Why shoot Film Photography in 2020?
The Corona Virus Pandemic has undoubtedly been a terrible time for a lot of people. Personally, I have seen all of my work cancelled which has left me with a lot of free time. Rather than simply binge on box sets, I have tried to use this time productively. One of the things that I’ve wanted to do for a while now is to get back into shooting film. On a side note, I will be making a series of videos about this on my YouTube channel, so keep an eye out for them.
Why Film?
The obvious question for a lot of people, is why shoot film when you have a perfectly good digital camera? The simple answer, for me at least, is to achieve a look & feel that has eluded me for years. Looking at my images, it’s fairly clear that I always try to achieve an element of nostalgia, shooting in soft light and adding grain etc. to make the images feel older than they actually are.
That’s all well and good apart from the fact that digital images tend to be over sharp and well, are clearly digital images. This might sound counter-intuitive to a lot of photographers, ‘you don’t want sharp images?’ - in a way, no. You only have to look at any family album with 70’s, 80’s or 90’s and look at those blurry images to get an instant nostalgia fix! The brain seems to make a correlation between those images and something in our past that always seemed to feel like a ‘better time’. Now, this is obviously not factual, but something in those images makes us feel a sense of comfort - and that is something that I’m always striving to achieve.
OK, so get an old 35mm Camera…
Well, again, things are never quite that straightforward. I’ve shot enough 35mm in the past to understand it’s benefits and limitations. So straight away, I knew it wasn’t going to cut it. So I did what any ‘want-to-be’ hipster photographer would do and went straight to medium format and in particular, the Mamiya 645 Pro. Again, I will make a separate video on the perks & quirks of this particular camera but the simple benefits are that it feels modern enough that I could use it without thinking too much and more importantly, it’s a 120mm film camera - and I want that medium format goodness!
I was always sceptical over people saying that you ‘just can’t replicate the medium format look’ and I still don’t fully subscribe to it, but I do agree that the extra negative size has its own benefits over its 35mm counterpart. Most notably, I love the fall off in the out of focus areas that are very difficult to replicate on 35mm. That combined with the go-to Kodak Portra stocks, is a winning combination for me.
OK, so you just want to be a Hipster?
Well, I do have a beard and more than one check shirt. However, the truth is no. The camera, the medium and even the subject matter are all just ‘tools’ to provoke an emotion. I am not trying to get ‘Insta famous’ - far from it. I have simply found a way to translate the feelings of nostalgia that I want to achieve into an image in the most natural way.
That being said, there is obviously a bit of a trend for photographers turning to film in an attempt to show their credentials as a fully-fledged master of light! Again though, it is not about achieving any acclaim for me, it is simply to understand the process better and to take full control, from start to finish, of the images that I create. So that means I am also developing my own film and scanning my own images - again, more videos on this soon on my YouTube channel.
So no more digital then?
Far from it, I actually still carry my digital camera even when I am shooting film. I will obviously be shooting digital for client work - though I am interested in offering commissions on film, that would be fun! The whole process of shooting film is merely to help convey a metaphor in my images, in the same way, that some might choose to shoot purely black & white because it makes their images feel more ‘honest’. Digital is still absolutely a necessary tool but film simply allows me another option, depending on the subject matter.
What’s next?
I will be shooting a lot more film in the interim and will also be travelling to some of the lesser shot areas of Birmingham to find the kind of gritty, run-down scenes that I like. As previously mentioned, I am developing and scanning at home so I will be looking at simplifying and improving that process too.
Overall, shooting film in 2020 is a great new area for me to explore and allows me to keep developing my own skills. It allows me to slow down a little and work on my composition skills and also improve my ability to meter and read light. All of these will hugely benefit my commercial work and throughout the process, I will, of course, bring you with me to share my experiences and knowledge. I am really excited and glad that I can take at least one tiny positive from the crazy times that we are living in.
The Ultimate Canon EOS-R Cinema Rig
If you want to get the most from your Canon EOS-R for filmmaking, then look no further. Whether you use the EOS-R for cinematic short films, corporate work or simple talking heads, I have compiled what I believe to be the ultimate EOS-R Cinema Rig. These items will boost your cameras abilities and supercharge it to handle almost anything that is thrown at it.
Check out the video and see the links in the description below the video if you wish to purchase any of the items yourself.
VIDEO: MY DREAM DESK/STUDIO SETUP FOR 2020!!!
Being a Photographer & Videographer - I need a space for editing and to store my gear. I also need a space for creating my YouTube videos (don’t forget to Subscribe!) and therefore, I think I have finally created my dream desk/studio setup! Watch the video below for more ;)
VIDEO: The Canon EOS-R is the BEST camera of 2019!!
What is the best camera of 2019? Well, I may have one recommendation for you. There were obviously lots of very good cameras released in 2019, but I have absolutely loved using my Canon EOS-R - Watch the video below to find out more!
How to get the Black & White Film look with the DXO Nik Collection 2.3
If you’ve been in the photography game for a while and done any kind of serious digital editing, you’ve probably come across the ‘Nik Collection’. I’ve been using the Nik Collection for a number of years and swear by the ability for these handy little plug-ins to take your images from a ‘7’ to a ‘10’! So I was obviously intrigued when I learnt that DxO had launched their latest update to the now legendary ‘Silver Efex Pro’ plug-in.
The upgrade sees the introduction of a range of new film effect emulations from top brands such as Polaroid, Bergger and Rollei. Not only does this allow you to expand your creativity by lifting your black & white edits to another level, but it also allows you to stay true to those halcyon film days with the introduction of the 10 new film types.
To find out more and purchase, visit: Nik Collection
VIDEO: The Loupedeck CT for Photographer & Videographers
The Loupedeck CT is genuinely perfect for Photographers and Videographers looking to improve their editing workflow. It support apps such as Lightroom, Photoshop, Ableton, Premier Pro Final Cut and more - it really is a great tool, but it has one massive drawback! Would you stump up for the Loupedeck CT?
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VIDEO: LowePro Protactic 450 AW II - Still the BEST Camera Bag in 2019?
LowePro Protatctic 450 AW II could well still be the BEST camera bag of 2019 but in faces increasing challenges as a host of new camera bags for photographers and videographers hits the market, including one from the legend that is Peter McKinnon!
You can learn more at https://www.lowepro.com/uk-en/protactic-bp-450-aw-ii-black-lp37177-pww/
or Buy one at: https://amzn.to/32P7NFi
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VIDEO: DataColor Spyder X Elite - BEST Monitor Calibrator
Having a perfectly calibrated monitor is critical for photography & videography. Find out what I thought of the Spyder X Elite and see how to easily & correctly calibrate your monitor. Is the Spyder X Monitor Calibrator the best of 2019?
Buy the Spyder X Elite here: https://amzn.to/2NkJQRK
Read more in my Blog Post - https://www.rossjukesphoto.co.uk/blogfeed//review-datacolor-spyder-x-elite-monitor-calibrator
VIDEO: Zhiyun Weebill S - HONEST first Impressions!
As a Photographer and Videographer, I am always looking for ways of improving my output and having the right tools for the job is always important. The Zhiyun Weebill S is a new gimbal that features improved motors to help keep your footage steady. Take a look at the video to see my honest first impressions.
REVIEW: LowePro 'ProTactic' 450 AW II
For a long time now, I’ve been on the hunt for a camera bag that can carry everything I need for my commercial work. It also needs to offer great protection, be versatile and look good - and The LowePro ProTactic 450 AW II certainly seems to meet a lot of those requirements, but will it be perfect? Read on to find out…
As you will see from the various images, I do a lot of travelling with my equipment and also shoot a variety of Urban and traditional Landscape photography, so the bag needs to be able to stand up to various challenges. Due to this, I was looking for something that could handle everything nature could throw at it, yet be discreet and stylish enough that it wouldn’t look out of place walking through the city streets.
Build Quality
I’ve purchased LowPro products in the past so I can say confidently that I have always been a fan of their build quality. However, the ‘450 II’ seems to take this to another level. With significant improvements over it’s already popular predecessor including upgraded zippers, more armoured protection and overall improvements in the build quality. The 450 II looks almost indistinguishable from the last version. However, there is increased padding in all of the key areas and some improvements to the exterior webbing etc.
The bag is surprisingly lightweight considering it’s the size and load capacity. More importantly, ‘FormShell’ technology adds critical protection to key areas without adding significant weight. The versatile exterior webbing is well constructed and I had no issues with hanging modular components on the exterior. The ‘All Weather’ element also does it’s bit. On several occasions since using the bag, I’ve been caught out in severe weather conditions and to this day, I haven’t found any kind of water ingress.
Features
It probably goes without saying that the main feature of the bag is obviously, well, it’s a bag! It’s designed to carry camera gear and it does that job incredibly well. The main compartment can pretty easily fit two DSLR’s - a few lens and a variety of accessories. More importantly, you can fit a DSLR with a 70-200mm lens attached! The bag is also surprisingly ‘deep’ - my little Eos-R seems to disappear into the bag and with a little bit of clever packing, this allows more storage space as you can ‘stack’ items.
The ‘Craddlefit’ interior segments allow you to fully customise the interior to suit your needs. This is ideal if you want to make use of the top or side access panels and one great use I found for this was leaving the 70-200mm lens on one body to be accessed through the top and a another body with a shorter lens in one of the side compartments - meaning I always knew where to go to grab what I needed in a hurry! The ‘smart’ interior segments even have little pouches in them which make for ideal places to keep memory cards, lens cloths etc.
However, the clever interior features don’t stop there! There is a 15” laptop pouch situated on the back panel of the bag (nearest your back) which comfortable took my MacBook pro and even has a couple of additional zipped pouches which I found great for storing external hard-drives etc. Obviously carrying a laptop eats into the interior space a bit but I still found I could carry two DSLR’s, a couple of lens and accessories even with the ‘computer’ parts filled.
Moving to the exterior, the most important features are the straps and I can say with confidence that I found them to be very comfortable and never have they felt like they were ‘cutting’ into my shoulders, even when fully loaded. There is also a detachable waste strap that is equally high quality - However, I removed this through personal choice as I rarely have the need to use a waste strap. One feature that I did find myself using was the chest clip - which effectively clips the two shoulder straps together across your chest so that the straps don’t slip off your shoulders. I found this perfect as if you are walking over long distances or up steep hills etc. bags can slip - not with the chest strap clipped in! It also helps distribute the weight and stops you from feeling too fatigued over long distances - very nice.
There are two pouches on the top sides of the bag which I found perfect for ‘accessories’ including spare memory cards and a multi-tool etc. The pockets can expand to a fairly decent size but are mainly for smaller items. One of the obvious ‘stand out’ features of the exterior is the webbing, which means that the bag can have numerous it’s ‘strapped’ to the exterior and I personally found that I kept LED lights, my gimbal and a monopod on the exterior and always felt confident that they weren’t going to fall off! On the sides, there is a tripod holder and space for a water bottle and thanks to the new ‘Sliplock’ accessories - the exterior is just as versatile as the interior.
Conclusion
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is a fantastic bag. I love how deep the bag is and the protection that it gives my beloved gear. Maybe not the most important feature but the looks are really impressive too. The bag looks stealth and doesn’t scream ‘steal me’ - well not to the untrained eye at least! The comfort of the bag is top-notch and the durability is pretty much class-leading.
You really have to go a long way to find any negatives but obviously, it is a fairly ‘premium’ product and therefore, carries a premium price tag. However, I would argue that it should easily last you 5-10 years so it’s more of an investment. One thing I would love to see is a more versatile ‘pouch’ like compartment but LowePro does offer the ‘Whistler’ bag which has this area covered, so this may be something to consider.
Overall, I couldn’t really be much happier with this bag and think it is a great choice for anyone looking for a professional-grade camera bag that is also versatile, comfortable, durable and stylish!
Find out more and purchase at: LowePro