Tales on Film

I suppose I ought to introduce myself before I start off writing at you. I’m not your usual author here (Filip) but one of those who’s volunteered recently to help add content when we can. My name is Dominic Evans (Evansshoots) and I’m just about to start on a gap year in the UK (though hoping to get out a little bit more!). I’ve been shooting film for two years now, starting with Black and White, which I learned to process film and prints from. This year I’ve started with colour films and over the summer will be self-teaching myself C-41 processing and building my own home darkroom. So not only will I be boring you with my photo-documentary work, but also with the details of trials, triumphs and failures of home processing which I hope you may learn from my mistakes rather than your own if you care to take the same trip.

Falmouth, UK. Helios 28mm M42 fit on Pentax Spotmatic, Ektar 100

My main genres are photo-documentary and portraiture, two closely linked areas that, having practiced both intensely compliment and reflect each other. My main influences are Don McCullin, Phillip Jones Griffiths and Steve McCurry. Whilst you may not know the names, you know the photos of each man here. When at a University interview I was asked why I was interested in such old photographers. Ultimately, it’s because these men photographed things that are still relevant today, the things they captured still happen and the way that they captured them still lingers in human consciousness long after the event passed. I failed that interview, I suspect they were hostile to my belief that film still had a place in modern reportage work, a belief I still maintain.
What will I write about? Well, there’ll be some technical stuff, kit comments and reviews, the developing experience (as commented above) and some ‘From our own correspondent’ type commentaries on shooting and projects that I do. I hope you enjoy them.

Dom

I noticed in the search results of this site, that there is a huge interest in the different film types you can find. I’m only reviewing the film I have used till now and keep in mind that these are my personal opinions

Let me start with the film I shot the most. About a year ago I acquired about 50 rolls of 120 Kodak VPL 100 or vericolor II. Let me first state that all vericolor you can find nowadays is expired and that they have been discontinued since the late 90′s. However if they have been stored correctly, meaning in a fridge below 13°C the emulsion should be fine. But your milage may vary.

This film was a medium speed film at 100 iso and was optimized for skin color under natural light. The grain is pretty small.

Although you’ll be strapped for a usable shutter speed, I find the skin tones and overall color inside also very acceptable with natural light.

However, it’s a fairly saturated film, so when the light turns a bit warmer, everything tends to get a bit of an orange/golden cast.

When shot in backlight or overexposed, the photos get a purple/pink cast. Overall I find this to be a very pleasant film to shoot during the daytime from spring till fall. I like the smooth transitions between the colors and the kind of purple cast when overexposing. I have about 10 rolls left of this film and would love to find some more.

For me it gives a perfect look with uncoated lenses, like in my Rolleiflex standard 622. Just look at the photo above, taken at Rock werchter 2010. The flare is just gorgeous

Hi, my name is Sara and I’m an amateur photographer by proxy. I got infected by the photography virus because of my boyfriend, Filip.

Before I knew him, I was already interested in photography and nice images. But the only photos I took were with my little point and shoot camera.
As I got to know him better and better, I was slightly falling in love with his camara too. That’s why I bought myself a Canon 50D as an upgrade to my point and shoot camera.

Last year,  I bought myself a Fisheye2 at the Urban Outfitters Store in Antwerp. At the same time I bought myself some rolls of film and from that moment I was in love with the magic of analogue photography.

Since then, we started a (small) collection of analogue cameras.

Hi, my name is Filip Bunkens, I’m a photography professional based in Belgium. I’m interested in photography since 2005 and went professional with my own company PitsLamp since 2008. The main part of my job involves making digital photographs on a Canon 5D mk II. I’m a people photographer, I don’t really like shooting landscapes or products. Besides that I’m an Apple fanboy and geek.

I didn’t start shooting on film, I didn’t have a course in photography, I’m self-thaught or let’s say internet-thaught. In 2009 when my grandfather died, I found an old box camera at his house and just put in a roll of film as some kind of tribute to him. After shooting that first roll, I got hooked. At the moment I’m trying to find a way to incorporate film in my commercial photography. Until this works out great, I’m collecting old cameras, buying and shooting expired film and experimenting with developing black and white film myself.

I founded this blog with my girlfriend Sara to collect all the info we gather ourself on the internet and showcasing our photos on film separately from all the rest we do.