There is just something about film and development

Over the last few months I have gotten back into photography. This time was different though, this time I decided to try and shoot film. I have done photography over the course of my life multiple times, but each time I don't really love the process of editing. I never really enjoyed the process of manually tweaking every little thing. I found it tedious and misses the point of what I am trying to capture in film, what I saw in the camera. So when I picked up a camera again this time, I picked up a hand-me-down Canon AE-1 Program and decided to give a more "analog" technique a try.

I was instantly in love; the heft of the metal body, the mechanical movement of the shutter, the little click when I hit the shutter, all of this had me hooked. I loaded a roll of Kodak Gold into my camera and headed into town. I decided to shoot the roll showcasing the downtown and it patiently waited for my roll to be developed and scanned. When I got it back, I was delighted by the grain and unique color profile of the world I had captured. To put it simply, I was hooked.

In the excitement, I made a choice to not post every picture I liked (even though I haven't really been on platforms like Instagram in years). This was for me. These photos deserved to be printed and shared with the people I care about. I appreciate the online spaces that have accepted me, but I find myself caring more about the world I actually live in these days. When everything seems chaotic, it is nice to have something that is truly yours.

The plunge into film photography also allowed me to glimpse into a world not dominated by computing. Film is a light-sensitive emulsion and the process of manufacturing and developing that film is one driven by chemistry. This world has many similarities to one dominated by computing, but the effort sets it apart. Film is delicate, it isn’t seemingly eternal like digital. That “problem” is exactly what makes it beautiful, it reflects life. It takes time to develop film and patience is a must.

Playing with development

I shot a couple of rolls and I was hooked. I started to look around the community for others doing film photography. A local artist collective was offering a class on both cyanotype (an early print/development method) and one for shooting and developing black and white film in a darkroom.

When I stepped into the cyanotype class, I was immediately enamored by all of the possibilities of the medium. For those who don't know, cyanotype is an emulsion that is placed on some sort of paper (generally something like watercolor paper). Something is placed over the top of the emulsion and then you expose the emulsion to UV (either using a UV lamp or the sun) which etches the shadow of whatever is placed on top. I played around with various collected twigs and leaves to create some beautiful prints while I watched my classmates alter the pH of their emulsions for varied effects. This opened me up to a plethora of ideas: using 3D printing to create durable stencils, printing 35mm negatives, or even using the process to create cool t-shirts. It was incredible.

I then attended a class to shoot and develop a 35mm roll of black and white film. There were a lot of new things in this for me. Street photography (I mainly do landscapes) in a more artsy part of town, black and white film, and being around another photographer. Luckily my instructor was fantastic. We spent the time chatting about life and how photography helps to slow us down when the world makes other plans. It was incredible to hear someone who grew up shooting film, come back to it now.

When it came time to develop that roll, it was a pretty zen experience. You have to be intentional and you can’t rush the process. Luckily I got some truly incredible shots, some of the work I am most excited about. When I went to enlarge one of my exposures, I loved how similar the process is to just developing the film itself. Again, the intention was a necessary part of the process.

Art and why I love it

In a digital world, we don't have to wait. Our packages can arrive in hours, our friends are "just a message away", and we can find answers in seconds. This saddens me. It feels like in this world, the ability to not experience creation of art is really easy. It’s why I am starting to truly pursue artistic mediums. It reminds me of creation that I took pride in during my career, but in a new way. A way that is for me and me alone. I understand that this post is a bit chaotic and all over the place and different from my previous work. This is intentional. I wanted to share this experience to indulge this immense connection with the world that this has brought me.

I am so excited for what’s next! To learn more about development techniques and improving my craft as a photographer. I have found a new joy and I am so excited to explore it.