The Role of Film in Photo Seminar 2012

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description

A collection of Dr. Trayes' Photo Seminar class' work for a series of film projects during the Spring 2012 semester. We shot 35mm and 120mm film throughout the semester, focusing on visual elements, the city in winter, countryside, spring break / journey, and portraiture.

Transcript of The Role of Film in Photo Seminar 2012

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The Role of Film in Photo Seminar 2012

Independent Photojournalists of Temple University

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ContributorsAndrew Curtis Charlotte Jacobson Chris Montgomery Cindy Rau Dillon Mast Hannah Eshleman Hillary Petrozziello Ian Darrenkamp Ian Thomas Watson Kate McCann Kelsey McDowell Kirsten Griffin Jessie Fox Lee Miller Megan Mazza Milena Corredor Oliver Rew Paul Imburgia Samantha Gray Theresa Regan

CoordinatorsKate McCann Ian Darrenkamp Chris Montgomery Hannah Eshleman Kirsten Griffin

DesignersChris Montgomery Kate McCann

©2012 Independent Photojournalists of Temple University

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F ilm was both a blessing and a curse for the 2012 Photo Seminar class. Over the course of our five assignments—Visual Elements, City in Winter, Countryside, Journey, and Portraiture—there were blank rolls, lagging shutters, and difficulty getting film processed well and on time.

But beyond that, a slue of images were carefully captured, developed and scanned in order to produce something timeless for us as photographers.

The class was divided between those who had experienced working with the medium before, and those who have never laid their hands on a 35mm camera. This dynamic made for an interesting experience during the course of our work. For those first learning the art of working without a light meter, some assignments were brutal and consistently turned up negative results. And for the few who have semi-mastered the art of film, it was refreshing being engulfed in such a temperamental art once again.

After looking past all of the trials and tribulations that were had, the outcomes of our efforts are pretty rewarding. Though some may never lay their hands on a 35mm camera again, we all experienced the magic that is at the root of photography.

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Visual Elements

City in Winter

Countryside

Journey

Portraiture

You are to load one 36-exposure roll of black and white film into your camera and shoot no more than two frames of each visual element given. Process the film (preferable) or have it processed (acceptable, but you will not learn as much), cut the strip of film into strips that will fit on the scanner … five frames or six frames should work, each next to the other, and lined up so we get positive images of each frame. In the old days this was called a contact sheet. After scanning, post this in the message you send and tag along with your name tag. The message also should include your best effort across each of the 18 categories given. Please label each with some appropriate detail. Give it a name, location and date as well as your name. Three hundred dpi should do it, perhaps less. You decide on the order and the final content. Each student will do this by midnight on February 2. Looking forward to it.

One or more rolls of film. Your call. Posting procedure, protocol is the same as for 02.02.12 above.

No other guidelines. Whatever you decide to shoot, shoot. Go to the countryside outside the city scene and make it work.

You will have been on spring break. Where you go. Whatever you do. Take your camera with you and shoot.

The leadership of this particular project may have more specific instructions here and elsewhere. You should be hearing from them on this and perhaps other matters. There will be at least five portraits per student. Do not forget the contact sheets here and earlier.

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ANDREW CURTIS 4CHARLOTTE JACOBSON 10CHRIS MONTGOMERY 16CINDY RAU 22DILLON MAST 28HANNAH ESHLEMAN 34HILLARY PETROZZIELLO 40IAN DARRENKAMP 46IAN THOMAS WATSON 52KATE MCCANN 56KELSEY MCDOWELL 62KIRSTEN GRIFFIN 68JESSIE FOX 74LEE MILLER 80MEGAN MAZZA 86MILENA CORREDOR 92OLIVER REW 98PAUL IMBURGIA 104SAMANTHA GRAY 108THERESA REGAN 112TABL

E OF C

ONTE

NTS

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F ilm has always been near and dear to my heart. It’s how I got my start in photography. It’s what got me through those

last few months of senioritis in high school. It was a huge disappointment when I found out we wouldn’t be working with film at all in class when I declared photojournalism a few years back. Needless to say, I was excited for this project.

I decided that I was going to develop my own film at my house in some way. I bought some developer, fixer and a changing bag and set up a darkroom of sorts in my bathroom. The first roll was a bust. Developing in anything other than an actual tank is very iffy. It all worked out in the end though and I am happy with my results.

ANDREW CURTIS

“Take 1000 shots, maybe one will turn out. Shooting film is different.”

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Feet and PuddleCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

Milk FarmCountryside Lancaster, PA

(opposite)The ValleyJourney Rocks State Park, MD

I think this project did a lot to help me as a photographer. We are all caught up in the fast paced world of digital these days. Take 1000 shots, maybe one will turn out. Shooting film is different. One roll, 36 shots, you need to make them count. It makes you slow down, think, compose before you push the shutter release, and I needed that. It helped ground me in a way. To make me think again, instead of blindly firing away, hoping for the best.

I liked the whole process. I like loading film and developing, and having to use a light meter again. It was all fun and it got me thinking about light and everything, instead of just assuming that things can be fixed on the computer. It was just an all-around fun assignment. Expensive, but fun. 6

“It was just an all-around fun assignment. Expensive, but fun.”

11Andrew Curtis

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(opposite)Waterfall at Tucquan Glen Nature PreserveJourney Lancaster County, PA

Rock Stacking at Tucquan Glen Nature PreserveJourney Lancaster County, PA

13Andrew Curtis

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Chelsea by the FireJourney Lancaster County, PA

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Bush Whackin’Journey Lancaster County, PA

15Andrew Curtis

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Oh film. This was not my first encounter with film and hopefully not my last. I used my dad’s old Minolta

from the 70s that he used when he was my age. I was introduced to manual photography exactly four years ago in a film class in high school. I absolutely loved it. I would spend three hours straight in front of an enlarger to get my prints perfect. After that class, I hardly touched film again until this semester.

So when this book was proposed, I was super excited. I took my first roll of film, and was less than pleased. I remember film being a bit frustrating before, but many of my negatives were blurry. I soon realized that it was because my glasses needed to be updated, so blurriness in my shots became a recurring issue. I have still yet to get my glasses fixed. But back to the film. Visual elements was not a strong point for me. It was a lot about getting reacquainted with my film camera and remembering exactly how to go about using it.

Throughout this project I really began to appreciate the value of a single image and what it takes to get a good

shot. I found myself setting up and taking more time for each exposure because I was so limited with the 36-exposure roll. Then in the end, I think that this extra setup time made for better photographs on my part. Overall, film has always been a positive experience for me. Luckily, I didn’t have any random rolls that were completely underexposed, or a roll that ripped while taking it out (though I feared both of these each time I removed my film and sent it away for developing).

The greatest thing about film is that shots don’t need to be perfect. Film is seen as this grainy, blurry and imperfect medium. My blurry shots are some of my favorites. And here’s the best thing: my favorite photo was an accident. I took a photo and while deciding my next frame, I hit the rewind button on the bottom of my camera by accident and proceeded to shoot another photo, causing a double exposure...an awesome double exposure, at that.

I love film. 6Blind Horse Grazing in a Field Countryside Chester Springs, PA

CHARLOTTE JACOBSON

(opposite)Milky Way Farm and Creamery

Countryside Chester Springs, PA

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Double Exposure: Barn Door and Side of BarnCountryside Chester Springs, PA

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Lily Laughing OutsidePortraiture Philadelphia, PA

SoundboardJourney Lionville, PA

19Charlotte Jacobson

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Ice BonfireCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

(opposite left)Snow and Ice on a Car Windshield

City in Winter Paoli, PA

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R ediscovering film triggered a refocusing of my photographic eye, a slight shift in

consciousness. I know what everybody else has said about their experiences—I’ll refrain from restating the old Christmas morning or DSLR abuse clichés. But yeah, they’re totally true.

I’m incredibly grateful Dr. Trayes suggested this project. Many of us may have questioned the relevance of film at first, but as the end of the spring 2012 semester approaches, I think we understand the warmth and organic feeling that film photography offers as opposed to the cold computer-brain of digital photography.

I started off using a Yashica Mat-124 twin lens reflex medium format camera provided by the department. Everything in the viewer window was reversed! The light meter was broken! I had to re-evaluate my movements in the third dimension. It was very disorienting, but many of the exposures I captured were pretty solid.

I eventually gave up on the Yashica once my girlfriend Mariah and I came across a Pentax Honeywell 35mm

SLR at Webb Cameras for $60, pre-equipped with a 55mm f/1.8 lens. Sold. I experimented with it a bit and then never went back to the Yashica. Although one of the best parts about using film is the patience required, well, working with the TLR was a bit too much.

My main concern is, of course, the financial cost of film. It is far more cost effective to shoot digital. That didn’t stop me from buying close to $100 worth of film not only for these assignments but also for my own enjoyment. I’m at the point where I prefer to go out with my film camera rather than my new D7000.

The second issue I have with film is its unpredictability. Two of my rolls came back from Philadelphia Photographics completely unexposed. Although that was pretty upsetting mainly because I thought the camera was broken, after the next two rolls came out with some of the highest

Night LightVisual Elements

Baltimore, MD

CHRIS MONTGOMERY

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Mariah and BrittaVisual Elements

Mechanicsville, MD

The Bicycle with the National ReputationVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

quality photographs I’ve ever taken, I resolved to do as much as I can to control the conditions under which I load the film. I must make sure it’s actually advancing. Otherwise, I have no issues with film.

So yes, I can get behind the whole “film changed the way I look at the world and photography” movement. I feel the same way as many others in our class. Although I grew up using disposable Kodak film cameras and, later on, APS film, at this point in my life I sense my mind has become very

heavily digitized through exposure to so many different types of technology. I’m smarter, right? I can take better pictures, right? With the gift of augmented vision, I’m cursed with blindness. It’s hard to value each moment with the near-limitless power offered to me. My photography became less rooted in the “decisive moment” and more in post-processing. After all, look how popular Instagram is—the ache for that haptic feedback, the return to the purely mechanical and chemical—the chaotic, random element. 6

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Clothing LineCountryside Little Britain, PA

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70mphJourney Lancaster County, PA

(following left)ChemicalsPortraiture

Philadelphia, PA

(following right)Cthulhu Rises

Portraiture Philadelphia, PA

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Under Wire Countryside

Brickerville, PA

Thirty-six frames. That’s all you get to make your concept a reality. It may not seem like enough, but it is. In thirty-six frames I can capture the way the sun kisses the countryside. In thirty-six frames, I can create a mood. In thirty-six frames, I steal moments in time.

Film is a disciplined art that requires patience and restraint; something I did not have much of at the start. The digital age had made me impulsive, spontaneous, and wasteful with my photographing habits. The convenience of instant gratification had spoiled me rotten. Film changed that.

With this being my first attempts at film photography, there were a few difficulties along the way. Everything I had previously known about working a camera was put to the test since I had no way of knowing how each shot would turn out. It took me a while to get used to the mechanics of the camera itself. With the weight and size of the camera being much smaller than what I was familiar with, my first few prints were either completely dark or very shaky. In time I began to get more comfortable with what I was doing and eventually fell in love.

When I have my Minolta XE-7 in my hands, life slows down; I breathe, I think, I linger. The image in my mind reveals itself to me through patience and careful observation. Film makes me more in tune with my thoughts and vision, my work. I am more selective. Each frame, perfectly crafted, is burned in my brain with each click of the shutter. Half the fun comes from the uncertainty of how each one will turn out once processed. There is no feeling quite like when your film comes back and you successfully created the perfect print. Your vision is realized with more contrast and clarity than any digital camera could ever produce. Despite it being technology on the edge of extinction, film is something I definitely wish to continue practicing. 6

CINDY RAU

“ In thirty-six frames, I steal moments in time.”

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Wire GiantCountryside Brickerville, PA

29Cindy Rau

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Wilber ChocolateJourney Lititz, PA

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Marquee NightsVisual Elements Lancaster, PA

31Cindy Rau

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BackyardVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

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CountryscapeCountryside Intercourse, PA

33Cindy Rau

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I hated shooting film this semester. It’s not that I necessarily dislike film or its use, but this semester wasn’t

the place for it, not when everyone has digital cameras. Film should be extracurricular or relegated to Tyler. Shooting film didn’t teach me anything other than that I only want to use it voluntarily. It should be an outlet of creativity, not an assignment.

Film is expensive. Development is expensive. We all have digital cameras. If you don’t have a film camera, you’d better find one. Professional scanning is expensive. Non-professional scanning takes an entire day. The chances of failure are exponentially greater than using a digital camera. My personal failures were much more frequent than

Building II Assignment

Pittsburgh, PA

DILLON MAST

“ The chances of failure are exponentially greater than using a digital camera.”

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High Tension LinesCountryside Pennsville, NJ

35Dillon Mast

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Nina at the Phipps ConservatoryJourney Pittsburgh, PA

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Plant IIJourneyPittsburgh, PA

Plant IJourneyPittsburgh, PA

(following right)St. Paul’s Basilica

Visual Elements Philadelphia, PA

(following left)Girard AvenueVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

they would’ve been had I been using my digital camera. My favorite part about film cameras, the mechanics, seem to be, to me anyway, prone to failure. My Nikkormat’s pentaprism and/or mirror is out of alignment. My Spotmatic leaks light. My Minolta doesn’t advance. I had to disassemble my Autoreflex to get it to work.

With film the stakes are much higher. You have plenty more to worry about, especially if you’re only using manual cameras. So, when you’re told to shoot something, you get stressed. When you get stressed, nothing good

flows from what should be reserved as an artistic, expressive medium. As an artistic medium, shooting film does have the advantage that you can more or less chose your ammunition. The only problem is development. Developing is half the art of film photography, but when you’re operating under an oppressive deadline and with no real access to a darkroom, you’re forced to send it to a lab and leave with bland negatives.

I don’t care about the “look” of film. I don’t care about the “flatness” of a digital image. I don’t care about the

high-contrast halos on digital images or the grain pattern on film. I take pictures to get me through school and, unfortunately, less and less out of pure enjoyment. If it were the 90s, I’d surely be walking around with two 35mms and a 21/4 hanging around my neck. But, thankfully, I happen to have a digital camera where the only thing I have to worry about are my half-dozen dead pixels and keeping the batteries charged, neither of which actually worry me.

To me, a camera is a tool. For purposes other than pleasure, a film camera is an inferior tool. 6

37Dillon Mast

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Snow Geese Migration at Middle Creek Wildlife Reserve Countryside Stevens, PA

I’m an old soul. I appreciate things like wristwatches, classic literature, old cars, sleeping at reasonable hours, going on

walks and face-to-face conversations. One would assume, then, that I love film photography and have spent immeasurable amounts of time in a darkroom—not true.

Before January of this year, I had never shot with film (unless you count me occasionally stealing my mom’s Minolta at 5 years old). And before February, I had never stepped into a darkroom.

I can’t say I enjoyed film at first. I was on a deadline, my light meter didn’t work, I felt very helpless when it came to loading, unloading and developing film and I really hated not being able to see if the pictures turned out okay.

I should mention that the ‘old soul’ in me went on hiatus when I started the photojournalism sequence at Temple.

HANNAH ESHLEMAN

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Now I move fast. I have a schedule. I do things efficiently and I don’t like to wait around. I feel like film, in its essence, fights with that lifestyle. I would be out shooting and be stressed because I didn’t know if what I had shot was worth anything. I had to wait. WAIT! What an absurd notion.

Film photography and I went head-to-head for a while until the Countryside assignment, when I went to the Middle Creek Wildlife Reserve to photograph the thousands of snow geese who had settled there during their migration. I was expecting a quiet atmosphere, seeing as how that’s how wildlife reserves are meant to be. I planned on finding some birds and maybe obnoxiously running through a few flocks of them to make them fly, which in turn would get me some cool photos.

I arrived to find cars lining the road and people crowded along the banks of the lake. I saw a laughable amount

Photographer PartyCountryside Stevens, PA

41Hannah Eshleman

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of cameras with 300mm lenses on monopods, held by intense-looking photographers wearing vests with about 742 pockets, each of which clearly contained important photographer things.

So there I stood with my little Nikon FM2 beside Mr. Vest Photographer and I felt proud. Obviously I wanted his camera (not the vest so much) but something about shooting film in the middle of a field, by a lake covered with snow geese felt so much more natural than lugging around a lens in a suitcase. Maybe that’s what would Thoreau would say if he were given the chance to choose between digital and film. Who knows.

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YvettePortraiture Philadelphia, PA

IceCity in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

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Sleeping BellaJourney Ephrata, PA

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Orchid Display, Philadelphia International Flower ShowJourney Philadelphia, PA

45Hannah Eshleman

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I grew up in the digital era, neglecting analog forms for those of instant gratification—clicking shutter buttons to no

conceptual or technical avail, revealing the results on miniature LCD screens so I can adjust accordingly. I negate long division for calculators and read time on my cell phone without considering the big and small hands of a clock face tick tock. Before the advent of the printing press our ancestors memorized entire books. Before microwaveable TV dinners people ceremoniously prepared meals and perhaps based at least some of their value on the ability to nourish their brethren. Before GPS systems travelers spent time with maps and coordinates, getting lost only to find themselves. Before digital cameras the image making process was less haphazard and more deliberate, particularly composing frames as if shooting with a pistol as opposed to a machine gun with its limitedly discerning spray.

Now I live my life like war, attack tasks and photo assignments with my weapon ready. Canon 5D Mark II like Hillary’s artillery, descending on my brethren with a somewhat maniacal

mindset to see what can be seen only through a lens, but not really observing what is before until the double take. Hours later I edit, thousands of frames pour from my CF card onto a hard drive where I review, looking for something different, something new. Adobe is my best friend, we hang out all the time, but I’ve never had the blessing of letting the chemicals bleed over my hands, staining my finger tips and washing my emotions into the frame. That is me in that photo, my identity developing before my eyes—who am I? This era escapes me.

The whole act of shooting is something different, meandering through a sea of iPhone cameras and point and shoots, prosumer grade cameras and Flickr galleries to try to take the story that is within me and

Broad and Susquehanna Beauty Salon City in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

HILLARY PETROZZIELLO

“ That is me in that photo, my identity developing before my eyes—who am I? This era escapes me.”

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Herman Reiley Jr., HandsPortraiture Philadelphia, PA

Herman Reiley Jr.Portraiture Philadelphia, PA

translate it into visible form for others to relate. This story has not been told and can never be told by someone else in the same way. As much as professional photographers scoff at the new generation of image makers this is the unobjectionable truth. Whether you put two or 2000 photographers together in a situation, no two will photograph it the same way. And this is why we create, for the meaning behind the photos so we can share it with others and try to make sense of this world—or at least, it’s for knowing that we are not alone. There are others out there who think in the same ways as we do and still shoot unique frames to convey the truth within them.

Still patience is key. We must be kind with ourselves and understand that the elusive god of inspiration will not visit every day. Like photography, the story that we are trying to tell is continually evolving, and that’s okay. In fact, that is human and real and we must be patient. That is what shooting film is all about, and no matter how much the game has changed, we are still shooting, still challenging ourselves to reveal what is within and seek greater heights. In the age of Instagram and instant everything, we are still the collective memory keepers tasked with capturing history as it unfolds, and what matters is that we are still shooting—digital, analog or otherwise. 6

47Hillary Petrozziello

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(right)EdPortraiturePhiladelphia, PA

(left)EdPortraiturePhiladelphia, PA

(preceding right)Waiting for SEPTAPortraiture Trenton, NJ

(preceding left)Snowfall in SpotlightCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

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Divine LorraineJourney Philadelphia, PA

51Hillary Petrozziello

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Car at 20th and Catherine City in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

I’m not just saying this because I started shooting photographs with a film camera, but everyone should shoot film. Period. It is

photography at its most fundamental. No megapixels, no electronics, all analogue. Digital is too easy. Pop in a memory card and limit yourself to shooting 36 frames. You can’t.

Sure, there are struggles to shooting film: rolls not being exposed properly (which I just experienced this year with our portrait assignment), light leaks, torn film edges, broken light meters. One little mistake can ruin an entire roll. But that’s what makes it exciting.

How dull is it knowing that every time you set forth to do something, you know you’re going to succeed? With digital photos, you get the results you’re expecting. You can see it as it’s happening and adjust accordingly. Predictable. It’s the possibility of failure that makes shooting with

film more rewarding, less predictable, and more tangible. You have to take a moment and think before taking a shot.

I loved the film assignments. There were moments I cursed the film gods for not being in my favor, but more often than not, I found myself extremely comfortable and happy to be working with film again. I was thankful to be rolling my film and developing it and experiencing the all too familiar smell of fixer on my hands once again. I hope the class learned from working with film that limitations can be a good thing. Limit yourself to one roll of film for an assignment. Really think about what you’re about to capture. Show that you’re in control of your camera and

not at the mercy of automatic exposures.

Working with film this year was a very rewarding experience for me. It took me on a journey from Philadelphia to Toronto to Pittsburgh to

IAN DARRENKAMP

“ How dull is it knowing that every time you set forth to do something, you know you’re going to succeed?”

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Comcast CenterCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

53Ian Darrenkamp

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Rocks in front of the Philadelphia Museum of ArtVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

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Lancaster and back to Philadelphia. It took me to the heart of Lancaster County countryside with my dad on a trip down memory lane that I won’t soon forget. The winter assignment taught me to be patient and work with what is available to me, even if there isn’t a flake of snow on the ground. The portrait assignment taught me to always make sure that the camera’s film sensitivity settings match that to the film you are actually using (in other words, don’t shoot with 100 ASA film when your camera is set to 1600 ASA). Sometimes the best photos and lessons

are from the shots we never get to see.You have to learn to walk before you

can run. You should learn photography with film before you use a digital camera. 6

JessieVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

BrotherJourney Lancaster, PA

“ You have to learn to walk before you can run. You should learn photography with film before you use a digital camera.”

55Ian Darrenkamp

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S-Curve in the WoodsCountryside Lancaster County, PA

(opposite)A Row of Trees

Countryside Lancaster County, PA

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57Ian Darrenkamp

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One of the things that constantly nagged at me over these past few years is how everyone around

me in the photo program seemed to have experience with film cameras. When I was in my first photo class in high school, we used film for only a few weeks. I had shot maybe ten film photos in my life, compared to the hundreds that some of my classmates had compiled. So, when I heard that we had to shoot film this semester, I was ecstatic that I could finally get back to basics and see what I had been missing out on, as well as prove to myself that I was just as good as the old-heads who had been doing this film stuff for years.

I learned all too soon that I would need to approach film differently than

digital. No longer having the instant gratification of being able to see what I had shot bugged me a lot, but I grew used to it after a while. Getting a roll back from Philadelphia Photographics was like Christmas morning over and over again, and it taught me the virtue of waiting. It also taught me to expect the unexpected. My film would rarely turn out exactly how I imagined it, but when it would? The feeling was unlike any other.

So what have I learned from all of this? I really love film. If it wasn’t for the fact that film is so expensive, I would probably let my digital cameras rest for a while and shoot film for an extended amount of time. It also taught me to really appreciate what I have in regards to equipment, and to make every single last shot I take count. I tend to get trigger-happy sometimes with digital (the fact that these can make for amazing animated gifs only encourages this bad habit of mine), but with film I slow down and analyze the situation. Like the sniper with a single bullet left and one chance to make the shot, I hold my camera tight, keep alert, and wait for the perfect moment to capture the

IAN THOMAS WATSON

Embry-Riddle Flight LineJourney Daytona Beach, FL

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EricaCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

59Ian Thomas Watson

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(left)BurlesquePortraiture Philadelphia, PA

(right)Tattoos, Leather, and the Open RoadPortraiture Philadelphia, PA

perfect shot.Feeling motivated by these projects, I

recently acquired a Nikon S2 rangefinder to continue shooting film. Not only is this my first rangefinder, but it also lacks a light meter, so I have been mentally composing the exposure. On top of that, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to shoot nude photo graphy for the first time in my life. I have found the inspiration to continue to shoot this series of photographs for years to come, and maybe even see what I can do about getting all of my old subjects together in five or ten years to reshoot them and see how they have changed. Even if this does not happen, though, I’ll still be shooting film for years to come. 6

(opposite)Curtis

Visual Elements Philadelphia, PA

“ …I’ll still be shooting film for years to come.”

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T he first time I used a camera in my life was with film – when I was four years old. My Fisher Price plastic

camera was attached to my pudgy wrist indefinitely, or so I’ve heard. The first time I used a camera in my conscious life was with film – when I was fifteen. Throughout my four years of high school, the 35mm Minolta I claimed as my own was the only constant I had.

I spent every afternoon hiding in the darkroom, enjoying the therapeutic nature of the warm, red lights and cooling chemicals. Sometimes I’d close my eyes and walk proudly, weaving through the enlarger heads and sinks, knowing every step of the space even without the bare bulb guiding me. The process of rolling my own canister, developing my own film, and printing my own images was something so invigorating. I had never experienced something I took as much care with as that piece of plastic gold. It was a science. Finally, my dominant left-sided brain had a scientific art to work with. Something precise yet liberating.

After high school, I took an 18-month hiatus from working with film. The

fast-paced mentality of journalism took over and I spent months shooting thousands of images that got 30 seconds of editing if they were the lucky ones. Looking back, I feel like I was abusing my camera, using it without really appreciating what it was doing and shooting without appreciating my own eye. I can recognize the immediacy of digital, and its advantages in a world that is only speeding up. But I can’t help but miss when shooting a roll of film was liberating, as opposed to the anxious pressure I feel with my 5D MKII.

BonesCountryside

Pennsville County, NJ

KATE MCCANN

“Sometimes I’d close my eyes and walk proudly, weaving through the enlarger heads and sinks, knowing every step of the space even without the bare bulb guiding me.”

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MarsCountrysidePennsville County, NJ

63Kate McCann

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Sunset in Pacific BeachJourney San Diego, CA

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(right)Homeless ManJourneyVenice Beach, CA

(left)Man Reading PaperJourneyVenice Beach, CA

This semester brought me back to my world of cutting negatives and scanning rolls upon rolls of film. Unfortunately without the pleasure of having free access to a darkroom, I am not completely whole. Soon I’d like to focus my efforts on the film medium I first learned photography through and maybe take a short hiatus from the digital world we work in.

Taking a step back and remembering how an image is tangibly created is what is so beautiful about the whole process anyway, isn’t it? You gotta get your hands wet to really conceive the possibilities that exist inside that light-tight box. 6

“You gotta get your hands wet to really conceive the possibilities that exist inside that light-tight box.”

65Kate McCann

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Casey eats peanut butter sandwichPortraiture Brigantine, NJ

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Alex about to dive inPortraiture Brigantine, NJ

67Kate McCann

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Crumpled ScarfCity in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

F ilm has been a frustrating, yet rewarding, adventure. Before this project, I hadn’t really picked up a film camera

since my senior year of high school, four years ago.

The frustrations started when my light meter broke within the first week. That magic red dot of guidance disappeared and I had no idea what to do. I had never worked without a light meter before, but thought of it as an adventure. At first, I kept my digital camera on hand to meter that way. I also downloaded a light-metering app on my phone. Talk about a mix of old school and the digital age! When I got a little more comfortable guessing the metering, it was fun to guess and see how close I was to what the metering should be.

The next frustration happened when one of my rolls of film turned out completely blank. A photographer’s worst nightmare. Not only did I lose images I was hoping to print and not have an assignment ready, I also lost a decent amount of money. I was advised by the wise men at Philadelphia Photographic to keep the back of my

camera open when I fed my film through next time and click the shutter once to make sure the film stayed put. It worked like a charm. The first few times anyway. Just when I thought my film woes were going to be over for my last roll of film, another blank roll came out. I’m not quite sure if it was the camera or me not doing something properly, but I do know it was extremely frustrating.

With those frustrations came a lot of rewards as well. There is something very satisfying about taking pictures on film and having them come out well. I guess part of that mentality is that anyone is physically able to take a digital image, but it takes some education and talent to make film work to your advantage. I think one of the best things film teaches you is to stop, look, and plan before you shoot. In the age of the digital camera, it doesn’t matter if your composition isn’t quite right, you can just take another and see it instantaneously! With film, you want everything to be perfect. Getting film developed was like Christmas morning for me. It was always a surprise and I was excited to see how everything turned out. 6

KELSEY MCDOWELL

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Miss Saigon from BackstageJourney Ardentown, DE

69Kelsey McDowell

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Dog Print in the SandVisual Elements Newark, DE

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Salt Stains on the StreetCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

(following left)The Bottom of

the FountainCity in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

(following right)Salted Car

City in Winter Philadelphia, PA

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Old, But Functioning MillCountryside Paradise, PA

W hen I first started taking photography classes in high school we were strictly

using black and white film. We were responsible for developing our own film and making enlargements in the darkroom – it was incredibly frustrating at first. I wasn’t sure how to expose anything correctly, my enlargements came out subpar, and I repeatedly left my images in the developer too long. Eventually I got the hang of everything and really loved the entire process, but I got a DSLR for graduation and never looked back.

It was a pleasant surprise when we were asked to do film projects in class; I was looking forward to shooting film again, but I had forgotten everything I learned about it in high school.

The first assignment, Visual Elements, was a disaster for me. Every shot was underexposed and I had light leaks on all of my negatives. I scrapped the entire roll I shot and read up on my borrowed Nikon FM10 so that my next project would turn out better.

While searching for things to shoot for the City in Winter project,

I struggled to find anything I was interested in. I didn’t want to just take pictures of people dressed for cold weather or piles of snow. After walking the block around my house I realized how snow tends to mask all the garbage that usually lines the streets, so the next day when the snow started to melt I went out and shot images of the trash and debris being uncovered. The snow has a way of making the city look clean at first, and I wanted to show that in my photos.

The Countryside project fell at the perfect time; I was planning a weekend to take my roommates back home with me to Lancaster County. While driving around we discovered a little mill in

KIRSTEN GRIFFIN

“I scrapped the entire roll I shot and read up on my borrowed Nikon FM10 so that my next project would turn out better.”

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Mechanics of the MillCountryside Paradise, PA

Paradise, PA and spent the afternoon exploring the area around it. I probably enjoyed this assignment the most because I got to share the experience with my good friends and the mill turned out to be a really interesting place to shoot. The only thing that would have made it better is if the mill was no longer running and we could have tried to explore inside.

I didn’t have any issues with my camera or my film during this project, which was a relief since the first assignment was a miserable fail.

My spring break got cut short this year because I got a job at the Philadelphia Zoo right in the middle of spring break. I spent my break biking back and forth from work everyday, so my “Journey” project turned into photos I took while going up and down Girard Avenue. I was pretty pleased with how my film turned out; there was only one frame that got messed up, but it ended up being one of my favorites anyway.

I had a good time being able to shoot film again and I am already looking into buying my own Nikon film camera, hopefully sooner than later. 6

75Kirsten Griffin

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Abandoned StairwellCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

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Ladder to the Top of a SiloCountryside Paradise, PA

77Kirsten Griffin

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Cold Weather WearCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

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Butterfly Sculptures along Girard AvenueJourney Philadelphia, PA

79Kirsten Griffin

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If Only the Walls Could TalkCity in WinterPhiladelphia, PA

“T o collect photographs is to collect the world.”

I got the order a little backwards. From digital to film, now I find myself at a happy middle. I guess it was one of those things where you never know until you try. I never fully understood the appreciation I have for my hands, my perspective, my patience, to a degree, and my influence.

With film a moment seems to hold the capacity of time all within the measures of a frame. The little box between my eye and the lens becomes my sole focus, my chance to possibly create something beautiful. And then there is the trial against time. So much

thought, execution, and trust goes into a roll, only to surface much later in the process. That is, if we don’t lose it all somewhere in between. Heart breaking, maybe. Another lesson in life, quite possibly. Another chance to go out and try again, always.

Film makes the eye work in multitudes. A grain that can bring me back in time, smiling upon old memories. A variation of hues in the world of black and white, ones that we may have never been noticed otherwise. A chance for the eye to truly see what is there, plain and simple.

It inevitably becomes a passion to work for. One that encourages you to go out against the world, capture moments within the seconds they live for, and then switch from using your hands to making adjustments on the camera to actually handling the roll with a delicate and nervous touch.

I then begin to trust myself. I know I can’t go back and look for similar images if I’m not happy with one. I know I can’t go back and stand in a different spot. Most importantly, I just know that I can’t go back, but always move forward. To me, film is about appreciating time

JESSIE FOX

“The little box between my eye and the lens becomes my sole focus, my chance to possibly create something beautiful.”80 The Role of Film in Photo Seminar 2012

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Wayne Taking a BreakPortraiture Philadelphia, PA

Chelsea and Her MomentJourney Philadelphia, PA

for what it is and what it has to offer at any given moment. It has taught me to slow down, look around, and find a beauty in what, in another instant, might be gone.

I have always been told that I have to start from somewhere. I may have been a little out of order, but it made me find a deeper appreciation, one that I think I had to be reminded of. I wake up everyday and know that I always have something new to learn. I am still growing, and I am still going to make mistakes. With photography there are different amplitudes of learning,

all revealing a certain perspective on life, ones that were supposed to come my way. I don’t want anything I do to ever be an end result. I always want to move on from a point. I believe that we can always be better in many aspects, but better comes from the lessons we learned from the day before. 6

“[Film] has taught me to slow down, look around, and find a beauty in what, in another instant, might be gone.”

81Jessie Fox

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Always a Time and Place for MusicJourney Philadelphia, PA

(opposite)Laya Basking in the SunJourney Waverly, PA

83Jessie Fox

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A Forgotten PlaceCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

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Tiny CabinsCountryside Old Forge, PA

85Jessie Fox

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Commuter boards the northbound Broad Street Line

Visual Elements Philadelphia, PA

M y first experiences with photography

were with 110-format cameras that my mom bought for me when I was probably 5 or 6. I vaguely remember going through a good deal of film, but there doesn’t seem to be much of it left. I’d like to shoot a 110 camera again – those things were even more automatic then those Polaroid cameras we shot this semester. From there, my mom bought me APS film as 110 film got harder to come by. I got to shoot Arizona and Niagara Falls on APS film as a pre-teen. Of course the photos weren’t any good. They live in a box in my closet.

Then APS film went away and for a few years I was only digital. When I went to college, though, I re-entered into film. I got my first DSLR and started shooting 35mm for the first time. Since then I’ve been shooting film on occasion – it isn’t a cheap process and I’m frequently short on money.

A lot has happened since then. Kodachrome went away. Ektar 100 came out. The two lines of Portra turned into one line. I love Ektar 100 but have

a hard time justifying the cost when the whole point of Ektar 100 is that it doesn’t look like film. The grain is nearly invisible. It made manual enlarging a real chore since you couldn’t see the grain to focus the enlarger.

Black and white film, though, I continue to shoot with. Love the dynamic range. My first black and white film was TX400 and that is still a good standby for me. I used it for all but one of the film assignments this semester. My other gun in the film arsenal is T-Max 3200, some times pushed to 6400. I’ve experimented with Ilford 3200, but I stick to the Kodak out of habit. It is grainier. It just looks like film. That T-Max is eight dollars a roll, though, so I go easy on it. I’d like to shoot it more once I get myself a job. Nothing like shooting hand held in the dark. 6

LEE MILLER

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(right)EdCountryside Jerusalem, MD

(left)Kitsy Portraiture Philadelphia, PA

“[Film] isn’t a cheap process and I’m frequently short on money.”

87Lee Miller

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Vacant Crabbing PiersJourney

Deal Island, MD

Angel BrazierPortraiture Philadelphia, PA

“I got to shoot Arizona and Niagara Falls on APS film as a pre-teen. Of course the photos weren’t any good. They live in a box in my closet.”

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Wild PonyJourney Assateague Island, MD

(opposite)Daffodils Emerging

City in Winter Philadelphia, PA

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91Lee Miller

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Jocelin at the Front Door Visual Elements Philadelphia, PA

F ilm, it’s been real. Prior to this class I can regrettably say that I had never shot with film before. Transitioning

from digital to film has definitely been an experience and shooting the first assignment was actually terrifying. It was like my finger was reluctant to press the shutter button. I’d feel the urge to take a picture but all I would hear is Dr. Trayes’ voice saying, “only two shots for each element…two shots.” It was awful, but I got over it.

Initially, I had wanted nothing to do with the development process, at least not during the semester. I just imagined it would be unnecessarily costly and time consuming. Looking back though I feel

MEGAN MAZZA

“I’d feel the urge to take a picture but all I would hear is Dr. Trayes’ voice saying, ‘only two shots for each element…two shots.’”92 The Role of Film in Photo Seminar 2012

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Jocelin at the ParkJourney

Ardmore, PA

like it would have been a worthwhile investment to have processed my film on my own. Finding specific time slots where I could drop off and pick up my film at various photography businesses was a total pain. I also lost a couple of days in waiting time for each assignment, which I didn’t enjoy. Luckily for me there were no major issues with having professionals handle my film. I constantly worried about my beloved rolls though, all the time.

Most of the issues I encountered were technical and unrelated to the aesthetics of photography. The biggest

problem I had with almost every assignment was fully rewinding my film and then opening the camera. Sounds silly, right? For whatever reason the Canon F-1 I used just never wanted to cooperate and cough up the film. I just decided to leave that part to the pros.

These film assignments have not made my life easier in any way, shape, or form. For the most part the whole process just felt like a hassle. But uploading successful images each week from rolls of film that I wasn’t sure would even turn out was so awesome. I had very little faith in my ability to shoot film but after each assignment I felt myself become more and more

comfortable with the idea that I might actually know what I’m doing. Shooting in film and shooting in digital have been two entirely different experiences for me. My photographic life began with

digital and it’s what I’ve grown attached to these last few years. With that said though, I can never appreciate digital photography as much as I do film. I know that for sure. 6

“I’d feel the urge to take a picture but all I would hear is Dr. Trayes’ voice saying, ‘only two shots for each element…two shots.’”

93Megan Mazza

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Outhouse and Wagon WheelsCountryside Geigertown, PA

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Grandmother and Grandchild on the BeachJourney Ocean City, NJ

(following left)Our Lady of

LourdesCity in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

(following right)Building Against

The SkyJourney

Geigertown, PA

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I don’t know. Film processes have become therapeutic to me. It was what I knew first. Digital was foreign to me, but

film had become second nature.I honestly don’t even know how it

started. My first experience with film—with photography in general—was in high school. Then it followed me into my first three years in college. I lived in that darkroom. I processed, enlarged, and printed old school. The smell of fixer would follow me everywhere, but all I wanted was to keep printing. And then I transferred to Temple. When I arrived, I realized Temple didn’t have a wet darkroom. I took that as a sign that I needed to move forward by learning to work digitally; and I came to terms with the idea that I wouldn’t use film again. Clearly I was wrong.

When this assignment was given, I was a girl with three years of experience in printing, but no darkroom to print in. Dr. Trayes just told us to find access to a film camera and figure out the rest. Some people processed their film with help from photography studios around Philadelphia. I decided that if I was going to scan the negatives to

enlarge them instead of using an actual darkroom, then I was going to process differently too. I was going to develop at home. It’s not a hard thing to do if you know the process and you still have the basic equipment from your prior photography classes. This was different, though. I got to choose what chemicals I wanted and what film to use. Before, all three years, I was supplied with the chemicals and I was told what film to buy. This was the first time ever that I had free reign to do whatever.

My four main concerns were as follows: the time I would need to develop the film perfectly without it

Reed enjoying his extended walkPortraiture

Philadelphia, PA

MILENA CORREDOR

“I decided that if I was going to scan the negatives to enlarge them instead of using an actual darkroom, then I was going to process differently too.”

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UntitledCity in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

99Milena Corredor

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MattPortraiture Philadelphia, PA

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PokeCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

coming out too thin, the light tight conditions to keep the film safe, the dust free environment for the negatives to dry, and—most of all—the time in which I would have to fit the shooting and processing in.

I found the developing time easily enough on digitaltruth.com after picking out my film and chemicals. For the light tight conditions, I taped a tarp over my bathroom, and created a fortress with cardboard on the inside. The dust free conditions consisted of a three feet deep plastic container and string (which didn’t help much). The time was a harder thing to come by. I missed the first film assignment, but it was not by choice. I would never choose to not do film. I find that whenever I shoot it, my mind is eased. Using film is fun to me, as well as a break from the insane due dates in my life. But it is always infinitely rewarding when you see the final product. 6

101Milena Corredor

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GraveyardCountryside Morgantown, PA

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Creek SheepCountryside Morgantown, PA

103Milena Corredor

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Industrial Rail Tracks Journey

Philadelphia, PA

I n terms of capturing a great photograph, film is the cat’s pajamas. It’s not instantly gratifying, easy, or cheap, but

I truly believe that the means and the ends of shooting film really contribute to making a great photo and a great photographer.

My experience with film started only about three semesters ago; I was going to study abroad in Prague, and I wanted to upgrade from my crappy digital point and shoot camera to a DSLR. I couldn’t afford to buy a DSLR outright, and my friend had been shooting film for a while and got great results, so I thought I’d settle on a cheap film SLR off eBay. I was relatively new to photography at the time, but I was very impressed with my results. I’m very glad my first experiences with photography were on film, and although I certainly enjoy some of the benefits of DSLRs today, I still take the majority of my pictures on my old Nikon FE.

When it comes to taking great photographs on film, I think the method is a much bigger contributing factor than the medium itself. Every time I spot something I want to get a shot of

on film, I spend tons of time composing that shot and making sure that it will come out as good as possible. With film you don’t have an unlimited amount of shots and every single shot costs money. With film you are forced to discriminate which shots you want to take, and this discrimination contributes to the best possible end result. Furthermore, every time I take a picture on film, that picture is finite. There’s no way to delete a frame and retake it, and you can’t immediately look at your picture afterwards; you’re stuck with whatever you take and therefore you spend the majority of your time making sure every

OLIVER REW

“…although I certainly enjoy some of the benefits of DSLRs today, I still take the majority of my pictures on my old Nikon FE.”

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“Name of the Game”City in Winter Philadelphia, PA

105Oliver Rew

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Frozen FenceVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

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Kids Playing SportsCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

107Oliver Rew

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Church and Power LinesJourney Philadelphia, PA

shot is just right.Although I believe that the method

of film photography is really what contributes to a great final product, there is something to be said about the physical medium itself. Whenever I am taking photos for personal consumption I prefer film, especially slide film. There is something special and romantic about documenting an image with photo-chemicals that physically exist, as opposed to trival 1’s and 0’s on a memory chip. When I expose a slide, not only am I capturing that moment in the photo chemicals on the slide, but I have a physical object that existed at that time and place. To me, every slide feels like a personal souvenir from that specific moment.

When it came time to complete the assignments for the film projects, I was excited to be using my preferred medium, but anxious about the actual assignments we had to complete. I had the most trouble with the first photo elements assignments; my eye wasn’t used to looking for specific visual elements around me and composing them into a shot. While this assignment proved to be difficult, I felt that afterwards I was a better photographer because I now possessed a new way of thinking. However, from then on all the film assignments went smoothly, albeit the occasional wasted frame. I really enjoyed having a specific subject that I had to photo-chemically record. 6

“When I expose a slide, not only am I capturing that moment in the photo-chemicals on the slide, but I have a physical object that existed at that time and place. To me, every slide feels like a personal souvenir from that specific moment.”

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The Moon and JupiterVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

109Oliver Rew

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Winding Path Countryside

Valley Forge, PA

I was originally trained in film photography. The only real digital work I did was with my little Canon PowerShot,

which I took with me on vacations and field trips. I really developed as a photographer when using film in my last two years of high school, especially when it came to developing and printing.

Ever since I came to Temple University in the fall of 2010 I haven’t touched a roll of film until this past winter. Talk about nostalgia. It was like going back to an old girlfriend – once you’re back together you can’t remember why you broke up with her in the first place. It was just like that until I went to go develop the first roll of film I had shot in almost 2 years, and then I remembered why I broke up with her. All my time in high school, not once did I ever consider how much it cost to develop my film photographs. Christ, I swear I never gripped a penny harder in my life. The joy of photographing, developing and scanning black and white film prints just

wasn’t there anymore now that there was a dollar sign associated with it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the way film looks and I love photographing with my old Vivitar. But I’ve since grown out of my passionate little twelfth-grade self; I now value practicality above all. And let’s face it, there’s hardly any practicality in working with film, not when it costs as much as it does. Spending more than $20 to do a homework assignment is frowned upon in my world. Maybe when I’m older and can afford food and shelter I’ll also be able to take up film again.

Sorry to be such a Scrooge about the whole film thing, walking around Philadelphia with a film camera did offer some good feelings that I seldom feel as

a photojournalism student. For starters, it was nice to know that no one was threatening to steal my shitty

piece of shit little Vivitar – I could just let that puppy hang around my neck like a rusty medal. On my first shoot for the semester, I journeyed to the Ben Franklin Bridge to get some nice

PAUL IMBURGIA

“Christ, I swear I never gripped a penny harder in my life.”

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1777–1778Countryside Valley Forge, PA

111Paul Imburgia

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Chinese chef displays his work in a restaurant windowVisual Elements Philadelphia, PA

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“…this was the first time I was shooting with no regulation, no second opinion, no guardian angel. It felt great. I was the master of my domain.”

(left)James DePersicoJourneyWest Chester, PA

(right)Enzo KerrJourneyWest Chester, PA

aerial shots. Halfway across the bridge I took my first picture; it was there that I remembered that my Vivitar’s light meter was busted. I was introduced to a new, intuitive form of film photography called “spraying and praying.” I mean, I’m no idiot – I know how to interpret light conditions. But this was the first time I was shooting with no regulation, no second opinion, no guardian angel.

It felt great. I was the master of my domain. I developed a new sense of trust in myself because of this film assignment, and though I’m out 30 bucks or so, I can at least say I gained something in return. 6

113Paul Imburgia

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Stopping to Text City in Winter

Philadelphia, PA

T he film project was an interesting adventure for me. I have never used film before, so I went into this

completely blind. I didn’t know where to find film, how to put the film in the camera, or how to develop or scan the negatives. I actually thought that the camera I received had film inside of it already, so I took a good number of “photos” on nothing at all until I was told that I should maybe, you know, put some film in there.

Once I did, things started making a little more sense. I ruined my first roll by opening the back and exposing the undeveloped film to the light. Rookie mistake. I started finding my stride by the second and third rolls, and really began having fun with it. Shooting film is a completely different process than shooting digital. I’m sure everyone already knows this, but I didn’t really get how different it is until I started messing around with film. You think and wait and watch so much more. You have 36 frames to work with, versus whatever you can fit on 2GB or 4GB or 8GB or however much space you have on your memory card. This teaches you

about patience, and how to be just a bit more discerning than you have to be with digital. The “defining moment” is definitely something a bit more elusive, I think.

Overall, I really do like the look of film. Even though many of my frames didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to, so many of them turned out even better than expected. Not because I did a particularly good job, but because the fine bit of dust and scratches, the texture just lent themselves to the mood and feeling of the photograph. There’s a lot to be said for that, and I think film is very tangible not just in the fact that the results aren’t bound to a computer, but the images themselves have such a tangible air to them.

Someday, when I have an actual amount of money, I’ll buy myself a film camera and have fun with it. And maybe, someday after that, I’ll figure out what the heck I’m doing and take some nice photographs. Until then, what I learned from this experience has been enough to pique my interest in film and teach me a bit about what different media have to offer.

SAMANTHA GRAY

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Appletree StreetCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

115Samantha Gray

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Darcy rests in our kitchenJourney Birdsboro, PA

“…I took a good number of ‘photos’ on nothing at all until I was told that I should maybe, you know, put some film in there.”

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A Path in the WoodsJourney Birdsboro, PA

“…I think film is very tangible not just in the fact that the results aren’t bound to a computer, but the images themselves have such a tangible air to them.”

117Samantha Gray

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Ben Franklin Bridge Journey

Philadelphia, PA

W hile explaining this semester-long project to a friend, he asked me, “why

would anyone shoot film when they could just shoot digital?” My answer to him was simply, “you can’t be a great photographer if you’ve never had the chance to shoot film.”

A few months ago, having never worked with film, I would have probably sided with my friend, agreeing that this is a digital age, and therefore film is obsolete and unnecessary. The second I shot my first roll of film, that thinking all changed for me. The world looks so much different through the lens of a film camera, and that feeling of the unknown—not knowing whether or not your shot even turned out—is both unnerving and exhilarating.

My first big run-in with trouble was before I even got my first roll of film processed. The problem was: where do I even get this processed quickly? I shot with C41 process black and white film, and thought that I could drop it off at Rite Aid, which I did, only to find out the next day that they did not have the right equipment to process it. An hour

and 12 phone calls later, I was hit with the fact that no drugstores in the area would be able to process it quickly.

I was eventually able to get it processed, but because I was using very old film, my images didn’t all turn out exactly how I would have liked. I continued using expired film for the next few projects, and learned how to use it with my camera, adjusting my aperture and shutter speed accordingly to compensate for the high contrast and grain.

Working with film has really taught me the importance of getting the shot in one, maybe two at the most, frames. With digital cameras, we have all grown so accustomed to shooting hundreds —even thousands—of images in one outing. With film, you have 36 images before you need to reload. It really makes you consider what is important, and when to fire that shutter.

I have also found that it is easier to walk around with a film camera, and photograph people. With its slim body and small 50mm lens, my film camera is a lot less intrusive than my digital camera, and because it is not worth thousands of dollars, I find it easier to bring out in

THERESA REGAN

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(left)This Is The Name of My Photo21 December 2012 Assignment Philadelphia, PA

(right)This Is The Name of My Photo21 December 2012 Assignment Philadelphia, PA

ShanePortraiture Philadelphia, PA

119Theresa Regan

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PennyJourney Philadelphia, PA

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My Sister and I, 100 Feet TallCountryside Philadelphia, PA

situations where I may not bring out my DSLR.

I think there is a lot you can learn about yourself as a photographer by working with film. It is up to you to do all the work, where with digital, you can rely heavily on the automatic camera. I think it is important for everyone to get behind the lens of a 35mm camera at least once. We’ll never get the kind of experience the great photographers of the past had if we only stick to digital cameras.

121Theresa Regan

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RootsCountryside Philadelphia, PA

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First Signs of SpringCity in Winter Philadelphia, PA

123Theresa Regan

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