The Home of the Hybrid Photographer

Hey all, been busy here at LIDF lately, getting a special preset collection made to help XeLerate all digital Lightroom workflows. Well, I need a break from the technical of digital, film, scanning and Lightroom. So I am going to finally do something I have been meaning to for a while.

Today I want to introduce everyone to a photographer whose work has made a deep impact on me, and has been affecting my personal projects quite a bit of late. This is not a profile on the photographer, that may come later; for now this is simply a presentation of his work he has shared with the public.

Today I would like to ask you to take a few moments and reflect upon some of my favorite photos by Nick Shere (@kukkurovaca on Twitter). Nick is primarily a film photographer, as you can see from his body of work, but can also weild a DSLR with equal style.

Nick’s work of most interest to me is his unique urban landscapes and his street photography. Follow along with me as I take a look at a few of his photos from the past year that make a particular impact on me.

Nimitz Construction 

Koni-Omega Rapid // Koni-Omega Hexanon 60mm f/5.6

Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to EI 1600

THis image shows what Nick easily accomplishes that I often strive for. Extraordinary in the ordinary. This image is one that many would simply pass by, not giving the scene a second thought. Here Nick created an image that creates great tension through great utilization of unique textures along with a series of converging lines drawing your eye right to the center of the image. An otherwise mundane scene, that would have unlikely worked in color, is transformed into an image of interest through great composition and the choice of black and white film, which removes the distraction of color and forces you to only consider the composition and textures within. The Tri-X film provided smooth tones with good contrast, pushing the film provided the additional shutter speed to freeze the moment, while the Koni-Omega (being medium format) allows for the push while still retaining a reasonably fine grain.

Church (IR)

Nikkromat FT-2 // 2.8cm f/3.5 H

Efke IR820 Aura exposed at EI 3

When creating an image on infrared film, choice of subject is important. You want to get a good contrast in the image, while making sure that you have something in frame that makes the IR effect bloom. Nick’s composition here is simple and straight forward. The church rides on the left third, the tree on the right third. The road at the bottom rises at an angle, leading you eye right up the tree branch into the infrared glow. A simple image, but with simple comes elegance. The angle of light in the frame further enhances the image, creating brightness in the shadow area that is the church, which primarily serves as a good backdrop for the beauty of the tree interpreted on infrared film. The interplay of highlights and shadows contributes to the image as much as the composition itself. One could argue that the expose could be more dead on, but the exposure presented showcased the unique aspect of the film well, and when shooting IR you have to always keep in mind the essence of your medium and utilize it.

Flood Control Station, Sunset

Voigtlander Bessa R // Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7

Kodak Portra 160NC Expired

Another one of those shots that is easy to pass by, however Nick saw it and conquered. The lighting of the day lend toward enhancing the water that rules the bottom two thirds of the frame. The reflection of the tree adds content to the otherwise spartan face of the water and the light provides a smooth gradient from bright white to deep blue. The structures across the top and right of the frame use their angular nature to move your eye to the primary subject of the image, the hose snaking through the water, with its diverging line causing your eyes to snake right along with it from the top to the bottom. An amazing image.

Rainy Morning Commute

Olympus XA

Portra 160NC

A unique take on street photography, from inside a vehicle to the outside, depicting the platform and rainy weather outside. The image conveys the feeling of dry warmth on the inside, while allowing the cold, wet environment of the outside seep through. The image captures the passengers going about their activities; drinking coffee, reading and apparently simply fidgeting. The rain streaked glass blurs away the people trying to stay dry outside… you can almost feel them shivering. The choice of film for this application helped to make a very natural feel, helping you to further immerse yourself in the scene.

Lightning

Koni-Omega Rapid

Kodak Portra 400VC

One look and ask yourself, would you have taken the shot considering the light? Nick did, and with great timing created a great image.At first you might think that the woman in the steps is the subject, but I would disagree. To me, the subject is the streak of light running across the frame. Most of the image is pure black, with less than a tenth of the image actually lit. A lit sign, person and some flare. That is the content of the light breaking the firmament of darkness. An unconventional image the impress thoroughly.

Welcome to Ferry Plaza

Nikkormat FT-2 // 50mm f/1.4 S

Kodak Portra 400VC

Street photography can be a technical skill, but to me it is more about conveying the feeling of a time and place, much like photojournalism. That is not to say that composition is not a prime component of street photography, it is simply more important to capture the moment. The mix of people and activity, the bridge spanning the top of the frame, all leads to a very interesting photo. What I believe makes this image special to me is the sign dominating the left of the frame, clearly announcing to the viewer exactly where they are and what they are viewing. Even have a photographer hiding behind the sign taking an image of her own at the same time. A simple moment captured, allowing the view to further extrapolate upon what is occurring at and beyond this single moment. Nick captured the essence of street photography here in my opinion.

Tourist Crossing

Bessa R // Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5

Kodak Portra 400VC

Another prime example of what I like in street photography. At first glance the image is mundane, but as you take in the atmosphere, notice the subtle complexity of composition, you can start to appreciate the moment frozen in time. Much like the previous picture, the image conveys feeling and location well. And the natural color palette of the Portra 400 VC lends the feeling of reality, allowing the view to be swept away into the scene. Simplicity sometimes can create excellence, and in my opinion that stands through here.

Long Halloween

 Voigtlander Bessa R // Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7

Kodak Portra 160NC

Verging away from both street and landscape, this image is simply a still life. This is a prime example of choosing an interesting subject. The collapse jack o lantern and aged furniture create a homely feel, especially when framed against the rather modest home. The interplay of light and shadow add to the complexity and the reflections in the mirror even convey, slightly, the presence of the photographer. As you view Nick’s work you come to understand he really has an eye to make the ordinary something more. A large part of a photographers job is to choose interesting subjects and Nick is a master of finding interest in the mundane. 

Limits

Bessa R // Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5

Kodak Portra 160VC

Here Nick deftly combines both his natural feel for street photography with his take on urban landscapes and throws in a healthy does of “fine art” to boot. I could go on about how technically perfect the image is, the great choice of film for great colors, but that would be excessive. Quite simply this image is pure composition. It would work in any photographic medium; digital, film, color, black and white, 35mm, large format and even instant film. It is a composition of such complexity, with the added benefit of great timing that pulls a simple photo from the ranks of snapshot to a once in a lifetime image. The lines in the image are all straight, riging either the horizontal or vertical, with little diagonals present. The textures of the image come together to prove a sense of real depth. A splash of green upon rather earthy tones helps the image come to life. Col. Sanders is also dressed quite dapper for the photo. But the real subject here is the sculpture and the man seeming to walk into it, as if entering a portal. This image is magic and transcends technique and art… it simply is.

Hopefully you found my selections from Nick’s Flickr stream of interest. Don’t stop here, jump over to his Flickr stream and actually take a stroll through his body of work. There are other great nuggets to be found, especially some of his avian photography. I chose only his film shots here on purpose, both because Nick primarily shoots film and because I really wanted some of you to see what film can still accomplish. Hopefully seeing some of Nick’s work has given you a bit more appreciation for the capabilities of the film media.

For more from Nick Shere, take a look at some of his ongoings around the web:

On Twitter: @kukkurovaca - A great follow, especially if you are into scathing wit.

On Flickr: Kukkurovaca

On the Web at Large:

nickshere.com

I Can See it For You Wholesale 

1/125

Hope you all enjoyed the change of pace!

Michael

[Image scanned by ScanCafe from old, cheap 3M film shot on Minolta Maxxum 7000 ]

I really don’t know what triggered this, but it seems the great film vs digital debate has risen from the depths of Flickr groups and message boards and surfaced in the photo blogging community. In the past few weeks I have read pieces from all over focusing on film, and casting it in either a positive of negative light in comparison to digital. Frequently the comments below these posts have exploded into heated discussions from both sides of the aisle.

Film vs Digital seems to be the great argument in the photo community, and has been for a while. Much like the Windows vs Mac debate in the computer world and the right-wing vs left-wing squabbles in politics, film vs digital seems to never die out and occasionally rises to prominence. It seems to be a prominent discussion at the moment.

As a self-described hybrid photographer, using both digital and film in my work and even blending the two together, I fail to understand the need for this discussion. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and a reasonable person can see this. There are cost, creative and stylistic issues for both.

As you can plainly see from my work on LifeInDigitalFilm, from my film emulation presets, to discussion film and scanning, I love film. From my articles on X-Equals, it is plain to see I am just as devoted to digital. I feel as such, I can give a fairly balanced overview of the argument and show, in the basest terms, there really is not debate at all.

I could discuss this on a point by point basis, but that is asinine and could make this article drag on forever. So I am going to make this quick and do a quick pros and cons list for both digital and film photography. This is by no means a thorough listing, but the points that come to mind most frequently when I find myself in this discussion.

Digital Photography

Pros

• Lower cost per shot. You pay for the camera up front and take virtually unlimited shots with no encumbrance of development and scanning costs.
• Highly flexible. Digital allows you liberties with your images that film simply cannot offer. Shoot in Raw and the world is your oyster, you can do most anything your heart desires with Raw processing programs and graphics editors (Lightroom and Photoshop in particular).
• Consistency. Once you understand your camera’s operation, you can consistently get great results, controlling almost all variables. Be it ISO, noise or even color … digital gives you consistent results from frame to frame and shot to shot. You normally know what you will get before you even push the shutter.
• Virtually unlimited shots. With just a few memory cards, you can go out and shoot all day. Each card allows literally hundreds of shots with little to no down time while shooting. Aside from full buffers and the occasional change of card, you can shoot all day without interruption. No need to change film. Plus you get multiple renditions of any particular scene, allowing you the freedom to choose exactly the one you want.
• Shoot now, process later. Digital does not force you to commit to a style beforehand. You can shoot away, in Raw format, and worry about stylistic decisions later. Make a black and white image, boost saturation, re frame shots via cropping. You are not locked in at all, the Raw format free you to make those decisions later.

Cons

• Overabundant options. Nothing can stifle creativity more than unlimited processing options. Upon reviewing each photo, you have to consider your processing options. This process can be more time consuming than actually carrying out the process. This creates the photographer’s version of writer’s block, you don’t know what you want to create because there is little to constrain you. Constraints are challenges, and challenges encourage creativity to overcome them.
• Virtually unlimited shots. Many of use frequently fall back to a “run and gun” mentality when shooting digital. When take countless photos of the same subject, at differing angles or exposures. A simple afternoon outing can translate into thousands of photos quickly. From this glut of images, you have to take time to find the images you really want. If you do not have self control, you can quickly overwhelm yourself when it comes to processing time.
• No surprises. Consistency is a pro, but also a con. Frame after frame, upon import the images tend to have a similar feel, even from shoot to shoot. Your Raw files will have their own feel, unchanging until you start your processing workflow. Before, different films would give you different feels, and that would impact your shooting and change things up. Again, it is easy to fall into a rut without even realizing it.
• Upfront costs. Now this is a bigger issue for some than others. Digital systems can get expensive, as good DSLRs get quickly up into the multi-thousand dollar range. Obviously you don’t have to stay on the cutting edge, but to maximize returns on digital photography, you still want to stay close to the blade. New models drop frequently, each with new desirable features, better noise handling, higher ISO and larger resolutions. And lets not forget the cost of the top-end lenses required to get the most out of these bodies, check the price on good Canon L glass lately? If the prices on those lenses don’t make your checkbook cringe, then this is not remotely an issue. However, for the average photographer it is an issue. And don’t forget flash units and other must-have accessories. I won’t even touch on Digital Medium Format
• Development cycles. Tying into the cost scenario, the rapid development of DSLR technologies keeps bringing out better tech each year. Obviously no one is holding a gun to your head trying to make you let go of your D40, but you have to admit it is getting rather long in the tooth by today’s entry level technology. In the film era, the only real upgrade you had to worry about was new. better film. You rarely had to upgrade bodies, instead you simply changed film. To stay up on image quality in the digital era, you have to be ready to sacrifice some cash to the camera gods, as a DSLR is essentially one huge roll of film that only runs out when you replace your gear or it dies. You can just push your DSLR film speed further and easier than you could with film.

Film Photography

Pros

• Incredible variety. In direct opposition to digital, where your sensor defines how the image you are shooting is rendered and cannot be changed, film photography allows you to change your film at your whim. This leads you to entirely different interpretations of the scene, each unique to the particular film emulsion and format you choose to shoot. Even today, in what many consider the waning days of film, there is still a wide variety of film stocks each providing their own unique rendition of the world on the other side of the lens.
• Wider variety of equipment. As it appears we are in the waning days of film, it is surprising the bargains that can be had on great gear. From 35mm to Large Format, great deals can be found on great cameras and excellent lenses due to the rapid migration of many to strictly digital. I, for example, shoot Canon for digital and Minolta manual focus for film. I have a small selection of lenses for my Canon gear, primarily due to the cost of the equipment … I have just the lenses I need for weddings and portraits, and they ain’t “L” glass either. Now, for less than the price of a Canon Rebel, I have an extensive Minolta collection, anchored by an SRT and an X-700 with a wide variety of Rokkor lenses. These old lenses are every bit as good as most lenses on the market today, and some can put “L” lenses to shame with the right film behind them.
• Simple limitations. As mentioned earlier, limitations can enhance creativity. Shooting film automatically limits you to the film you chose, and the film’s speed. If you are shooting black and white, you will never have a color image from those shots. If you shoot color negative, you will never get the same vivid colors slide film can provide. High-speed film produces some wicked grain, and virtually grain-free film are painfully slow (try shooting at ISO 6 – EI 6 for film purists). You know these limitations going into your shoot and create your images accordingly, sometimes having to get creative to express what you desire to be conveyed to the eventual viewer.
• Forced deliberation. Film had no preview and rarely allows a second chance. To nail a shot you have to expose carefully and still you bracket your shots. The known limit of shots forces you to slow down and work more deliberately. Sure you can do this with digital, but temptation to chimp and delete bad images is overwhelming. Shooting film, you won’t know if you got it right until you develop your film or develop a large degree of faith in your photographic skills.
• Freedom from post. If you sent your film out for development, scanning and prints; your post processing ends at dropping the film off at the lab. What you get is what you get. Now this benefit does not apply to me, as I develop, scan and print my own images from film. This is why I shoot digital for weddings, I would hate to have to develop and scan 25 rolls myself. If you are not going to do any of the developing or scanning yourself you are done. This can be liberating and the excitement of seeing your images for the first time is beyond description.

Cons

• Backside costs. You can easily put yourself in the poor house buying film and paying for development, scans and prints. This cost can be mitigated by going develop only and scanning for yourself or even go all out and start souping your own negatives. However the money saved is offset by time lost. If you shoot a lot and are not restrained in your snapping, you will quickly abandon the thought of film photography and seek sensible refuge in the low cost per shot world of digital.
• Film lock in. Unless you want to get into the rather advanced techniques (although quite simple really) allowing you to change out film mid-roll, you are locked into one ISO and one color rendition for anywhere between 12 and 36 shots. You lose a lot of flexibility by going the film route.
• Technique. Film photography really requires a lot more technical skill to get consistent quality results. Quite a few older cameras have no light meter, so you have to use a handheld meter, use the “Sunny 16″ rule or get good as guessing exposure. Then you have to account for your film’s reciprocity and it’s inherent reciprocity failure, exposure based color shifting and compensating for light temperature by using filters and flash gels. None of this is remotely a concern in the digital world, and these rules and techniques can slow a shooting pace to a crawl until you warp you brain around them. Although understanding these quirks can improve your digital skills, not knowing them will not hamper your abilities as a spectacular digital photographer. And I didn’t even mention the cocepts of pushing and pulling film.
• Filters, filters everywhere. And keep in mind, you will need a lot of different filters for film photography that are simply not needed for digital. In digital photography, all you really need are a few Neutral Density filters and a good Circular Polarizer. For film, you will want split ND’s, color correcting filters, ND’s, Polarizers, Circle Polarizers just to get started. Delve into black and white and you will want a variety of color filters, ranging from reds to blues. I guess you really don’t need these, as you can just shoot straight on, but for advanced techniques you will be wanting them. That said, once scanned you can simulate many of these effects in Photoshop, much like you would with digital, but the desired effect is rarely as good as if you shot with the filter or faked it with a digital image.
• Freedom from Post. Lets not kid ourselves, Photoshop and Lightroom are great tools and can really make an image sing. If you take the hands off approach to photography, you are precluding yourself from utilizing these tools to their fullest ability. Albeit it is freeing to drop off a roll and wait for the final results, you loose a lot of control over you images. Again, you can go the scanning or self-development routes. But again, those methods require an investment of time. While rewarding and giving a great feeling of accomplishment, the do it yourself methods are painfully slow compared to the all-digital methods.

So there, a fairly balanced list of pros and cons for each. There is no right answer for the question of film or digital, so I compromised and use both. For work shots I shoot about 80% digital and 20% film. For personal work its about 80% film and 20% digital, so more or less I am 50/50. When shooting film, I develop myself and then scan in myself, digitizing my film early in the process and working up the images as I would any shot from a DSLR. I still step in the darkroom once and a while and make some optical prints, but I have also been known to make a transparency print from an inverted digital shot and make contact prints on photo paper from my digital work. I blend both photography techniques together on a regular basis, working towards what I envision my final product to be, not limiting myself to a chemical or digital workflow at any time. I do what works best. There is no film vs digital debate in my book.

One other benefit of film I forgot to mention is resolution vs cost. I can much more affordably shoot medium format or large format film and scan in for a high resolution image than invest in a digital medium format system. a $300 dollar camera and a $6 roll of medium format film can easily be scanned into a 40+ megapixel image at home on a consumer grade photo scanner. To get comparable results in the digital world would require an prohibitively expensive setup. Sure, comparing 35mm film to digital is one thing, digital has won that war years ago. But comparing Medium Format and larger film to digital is another situation entirely. When I know I need to go large, I still shoot larger format film.

From my point of view, film and digital where equivalent in resolution around the 10 megapixel mark in DSLRs. Now this is a generalization, as maximum resolution in film really depends on the film used. I would still put 35mm Velvia up against any Pro level DSLR today. Velvia’s resolving power and resolution is still insane to this day, but the DSLR will still win out in the end, especially if you include color accuracy in your rating matrix. I shoot a lot of 35mm film still, but the argument really leans in digital’s favor in this film format. I still love the unique look of each film available, and I love using the inexpensive, high quality gear at my disposal, so I still shoot 35mm film. But as I just alluded to, digital will not be displacing my Mamiya gear any time soon.

So, those are my arguments both ways, take them for what they are. I love both methods and use each every day. I see no need to debate film vs digital, as in my consideration photography is both film and digital. With proper technique, even 35mm can compete with digital any day of the week, and like it or not there is a certain feel to film that digital does not have. Same as records vs CD’s, there is a certain warmth to film.

Now let me know your thoughts on the matter. Fire off your thoughts in the comments below. I would also love to run a series on why you use film still today, so if you would be interested in writing up a piece telling why you still love film, email me at michael@lifeindigitalfilm.com and let me know, I’ll get your opinion up for the world to see, along with some of your work if you would like.

That’s it for now.

Michael

[Photo Info: Kodak Portra 160 NC, Minolta Maxxum 7000, Minotla Maxxum 50mm f/1.7]

Okay, I still have not written an actual article, and I don’t want to release a preset tonight as I have released quite a few this week…I will have a new black and white preset up tomorrow however. I did want to take a few minutes though to say s few things that dropped into my mind today.

So, today I opened my freezer and saw rolls of film that I have shot over the past year, awaiting development. The picture above is one of the frames snapped on the rolls I had developed. I also had my roll of Fuji Press Film 800 I bought a while back developed finally, so an emulation is a week or so away, but I digress. As I dropped the film off at Wal-Mart, as I told them “develop only, no prints” I got a look of confusion from the clerk at the counter. Almost like, why are you even shooting film if you don’t want prints. I didn’t say anything, it just jump started my brain.

On the drive back over to my mother-in-laws house to pick up my wife, I was asking myself “Self, why did buying a fancy new DSLR lead your right back into the world of film photography?” Now I know the answer for the one roll of Press Film, I am going to emulate this film for LIDF so I can get a look similar to this film on any of my digital shots. That did not explain the other three rolls I just got processed. It had me wondering, and I came upon my answer, shooting film makes me a more disciplined photographer. Shooting film also keeps me firmly in touch with the past and makes me appreciate the advances in the field of photography. Plus, shooting film seems organic, like a natural determined act. That makes no sense, but its how I feel.

I think it is refreshing to get out with a film camera and a roll or two of film. I know I only have 24/36 photos to take, and that each one has a defined cash value. I think about my shots, I don’t take 20 frames of the same subject to find the right one later, I take time to find the correct shot and take it….then I move along. I am not saying there is anything wrong with taking a long series of photos to get the right shot, but it forces you to think more when those same 20 shots esentially end your shooting for the day.

I love the feeling of opening the envelope and seeing my photos for the first time. I still can’t develop C-41, so i can’t say pull the negative out of the spool, but it is the same feeling. This is the first time my eyes have seen these images. On my DSLR, I can see everyimage instantly, there is no wondering. When you have that perfect shot, you smile and move on, you are out shooting after all. With film, the second your mirror blocks out your viewfinder, that is the last time you will see anything approximating that image until you open the envelope. And when you are sitting in your car in the parking lot and see that you got the perfect shot, you rejoice…celebrate even. The time removed from the act of shooting allows you this luxury. You can enjoy the beauty of your shot for the first time and breath it in. Your LCD does not go black, reminding you to get shooting again. This is Zen.

Then when you look at the images, the color and tone, the feel of film is different. Which that is what LIDF is all about, bringing that feeling to digital. But it is only inspired by the original film. Making your perfect shot look like it was taken on Velvia is not the same as actually capturing it on Velvia. Both feelings are great, but there is just something about the old-fashioned way…Not saying that using my presets is not also great…but it is not the same. But it may soon be the only way to live that moment with your favorite film.

Please, take some time and shoot a roll of film if you have not done so lately. Get back in touch with the past. You don’t even have to have a great SLR, a good point and shoot film camera works great…hell, even a disposable will remind you what it felt like before. If you have never shot film, give it a chance. Take a film camera out for a day, maybe even learn to develop the film yourself. It is really fulfilling, but that is just me.

Well that ends my rant, on to some items I want to cover before I log off for the night.

First I would like to ask you to take a jump over to profiPhotos. Markus just posted a new video tutorial today on making HDR images using HDRSoft’s Photomatix Pro plugin with Lightroom. It is very informative, as is his entire site. If you love Lightroom, this is a definite must visit. Just make sure to give him a visit!

Speaking of both Markus and Photomatix, I want to remind you that there is only one week left in the Presetting Lightroom photocontest on Flickr. Markus and I both adminstrate the group, and have been trying to kick up the activity level there. We have a photocontest running currently with HDRSoft’s Photomatix Pro as the grand prize and three copies of my Cold Storage collection floating around for the top 3 finishers. There are not many entrants thusfar and the odds are pretty good to take home some type of prize. So please, come by and enter one of you preset processed photos…and by all means, feel free to enter a photo of your’s processed with a LifeInDigitalFilm preset, I have no supporters entered in the contest so far. Follow the link HERE TO ENTER!

So that is it for the evening, come back for a new preset tomorrow.

Until then,
Michael