The next best thing to being given a camera for free is finding one at a bargain price in a second-hand store – like this little Konica C35 EF-P for the same price as a cappuccino!

It seems to have been in my bag for aaaaages, I carry it everywhere and take a snap here and there, whenever I remember – I’ve been doing this since January and I finally reached the end of the film at the weekend!

You forget just how dark it gets in January – I doubled-up on a few shots, with and without the flash. I needed the flash! Flash doesn’t always look great though – apart from on this telegraph pole – I love what it’s done to this shot!

However – look at the difference a couple of months and a bit of sunlight can make…

It’s a very basic camera – just two choices of ISO (100 or 400), the flash on or off (it’s good that you can force the flash NOT to fire) apart from that you just point and shoot – the focus isn’t always brilliant, but this isn’t the sort of camera to seek perfection with – it’s a camera for character and surprises!

And it doesn’t seem to mind when I shoot straight into the sun, either, which is good.

So, this is going into the ‘needs lots of natural light’ pile of cameras – lets hope I got lots of opportunities to use it!

All photos taken with Konica C35 EF-P and 35mm Kodak Ektar 100 ISO film
(I should have used at least ISO 400 but was impatient and had lots of 100 film to use RIGHT NOW).

When people say to me they are thinking about trying film photography and aren’t sure about what camera to get or where to buy one I tell them this;

Mention to everyone you know that you wish you had a film camera – bang on about it quite a bit – and then sit back and wait for the deluge.

Taken using a LC-A and 35mm film

In the same way that everyone today seems to have at least one digital camera per household, so it was in the day with film cameras – they were coveted and saved-up for just as their digital cousins are today so they tend to get squirreled away in attics and under-stairs cupboards rather than being thrown out.

Taken using Lubitel 2 and 120 film

I would say at least half the vintage/film cameras I own are ones that have been gifted to me by people who think I am doing them the favour by taking them off their hands. They don’t feel ‘right’ throwing them away or donating them to an unknown, possibly cruel fate – but when they realise they’ll be sending them to a good home where they’ll be cherished and used; it suddenly becomes a very attractive proposition. Everybody wins!

Taken with Pentax K1000 and 35mm film

I was recently given a bag full of camera goodies by some friends at work who are (unsurprisingly) trying to clear as much room as possible in their home. It was so exciting rummaging through that big plastic bag – better than Christmas even. The highlights of this particular haul were definitely the Holga (I’ve always wanted a Holga) and a Polaroid (and Polaroid film – you know I love Polaroids)! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Taken with Diana F+ and 120 film

So yes – my message to you if you’re thinking of taking up film photography is talk about it incessantly to everyone you know – and even to people you don’t know. The worst that can happen is you’ll be branded a geek and not invited to parties any more, but it’s got to be worth it on the off chance you might hit the camera jackpot!

I can’t believe I made a vlog yesterday!

I can’t believe I made another video today, too!

I know they’re not brilliant but they never will be unless I practice. All I’ve done so far is talk into my webcam – all in one take – and do some very basic editing (literally just adding frames to the beginning and end of the video). It looks like I have a whole new discipline to master in 2012 if I want to pursue this – it’s quite exciting to have a new project to sink my teeth into though. Have you made videos before? Do you have any tips or advice for a newbie?

Anyhoo, here’s some more photos following on from yesterday’s post…

All photos taken with Pentax K1000 and Kodak Porfessional Porta 800 35mm film

There’s a teeny tiny bit of brightness left in the sky and it is well past 4.30 – wonderful!

Not this sky though – I took this one a few days ago when the sun was setting at about lunch time! (Exaggerating. About 4pm).

This is definitely the time of year to invest in the higher numbered ISO films – I’m using Kodak Pro Porta 800 ISO here which is great for low light. Yes, the graininess is noticable, but film graininess is something to be celebrated and treasured – unlike digital “noise” which never looks quite right.

It also means you can shoot indoors without a flash – though without a tungsten filter images will appear yellowish and I will admit the one below was tweaked a bit in Photoshop to correct the white balance.

I love the ‘bokeh’ in this one, although that’s down to the magical camera, not the film.

And finally – it was only after seeing this photo that I realised that yes, these jeans are too big for me now and look awful! I need to get a full-length mirror at home.

There’s more to come – I managed to squeeze 38 photos out of this roll of film!

All photos taken with Pentax K1000 and Kodak Porfessional Porta 800 35mm film

UPDATE

I’ve come over all brave – must be the new year or something, I’ve made a vlog! It was very spur of the moment – the web cam was sat there staring at me so I just started talking! What do you think – should I do more of these or just stick to typing?

Cross-processing (or x-pro if you’re down with the kids, like me) is addictive and makes film photography an even more exciting adventure than it already is, I love it a lot! Want to know more?

Zenith 80 + Fujifilm Velvia 100 film

The science bit

The most familiar and popular format of colour film you can buy; the sort you can pick up in your local chemist or supermarket, is colour negative film – this film is processed using C-41 chemicals.

Another less common format is colour slide film (also known as colour reversal film or colour transpareny film) – this is processed using E-6 chemicals.

Because negative film is so widely used, most photo labs will only process using C-41 chemicals – however, what you can do is get them to process your slide film using these negative chemicals and you will get what is referred to as cross-processing. Ta-da!

Olympus XA2 + Fujifilm Velvia 100 film

The effects

Processing film using the ‘wrong’ chemicals can give very dramatic and often unexpected results – the most obvious effect being the shift in the colours, but there is also the increased contrast and grainyness that all adds up to increased awesomeness!

Olympus XA2 + Fujifilm Velvia 100 film

Different makes of film will change colour in diferent ways (and the mix of chemicals from lab to lab will make a difference too). I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the followimg colour casts, but these are how they apparently usually turn out with fuji films:

• Fujifilm Velvia 50 – greeny blue
• Fujifilm Velvia 100 – redy, orange magenta
• Fujifilm Sensia 100 – reddish
• Fujifilm Sensia 400 – bluey green
• Fujifilm Provia 400 – greeny yellow

Tips and tricks

Some people find that images can look over-exposed when cross-processing slide film – if this is the case for you then you can ‘trick’ your camera into under exposing your shots by one f/stop by telling your camera the ISO speed is double what it actually is (so, if you are using ISO 200 film, tell your camera it is ISO 400).

Zenith 80 + Fujifilm Velvia 100 film

X-pro works the other way too – you can process regular colour negative film in E-6 (slide film) chemicals, but the results aren’t half as dramatic, although you do get a nice shift of the whites (the clear areas) to a salmony colour. Also, it can be trickier (and more expensive) to find labs who process using E-6.

Conclusion

I have a wonderful photolab near me who are more than happy to cross-process film – you may find that high-street chemists/supermarkets and even some some labs may not offer this service (cross-processing can create lots of ‘gunk’ in the chemicals).

If you’re really struggling to find a local lab to do this for you there is bound to be someone online who will do this – hooray for the internet!  Lomography now offer photo processing including cross-processing.

Olympus XA2 + Fujifilm Velvia 100 film

There are lots of reasons why I could love cross-processing but the biggest reason for me is the surprise – film processing is aways surprising anyway but ad in all the whackiness and unexpectedness of x-pro and you’ll definitely need to be sitting down when you open that chunky, chemically-smelling envelope from the lab!