A Beginners Guide To Film Photography.
- danielball11
- Jan 17, 2021
- 3 min read
We have all started a new hobby and have all struggled to understand what to do to create something amazing. Today, I am bringing you a guide packed with all the information you could need to start shooting 35mm film camera's.
1. Choosing a camera:
This is probably the most important part. There are so many on the market and it can be really daunting if you don't know what you are looking for. Firstly, if you are going to start film photography, you will want to go fully manual. This just means choosing a camera that allows you to correctly balance your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to achieve a good exposure. If the camera you are looking at is pre-1980's it is likely going to be manual.
Secondly, you will want a built in light meter. When you are starting out, it can be really difficult to judge if you are correctly exposing an image. A built in light meter will help you save film by learning quickly if you are over or underexposing your images.
Thirdly, opt for a good, solid camera. Spending a little more for good quality will ensure you are not buying something that isn't going to last. Some excellent beginner film cameras I reccomend are: Canon AE1, Pentax ME Super, Chinon CE-5 and Minolta X-700.
2. Choosing a film:
This can be extremely tricky considering there is so much choice! The first thing to narrow down is whether you want to shoot colour or black and white. This will be important because the way you shoot them will be different. You should try and envisage what your frame will actually look like in black and white before taking the picture. This is why I would reccomend shooting a few colour rolls before trying out black and white, as it's easier to make decisions in the moment. Check out my other blog post on the best cheap films to help guide your choice as these are very accessible film stocks.
3. Learning how to load your film into the camera:
Many guides I have seen have not covered this and I believe it is essential for beginners to understand how to load the film correctly so your not wasting shots. Watch my handy video guide below:
4. Choosing a location:
Now you are all set and ready to shoot, where are you going to go? As you will be getting used to adjusting the manual settings, I reccomend shooting nature based photographs initally as you want a quiet and stress free environment to frame your shot and create a beautiful scene. Quaint towns and interesting architecture are also great locations. Take your time when framing your shot, are you happy with the composition? Have you got good lighting? Have you thought about the background?
There is no shame in standing around in the same spot for ages trying to work out your settings, it will get easier the more you shoot and the results you will get from taking your time will be far more impressive.
5. Developing your roll:
Now you have a completed roll, how should you develop it? For beginners I reccomend taking your film to a local developer shop (some supermarkets do this, photography specialists and Snappy Snaps will do this) to ensure your shots have come out correctly on the film to ensure you have not made any mistakes in the loading or unloading of the film. Colour developing is generally cheaper than black and white as there are less processes involved. However, if you are a hardcore beginner and want the full experience of creating your art from camera to physical picture, you can try home developing! It's an excellent skill to learn which is also fun and home developing kits won't break the bank either and the chemicals required will last for months of use.
Be sure to check out my next blog post for a guide on home developing!
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