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I love photography! I love my digital Canon and my amazing lenses, but like most photographers I still dream of better equipment. The convenience of digital storage and image quality is amazing. My first camera was a Nikon FM2 35mm film camera, so I’ve witnessed some amazing technological advancements. Yet, I long for that organic feeling, and the pride of producing something very unique — something not everyone can produce with a simple shutter click followed by some mouse clicks.
A silver halide is one of the compounds formed between silver and one of the halogens — silver bromide (AgBr), chloride (AgCl), iodide (AgI), and three forms of silver fluorides. As a group, they are often referred to as the silver halides, and are often given the pseudo-chemical notation AgX.
Silver halides are used in photographic film and photographic paper, including graphic art film and paper, where silver halide crystals in gelatin are coated on to a film base, glass or paper substrate.
These days it seems anybody with a digital camera calls themselves a photographer. I love the end result of a beautiful photograph however, personally I want to experience the whole process — visualizing the image, composing it, metering it, clicking the shutter, and post-processing (dodging/burning/color correction). Something that is missing today is choosing the right paper to use in printing, and choosing the best way (mat and frame) to display the image. I truly enjoy the entire process.
Earlier this summer, a wonderful photographer shared some of her and her father’s black and white images. It was inspirational to me to see Photo By Holly sharing these amazing photographs which bridged a generation.
This inspired me to get back to my photographic roots, so I purchased an inexpensive Pentax ME Super with a basic 50mm lens. After shooting a few rolls through it, I have that “loving feeling” again. I paid about $100 for this Pentax gem, $7 for a roll of Kodak BW400CN Professional 35mm film (ISO 400), and $4 to get the film developed and a CD burned at the corner CVS pharmacy. Sure it isn’t cost-effective compared to my digital camera but boy it was fun!
I chose the BW400CN film because it is processed via C-41, which is widely available. I was a bit disappointed when I examined the digital images because they had a yellowish tone to them. I examined the negatives with a loupe and they were fine. I had to edit the digital images and desaturate them to make them true black and white images. I expected the “lab” to recognize that it was a black and white roll of film, and scan the image accordingly. I suppose that’s what you get when you pay only $4! Next time, I will send them to a professional lab.
This winter, I am seriously considering purchasing a used Hasselblad 5xx series medium-format (120mm) camera with an 80mm Zeiss lens. However, to be a bit more cost-effective I’d like to develop my film at home.
Here are some photographs I captured with this “old” camera last Saturday at a local beer festival with my sister, new brother-in-law, and some friends.
My sister and new husband. Real men wear Cookie Monster t-shirts.
My sister and her close friend Amy.
Kelli’s dark hair always looks great in black and white photographs.
Brilliant blog. Nice to see someone getting back into using film. Thanks, too, for the follow. Much appreciated. Robin 🙂
Thank you! I checked out some of your posts… I really, really like your style! Thanks for stopping by!
Hey, thanks for the “shout out” – I appreciate it! 🙂 It’s funny that it’s taken me this long to really appreciate what my Dad has done for so many years. I know that he was a photographer for the S&S newspaper when he was in the Army, and he was only 18 years old when he went in. I don’t know when he actually started to become interested in photography, but I know it was at least since then! It’s really amazing what good quality b&w film can produce, and your photos here are wonderful! There’s just something about it that can’t really be duplicated by a digital camera. If you DO get that Hasselblad, I’d LOVE to see what you do with it! That’s probably something I will never get into – working with film. Believe it or not, I took photography in high school (we worked with b&w film), and I FAILED the class!! 😦 I think it scared me away from it for a long time. I finally picked it up just over 2 years ago, and now I don’t think I can stop.
Keep those great photos coming – I get a lot of my inspiration from YOU! 😉
ha! First of all, you’re welcome! That is really interesting about your Dad in the Army! Super cool! And yes, it is funny to me that there is a lot of software to distress photographs, add grain, all in an attempt to replicate the behavior of film. Like our parents just roll their eyes when kids buy “faded” jeans?!?! As for failing the class, you just weren’t interested in the print process? Correct?
And thank you again… I am looking forward to getting a Hasselblad! I’ve got to save my nickel and dimes! I might have to eat Ramen noodles for a while but I will get one!
This is a great post! I was talking to my husband earlier this week, explaining the difference between working with film and digital photography. I truly miss shooting wilth film, processing and printint (I used to have my own darkroom), the smell of the chemicals, dodging, burning, etc. –working endlessly to get the perfect print! Good luck to you with the pentax, and any other camera you work with. I am a pentax fan, my first camera being the classic Pentax Spotmatic. I know have a Pentax k-7. Somewhere (in a box I have yet to unpack) are my bronica and an old rolei twin lens that was my granddad’s. I really do miss having a darkroom. BTW, your photos are fantastic!
Thank you for the kind words Cecelia! Wow… I wish I had a dark room. My only experience with one was when I was in the Navy, and my buddy had taken some college courses. We had access to the on base hobby shop. I will never abandon my digital camera… but it is nice to try something “organic” now and again. And if I was you, I would break out your granddad’s Twin Rolei… that would be fun! I think using antique (lesser technological) kind of hones our skills as photographers… in my opinion. As for printing… I have a post coming up where I plan to rant about digital mediums versus quality prints… and I don’t mean the cheap ones we dump off of our home ink jet… and framing, and matting… Thanks again for stopping by!
I love reading about how passionate people are about their hobbies (or jobs). It makes me happy that you’ve found your spot and you enjoy everything that comes with it. 🙂
Also, your banner’s fantastic
Thank you so much! I truly do love the whole process…and I love it when my art makes others smile, too!!!