Essentials for film.

Apparently “World Film Photography Day” happened on the 20th March 2008. I forgot, and did not participate. But, I shoot film most days anyway…

Being still relatively new to film, I thought I might share what I’ve learnt so far in regards to the essentials required for successful and fulfilling film photography.

First off, a light meter. Often old cameras have faulty lightmeters, or sometimes they don’t even have one at all. A light meter like the one above can be bought for a reasonable price from ebay and measures both reflected and incident light. If you’re particularly interested in exact values you could always look for a spotmeter (which measures a smaller portion of a scene from a narrower angle), but the more you shoot in varying light conditions, using your lightmeter as a guide, you’ll often find that you can predict the readings anyway.

Secondly, a notebook will be handy (and a pen). I like to record all my exposures in a diary with notes on the camera used, the lens,the frame number, the ISO I shot it at, f stop, shutter speed and subject, as well as any extras such as filters. By doing this I can look back once my film has been developed and evaluate the results. If something didn’t work quite as intended, I can review the exposure details and use these to plan the next similar shot. For the most part it comes down to not a long enough exposure, but occasionally I might aim to get back to the same location with a different camera, or at a different time to change the lighting conditions. By having a record of your exposures you can learn to predict even more what settings will work best, in conjunction with your lightmeter.

What happens if you’re taking “happy snaps” and don’t have time to record the details in your diary? I recently bought the cheapest mp3 player with recording capabilities ($38.00) that I could. While I might look a bit silly talking into it after each shot, there have been many times in the past where I wished that I’d taken the time to write down the details.

A tripod. This is going to vary according to your needs. A pocketable one, like the Gorillapod is great, though I find these unstable occasionally. Of course their flexibility more than makes up for their shortcomings. A larger more solid tripod is also a good investment. The type depends on your shooting intentions. I initially went for a fairly compact one as I was only shooting 35mm at the time. Now that I’ve moved into medium format with a Pentax 6×7, I’m wishing I bought a slightly heavier duty one. Think carefully about your future intentions before rushing out and buying the cheapest one you can. A good tripod should last you at least 20 years, so invest wisely.

If you start making heavy use of the tripod, then a cable release is going to come in handy. None of my film cameras are particularly recent, so all require an actual cable release rather then a remote. I’ve often wished for an air type bulb release, though the standard length cable release has served me well so far.

Spare batteries are a must, as is spare film. Some cameras run through batteries quickly, and while in some cameras the battery only runs the lighmeter, others such as the 6×7 won’t work at all without a battery or start playing up when the battery begins to fail. The 6×7 occasionally locks the mirror in the up position, making me think I’ve lost a frame. Curiously the shutter still works fine even when the battery starts declining…

Your film requirements will depend on your budget, your subject choice, lighting conditions and your personal preferences. I don’t develop my own just yet so I still shoot about the same amount of colour as I do black and white. While I’m still working my way through stock that was given to me for free, I like to have at least one camera loaded with colour film, and another with black and white. It’s a bonus if both cameras can accept the same lens mount, as it means if you need to pack light only one set of lenses needs to be packed. Sadly, I’m rarely that organised. I just tend to grab the camera I feel like using for the day, without a thought for interchangeability…At the moment I have only some 35mm loaded, with Ilford XP2, Kodak 400CN and Konica VX100, but given an option Neopan 1600 and a red filter would never leave my camera.

Finally, a bag. You could of course use that bag you bought for your digital, but what would be the fun in that? Hit up ebay for one of those old skool (faux)leather cases…

I’m always open to suggestions for essential film related items.