Experimenting with Film [Personal Entry]

This is more of a personal blog entry, but I wanted to share it because it's such a huge learning experience for me. If you're toying with the idea of shooting film, keep reading!

For quite a few months now, I've been fascinated with film photography. Something that everyone assumed to be "dead" is now becoming more and more popular among photographers. Some have even transitioned from digital to film only! Others shoot hybrid, meaning they shoot both film and digital. I didn't have a plan to switch from digital to film OR to shoot hybrid - I just simply wanted to experiment after seeing how rich and beautiful the colors of film were.

Fast forward to a ton of reading, asking questions, and taking notes - I bought my first film camera. A 35mm Canon EOS 3. I chose this camera specifically not only because of all the great reviews, but also because I was able to mount my lenses for my digital camera to this one! I purchased a roll of Fuji 400h film and asked a friend to model for me. After snapping the very first photo, my instant reaction was to check the back of my camera. (SO NERVE WRACKING NOT KNOWING WHAT THAT SHOT TURNED OUT LIKE!) I continued shooting until all 36 exposures were used, went home, packaged up my roll of film, and sent it off to The FIND Lab for scanning.

I can't even begin to tell you how anxious I was to see my scans. It literally seemed like the longest 7 days of my life, but when I finally got that email, I was over the moon.

These are far from perfect, but that's okay! I am learning that the thing about film is that it is perfectly imperfect. Not all of your shots may be 100% in focus. Some photos may turn out darker or lighter than others. All of that is okay! It's a learning experience - and the only way to improve is to keep shooting film. So if you find yourself fascinated like I was, DO IT! I can bet money that you have a friend or relative that has an old film camera laying around somewhere. Ask around! But most of all, have fun.

Enjoy! :)

Film Stock - FUJI400H rated at 200 scanned by The FIND Lab

Camera - Canon EOS 3 85mm 1.8