Why Digital Photographers SHOULD use Film
102,594
Published 2019-05-27
I think that a lot of the technological innovation that comes with contemporary cameras — while being amazingly helpful to professionals — is sometimes in danger of being detrimental to the learning process.
With film, you can’t just stay where you are and up the ISO because you know your camera is amazing in low light. You have to go and find some light that will work with your film’s ISO speed. You can’t shoot at 7 frames a second because you need to advance the film for each shot and you only have 36 goes. Each click is costing you money. You have to slow down and know when to press that shutter.
I’m not saying to ditch digital and shoot film. I’m a massive advocate of digital photography. It works better for me and it will suit the needs of most other people out there. But I do think that if you haven’t ever shot on film, you should give it a go. Just as an exercise in focussing your skills and pushing you to think in a slightly different way about photography.
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All Comments (21)
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Jamie this was sick! Big thanks for the mention too ❤️
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Man, thanks so much for the kind words and the shout! Really kind of you and glad to see you recommending film to others. ❤️🎞
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I stopped watching Casey, gave up on McKinnon but you Jamie, you....... man you are good
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As a person who shot digital first and then recently switched to film, I absolutely agree that shooting film can improve your photography and reignite your passion for creating images. Thanks for another great video.
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Absolutely killing it straight from the intro. I'm genuinely so excited every-time I get a ping and it says your new video has dropped.
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Holy moly, I knew how Matrix 360 scene was shot but I have assumed that all of those cameras were digital! That makes me appreciate the work of the team behind those effects even more!
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Me: I finally have all the camera gear I need! Jamie: Now buy a film camera and Insta360. Me: Great idea.
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even cheaper, go to your parents/ grandparents place it's very likely they still have a film camera somewhere ...
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I have used a 35mm camera since I was 11 years old in 1953 . It was a inexpensive Argus A4, still have it and it still works. I have many film cameras now and have no desire to go digital.Too many buttons,and too many menus to fiddle with.Select the shot, determine the exposure value, focus the lens,and push the button. It does not get any simpler. I guess it is all about what you want to do.That is the beauty of freedom of expression
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Good thinking about the advantages of experiencing with film. I was into film since the late 60s when film was all there was. Then I switched to digital. I loved it. But I missed something and it was the care in choosing the subject, composing, and exposure that film demands. Digital is just too easy. Now I am switching back to film and dusting off my old Minolta cameras. And here's the surprise, I find I love the grain I used to try so hard to minimize. I love the beautiful organic black and whites. I love the various color signatures of different color films. Film just seems more natural, like music on vinyl rather than digital. If you haven't tried it. Give it a shot.
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#6. You may find that you enjoy the film process more than you ever imagined. Which is what happened to me. I haven't given up digital photography. It has a utilitarian quality to it that I'm not willing to give up, but for the art of photography I've switched over to film cameras, either pinhole or vintage. And I'm having a blast.
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something about your videos that Always inspires me to get out and make some photos. Thank you Jame, and keep on doing this, Love it!
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I did shoot film when I started - there wasn't anything else. Standing for hours and hours breathing fumes in the dark - getting maybe 2 good shots out of 36 - limited asa ( iso ) and for the entire roll - No, I don't miss it. The power of creativity that's been unleashed with digital. You kids today !
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Been watching your vids for a long time, but WOW. The production value of these videos has come a LONG WAY. Props to such a big improvement in your video editing, Jaime!
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Shooting film certainly teaches you to be careful about when, how and what you shoot. Been there, done that, for a few decades, with a lot of different cameras, including rangefinder Leicas without internal metering. I'm today more than happy about the many advantages digital cameras have, however, I find I often look at a scene with the eyes of someone who still uses a film camera. I even still routinely take a handmeter and a greycard - and use them. But for wildlife photography in particular I wouldn't want to do without the ability to shoot at 8 frames a second, with autofocus and auto-ISO and no worries about when my roll of film will run out.
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Personally my favorite photo and video channel on Youtube. Thank you, Jamie, for always inspiring and keeping the fresh content!
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I love the way Jamie's videos are so well thought-out and brilliantly yet subtly executed. You know what I mean.
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So pleased to here you have more YT content to come as your style and content is some of the best available.
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I once taken a masterclass with a great photojournalist named Dominic Nahr. He said he was forced to cover his 5D’s screen with black paper for a few months by a friend and mentor who coached him as a veteran war photographer. Also, I’m amazed at the sheer number of people who can’t believe the images I get straight out of the camera. It’s crazy. You really don’t need PS to get a gorgeous flawless light on your subject. Most people don’t even know the different metering modes in their cameras! I’m amazed at how much work most portrait photog do on PS. SO much time and money would be saved using a lightmeter or even just spot-metering and an accurate review screen (the back LCD is never an accurate review screen, it over-exposure the actual pic by up to 2-3fstops in my experience). I never shot on film yet benefit so much from this philosophy. Also we now have to look at, and process, thousands of images sometimes... for one project... back in the days, two rolls per daily assignment meant you were a maniac... that’s 70 pics... and you didn’t had to develop them yourself...!
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I've done very little with film, but I do a lot of work with old manual focus lenses on current digital bodies. Since they don't have correction profiles, they retain their unique quirks like vignetting or imperfect color transmission (single-coated or non-coated lenses are actually neat for this), and especially if I'm shooting at very fast apertures it forces me to slow down because I am in charge of nailing my focus, not my camera. This is one reason why I love shooting Nikon: there's a huge ecosystem of old glass that still works on current bodies. I have, among others, a 55mm f/1.2 (first generation, single coated) that I am absolutely in love with, and a 105mm f/2.5 that I find myself actually having to de-saturate sometimes (especially orange) because it renders colors so vividly. I plan on investing in a good film body specifically to use with these lenses once time allows.
