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by Kevin Lane
I actually snickered as I thought up the title of UJC Podcast #84. After all, I can remember all the way back to the early 1980's when I bought my first 35mm film camera (a Minolta XG-1 with a Rokkor 45mm f2 lens) how camera store sales people routinely reminded customers that "photography was an expensive hobby. Things haven't changed much since then, given the prices of today's mirrorless and DSLR cameras and associated gear. I am aware that if the prices of film cameras back in the 1980's are adjusted to reflect inflation, they likely would be priced similarly. And then there's all the film you would need to feed your camera with. Those sales people were right. Photography is an expensive hobby.
However, it is possible these days to save money by shooting film. After all, most of the vintage film cameras we shoot today can be purchased at much less than what they would be if they were new, and film, while more expensive than it once was, still remains a good value when the prices are adjusted for inflation. Throw in the saving you could have by self-developing your film and either making scans or prints in the darkroom or with an inkjet printer, and you could make photography a much less expensive hobby than it was back in the day.
Yet, for most of us, photography of any sort is non-essential expense. A luxury really, if you consider it. Those of us with tight budgets should be open to ways to shoot film and yet save money, no matter how unlikely that sounds. And by "ways to shoot film and yet save money," I'm not talking about the obvious idea of selling expensive gear and using cheaper gear, nor do I mean shooting cheaper film. Wayne, who suggested this topic and crafted the talking points that made their way into UJC Podcast #84, suggests some excellent ideas on how modifying our shooting habits can result in reducing costs. I've got a feeling that they also could make us better photographers as well. I hope Wayne's ideas are of benefit to you. You can find Wayne outline below.
Show #84 actually begins with a recap of a truly monumental experience Wayne and I had earlier this month, The Great Film Photo Meetup. A group of twenty-five film photographers from no less than seven states gathered in Chattanooga, Tennessee on 9-10 August for a weekend of scenic photography and conversation, and much was fun was had by all. The event was successful in every way, and it likely will happen again at another location in 2026. Stay tuned.
Here are four images that Wayne made with his Noblex 6/150 panoramic camera and printed in his home darkroom.
Lastly, listener Ryan is in an ongoing quest to adapt an LED light source to his enlarger, and he has an update to share with us. Thanks to Ryan for taking the time to write to us. Listener feedback like his keep Wayne and I motivated to keep making more podcast shows, and we would love to hear from you. If you have made it this far in reading the show notes, you likely have something to say to us that could benefit our listeners and make our show better. You can reach us at unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com, or you can post comments on our on Facebook and Instagram pages.
Until next time, Happy Photography!
How To Make Your Photographic Dollar Go Further:
Take Fewer, But Better, Pictures
- Be One with your gear
- Be comfortable with the operation of your camera
- Know where all controls are, and how to adjust them without looking
- Know how to properly load and unload film
- Know the abilities and limitations of your lenses
- Field of view
- Perspective
- Sharpness
- Contrast
- Vignetting
- Quality of out of focus area
- Photograph with intent
- Slow Down
“When I wait and look and listen I make different photographs than when I scurry around looking and searching with a proactive approach.” ~Brooks Jensen
- Look, Explore, Respond, Detach
- Look, but don’t search: Keep an open eye, and mind
“When I wait and look and listen, I make different photographs than when I scurry around looking and searching with a proactive approach.” ~Brooks Jensen
- Take a few minutes to get a feel for the place
- What grabs you attention
- Look around some more
- Explore: Look at your subject from all angles
“I just walk around, observing the subject from various angles until the picture elements arrange themselves into a composition that pleases my eye.” ~Andre Kertesz
“The first impression of a new subject is not necessary the best. Seen from a different angle or under different condition it might look even better. ~”Andreas Feininger
- Respond:
- Where does the camera need to be (think three-dimensionally)
- What lens do you need for the composition and perspective you want
- Is the light right
- Are there distracting elements
- Detach: Try to separate from your initial emotional response and look objectively
- Don’t feel invested in a shot
- If something just isn’t working, ask yourself why
- Can you “fix” it?
- Can you return under better conditions?
- Don’t feel obligated to photograph
- III.Be proficient in the craft
- Get to know your film
- Sharpness
- Contrast
- Grain
- Reciprocity failure
- How they handle push and pull developing
- Processing
- Find your “go-to” developer
- Special purpose developers
- Be consistent
- IV.Review
- Good photographs are seen in the mind's eye before the shutter is tripped, but they are made in the darkroom. For it is the final stage of photography -in the production of negative and print- that the creative vision is realized in a picture meant to be looked at, admired, perhaps honored. ~Anonymous
To convey in the print the feeling you experienced when you exposed your film - to walk out of the darkroom and say: "This is it, the equivalent of what I saw and felt!". That's what it's all about. ~John Sexton
- Let your prints/scans “age” a week or to and look at them with a critical eye
- Re-print/process ones that you feel can be improved
