The end of the summer, 2019
This summer was one for the books. I spent the majority of the summer learning more about 35mm film photography and working on my process through our few adventures. Most of our adventures this summer were focused around water, so I had to try out a new camera, and like always, experimenting with different film stocks.
I picked up a Nikonos V, an underwater 35mm film camera, off eBay (which is a story I still need to tell soon) which most of these photos were taken on. The lens isn’t the best for above water photos, but I wanted to give it a proper go. With this being my first manual focus lens, I really struggled to get it right a lot. I had way more photos that were throw aways than I’ve had, so it’s much more frustrating than other cameras I own, but I think it’s a valuable learning experience.
The second thing I learned more about was different film stocks. I tried probably 8 or 9 different films, and I seem to always end up back at the same preferences. The first things I was trying was slide film because film stock is usually a low ISO like expired Velvia 50 or Ektachrome 100. I found slide film really hard to scan, as it had more contrast and I couldn’t get my colors quite like I hoped. Which, mostly in general I have a hard time getting good scans, but that’s probably because I’m using the cheapest scanner I could get. In the end I kept migrating back towards Portra, but I tested out a few different ISOs like 160 and 800, which I loved both of these.
Going into fall and winter I’m looking into new ways to challenge and grow. I’ve been researching studio setups, new cameras, and different ways to get inspired by photography.
