Shooting Film… Man, It Had Been Way To Long… Wow, the last roll of film I shot was back on September 5th, 2024. Since then it has all been digital. Last week that changed. I shot my first roll of film in 2025.
Shooting Film… Man, It Had Been Way To Long…
Now don’t get me wrong. I am very happy with my digital body, the Leica M262. It allows me to shoot in the same way I do when I’m shooting film…. Fully manual, no auto anything. It uses rangefinder focusing, which is my favorite way to focus.
And the Glass..
Best of all, shooting a Leica digital body allows me to use my favorite glass, the ‘cron 35 and 50. Oh my God, that glass…
But really, as I mentioned a few of these things in the last post, I just love everything about shooting film. The whole process. From loading a roll, advancing the film, setting the aperture, and shutter speed manually and that moment when I put the camera to my eye and line up the rangefinder patch on the most important part of the photo.
Developing…
Developing every roll just really grounds me. Loading the film onto the reel in the dark bag; mixing the developer; the fixer… Rotating the tank every 60 seconds; washing and hanging the film to dry… Scanning? Cutting and scanning film is fine, but I don’t really love that part. But the rest? Yes!
And No Post-Processing!
Okay, maybe there is some dust spot removal and every once in a while I might make a slight slider adjustment. But really, I’m not stuck sitting at a computer doing a ton of post work to get the look I want in the photo. No man, the look is already baked into the film. The look, the tones, the character…. It’s a primary reason I shoot film in the first place. The look, the feel.
I’ve never looked at a digital shot and get that ooooh, aaaahhh feeling in my soul. But yes, that’s exactly what I get from shooting film.
Shooting Film… Man, It Had Been Way To Long…
Is film for everybody? Of course not. I see some of the magic photographers are creating using digital tools. Digital is awesome. But man, I’m even a little bit surprised on how just shooting one roll of film, I’m back to being head-over-heels in love with film and the whole film process.
It is definitely (to paraphrase Gordon Parks) my weapon of choice.
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Why Shooting Film Is a Spiritual Experience for Me