Hey guys! As many of you know, I made the transition to shooting medium format film last summer and I am hooked! I've gotten a lot of questions about this change from photographers, so I'm attempting to answer them one-by-one on my blog. I'm tackling four more questions today, but make sure you click below to read past posts if you missed them! And if you have a question I haven't answered yet, leave it in the comments below and I'll make sure to cover it in a future post!
Is Shooting Film Scary?
Do Clients Care About Film or is it Just a Trend?
What are the Costs Involved with Shooting Film?
How do you Process and Edit Film Photos?
How do you Deal with Changing Light Situations?
When were you Confident Enough to Transition to Film?
Q: What's your metering technique? And how do you rate your Fuji 400h?
A: The meter I use is the Sekonic L-308S. It's a less expensive meter than many film photographers use, but it works great. There is no "bulb in/bulb out" dilemma with this meter. Film LOVES light and hates to be underexposed, so I rate my Fuji 400 film at 100 in bright light and 200 in overcast conditions. I rate my Portra 800 at 400 typically, but in low-light indoor conditions, I will go up to 640 if needed. It's important to meter your subject for the shadows when shooting film, so I point my meter at my subject, about 6 inches from their skin, typically under their chin or somewhere that is in the shadows. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to make sure the sun never directly hits your bulb. If I'm not near enough to my subject or don't have time, I will turn and face the same direction as my subject and meter myself under the chin. If you're outside in consistent light, that should work well and be close enough. When shooting details, I point the meter toward the detail about 6 inches from it, to get an accurate reading. If the detail is reflective or shiny, I make sure to meter a portion of it that isn't.
Q: How often do you meter for light? Each shot? Each location?
A: I meter again whenever conditions or location changes. If it is a partly-cloudy day and the sun is coming in and out from behind clouds, I make sure to meter for almost every shot. But if the light is consistent and we stay in the same spot, I typically only meter once every 30 minutes or so.
Q: Do you shoot mostly color film and convert to b&w in post or do you shoot with b&w film too? And what is your film preference?
A: I shoot mostly color film, but have experimented with Illford 3200 film. Many film photographers are going to hate me for saying this, but I don't love the look of black and white film ENOUGH to want to mess with the hassle of changing it out and being committed to it for a full roll. Occasionally in a church ceremony I will shoot a roll of black and white film, but for the most part, I stick with color and then convert in post. The two color stocks I use are Fuji 400 film & Portra 800.
I hope you've found this post helpful! Let me know in the comments below if what I've shared has left you with any thoughts or questions!
Is Shooting Film Scary?
Do Clients Care About Film or is it Just a Trend?
What are the Costs Involved with Shooting Film?
How do you Process and Edit Film Photos?
How do you Deal with Changing Light Situations?
When were you Confident Enough to Transition to Film?
Q: What's your metering technique? And how do you rate your Fuji 400h?
A: The meter I use is the Sekonic L-308S. It's a less expensive meter than many film photographers use, but it works great. There is no "bulb in/bulb out" dilemma with this meter. Film LOVES light and hates to be underexposed, so I rate my Fuji 400 film at 100 in bright light and 200 in overcast conditions. I rate my Portra 800 at 400 typically, but in low-light indoor conditions, I will go up to 640 if needed. It's important to meter your subject for the shadows when shooting film, so I point my meter at my subject, about 6 inches from their skin, typically under their chin or somewhere that is in the shadows. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is to make sure the sun never directly hits your bulb. If I'm not near enough to my subject or don't have time, I will turn and face the same direction as my subject and meter myself under the chin. If you're outside in consistent light, that should work well and be close enough. When shooting details, I point the meter toward the detail about 6 inches from it, to get an accurate reading. If the detail is reflective or shiny, I make sure to meter a portion of it that isn't.
Q: How often do you meter for light? Each shot? Each location?
A: I meter again whenever conditions or location changes. If it is a partly-cloudy day and the sun is coming in and out from behind clouds, I make sure to meter for almost every shot. But if the light is consistent and we stay in the same spot, I typically only meter once every 30 minutes or so.
Q: Do you shoot mostly color film and convert to b&w in post or do you shoot with b&w film too? And what is your film preference?
A: I shoot mostly color film, but have experimented with Illford 3200 film. Many film photographers are going to hate me for saying this, but I don't love the look of black and white film ENOUGH to want to mess with the hassle of changing it out and being committed to it for a full roll. Occasionally in a church ceremony I will shoot a roll of black and white film, but for the most part, I stick with color and then convert in post. The two color stocks I use are Fuji 400 film & Portra 800.
I hope you've found this post helpful! Let me know in the comments below if what I've shared has left you with any thoughts or questions!
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