Film photography

Photographer, 80, Says Digital Photography is a Lying Experience

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It’s a thought often provoked by contemporary photographers creating surreal images with their new found technology. The absolute speed and ease manipulation can be obtained on a colour digital photograph is frightening nowadays and more and more agencies are beginning to notice and put up safeguards to protect against, for want of a better word, lying.

So when veteran war photographer, Don McCullin, nigh on superstar of the photography world speaks up and proclaims the digital domination of photography is “a totally lying experience” you have to stop and take note.

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Credit: Paul Thompson / National Media Musem

In conversation with Isaac Julien at the art fair Photo London, the Guardian reports McCullin discussed a wide range of topics with regards to photography including his own problems Continue reading →

A Pink Flamingo Explores The Oregon Trail

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Documentary photographer Jack Latham is just about to release his first book ‘A Pink Flamingo‘, a beautifully documented photographic journey taken along the Oregon Trail.

Union, Nebraska at sunset. All images © Jack Latham/INSTITUTE
Union, Nebraska at sunset. All images © Jack Latham/INSTITUTE

The book takes its name from the fabulously kitsch Continue reading →

Reasons to Try Film: A Retro Poster Series by Ilford

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Over the last few weeks our friends at Ilford Photo have been rolling out a series of retro posters to compliment their popular range of 35mm films. PhoGoTraphy has been given exclusive access to the as yet unreleased posters which you can view for the first time here and whet your appetite for some of that delicious black and white film.

1.HP5 A4

The retro style posters have a familiar feel to feel to them. In 2010 Lomography released a series called Continue reading →

Rejoice! Ilford Photo’s Harman Direct Positive Paper is Back.

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Oh it’s a very, very good day. After over a year of it being out of production for various reasons, Ilford’s Harman Direct Positive fibre based paper is to make a return. Pinhole photographers the world over will be punching the air in delight.

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As described, direct positive paper has been popular among many analogue photographers because of the way it produces a positive image using normal black & white developing procedure. This makes it perfect for people experimenting with large format and of course the ever popular pinhole photography craze.  Continue reading →

12 Reasons Photographers Still Choose to Shoot Film over Digital

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This year will mark forty years since the invention of the first functioning digital camera, and despite it being a measly 0.01 Mp it heralded a new age of digital photography and with it came a death cry for film.

Yup, film is still very much in use by photographers.
Yup, film is still very much in use by photographers. (Click for an Amazon Link)

Prompted by this incredibly dull article published recently by the BBC I decided to ask some fellow photographers what reasons they had for still shooting the so-called outdated technology. Here’s the list…

1. Film Photography was Already Perfect.

Those of us lucky enough to have photo albums from the ’90s and before tucked away in our parents’ homes will undoubtedly take great joy in flicking through the tattered card pages, looking through the embarrassing portraits, day trips to the zoo, the beach, birthday parties and that time our trousers fell down in the park. The point I’m making is these vernacular photo albums were perfect and they were all shot on film.

Even old Photo Albums Found at Junkyard Sales have that Perfect Photographer's Touch
Even old Photo Albums Found at Junkyard Sales have that Perfect Photographer’s Touch

Fast forward to today and we’re not only making fewer albums, we’re taking more photographs to get that perfect shot. Even our smartphones are littered with countless portraits of our children, nieces and nephews, because the photo before could have been just a little bit better. Back in the day of film photography we didn’t worry about that and those photo albums that we look back on are still as perfect today as when our parents first stuck them down.

Continue reading →

Microwaved Polaroids, Because Why Not?

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You know what it’s like. You’ve just taken a fantastic photo with your latest instant camera but there’s something missing, it just hasn’t got that spark…

Instax tree double exposure microwaved

Enter the very strange world of ‘Microwaved Polaroids’ an old photography group on Flickr that has reared its head and come to my attention. Call it art, call it dangerous, call it inspiration but just don’t call it boring. From just this handful of images a microwaved Polaroid (or Instax) has a certain appeal to fans of the LOMO movement and abstract photography. It’s hard to deny that by damaging a photo this way isn’t adding an extra physical layer of meaning.

Even defunct frames that haven’t quite managed to develop properly can suddenly become startling beautiful. It’s difficult to judge exactly where the cracks, burning and bubbling will occur, so serendipity plays a roll in some of the more interesting pieces.

The group blurb gives some simple instructions:

Q: I want to join in with the fun, but I’m scared I’ll burn the house down. Will this hurt?

A: 5 seconds will be ample time to turn your reject Polaroid into a work of art. Make sure the room is well ventilated as it’s a little bit smelly. There will be sparks, but in 10 years I’ve never split an atom. Good luck.

And as an added bonus, a short instruction Gif Video:

How To: Nuke a Polaroid.

Enjoy this small selection and then head over to the group’s pool to explore a bit more. Continue reading →