Author: Madison Hyer

Interview: Carl Fehres

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” I absolutely love the process of shooting film, not seeing the results for days or even weeks.  I love the slower pace of manually focusing and the limit of photos per roll causing me to really think about every frame, every image before I press the shutter button.” Carl is a really talented portrait photographer out of Houston, TX. His polaroid work is the best I’ve seen and his other incredible work uses several other cameras including a Mamiya RZ67, Pentax 67II, and Leica M6. His website can be found here. JM – Why do you shoot film? CF – Man, how do I answer that… There’s so much I love about shooting film.  I love that I’m getting the look I’ve been wanting with almost no editing after I get the images back from the lab. I absolutely love the process of shooting film, not seeing the results for days or even weeks.  I love the slower pace of manually focusing and the limit of photos per roll causing me to really think …

Interview: Nevin Johnson

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“I want to make photographs that inspire people. I want to be an inspiration for those who have 9-5 jobs and can’t be travel photographers.” Nevin’s work is an exceptional example of just how beautiful the east coast can be. His work includes film photography, digital photography, as well as some drone work. If you didn’t know he was just recently get into film, you would never know. His instagram account can be found here. JM – Why do you shoot film?  NJ – This is a tough question to answer. Like most people my age, I learned the basics of photography on digital cameras. It wasn’t until later on that I picked up my first film camera. By that time, I had seen a lot of really good film work. The tones, the colors, and the variation between film stocks is what really got me interested in film. The added challenge of shooting a finite number of shots mixed with the style that one can achieve using film is what attracted me to shooting …

Experiment 2: Kodak Portra 160 vs. Portra 400 vs. Portra 800

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This article is going to compare Kodak films Portra 160, Portra 400, and Portra 800. For exposure testing data on Portra 400, Portra 400 shot and developed at 800, Portra 800, and 8 other film stocks, please refer to this article. For an additional reference of Portra 400 shot and developed at 800, please refer to this article. To ensure consistency throughout the experiment, all of the shots were taken using the exact same camera/lens combo. To accomplish this, 3 different film backs were used, each loaded with a different Kodak Portra film. The control conditions were as follows: Camera: Mamiya 645 Pro TL Lenses: 80mm f/2.8 N, 150mm f/3.5 N, 300mm f/5.6 N-ULD Lighting (Portrait Only): 2 Profoto B1X with diffusers Light Meter: LUMU Light Meter iPhone app All films were developed at a local lab here in Columbus, OH and scanned at home using an Epson v600. All provided images were the converted negatives straight from the scanner software included with the v600. Results As perhaps could have been expected, I didn’t prefer …

Review: Kodak Portra 160

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To see reviews of the other films in the Portra family, go here for Portra 400 and here for Portra 800. To see a more formal comparison of Portra 160 with the other two members of the Portra family (Experiment 2), go here. In all honesty, I have a love-hate relationship with Portra 160. Every roll I’ve shot through is almost entirely full of shots I don’t much care for if not some of my least favorite I’ve ever taken. That said… The shots on a roll that I like are some of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken. So where do you go from here? I would really like to shoot through some rolls in a studio environment where I have much more control of the lighting. Perhaps there I will have more consistently desirable results… Color Compared with the other two films in the Portra family, it is by and large the least saturated when properly exposed. Even slightly overexposed and it gets a sort of a nasty looking warm tint to the …

Review: Kodak Portra 800

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To see Portra 800 exposure tested, follow this link. As a reference for Portra 400 shot at 800, follow this link. To see a more formal comparison of Portra 800 with the other two members of the Portra family (Experiment 2), go here. I waited far too long to really give Portra 800 a fair shake. The main reason was the price – coming in at $15 more expensive for a pro pack of 120 and half again the price of a roll of 35mm, I considered more of a luxury than something I would regularly shoot. A couple months ago I caved and picked up a pro pack of both 120 and 35mm in order to write a review on it. I can honestly say that I won’t be defaulting to Portra 400 any longer. The colors of 800 are fantastic. The colors are quite punchy and given the additional speed from 400, the grain structure is minimal and pleasing. Color Much like Portra 400, this film stock is great for shooting portraits. The …

Interview: Seth Gaffar

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“I think the big change I have noticed since moving to shooting film is striving to make more authentic images…” Seth’s work is incredibly interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who has such tasteful first of the roll shots or light leaks. Much of his work is based on coastal living and captures a life that inspires. I love his work and look forward to hearing what he has to say about film photography. His instagram account can be found here. JM – Why do you shoot film? SG – I shoot film for the love of the process and the challenge. I know a lot of people talk about quality or the archival aspect but I just love the whole process of shooting film so much more than digital. I feel that with film you really focus on every shot; there is no looking at the back of a screen to take you out of the moment… JM – What is your favorite film?  Camera? SG – I think my original love …

Interview: Gabriel Maldonado

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“Film is alive and no matter how much you plan, it’s going to do what its going to do.” Gabriel is an amazing portrait photographer out in Orange County, CA. His work is really unique and quite engrossing. I highly suggest you check out his instagram and website. JM – Why do you shoot film? GM – I couldn’t afford a full frame digital and I really wanted to start photography after doing video for so long. Then I asked myself why do I want to shoot digital when I’m just going to try and copy the look and feel of film in post. Well we all know you can NEVER copy the look and feel of film.  JM – What is your favorite film?  Camera? GM – Hate to sound cliché but it works and it’s never failed me. PORTRA 400. I’ve tried others and the only one that has come close to the love I have for portra is Cinestill 800t. GM – My favorite camera is my current most recent acquisition, a …

Interview: Gareth Morton

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“Film feels random and organic and beautiful. I love how different films have different qualities…” Gareth Morton is a film photographer based in the U.K.. His work is quite strong and he is quite humble about it. You should check out his website and/or instagram. Recently he started The Ten Shot Project with Rick Davy in which they post ten shots with one theme from one photographer. Please check out the website and instagram. JM – Why do you shoot film? GM – This would have to be the first question, ha. It’s one of those that I find most difficult to articulate an answer for. Firstly, it would have to be the aesthetic qualities of film. The colour palette that certain films give as well as the natural grain structure, a by product of the silver in the emulsion. Film feels random and organic and beautiful. I love how different films have different qualities like more or less contrast, more or less saturation, different colour qualities and the way negative film renders from the …

Montréal: New City, New Film – Cinestill BWXX

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Soon after our trip to Banff, AB (color and B&W), we went to Montréal, QC for my birthday. I shot through roll Ektar when I arrived and picked up a roll of Cinestill BWXX for myself for my birthday. Unfortunately the weather was not so favorable and you can tell. So much so that a long hike from the city center to the top of Mount Royal resulted in a beautiful view of grey fog. I shot through most of the roll in the poor weather only to see it clear up as I went through my last few shots. Nevertheless, the moody weather felt right for a cinematic film. Acros and T-Max 400 As mentioned before, I shot through some other film and I honestly liked the results from them a bit more than the Cinestill. Still though… It’s good to try out some new stuff.

Interview: Christopher Hamberger

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“There is an honesty to film.  Almost all of the decisions to be made in the resulting image happen before or during the shot when you shoot film…” Chris is a talented film photographer located in Kentucky, USA. His work ranges in style and content but the quality is consistently high. Not long ago he started up the Film Community Map which if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should straight away. JM: Why do you shoot film? CH: There is an honesty to film.  Almost all of the decisions to be made in the resulting image happen before or during the shot when you shoot film; whereas in digital there is so much that goes into editing and post.  I suppose I’d describe film as akin to a documentary whereas digital is more “based-on-a-true-story,” full of dramatic exaggeration. JM: What is your favorite film?  Camera? CH: I can never pick one!  But I’ve narrowed it down to two:  Portra 160 and Cinestill 800T. Portra 160 is one of the most versatile films I’ve …