analog film blog

This blog is in collaboration with Mellow Melatonin, written by Nora Masters  "Altered" is OUR definition of a type of photography that seems to have been shot in the past. These photos seem otherworldly and have been shot on film (or are given that effect.) These photos make the audience wonder where is this place? Who are these people? And why?  The photos are often dreamlike and feature girls of different ages. The angles of the shots are static and the color scheme is incredibly important as well. "Altered" photography is common on social media and feeds into a certain classified aesthetic that some people desire. The photos look like how a dream looks and feels. One of my personal favorite photographers who takes "Altered" pictures is Petra Collins. Her photos follow the color scheme typically found in this type of photography: heavily pink and purple. Petra Collins' photos could also be labelled under the "nymphet aesthetic",...

Here are a few of my photos I have managed to capture and also have saved to my computer.  (Keep in mind that the quality of these images has been reduced due to transferring them onto this platform. However, if you wish to see more photos, you can find them on Instagram @lemonymaya) 

Putting the film inside your camera might seem intimidating, because at first glance it doesn't make sense. You have to load small circular roll of film and expect it to work. The first time I imported film into my camera, I messed it up and when I sent it in to be developed the roll was blank. I had wasted the entire thing. I was heartbroken, but if you pay attention to these steps hopefully that won't happen to you. Keep in mind it will be difficult for the first couple of times, but you'll eventually get the hang of it. Also these steps are for removing a previously shot roll, and also importing a new one. UNLOADING A ROLL 1. Press the small black "Rewind Release Button" located on the bottom of the camera. 2. While continuously pressing the "Rewind Release Button" grab the "Film Rewind Lever" and begin to twist it. Inside the camera you will hear the sound of film retreating back into its case. If you're doing it correctly you ...

I probably should have made this post sooner, but here we are. I know my blog has been focused on film photography and I mentioned very briefly how I became aware of it, but I didn't really get the chance to talk about how the rest of my generation became aware of it. There was a point in time when film was all there was. There were no digital cameras. There were no smartphones. All that photographers had was film, so it became the standard. Of course that was until digital cameras began to thrive along with smartphones. Everyone started drifting towards the new shiny equipment. During this rise of digital screens and easy-to-capture software, the need for film photography didn't seem necessary. It was forgotten about by many and lost forever. However, just like anything considered the slightest bit vintage, the millennials were sure to get a hold of a film camera. The art started to blossom again. An article by Time Magazine describes the recent rise in film sales. ...

Everyone is familiar with the idea of pirates. Those terrifying unkempt creatures that voyage over rolling dark waters. Their eyes are dark and they're missing teeth. They hoist a dark flag and strike fear into the hearts of anyone who encounters them. Those pirates are in search of one thing, and one thing only, gold. Surprisingly enough there are pirates of the film developing industry as well. However, instead of aboard a ship- they sit behind the counter at retail and drugstores. Their eyes are dark and they're missing teeth. They hoist their companies logo into the air and strike fear into the hearts of anyone who encounters them. Those "pirates" are in search of one thing, and one thing only, your film negatives. Now, you're probably thinking what an odd analogy to use and you're totally right. But stick with me, it will make sense in a minute. In the film industry getting you film back is the equivalent of gold. The archivability of film is one of ...

Now let's take a second to move away from analog photography. Lets focus on something new- perhaps films that have been shot on film. Now, personally I have never had the chance to experience this but I have done a fair amount of research. Most of you are familiar with the popular film by Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom. Well, did you know that movie was shot on 16mm film? It doesn't seem like that big of a deal at first, but if you dive into it you'll see how incredible doing something on that scale can be. When first viewing the film you'll probably notice the soft grain effects that barely seem to touch the characters. It's not distracting, but it does subtly give the film a "home video" feeling. An article with Robert Yeoman and Studio Daily talks about the process it took to shoot on Super-16mm. The article dives into the specifics of the film and how Anderson used a color correcting manipulator to give the film special effects. Towards the end of ...

In English a few months ago my class focused on an article called "The Great Forgetting" by Nicholas Carr. In his article, he focuses on how people are losing the sense of basic skills due to the growth of new technology. Carr claims that knowledge is in the hands of machine which can be fatal in the near future. It isn't hard to see that over the years human motivation has begun to decrease while technology increases. People have become lazy and if a machine can perform a task better than you, why even try? How many times have you been typing something on your phone and spell a word incorrectly, but never fear autocorrect is here! Or how many times have you been curious about something and rather than ask someone else, you decide to ask your handheld robot pal Siri instead. It is just so easy! Well what if I told you that modern day photography is blending into Carr's philosophy. Many up and coming photographers purchase cameras that have the ability to capture e...

Now you might be wondering, why shoot film? Why not just take a picture on your phone? Sure, a phone can do the trick in a pinch, but if you really want to have an appreciation for photography it's good to become familiar with other mediums. You also might be asking yourself, what's the difference? And to that I say, it's all about the quality. When it comes down to it, film is a chemical process whereas shooting digital it's all about 0's and 1's logged into a computer. When relying on technology like that photography becomes binary and boring. Film is different, it depends on light and chemicals which push through a lens- it's chemistry. That's the real difference. The results of that difference can be seen in the final photo. Analog cameras capture all the latitudes of light and shadow where a digital camera WISHES it could do that. The coloring of a film photo is easy to see, the bright colors are diluted and it begins to look like a watercolor pai...

Hello, my name is Maya and I'm a sixteen year old photographer. I always had a love for taking pictures, as much as I love writing I also enjoy capturing a moment in time. However, up until recently I was only stuck with the tiny lens on my phone and it didn't really do the trick. So about a year ago, my father introduced me to one of his favorite mediums from when he was a kid- it was called film (or analog) and it was unlike everything I had ever seen before. I got my first camera during the winter of 2018 and learned all about film photography thanks to him. Film made me become appreciative of every single shot and the memories that came with it. Having to be in charge of a camera seemed intimidating at first, but thanks to my dad he was able to show me the ropes. It was incredibly helpful and without him I might have never touched the camera that had been tucked away for years. His mentorship helped me out immensely and I hope to do the same for others who are thinking ...