Getting Started With Film Photography

Porta 160 film shot on Olympus Stylus 100

Porta 160 film shot on Olympus Stylus 100

Porta 160 film shot on Olympus Stylus 100

I look at shooting film like a photo diary. Film photos have a soul to them that digital can’t even compete with. Knowing that the image you have exposed onto your negative is the only one like it in existence gives film an artistic quality that blows me away. If you have ever wanted to venture into the world of film photography, here are simple steps to start.

Steps to shooting film

1. Find a camera

2. Pick out a few rolls of film

3. Shoot your images

4. Send your completed rolls off to be processed

5. Patiently wait for the lab to process your negatives - generally a week’s wait

6. Receive your images!

7. Tweak/edit your images to your final preferences

8. Request that the lab mail your negatives back to you

9. Save the negatives for your archive of images

10. Experiment and enjoy the creative process!
    

Gear & Lab Recommendations

35mm Cameras

• Canon A-1 or AE-1 - I use this as my main camera for significant shoots. The classic analog camera produces high quality shots and is easy to use, especially in full auto mode. Its rather on the large side for throwing in your bag for casual use, but the control you have over the images is fantastic. You can find them for less than $200 on eBay!

• Olympus Mju ii, also called the Stylus Epic in America - this little camera is considered one of the all around best in the “point and shoot” category. It has a wide aperture at 2.8 which lets in lots of light and creates lovely bokeh (a photography word for background blur). It is teeny so it is perfect for throwing in your bag while traveling. Over the past few years this little camera has gained a cult following for its gorgeous image quality, though this has made the price inflate drastically. Its available on eBay for around $300.

• Olympus Stylus 100 Zoom, also called the Mju iii- this is a cheaper alternative to the Mju ii and I have loved having it as a backup camera. It has a zoom function so it provides more versatility in capturing images as opposed to the fixed focal length of the Mju ii. You can find this camera on eBay for around $100.

• Cheap Point and Shoot alternatives like the Olympus Infinity cameras can be purchased on eBay for around $30 and are an even more economic start to your film journey.

Film Stocks

• Portra 160 & 400 - Portra generally has warmer colors due to the yellow base tones in the film. This means that golds pop in your images! The 400 version handles all lighting situations very well and is a great start into the professional film stock category. Portra 160 is a personal favorite of mine due to its lower contrast and milky hues.

• Fuji 400h 35mm color film - this film has a bright and airy aesthetic with pops in blue + green hues. This is considered a professional grade film stock and I reccommend buying rolls from the FIND Lab. The FIND Lab has the most competitive prices on film . Check out this blog post by The FIND Lab that details how to get the most out of this film.

• Fujifilm Superia X-TRA ISO 400 35mm Color Film - this is my pick for inexpensive learning film. It still has a beautiful aesthetic, especially when shot in full day light. This is considered a consumer grade film stock and you can pick rolls up at any convenience store.

• ILFORD HP5 - this might just be my favorite bw film stock! Ilford HP5 is known for having a  soft aesthetic with low contrast + high grain.

Processing + Information Source

• The FIND Lab - this is my go-to resource for EVERYTHING film. They process (take the film from rolls to photos), print, and sell film. I frequently utilize their informative blog posts for understanding the complicated nuances of film

  • Basic + Film Processing with Regular Sized Scans- The FIND Lab has several levels of film processing and scanning. They range from the cheapest “Auto” Scans to “Premium” Scans. I recommend starting with the Basic + level because it is an all around medium between all of the options. It produces gorgeous image tones and the FIND Lab provides feedback on how to produce better images!

The Dreamgirls

Do you know what it means to be a Dreamgirl? No? Good because I just made it up. If you said you knew what it meant you’d either be bluffing or psychic & both of those things wig me out. Or maybe you just used basic context clues and got the gist of what it means, but stop guessing and allow me to explain “Dreamgirls™ ” to you.

Being a Dreamgirl™ /Dreamboy™ /Dreamhuman™  (or even Dreamcat™ , looking at you Mimosa) means showing up to life as the best, most unapologetically badass version of yourself, for yourself. It means visualizing your dream life and knowing that it is yours to create, piece by piece. It is being the highest version of yourself while also being gentle with your humanness. Dreamgirls refuse to stay discouraged when they are met with conflict. The short version is that being a Dreamgirl is becoming your own role model. And you can be one as soon as you decide to be.

Questions to start waking up your inner Dreamgirl:

1. What is your Dreamgirl, highest-vibe self doing in the future? What are they doing 15 minutes from now? What are they doing that scares the total crap out of you but secretly deep down you long to do?

2. How do you set yourself up to be a Dreamgirl in your daily life? What does your Dreamgirl self eat, wake up thinking, do in traffic, tell to themselves, etc?

3. How do you manifest your Dreamgirl self into your current reality? (Hint: Its piece by piece)

I am well aware that being a Dreamgirl means something different to each one of us. I’m deeply curious to find out what it means to the inspiring individuals around me and to share all the deets, stories, and advice with you here. Let’s explore how they put this high-vibe shit into practice on a daily basis! Ready for my first interview series?? It is going to be lit.

Piece by Piece // Building my Dream Living room

“Surround yourself only with the things you love and watch your life change.”

This was the take away I gained from the several iterations of reading Marie Kondo’s book The Magic of Tidying Up. This precious angel of a woman is an undercover spiritual power house in all of her barely 5-foot, Japanese glory. She proposes that each item we fill our lives with is infused with spiritual energy that can either support us or weigh us down. In her book, she describes the process of surrounding yourself only with positive energy so that you can live in an uplifting space filled with things that “spark joy.”

I decided that this lifestyle sounded glorious, plus a closet clean out was already wayyy over due. As Marie instructed, I pulled out everything from each category of my belongings (ie all clothes, books, art supplies, etc.) and piled them onto my bed. I held each item in my hand and waited to see if through holding the item it sparked a feeling of love/joy/gratitude in my heart. If it did, I kept it! If it did not, I thanked it for the time it spent in my life and got rid of it. I followed this method until I had held everything I owned and verified it to spark joy.

I ran into a problem with big items not sparking joy in my living room. My couch is fine, but I definitely don’t feel any joy when I sit on it or look at it. The whole room is this way - almost joyful but not there yet. Since I spend the vast majority of my waking hours in this room, I felt that it truly ought to be a place of peace and inspiration. So with the mindset that you can build your life piece by piece, decision by decision, I decided to build my dream living space. So for the last few weeks I’ve spent time selling items to save up for the big pieces and gathered little items that fill me with joy. I created this vision board to help put my vision into existence.

I already have a few of these pieces and I feel the spacing coming together to inspire me (enough so that I actually am writing on my site again!). The table lamp (totally inspired by @lesolhose) and gorgeous Matisse print have done wonders for the space already. The sofa and mirror are the final big ticket items on my dream space list and I can’t wait to have them, however long that might take.

Velvet Sofa

Brass Floor Lamp

Matisse Print

French Mirror

Orb Lamp

Polaroids No. 1

5 Notes on Feeling Good

Hello, friends! I’m happy to be back from a much needed hiatus from posting on my site. To be entirely honest with you, the past year was the most tumultuous period I've yet experienced and I’d been feeling drained of joy. My heart was broken and it allowed self-doubt to seep into everything around me. I was constantly comparing myself to others and feeling like I was coming up short of my own hyper-critical expectations. If you have ever wanted to crumple up an entire year and throw it in the trash then you get my drift. I knew that I desperately needed to take a step back from putting pressure on my creativity and give myself space to heal. In that space, I read some books, allowed myself to feel sad, angry, and everywhere in-between, had countless meaningful conversations with my friends, family and therapist. Most significantly, I attempted as hard as I could to give myself grace. I’d like to share a few thoughts I came out on the other side with with you.

1. Run hand-in-hand with your imperfections. You are the only you out there and that is wildly amazing.

2. Progress is happening, even when you feel like shit. There will be days where you feel great for 15 minutes and then feel like hiding under the bed for 4 hours - this doesn’t mean you aren’t healing and making progress! Your experiences day to day leave you as a different, more self-aware person than you were the day before.

3. Even when you feel completely alone, broken beyond repair, and ready to give in, you are worthy of complete unconditional acceptance.

4. Be gentle with yourself. Where we rob ourselves of acceptance is where we need it the most.

5. Become your own role model. Look to others for inspiration, see what you like about them, and decide to take specific actions in becoming that person for yourself.

DAILY FÊTE Vol. 2

cameras

• Canon A-1 35mm film camera - I use this as my main camera for significant shoots. The Canon A-1 produces high quality shots while remaining very easy to use, plus you can find them for less than $200 on eBay

• Olympus Trip 35 - this little camera is considered one of the best in the vintage point and shoot category. It is solar powered, has adjustable focusing ranges, and is perfect for throwing in your bag while traveling 

Film

• Fujifilm Superia X-TRA ISO 400 35mm Color Film - this is my pick for inexpensive learning film. It still has a beautiful aesthetic, especially when shot in full day light

• Fuji 400h 35mm color film - this film has a bright and airy aesthetic with pops in blue + green hues. Check out this blog post by The FIND Lab that details how to get the most out of this film

• ILFORD HP5 - my favorite bw film stock! Ilford HP5 is known for having a  soft aesthetic with low contrast + high grain

Processing + Inspo

• The FIND Lab - this is my go-to resource for EVERYTHING film. They process (take the film from rolls to photos), print, and sell film. I frequently utilize their informative blog posts for understanding the complicated nuances of film