Back when we lived in DC, I did a little bit of interior design and architecture photography for a small architecture firm. Bill, the architect, knew a bit about photography and had done some himself while in architecture school. But, as he started his professional career with a firm, his photography equipment began collecting dust. When we moved to Grove City, Bill very kindly sent me his old Canon F-1 body, a nice series of lenses, and a bag of film! I was thrilled, but also a bit intimidated to be honest. I'm really comfortable shooting manually with my 5D, but film? Not so much. There's no LCD screen on the back of a 35mm and you don't know how you're doing until the prints return from the lab. Yikes! Each shot matters. Composition, exposure, cropping, focus--they all carry a lot more weight when shooting with film. What if I shoot a whole roll and have absolutely nothing to show for it?
But I've decided to give film a whirl this summer during my free time. (Don't worry brides, I won't be practicing on your wedding day!) The more I look through the images of Jose Villa or The Image is Found, the more I'm drawn to the color and grain of film. So I'm going to give a try. I probably won't be sharing my work anytime soon, but may be one day, I hope!
