On film
I like to shoot with film. There, I said it. With that, in a gist, is probably the idea behind this post. However, if I might, let me elaborate a bit more.
Call me a romantic at heart, but I very much prefer the look of film, and especially those from Kodak Tri-X. I’ve tried many other B/W film, but none were able to replicate the kind of warm, fuzzy, intangible feeling that Tri-X can deliver for me. Not to mention, some of my favorite photographers (Daido Moriyama and William Klein) use this film extensively as well. That gave me the idea that if I use the same film as them, I might attain some standards with my works with perhaps enough practice and cultivation.
From the series “By Night”, shot on Kodak Tri-X with Voigtander Bessa T and 50mm F3.5 lens.
I actually came into contact with Tri-X by accident. I don’t remember the details, but I do know that when I was 15 or 16, I went to Ruby Photo at Peninsula Plaza and ask if they had B/W film. The staff pointed me to the shelf with all the film, and the first that got my attention was: Tri-X.
Maybe it was the “X” in the name that made it cool. But for whatever reason, that was the film I bought then, and have never looked back since.
I have tried using other B/W film such as Kodak T-Max and Ilford Delta series, but I was not satisfied by the “look” of the images.
From the series “HK 1/2”. Shot on Kodak Tri-X with an Olympus Pen EED.
In the past week, I have been communicating with @ZDP189 on Twitter. He is a photographer from Hong Kong, and actively searched for rare, discontinued film while in Singapore. Suffice to say, he wasn’t impressed with what we have for sale here. Also, we concluded that film in Singapore are rather expensive. Last I bought, it was S$9 for a roll of Tri-X, almost 50% more than what I paid a year ago.
Couple the high prices of film with the absurd rates of film processing these days, it appears that film photography are reserved for those with deep pockets.
A shop told me that demand for film is relatively low these days, and suppliers have increased the prices in order to remain profitable. I fully understand that, given how cheap digital cameras are these days.
Despite all these, I am still shooting with Tri-X. A friend who recently came back from Hong Kong bought 10 rolls for me at a much affordable rate. Also, shooting with my Pen FT gives me twice the number of exposures.
Some parting thoughts: When the day comes for Kodak to fully close its film plant, will there be passionate users who will buy all the equipment and continue to make film, such as the good folks over at The Impossible Project?
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zdp-189 reblogged this from gohleonard and added:
shout out. I’ve recently joined Tumblr too. Like you, I’ve been shooting T-Max and while it pushes very well,
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