“Film is alive and no matter how much you plan, it’s going to do what its going to do.”
Gabriel is an amazing portrait photographer out in Orange County, CA. His work is really unique and quite engrossing. I highly suggest you check out his instagram and website.
JM – Why do you shoot film?
GM – I couldn’t afford a full frame digital and I really wanted to start photography after doing video for so long. Then I asked myself why do I want to shoot digital when I’m just going to try and copy the look and feel of film in post. Well we all know you can NEVER copy the look and feel of film.
JM – What is your favorite film? Camera?
GM – Hate to sound cliché but it works and it’s never failed me. PORTRA 400. I’ve tried others and the only one that has come close to the love I have for portra is Cinestill 800t.
GM – My favorite camera is my current most recent acquisition, a Leica M6 in classic chrome.
JM – What proportion of your shots turn out as you hoped (or better)?
GM – I’m lucky to get 5-6 usable shots in a roll. And I’m ecstatic if I can get like 11. A lot of the shots I get are good shots but just not stuff I’d use and share – more shareable for the model.
JM – Would you say that your style has changed since you’ve started shooting film? What was the catalyst for this change?
GM – Yes I would. I’d say I’ve become more patient with my work and humbled by film. Film is alive and no matter how much you plan, it’s going to do what its going to do. All you can do is make sure you set it up to succeed. Framing, exposure, etc…
“I think I’m always proud of the new stuff I do because I feel like every time I shoot I change and get better in other areas where I was previously weaker.”
JM – What is a personal goal you have for your photography?
GM – I’d like to do more commercial fashion work. I’d like to be published somewhere that truly likes my work and not when its convenient to have a new photographer.
JM – What do you look for in a photograph? Is what you find compelling in a photograph different when it’s one of your photographs compared with one from someone else?
GM – Yeah, I’m definitely more hard on my work. I like everyone’s work over my own work. I’m constantly second guessing myself and I’m always a finger push away from deleting a photo I’ve already published. I’m getting over it though; I think I’m getting better. I think…
JM – What is your favorite shot you’ve ever taken? What’s the story behind it?
GM – I don’t think I have a favorite at the moment… It always changes. If I had to say, I guess it would be my most recent work. I think I’m always proud of the new stuff I do because I feel like every time I shoot I change and get better in other areas where I was previously weaker.
JM – If someone told you they were thinking of getting into film, what would your response/advice be?
GM – Buy a scanner and develop yourself. You will save a lot of money. There’s nothing wrong with using a pro lab. I use one . But its going to cost. Just keep that in mind. Oh, and shoot something cheap first then work your way into the pro films like Portra 400. You might end up liking the cheaper stuff more anyway. And remember – if you shoot with a Leica, Mamiya, or Contax, they’re all just black/chrome boxes and tools. Invest in glass first and a good scanning system. That will make for a higher quality photo. So go get those old Nikon systems or those canon FD cameras… They’re worth it.
“When I made the move from digital to shooting on film I immediately noticed how much it forced me to slow down and actually think about how I wanted to compose the scene or my subject.”
Craig is a film photographer in Scotland. His work is really creative and has helped me to focus on the importance of light and setting up the framing to emphasize light. He also has a website you should check out (he suggests looking at it on a desktop to fully appreciate it).
MH: Hey Craig! Thanks so much for doing this! I really love your style and hope learning more about you can help me start to see light the way you do.
MH: Why do you shoot film?
CM: Film photography as a medium just works for me. When I made the move from digital to shooting on film I immediately noticed how much it forced me to slow down and actually think about how I wanted to compose the scene or my subject. Every photo you take is effectively costing you money, so for me, it doesn’t allow the luxury of shooting hundreds of images and praying that you nailed 1 or 2. For me, a fully manual film camera just simplified everything.
CM: I like that you can’t view the images immediately – the disconnect between me taking a photo, sending the rolls of film to the lab and then waiting for the scans to be sent back allows me to focus on what’s happening around me. Usually, I shoot a few rolls throughout the month then drop them off at the lab after payday. By that point, I’ve usually forgotten some of the images I’ve taken. Like a kid at Christmas, I get excited when I receive the scans from the lab and I can spend quality time to go through them and consider their effectiveness. This is a feeling I only get from shooting film
CM: Further, I was never particularly fond of the digital process of shooting my images in RAW and then spending time editing the images. I find it to be an added headache and I’m less productive as a result. I select the film stock depending on what I’m shooting that day or what light I’m working with, then I try to do as much work as I can inside the camera. I have faith in my lab to produce the results I want. I will sometimes edit my images however, it’s more quick little touch ups than anything else.
MH: What is your favorite film? Camera?
CM: I shoot mostly colour C41 film and if I had to choose my favourite stock, it would be Portra 400. I love how versatile it is – for nearly every situation, it produces great results even if it’s over or underexposed. I also love the pastel and muted tones it produces and the skin colours look perfect. I’d say my favourite Black and White film is Kodak Tri-X.
CM: For most of my portrait work, I use my Mamiya C330. I enjoy how close I can get to my subject while still being able to focus in sharp using the bellows, and I like that you get a different look to your portraits purely because you’re shooting up at your subject from the waist instead of at eye level. I’m in the process of upgrading my gear just now, I’ve just purchased a Nikon FM2 to replace my Pentax K1000 that I learned on. I’ve used 5 or 6 rolls through it so far but It’s fast becoming my favourite camera. It’s the small touches that I enjoy, for example, being able to see the camera settings in the viewfinder and having the option to shoot double exposures at the flick of a switch.
MH: What proportion of your shots turn out as you hoped (or better)?
CM: I’m usually pretty happy if I can walk away with at least 3 or 4 images per roll. Naturally over time, you start to figure out how certain film stocks excel and how they react in certain lighting which altogether lends itself to more consistent results. When I began shooting on film, I had the tendency to want to finish the roll in my camera before I would call it a day and head home. This led to me forcing images and subsequently getting poorer results.
CM: I remember in the early days apologizing to the lab for one of the rolls I had shot and had them develop and scan. The results were so poor I felt bad for them going to the trouble of processing them. Maybe it was the early excitement of shooting on film and wanting to see how the images turned out. I now don’t allow myself to do that but it’s all part of the learning process. Currently, I find that I’m quite selective with what I shoot and it’s usually the case that I can be out for a few hours and only take 2 or 3 photos.
MH: When do you call a photo ‘finished’? When it’s printed? posted on IG? scanned?
CM: I should print my work more often, I usually do it if I’m making a print as a gift. For the better part of 2 years I’ve been shooting everything and anything. So, I generally had the mindset that once I had uploaded the image to my website/Instagram the image was effectively finished. However, at the turn of the year I decided to start thinking of some long-term projects that I have begun shooting over the last month. Periodically I may upload some of the images from the photo series to the fore mentioned platforms. However, instead of seeing that as the finish line I’m looking more into making long term projects with a bit more substance and purpose.
“I select the film stock depending on what I’m shooting that day or what light I’m working with, then I try to do as much work as I can inside the camera.”
MH: What is your favorite shot you’ve ever taken? What’s the story behind it?
CM: I’m quite fond of this photo I took during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. It’s probably one of the first rolls of film I shot on my Olympus Mju ii and it was Kodak Tri-X 400 i used. That camera is tremendous for candid street photography, as it’s so compact and the shutter is so quiet. Every day during the festival I would use my lunch break to go for a wander through the Royal Mile to see some of the free shows and take in the festival atmosphere. I was immediately drawn to the man handing out flyers to passing tourists. The timing of the photo makes the man look quite mysterious, with clothing comparable to that of film noir. I’ve always thought that it looks like the top half of his body is etched onto the granite stone wall behind him. Meanwhile, you have a moment between the little girl and the lady with the bunny eared cap, which is a look of curiosity and terror. This is one of the first images that I felt creatively proud of.
MH: If someone told you they were thinking of getting into film, what would your response/advice be?
CM: This is based upon my experience with photography, but I would encourage anyone who is thinking of picking up their first camera to choose a fully manual SLR instead of a digital camera. I think that the amount of settings on a basic entry level digital camera can be slightly overwhelming. I learned on a Pentax K1000 which you can pick up for around £100 from Ebay. It’s really easy to use, fully manual and you can pick up additional lenses cheaply. Having 36 frames to use will force you to learn the fundamentals of photography in terms of composition and the relationship between ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Youtube is also a great source for tutorials on anything film photography related, so use that to your advantage. There is also plenty of good budget film stocks out there to get you started on, some I would recommend trying are Fujifilm Superia 400, Fuji C200, Kodak Colourplus, Fomapan 400, Lomography 400, Ilford HP5 400. Amazon has some good bulk buy options that I use quite regularly.
“When I have a limited number of shots, I choose them more carefully, and I’m relieved of the pressure to capture everything.”
You can find more of Meagan’s work on her Instagram.
When I was in college I met a guy named James who would become one of my closest friends. Years later he started dating Meagan subsequently we became good friends as well. Eventually, Meagan got James into film and then the two of them got me into film. There’s been no looking back.
JM – Thanks again for doing this. Without having you in my life, I doubt very seriously I would have have gotten back into film photography. I’ve always looked up to James and I think you’ve been a huge influence to his creative side and between the two of you, a huge influence on mine. I think it’s only fitting that you be the first person I ask to interview. Hopefully, your love for film can influence others as it did me.
MM – I’m happy and flattered you’d want me to be part of your website. It’s an honor. And I feel the same way about you and James, and how we’ve all inspired each other creatively. James always says he wouldn’t have learned to play guitar without you, and now that he’s taught me and we are able to write music together, I feel like we owe that to you! I’m really happy that all of our paths crossed in the way that they did and that we’ve been able to motivate each other to make art.
JM – Why do you shoot film?
MM – Shooting film feels really freeing. When I have a limited number of shots, I choose them more carefully, and I’m relieved of the pressure to capture everything. I find that when I shoot digital, I often re-do the same photo again and again, trying to get the perfect version. It’s good practice, but it can take me out of the moment. And since I mostly take pictures of my friends and family in everyday settings, it’s nice just to document that one moment, then put down the camera.
“Every day, I feel a little sad and anxious when it gets dark, but those last soft moments of sunlight make me giddy and tingly.”
JM – What proportion of your shots turn out as you hoped (or better)?
MM – Great question. It’s pretty satisfying if about a third of my shots turn out well. On a roll of 36, if I get about 12 photos I’m really happy with, that’s solid for me.
JM – My favorite shot of yours is probably a shot you took of James and me in a parking garage in ATL back in ’16. Where does that shot rank to you?
MM – Thanks! Do you mean this one? I have a soft spot for that photo, too. That was a fun day, running around to all those parking garages to see which one had the best view of the city. We kept trying to get up on the rooftops, but I really liked how being inside the garage framed the scene.
JM – What is your favorite shot you’ve ever taken? What’s the story behind it?
MM – Maybe it’s a tie between a shot of a sunset in Seoul and a portrait of James at a cafe in Vienna? The link between them is they’re both very pink! That gorgeous rosy, dusky light touches something in me. Every day, I feel a little sad and anxious when it gets dark, but those last soft moments of sunlight make me giddy and tingly. I wish that light could last for hours instead of minutes. I guess I should go to Norway or Alaska.
To see Kodak Portra 400 pushed to 800 exposure tested and compared with Portra 400 at box speed and Portra 800 at box speed, follow this link. To get to a review of Portra 400, follow this link.
This is an article about an experience of mine pushing Kodak Portra 400 one afternoon when I was going through Hocking Hills in Ohio.
On my way home in Columbus, OH from Charleston, SC, I have to pass through one of Ohio’s prettiest areas – Hocking County. As it happens, I was also going to be driving through at dusk and on a day following several snowy days. Who could pass that up? Not I says the cat.
Then it hits you… It’s not just going to be dusk but you’ll be in gorge where it’ll get darker earlier and you realize you didn’t bring your tripod on the trip… No matter. You’ve got Portra 400 loaded in one of your spare film backs of your medium format camera and you go for it. Once you get into the bottom of the gorge and you realize it’s not just darker than you hoped it would be, it would be pushing the limits of what you can do with your camera handheld.
That was the situation I found myself in that afternoon/evening. I knew Portra could handle underexposure like a champ but when a neutral exposure was coming in 3 full stops slower than what I could afford, there wasn’t much of a choice but to push the film at least one stop. To add to the complexity, I had already shot the first roll of the film and overexposed that part by one stop (shooting at 200 to be developed at 400) so I was reluctant to push it beyond just the one stop. In the end, I think the pictures turned out pretty well for a moment of spontaneity.
That was the first of shots form the remaining 8 frames of the already half expensed roll. The following frames are from a second roll. As you can see in some of the shots, I was really pushing it with useable light. All in all, I’m pretty happy with the performance of the film that afternoon. Had it been any darker, I would have wanted to push another stop but with every stop I push, I lose some of the film’s versatility so as far as compromises go, I would say things worked out pretty well.
The following pictures weren’t actually taken with Portra but rather some Fujifilm Provia F100 that was in my primary film back. I was able to get out a few shots on the drive before I got to Hocking Hills.
FILM PHOTOGRAPHY 