The Perils of Film
What exactly is the draw of photography? I had to ask myself this question several times over the last few weeks as I dove headfirst into film.
Is it the joy of capturing memories? Is it a time capsule for future generations to be able to see the world as it was? Is it just a creative outlet to de-stress one's brain and body? Honestly it's so many things to me.
Sorry for the digital photos in this post, I'll explain them.
A few months (weeks? I don't know what time is anymore) back I wanted a camera for in camera cyanotypes. That led me to buying eleven box cameras at auction. That led me to wanting film to see if the cameras actually worked for their original purpose. And a couple more cameras.
f16 1/30 sec 200 ISO, approximating the Brownie Hawkeye
So I bought film. This led to me being terrified that maybe the cameras would in fact not work and I would end up with a bunch of blurry over or underexposed disasters.
And where to shoot? I mean, I only have eight shots, twelve with the Hawkeye. I didn't want to waste such precious experiments on boring subjects. What would I do if they did come out? Why go to so much expense for some ho-hum reward?
So I took test shots with my digital camera using approximately the same settings as the box cameras. Which is what you see here.
f22 1/50 sec 400 ISO, approximating the Brownie 2 model F
But I don't trust these test shots too much. After looking up the cost of developing and scanning film at my local store I decided it's much more cost effective to develop and scan my own.
So I bought a dark bag, and a tank, and ingredients for caffenol, and fixer (which arrived expired, hopefully it still works).
I also bought a scanner. Unfortunately the refurbished scanner decided not to work... But after some haggling with the tech support at Epson they agreed to send me a brand new one at no additional cost. I guess that's one good thing so far.
At this point I have 12 medium format box cameras (mostly Brownies, and most of them 116) and a TLR due to arrive this week. My 35 mm SLR arrived yesterday (I'm almost positive it will take decent pictures once I actually get some film and a spare battery). I have run one roll through the 1925 Brownie 2 model f and one roll through the Brownie Hawkeye. Once I get the Argus I'll run my last roll of 120 through it to complete my medium format foray.
Then I have to find some time to develop them, assuming that the fixer will work. I am hoping that the new scanner will arrive by the time I get the film developed and there will be no more delays. My hobby will be on it's feet and running, only limited by my film and developer purchases.
Is film perilous? Yes, but only because I have bought everything at once. It's an addiction and I haven't even seen my first photo from it!
Is it worth it? I believe it will be. While shooting the first roll made me nervous, the second one was soothing. From what I have heard, it only gets better with time and experience. Even the failure is rewarding in some way. Hopefully these first few rolls will teach me something and maybe even yield some good results!
Stay tuned!
—————--------------------—————
Be sure to add me to your fanbase on Hive Auto so you never miss an Upvote!
Get up to 12 #FREE Fractional Shares valued up to $30,600 by opening & funding a #Webull brokerage account! Use my link to get started!
I'd like to invite you to use Uphold. Create your account and try out one of the easiest and most cost-effective trading experiences. You can pay fiat for crypto just by connecting a bank account and depositing directly into your account. Not only that but if you get the Uphold card you can pay with crypto anywhere that Mastercard is accepted!
https://uphold.com/signup?referral=c9cdfce131
Check out my nfts for sale on NFT Showroom!
Would you like to get paid in crypto for searching the internet? Try using and signing up for Presearch to earn some great crypto! I've currently got 26.23PRE tokens, with a market value of $6.24. It’s no fortune, but when you search using sites like Google you get paid $0.
Join Presearch to break Google's stranglehold on internet searches!!!
Get 25 PRE just for signing up!
I'm now a Xero Shoes affiliate, click here to find the best barefoot shoes available!
!
That's a great story to share how you got to this point. I have a few old Brownies as well and really enjoy using them when I get the opportunity. It definitely requires a little more patience, but the satisfaction of seeing it all come to life is worth it for me. Plus they're great conversations pieces when out in the wild!
They definitely bring a lot of attention, mostly by people who can't believe a camera can look like that 😂