{"id":5330,"date":"2012-01-10T07:06:49","date_gmt":"2012-01-10T15:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=5330"},"modified":"2012-01-10T07:07:20","modified_gmt":"2012-01-10T15:07:20","slug":"10-reasons-why-you-should-shoot-street-photography-with-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/10\/10-reasons-why-you-should-shoot-street-photography-with-film\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons Why You Should Shoot Street Photography With Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Above image by Devin Yalkin<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Recently when I went to Tokyo, I had a ton of fun shooting in the streets with Charlie Kirk and Bellamy Hunt\u00e2\u20ac\u201dboth who shoot film. I never really understood the rationale why people shot with film. To me at the time, it seemed like a burden. First of all, you had to buy the film. Secondly, after you took the photos you couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see them instantly. And lastly, it was expensive to develop it (and even more money to scan). For these three reasons, I was mostly put off by film. Although I did shoot a bit with my Contax IIIa film rangefinder and did enjoy it\u00e2\u20ac\u201dat the end of the day I preferred my digital camera.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, I was intrigued with film once I came to Tokyo. In Tokyo, the analog culture is strong. There are tons of used film camera shops, and tons of other places where you can buy film as well. Not only that, but there are many photographers who shoot film who support one another as well and have their own communities. I had no idea how much influence the analog culture would have on me when I was in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

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Lately I have been having less fun with digital photography. Although one of the huge benefits of digital photography is that it is instant\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have as much mystery how the photos would come out. Also because taking a photo was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI would take far too many photos when out on the streets (around 300-400 photos a day). This made me far less selective when I was shooting, and it also made the editing process a lot more difficult.<\/p>\n

Therefore when I was in Tokyo, I was thinking about buying a film camera. I talked to Bellamy (who also buys and sells cameras for a living) and he suggested a Leica M6. It is the best bang-for-the-buck film Leica, and because I was already used to my Leica M9 it seemed like a logical transition.<\/p>\n

While I was still contemplating the purchase, I was talking to my good friend Todd from the Hatakeyama Gallery (and also sells lighting equipment) about my thoughts\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand he told me something that shocked me. He had a Leica M6 that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use much, and he offered to give it to me for free (yeah, I have awesome friends). Like a giddy schoolgirl, I gladly accepted his offer and went out to shoot.<\/p>\n

I have now been shooting film for around 1.5 months, and have been loving every minute of it. The process is a lot less hurried and more calm and zen-like. I enjoy the small things of it, like loading the film, cocking the shutter, and hearing the silent click of the shutter. I also love the mystery\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know exactly how the photo will come out. Although I am not an expert when it comes to shooting film (I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know how to develop\/dodge+burn\/print my own photos yet) here are some things I have been enjoying shooting film over digital:<\/p>\n

1. You cannot chimp<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Kramer O'Neil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shooting film was instantly thrilling. First of all, I started to enjoy the fact that I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see my photos instantly. As you guys well know, chimping is a bad habit when it comes to street photography<\/a>. With film, you physically cannot chimp\u00e2\u20ac\u201dtherefore you focus on actually taking photos when on the streets.<\/p>\n

2.You look at your images more objectively<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Garry Winogrand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Garry Winogrand once said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sometimes photographers mistake emotion for what makes a great street photograph.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d There have been instances in which after I took a photo, I got excited by the thought, memory, and emotion<\/em> of the photo that I took. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take the time to wait and sit on my images\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand judge them more objectively (based on composition and content).<\/p>\n

When shooting with film, I typically wait around a month (when I have around 10 rolls or so) and get them developed. Therefore I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see my images about a month after I take the photos, which means that when I look at my images\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI actually forget a lot of the photos I take. Therefore because I get detached emotionally from the photos, I can more objectively edit and choose my best images.<\/p>\n

3. It isn’t as expensive as you think<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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David Kim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although buying and developing film can be expensive, the barrier to entry is very low. Film cameras are far cheaper than digital cameras, and have a longer lifeline. Based on pure conjecture, I would state that the average photographer upgrades his\/her camera every 5 years. However if you buy a solid film camera (and maintain it well), it can last you a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s do some (very rough) math for fun:<\/p>\n