How I got started with film photography

My first introduction to a manual film camera was when I was probably 16 or 17 years old. The camera was an Olympus OM-1 that my mom had for many years. She let me borrow it one day to shoot photos around town.

I remember taking photos of the surf, my brother and I skateboarding, and local scenes. I had fun trying to adjust the shutter speed to capture motion blur of a car driving by fast, or someone skateboarding by quickly. It felt cool to use a bigger and more complex camera compared to the simple automatic point and shoot film cameras I was familiar with. I didn’t get great shots, but I preserved some fun moments in time that I still have.

Fast forwarding to today, I am getting back into using that very same camera with a renewed interest in film photography. I recently started using the camera because of my brother, who took up film photography in the last 5 years or so.  As his interest and skills grew, my mom gifted him the Olympus OM-1.  After using that camera and honing his abilities, he started to branch out and began to acquire various other types of film cameras to experiment with. It’s been inspiring to watch his talent, knowledge and passion for shooting film evolve over time. 

Being the insightful person that he is, he noticed my fascination and eagerness to try shooting film again and for my 40th Birthday, Ryan gifted me the Olympus OM-1 that was once my Mom’s, then his, and now mine to use.

Over the last year and a half I’ve been growing more comfortable using this camera. A little older and wiser than I was in highschool, I’m getting much better results than I did back then.  The camera is intuitive and fairly simple to use. It’s a nice size to hold, and easy to take on the go. I bring it with me most weekends when I’m getting out of the house just in case a good photo opp presents itself. Despite how often I bring the camera with me, I rarely go through film quickly. It often takes me 1-2 months to shoot a roll of 36 exposures.

What I’ve learned from shooting with film, so far

  • Patience – It takes me one to two months to finish a roll of film. I’ve learned to have more patience to adjust from the instant gratification of using an iPhone or digital camera.
  • Planning – I take down notes using the iPhone notes app to capture details of each picture so I can revisit them when I get my film developed. (see below)
  • Lighting – Paying attention to where the sun is, and how the lighting is helping or hurting the subject that I have my lens pointed at. Learning to tune in to great lighting. 
  • F-Stop (Aperture) – Using the F-Stop to adjust the depth of focus and light that comes in. A wide open f-stop of 2.8 means clear focus near the camera, but blurry in the background (see example; Kikis Routine), also that a lot of light filters in. A narrow f-stop of 16 means clear focus near and far, however less light can come in. 
  • Shutter Speed – Using the shutter speed to control how much light the film is exposed to. If it’s very sunny and there is a lot of light, a fast shutter speed helps to avoid over exposure. On the flip side, less light calls for a slower shutter speed, and a risk for blurry photos without a steady hand, surface or tripod. 
  • Film Speed (ISO) – Making sure to set the film speed dial on the camera (also known as the ISO) to match the actual film you have in the camera. I’m guilty of not catching this and mistakenly shooting a few pics with the ISO set for 400 while using a 200 speed film, for example. Slower film speeds of 200 are good for bright light. Faster film speeds of 800 are good for lower light. Typically, I use 400 speed film which covers a good middle ground. 

 

I use these learnings as a base and I layer on top adjusting the focus, and trying to find the best composition for whatever it is I’m shooting. Through practice and patience I’m honing in on which combo is best suited to capture the scene depending on the conditions at the time. This process takes constant fine tuning, and is becoming more intuitive as I gain experience. Slowly I’m growing my base knowledge and expanding on my skills.

Utilizing notes to learn from each photo

To speed up my learning I’ve been taking notes for each photo. After the shot, I use the Notes app in my iPhone and I write down the following: 

  • photo number*
  • short description of the shot 
  • shutter speed 
  • f-stop 
  • Occasionally I will add time of day, and notes about lighting. 

 

*I label the photo number because it’s not always aligned with the camera. Typically I use the first shot as a blank, and then the next 2-3 as experiments, hopeful that they come out, but won’t be too sad if they don’t.. I try to get as many shots out of the roll as possible. 

Here’s an example of those notes and a few of the corresponding shots:

Film photo examples with the Olympus OM-1

 

23 – Santa Barbara, Airbnb. Street view at sunrise 

Shutter Speed 125; F-Stop 8. Kodak 200 Color film.

Takeaways

  • The 125 shutter speed is slow enough to allow light in the foreground so the road is visible. Also, it reduced the chance of too much light from the sun that was rising behind that mountain, which could have washed out the sky.
  • The F8 aperture is in the middle range of the lens I’m using. The lens spans from F2.8 to F16.  This worked to give clarity in the foreground and background. The background is vague, so I don’t think an f16 would have highlighted more detail than is shown here.
  • This light might not be optimal for 200 speed film. I’m not too worried about that because in general the film speeds seem to be forgiving. I’m sure I could have optimized the film by only shooting in brighter light, but I wanted to capture this scene in the early morning. 

25 – Surf Scene 

Shutter Speed 250. F-Stop 16. Kodak 200 color film.

Takeaways

  • The sun is high in the sky, and to my left. I was able to get away with using a shutter speed of 250 instead of 500 or 1000, as I’m not looking directly towards the sun. This shutter speed worked well in my opinion. The sky is blue, and not overly exposed. It was a clear, sunny, and crisp winter day.
  • F16 was a good choice to have  focus both near and far. I like that I can see details on the two surfers nearby, while also clearly seeing the surfers waiting for waves at the point, further in the distance.
  • I like this beach scene because of the variety of people, surf equipment, and surf action in the background.  The waves look fun and it’s crowded like always. There is not one type of board to be riding. 

Wrap Up

Learning how to shoot with film is a fun and exciting process! There are mechanical skills involved, like operating the camera with each variable control for f-stop, shutter speed, ISO setting, focus, and loading and unloading of film. And, there are intangible skills such as patience, timing, reading the elements for lighting, subject matter, action, and composition. I love how this process has helped me to continue learning these skills, and forced me to slow down and appreciate each photo. Additionally, it’s a great feeling going to the local film store to drop off a roll/(s) and receive an email with those photos a week later. I’m excited I’ve joined the film photography community that I see in person, as well as the robust online community of film enthusiasts out there to connect with. I plan to keep up this hobby, and encourage everyone to give it a try! I would love to hear from you about photography and film. Please reach out with any questions, comments, or tips.