We shot these a while ago, while Ellen was home on Christmas break.  I’ve been hanging onto them, trying to figure out what I wanted to say about going back to shooting some film…..and, I still don’t really know 🙂

I shot a little 35mm black and white film at a couple of high school senior sessions last fall, Emily and Sam‘s.  There’s definitely different look to film vs digital, but I don’t really know if non-photographers really see it.  The colors are different.  There’s always this slight amount of grain that I find pleasing.  Digital can be too sharp and smooth sometimes….at least, for me.  Film is slightly softer, which makes it nice for portraits.

Film cameras, at least the ones I have, are also manual focus.  That slows things down.  I take less photos….so I spend a little more time on each one.  I think that makes a difference.

The photos below were all taken on Kodak Portra 400 120 film.  It’s a considerably larger negative than 35mm, 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″.  And, I do like the square format.  There are some comments on the photos below.  PLEASE leave me a comment and let me know what YOU think!!  Positive or negative…..

Portra022

Portra023
The focus is off on this one, you can see that some of the foreground grass is the point of focus…..but I like it. I like the imperfection 🙂

Portra024

Portra025
Had I shot this photo with digital, I would have noticed the flair, and moved enough to correct it….but with film, you don’t know you’ve made a “mistake” until about a week later when you get the film back from the lab. Again, I like the imperfection of this.

Portra026

Portra027-Edit
This is color film, Kodak Portra 400, converted to black and white in Lightroom. It just couldn’t be much better.

Portra029
This is one of the photos that just “hooked” me on film color. It was taken on Davis St. in Culpeper. You’ve been by the hardware store. This IS NOT digital color, and there’s something I just LOVE about the color in this photo!

Portra033

Portra035

And, if you’re interested in doing a film session, click the Contact Me link in the left-hand menu and send me a message.  We’ll work something out.

On
In Film
With

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  2. Author

    Thank you Carrie! (I love your work btw!). And I agree, though I just love the colors I’m getting when I shoot color film, I think the greatest benefit so far is that it’s helping me to slow down a bit, and think a little more about each pose before I shoot it. I shoot WAY too many frames when I shoot digital, and I’ve known for a while I need to work on that.

  3. Love these. I think I can see (even though I am not a photographer at all!) what you mean about digital being more smooth-sharp than film. The colors in these photos are just …. chewier!? haha… At any rate, these are fantastic photos. What a treat to view.

  4. Author

    Thank you Lisa! Yep, something about those colors…..

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