Introduction

Change and transition is a millennial's comfort zone. As a kid, I remember installing Dune II on MS-DOS from a stack of 3.5" floppies. In grade school, cell phones were a rare sight and payphones were on every corner; by high school, Nokia 3390s were ubiquitous, and by the time I graduated college practically everyone was glued to their smart phones. During the same period of time, from the 90's to the 00's, the standard format for photography rapidly transitioned from film to digital.

Call it hyperbolic, but the mass production of the compact, inexpensive digital image sensor revolutionized visual storytelling. It did so by democratizing photography. The revolution was initiated by the sale of compact and affordable digital cameras that produced high quality images. The digital storage of images meant you could take practically infinite images with little consequence and the implementation of automatic exposure modes made photography instantly accessible. The term "point-and-shoot" appropriately captures this emergent accessibility; today, cell phone cameras represent the peak of the democratization of photography. All made possible by the obsolescence of the film mechanism.

I took one photography class in college: Photography 101. Unexpectedly, it was one of the most difficult and time consuming classes I took. The class required us to shoot in monochrome 35mm film and we had to develop and print our own shots in the darkroom. The digital revolution was well underway at this time and I owned a Canon Rebel XT, my first digital SLR. The class felt as if it was stuck between contemporaneous appropriateness and anachronism: the glory days of film were still around but in rapid decline; the glory days of digital were being realized but not quite actualized. I spent many late nights in the darkroom. I find film photography and development satisfying and meditative. I am grateful for having the opportunity to feel this firsthand before the sun set on the golden age of film.

Film photography is making a small comeback thanks to a cult following by a group of folks who wouldn't let go, who were driven by the process, by the aesthetic, by the cathartic feeling of pulling back on the film advance lever before taking the next shot. The amount of effort we put into simulating film aesthetics (Instagram, Fujifilm's film simulations, VSCO) may seem ironic, but it is no surprise given the sterile faithfulness to reality found in the output of digital imaging sensors. If you want soul and grit, pick up a 35mm film camera, load it up with some film, and start shooting.

Ready to join the retro movement? Let's get going.

Getting Started - Camera, Lens, Film

There are a lot of different film formats and types of film cameras. I'm going to focus on the 35mm format because it's the most common format and frankly I don't know much about the other film sizes. To get started shooting 35mm film, all you need is a 35mm SLR camera, a lens that fits the camera, and a roll of film. You can find 35mm film cameras in pawn shops, retro camera stores, and online pretty easily. I recommend getting an older, simple body with minimal features between $100-200, such as the Canon AE-1. The lens is where things get tricky, because you need to find a lens that will mount to your camera. If you can, buy the camera + lens together. I bought my Canon AE-1 with an FD 50mm f/1.8 attached. Drop a comment if you have a question about this and need help.

50mm is a great starting focal length for a street photography lens as it is considered a "normal" lens, I.E., a lens which produces images equivalent in perspective to the human eye. 50mm lenses are also cheap and widely available for most camera systems. 35mm is my favorite street focal length because I like to get closer to my subjects. Either will work well, and in any case you shouldn't spend a ton of money on the lens either; $100-200 or less.

Film. Film! Time to get excited... and confused. There are innumerable flavors of 35mm film and it's hard to choose. I'm not going to write a guide and which film to buy - here are a few from Petapixel, SLR Lounge, and Katie at Curating Cuteness. I'll provide a few tips. Start with 400 ISO film, as it's quite versatile. Color is good to start with because you'll get a taste of those sexy film color tones when you get your negatives back. This is going to come across as strange advice, but I'd get a 24-exposure roll rather than a 36 if you're just starting out. Honestly, a lot of your pictures are not going to come out well and you need to learn what you're doing wrong right away. Finishing a roll quickly will get you there.

If you find all of this confusing, you can get help at your local retro camera store. I don't know where you live, but an example out in San Francisco is Glass Key Photo. You could actually go shop there and walk out of the store with everything you need to shoot, plus you're in San Francisco which has some excellent spots for street photography.

Film Photography on the Street

The democratization of photography has, I think, diminished the allure of some aspects of street photography to the general public. Interesting or unique moments are constantly captured, recorded and streamed by the cameras in our pockets. The photographer, then, must see the street as a canvas and find ways to capture the street as art; to apply their own vision, to evoke thought in their audience, to find untouched corners of the city to uncover. Hold on though - before you get there you need to learn how to use your new film camera!

First things first, you need to load your film. Consult YouTube for this - a video tutorial beats all other ways (except someone showing you in person of course). Here's a video on loading film into a Canon AE-1. If you don't load your film correctly, you'll probably lose the whole roll, so pay close attention to the instructions. Next, set the film ASA on your exposure dial if your camera has a meter. The ASA value should match the ASA/ISO value of your film. Film loaded, ASA set - you're good to go. Oh, I like to tear off the identifying flap on the film box and put it into the holder on the back of the camera. Yes, that's what that little box is for.

Street photography is technically challenging, and since you can't review your film images in real time the feedback loop for correcting error takes a while. I will not be writing out a guide to street photography here because I don't consider myself an expert at it. Since my Canon AE-1 is manual focus and I prefer to shoot in fully manual exposure mode, I will often preset exposure, zone focus, and wait for the right moment to materialize. Proactive rather than reactive. Look, it's going to be hard, and you're going to miss a lot of shots. But you're going to become a better photographer, you're going to learn to be patient, and you're going to learn to see the street like few people have learned to see it. It's worth it.

Here are some guides to street photography: Digital Photography School, Eric Kim, Expert Photography. Another way to learn is to study the work of great street photographers. I am inspired by Vivian Maier, Ted Croner, Louis Faurer, Robert Frank, Jonas Rask, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Lisette Model, to name a few. Please think about the ethics of street photography a bit before you go out and hone your technique. Also make sure you understand the photography laws of any country you end up in, including your own.

The Final Product - Developing Film

OK, you've wrapped up a roll of Instagram-worthy shots, and now you need to make them real. I mail all of my film to The Darkroom because they will develop the film, scan the images and upload them onto a file share for access, and mail you back your negatives. You could probably do this at your local Walgreens, CVS, or Costco, but you won't get your negatives back.

When you get back your first roll of film, first, be proud. Shooting film is challenging and it's a commitment to slowing down, something we all struggle with in our digitally driven lives. Next, be ready for a little disappointment. A lot of your shots are going to be blurry, underexposed, overexposed, etc. It's okay. You're shooting manual focus, manual exposure, and you have no way to review your shots in real time. Take note of the mistakes you've made. Realize that taking your time to visualize the shot and moment is often the best way to improve your keeper rate. Now get back out there and shoot. Feel the city, chase the light, watch the people as they come and go. Uncover the lesser known, see what has not been seen, and take the time to capture it all.

Street Photography with 35mm Film: A Beginner's Guide

Introduction

Getting Started - Camera, Lens, Film

Film Photography on the Street

The Final Product - Developing Film