Monday, June 14, 2021

So, Why Don't You Shoot Film?

 Civil War Re-enactor, Chickamauga National Military Park

Nikkormat, 100mm f2.8 Vivitar lens, Kodak Kodachrome 25 film

(Click to enlarge)

 

If you read my previous post, in which I said "I believe shooting film made me a better photographer," you're probably asking "So why don't you shoot film?"

I do indeed miss shooting film, but frankly, I can't afford to. I'm basically a color photographer, which means I shoot slides. It would cost a little less if I used color negative film, but that doesn't give me the control I want.

I did a calculation once, of what it would have cost to do the photography for Backroads and Byways of Georgia on film. It would have been around $3000 for film and processing if I did the processing myself. Too big a bite out of  an advance that also had to cover gas, lodging, and food.

I shot about 150 rolls of film for the Rock City Barns book, doing most of the processing myself -- something I can no longer do because there's no room in our RV for processing equipment and chemicals.

I also can't afford the time it takes to make first-class scans of all those slides.

So it looks as if I'll be shooting away with my Fuji digital cameras for the foreseeable future -- or until I can find a publisher who's willing to pay a little more. 

(The above photograph, by the way, was my first-ever prize-winning photo.)

 

Photograph and text copyright 2021, David B.Jenkins

I post each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo

For the glory of God alone

 

Tags: Dave Jenkins, photography, film photography, Civil War Re-enactors, Chickamauga National Military Park, Nikkormat camera, Vivitar lens, Kodak, Kodachrome 25 film, Fuji cameras, Rock City Barns book

2 comments:

  1. Film cost is why I bought my first digital camera. I was documenting my road trips with a nice compact 35mm camera, but I could blow through 3-4 rolls of film in an afternoon. I soon figured that an equivalent compact digital would be a one-time sunk cost that would pay for itself in three or four road trips.

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  2. Thanks for commenting, Jim. I was going to write a response, but it would have been lengthy, and as I thought about it,I realized it should be another post on this thread. Thanks for the idea.

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