setup

My film setup is much larger then is probably healthy for someone who isn't a working photographer. They are all special camera and I love the character each one has. I have't shot anything from my large format camera but I am super excited about it. For each one of my camera's/gear I'll explain where I got them, why I have them, and what I think about their use.

My first camera is my Nikon FM with a Nikkor 50mm F1.8. It's actually my father's camera that he gave to me to use for my first photography class. He originally bought the camera at the B&H flagship store in New York City while he attended Columbia University. It's my understanding it was easier to take images of figures and papers then it was to pay someone to hand copy these documents. Either way this is still an very popular film camera because of its simplicity and reliability. I love the portability of this camera and the look of the 50mm lens is exceptional. This camera has been and done everything and is still trucking away creating beautiful images.

My next camera is my Mamiya C3 with a Sekor 80mm F2.8 blue dot lens. This camera I bought because I was lusting after the razor thin depth of field medium format cameras create. I knew that going from 35mm to 120 film wasn't much of a jump so I stared looking on Ebay. At the time all I had was $100 to spend so I waited and pulled the trigger on the old Japanese TLR camera. After it had arrived I dropped the camera and broke that lens. So long story short I bought a new lens tested it and was happily surprised with the result. All in all, I spent way too much however I absolutely love the feel of this camera and how it slows you down while shooting.

Finally, my most anticipated purchase the Graflex Speed Graphic with a Wollensak 127mm F4.7 yellow dot lens in a Graflex shutter. I found out that this is actually a 1941 anniversary edition Speed Graphic. Right now I'm having issues mounting the lens on the camera as it is on the board. I haven't shot with this camera yet but I knew that this type of camera is only getting more popular and expensive as it rivals even the best digital cameras. Not only will it provide some of the most detailed images you can create but it takes portraits to a whole other level. The detail and fall off of this format is impossible to simulate. Can't wait to shoot with this camera and create amazing images.

This isn't a camera and I don’t have a picture of it, but it is a very helpful too for my two larger format cameras. It is a Sekonic L-398 Studio Deluxe incident light meter. It is used to find the exposure while in the field and it works quite well. It doesn't require batteries so it will always work and therefore it's an invaluable tool for created film images in the field. I again used eBay for this purchase as I find it's the best place to find used camera equipment, as long as you know what you are looking at.