All change for Film
Well, it’s been an inevitable eventuality for me. To go back to film. Not that I’m abandoning digital in the slightest. But today I was happy to receive a Nikon Coolscan 9000 scanner (it’s been a long road trying to source one). You see I was missing my Mamiya 7 so much, that I opted for shooting with it and nothing else while I was in Morocco in February.
So I have a batch of Moroccan portraits to process and scan now. Yes, I never got them processed at the time, because I would have been frustrated at not being able to scan them in and publish them.
It will be an interesting few weeks ahead for me. Going back to looking and admiring the smooth tones and grain of a 6×7 negative. And how I will feel about finally being able to look at the Morocco images I shot.
I loved shooting in the dark. I had no idea, no immediate feedback whether I’d got my shot and that was just fine. I was free to focus on shooting and immersing myself in my surroundings. It’s a luxury to know you can’t see what you got – it’s one thing out of the way. No distractions. Just you and the camera and what is going on around you.
I’ll be posting a Morocco portfolio at some point over the next month or so. I had a ‘gut’ feeling at the time that I’d managed to get a few very nice portraits. And the fun will be finding out what is hidden in the rolls of Portra that have been stuck in my fridge for the past few months.
Hey Thomas again….Your story seems to speak to me and I always feel like I can comment on something. Anyways, I just got a nikon fa 35mm film body. My first film camera since I got into photography and wow…its so much fun to shoot. My first dslr was a d70 and I find it rewarding to shoot film as it allows me to focus on just taking pictures. I love the fact I forget what I’ve shot and get surprised at the photos that I get back. The feel is so different. Anyways, I’m envious of your Mamiya 7!
Comment by notegra — 9 May, 2008 @ 12:03 am
Hi Thomas, Thanks for the encouragement re my web site. I’m glad you’ve discovered the beauty of using a film camera. Being able to focus on the art of taking pictures. Not knowing what you got till you get the photos back – the surprise all add up to the fun of film photography. All the best with your Nikon FA. Nice camera :-)
Comment by Bruce Percy — 9 May, 2008 @ 6:27 am