Tales on Film

Today last day of the school holiday in Belgium, from tomorrow on, everything will be back to normal. Children are going back to school, every adult will be working again and this blog goes back to it’s 5 to 6 day regime of blogging. You guys definitely kept on posting photos to the Tales on Film Flickr group, so here is this weeks selection.

Untitled by photomat- taken with a Rolleiflex automat on Ilford HP5+ 400

** by RaedAG taken with a Leica M6 on Kodak Tri-x 400

PDX waterfront by bodiegroup taken with a Mamiya RB67

Aurelia by Assaf-Ezra taken with a Mamiya RB67 on Rollei Retro 80s

Orwo NP 27 in Caffenol-C by Flowtopia taken with a Bronica sq-a on Orwo NP 27

I know that I haven’t been blogging that much in August but that will change again from September on. In the mean time I tried to keep up with the weekly posts, so enjoy the interview with Kamal Tung

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

Hi, my name is Kamal. I’m a student based in Singapore. I just started film photography about a year ago. I wanted to capture what I thought would be the best years of my life. Youth, love and friendship.

• Flickr – Kamal Tung
• Visual Diary kamaltung.blogspot.com

Why do you like shooting film?

My love for film photography started when my best friend got me a film camera for my birthday. Initally I wasn’t to sure what to do with it since I was completely not into any sort of photography. But I started using it and was pretty much hooked on it since.

Now I absolutely love it, its more than just a hobby. The way the shutter sounds when I take a picture, the look and feel of my camera. Dropping all the things I need to do just to rush to the nearest photo developing centre after i finish a roll of film and waiting in anticipation for a few days for the results. Film cameras are much cheaper as compared to digital ones, so I collect as many as I can !

Do you have a favorite camera and/or film?

I have a small collection of cameras. I try to use them when I can but my favourite camera to date would be my FED 5B since its the first camera I bought using my own hard earned money. In singapore cameras are pretty expensive. Anyways Ive been using it almost everyday, it’s always with me.

I mostly use Kodak Gold 200 for basic shooting but I enjoy Kodak T-Max b&w as well.

What is your best analog photo till now and a little explanation about it?

I don’t really have a best photo but I have a few that i really like. The first one is called “All I Need”. All i need nowadays is my camera,films and my lovely girlfriend. The next one is called “Sleeping Beauty”

What’s your vision on the future of film photography?

The future of film photography, honestly i do not know . There seems to be an increasing number of people who are picking up film photography. With lomography coming out with new cameras that are very interesting and fun, youths such as myself will take an interest to it . So I think that film will live on and carry on to grow once again in numbers.

This was the first second hand camera I bought. From the moment my first roll of film was developed, I immediately fell in love with this beautiful camera.

The Mamiya C220 is a medium format twin-lens reflex camera that has been made in the early 1970′s with interchangeable lenses. The one I bought, came with the 80mm 2.8 lens. The Mamiya C220 accepts 120 and and 220 films.

What I like about this camera is the square 6×6 format, it focuses quite fast and the quality of the lens. Even in darker circumstances you can still take some beautiful pictures. You can find a series of pictures that I took with the Mamiya C220 in my Mamiya C220 flickr set.

Wednesday means your photos get featured on the website. So keep submitting those tales on film to our Flickr group

Untitled by buiu taken with a Yashica Mat 124B on Fuji Pro 160 NS

asleep at the back by Jeremy North taken with a Contax G2 on fujicolour 200 film

** by RaedAG taken with a Canon AE-1 program on Kodak Portra 160NC

Yaelle by elsvo taken with a Mamiya C33 on Fuji pro 400H

Ne m’oubliez pas by egorbass

One of the first photographers that started to add photos to our flickr pool, was Tom Hart. So today I’m pretty pleased to be able to post his interview here. He also has one of the coolest self-portraits I have ever seen in film photography

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

A long time enthusiast, my dedication to the hobby has ebbed and flowed over time. My father inspired his sons early on. Or perhaps irritated us with the constant barrage of family photos and evening slide shows. But a class in high school followed by a small home darkroom cemented our interest in the hobby.

My brother went on to be a successful photo journalist and followed the digital revolution as it became firmly established in the media. Digital makes sense in that aspect… the quality is there and the speed to publication is necessary. My career in business does not include a photographic outlet, but I picked up digital as it became pervasive and continued to shoot on an intermitant basis.

An encounter with a do-it- yourself large format camera kit created the impulse to return to film. I rebuilt several large format cameras, and then rapidly began reconnecting with cameras of my past… an Olympus XA2, Minox 35, disposables, Polaroid, SLR’s, etc.

A photo friend was faced with disposing of a nearly unused enlarger and offered it for free. A darkroom was soon built around it. Then an introduction to Caffenol and an urge to explore alternative and home made developers. I dabble with alternative processes like cyanotype and gum..

It has become a great hobby for me, providing an outlet from stress and the day to day struggles that are a part of life. I think that I approach life differently now, and film and film cameras have enhanced my view of the world.

My flickr site: Tom Hart

Why do you like shooting film?

Why film? I am asked that question often. Better quality images? A purer form of photography? I don’t subscribe to those suggestions. I simply like the process

• The cameras.
• The suspense.
• The darkroom.
• The ability to create pleasing images with old or low tech gear.

Do you have a favorite camera and/or film?

I have not settled on a favorite camera. I shoot 35mm, medium format and sheet film 2 ¼ x 3 ¼ through 5×7. Lately it seems I grab my Olympus XA2 and Nikon F100 most often. But I like ‘em all.

Regarding film, I am always interested in trying different types. Rollei Retro 80s and Fuji Acros are favorites. So is Efke 820IR when I have some in the fridge. But I am quite satisfied shooting Legacy brand 35mm and appreciate its low cost and good quality.

What is your best analog photo till now and a little explanation about it?

Best analog photo to date? Such a difficult question for me. There are photos I like quite a bit. And photos of mine that others like much more than I do. Then, by chance, there is a photo of my son on the cello, taken with an Olympus X2, that won an award recently and $500. That’s a lot of film. Or a camera or two. While I like the image itself, it gets bonus points for helping to support my addiction.

What’s your vision on the future of film photography?

There is quite a community of film fanatics still out there. And some of the toy cameras seem to have helped recruit additional converts. But the genre will fade some as the digital world evolves. It will always be here though. Just like glass blowing survives. Or other crafts of an artistic nature.