Digital photography is great, and will remain the primary medium in which I work as a photographer.  For me, and I suspect most others, the primary benefit of digital is not necessarily image quality (though the latest digital sensors, such as the 21MP sensor in my Canon 5DmkII, provide an incredible level of image quality), but rather convenience.  There is simply no denying that having immediate access to your photographs, as well as the ability to easily store, edit, backup, and share them, makes the overall photographic process easier and more enjoyable than using film.

So why shoot film?

First, each frame of film costs money.  Because of this, I become far more selective about what I photograph.  Moreover, film is fun; there’s a little bit of mystery that comes with shooting film.  You never really know what you’re going to get until you see the final print, slide, or scan.  Basically, the entire ethos of photography changes, as compared to shooting digital.

So with that in mind, I’ve recently hauled out the old film SLR (a circa-1974 Fuijca ST-801, FWIW) and begun shooting a whole bunch of film.  My idea is to carry the film SLR around with me whenever possible.  I can get a roll of colour negative film processed in one hour at the local shop for less than five bucks, and a roll of Ektar or Portra 400 costs me less than $10, making the whole process relatively cheap.  Scan the results on my Microtek i800 (well, not technically mine…though it is in my office at the moment), and presto.

Anyway, this will be the first in a series of posts strictly dedicated to film photography.  I’ll try to document the process behind digitizing these shots (since scanning is a bit of an art, too).  If you have an old film camera kicking around, I encourage you to give it a try and see what you come up with.

Elliot in the Pool - Fujica ST-801, Fujinon EBC 55 f/1.8, Kodak Portra 800

This one was taken last week in our backyard.  Shot on Kodak Portra 800, scanned on a Microtek i800 using Vuescan Professional, and edited in Photoshop CS5.  I’m in love with this film, by the way.  I’m going to give the new Portra 400 and 160 a try soon, but this 800 ISO film is terrific for scanning.  Love the skin tones, especially.