Let's do this again: 35mm, Roll 1
Photos by Herman Yung
Minimal cleanup here. I just wanted to get these scans done and over with. After a 10-year hiatus, I shot my very first roll of 35mm film this past week, making good use of the new-old Canon A-1 I acquired recently. While enjoyable in the shooting phase, the post development process reminded me way too quickly of why I gave up 35mm film so long ago. When considering all the factors -- time x cost x quality -- the results are rather disappointing (it's nearly impossible to get the quality I want at the price point that makes sense, especially if I want to shoot more. And the more I shoot, the more time I spend digitizing the work). I guess I sort of forgot that in my excitement to load a camera with film again (I still like that part). Medium format and large format 4x5? That's where my heart is. Not this 35mm film crap. After my first roll back, I'm ready to leave it again. What a waste of time.
I will say this however: There was something inherently soothing about shooting with a camera that had so many limitations compared to my DSLR. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is the shutter count. I tend to be trigger happy on my DSLR knowing that I can very easily trash the garbage shots later. And with storage becoming ever so cheap, it's easier and easier to just shoot to fill a card. With a roll of film at 36 exposures? Not so much. I really did miss being calculated about my judgements on exposure, setting, crop, and focus. It felt nice for a change from the rapid-fire pace of digital photography.
Here are a few frames from that first roll. I've got another roll loaded right now which I will develop. And then I'm going to shoot a roll of 35mm BW. Then it's the end I think. I want my 4x5 camera back. :(
Shooting on the Canon A-1
Day 01 of my return to film is almost under my belt. I'm taking extreme caution to not be trigger-happy -- a problem I often find myself having while shooting digital. So far today, I've shot 7 frames, a pretty good number I think for a day's work.
Anyway, I got a pretty great deal on this Canon A-1 and with it were two fantastic lenses. Right now, I'm shooting on a 50mm f/1.8 FD lens. Pretty darn sharp and the camera is quite lovely to use. It's a little more robust than the Yashica I used back in middle school when I first started shooting film (I really wanted to find that camera...) but I do have an affinity for all the manual dials and controls. I wish my digital was more like this to be honest.
Here's a couple of photos.
