Enjoying the Process

I haven’t shot a roll of film in months. I shot some back in February I believe, and I was really unhappy with how they turned out. Work and life changes also took up a good deal of my time; I suppose it was a creative drought in regards to my photography too. Film is also just really expensive, and recently I’ve found the process of developing and scanning more frustrating than anything else. However, I recently moved back to Toronto and I always feel particularly inspired during the late Spring / early Summer. The trees start to reveal themselves and create a stunning contrast to the diverse architecture of the city, and the long evenings provide lots of opportunity for beautiful lighting.

Kodak Gold 200

The first half of this roll, I shot up north in the Haliburton Highlands, but those photos will be shared at a later date. I still had half a roll when I returned to the city, so over the course of the last two weeks I’ve spent a couple of evenings wandering around looking for great photos. I think I learned my lesson with the roll previous to this one, in which I was rushing through it, always a step behind the lighting conditions, and just not confident in the compositions. That previous shoot was a failure, largely because of the pressure I put on myself. It’s difficult; I really didn’t want to ruin two rolls of 120 film. With this roll I really just tried to enjoy my walk first and foremost, and let the images present themselves. I was still very selective with when I would fire off a shot, but it paid off. I feel like with every roll I’m taking note of the ratio in relation to number of exposures to number of usable photos, and the more selective and patient I am, the better that ratio is. There were still a few exceptions on this roll that aren’t great, but there’s far more that I’m happy with than those that I’m not.

The Smoking Man and the Green Window - Kodak Gold 200

After editing the scans (developed and scanned by C-41 Film Lab) I noticed that the colour red is present in many of the buildings I photographed. This wasn’t intentionally done while I was shooting, but I do think the red colour of old brick is particularly interesting to photograph. Because of the trees in full bloom, the reds are very nicely contrasted by earthy green hues (luckily not Christmas green), which work very well together.

Skeleton in the Sun Room - Kodak Gold 200

Before I wrap this up, I’ll share a mildly embarrassing story that could have been far worse. After finishing the roll and going to wind it inside my camera, the take up reel was getting jammed and something was definitely wrong. The exposure counter was stuck at 6 and I couldn’t wind any more, so I figured I had finished winding up the roll. You can tell it’s been a long time since I shot, because when the roll is fully wound, the take up reel spins free. In my case, there was still tension. Unfortunately I cracked open the camera to see the film out in the open, and that was enough to burn some of my photos. Luckily, the leak only affected a couple photos from the beginning of my roll, which were probably the least valued to me. I would have been really upset if I’d ruined these images because I am very happy with some of them. I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again.

Underneath the Bridge - Kodak Gold 200

I’m doing a terrible job with staying consistent on this website, but I just haven’t quite figured it out yet. Regardless, check out these new photos. Have a good night. - Ben

New Year, New Format - My Introduction to Medium Format

I began my analog film journey in 2021 with the purchase of a used Canon A-1 from Vancouver, BC. I put a lot of rolls through that camera; trying new film stocks, making lots of mistakes, getting angry with the scanning process… eventually I became interested in medium format. Medium format refers to 120 film, which simply put, is a larger negative than 35mm. A larger negative means less frames per roll of film, but a larger resolution and aspect ratio compared to 35mm.

Just over a month ago I was browsing Facebook marketplace for medium format cameras, and a beautiful Mamiya 645 Super appeared on my screen. It looked mint. It looked like the camera the analog photography YouTuber’s used (because it is). The temptation ate at me for days, until I knew I had to do something about it. The camera was 20 minutes away from me, I had to at least go and see it with my own eyes. So, one Sunday morning I drove out to the sellers house, I entered his home which was filled with analog film cameras and accessories, and I laid my eyes on one of the most beautiful cameras I’d ever seen. It was heavy, and slick with a matte black finish. It felt of quality, and of an era of photography that had since passed. The camera seemed special, but was it worth the price? It was with bitterness that I declined to purchase the camera. I couldn’t believe it. I left the sellers house and proceeded to sit in my truck in shock for a good 10 minutes, pondering what felt like a terrible sense of regret. So… I went back. I made a deal, and the Mamiya came home with me that day.

I was lucky enough to have a friend who lent me the complete set of Mamiya 645 lenses. The camera and lenses sat around in a box for about a month before I finally got to use them for the first time - the result of both anxiety and the holiday season. However, one morning I woke up to discover incredible layer of fog covering the entire landscape. I knew this was the ideal time to finally test this camera out. In most cases, a photographer would test their new camera system in their home or studio, but with the cost of film these days, I’m not wasting a single frame. Luckily I had practiced loading and turning on the camera a couple of days prior, so I was able to load my roll of Ilford Hp5 and sprint outside to start capturing some shots. I had a good sense of where I wanted to go, as I had shot this location a couple of times before with my digital camera in far less dramatic circumstances. This allowed me to make the most of the fog before it cleared.

It was definitely a challenge getting used to the specific prism viewfinder, especially being confident about focus. I’m mostly happy with the focal point of my images, save for one of my Grandma’s dog in which I missed sharps on his eyes and instead got his chest and front paws. That one hurt. But many of the others, especially those of the decrepit house, I am very satisfied.

Scanning medium format was what I was most curious about, specifically the clarity of the negative. I’m happy to say that it is much higher in detail than my 35mm scans, however I’m still not totally satisfied. I use an Epson V600 flatbed scanner, and I seem to always run into issues with its performance. The plastic film-holding trays which come with the scanner are quite frankly terrible. They’re flimsy and it seems that they impact the focus range of the scanner in-relation to the negative, resulting in less-than-optimal sharpness. I’m going off mostly from what others have said in the research I’ve conducted, and it seems the answer is: spend more money.

So, I may potentially purchase a third-party film holder or a piece of anti-newton ring glass, but I have to admit it feels like there’s always another step to the process if you want optimal results, when it feels as if I should already have them. Experimentation is part of the fun though, and it will be interesting to see if a new tray and glass do in-fact improve the sharpness of the scans.

Moving forward for the rest of 2023, I plan on improving my photography by challenging myself with new conceptual shoots that will hopefully produce more thought-provoking imagery. My style is slowly coming into its own, and I’m determined to see it evolve into something more distinguishable.

Another one of my goals for the year is to use this website more. I’m going to be sharing my new work in the form of these blog posts with written pieces to supplement the images, functioning as a chronicle of my experiences and a reflection of my work. I’m looking forward to it.

- Ben Harley