film film film film

I shot a roll of slide film through my rz67 last night! I'm so happy I got that beast working again. It's the first roll of film I've shot in probably 6 months. I got a little tipsy and decided I wanted to get some test shots for a new photo project. I'm sure the film will not look so good. I was shooting at a bar (the Bulldog) where my friend Adem works. It was very low-light and I intentionally under exposed. When I dropped the film off I decided to "push" the film 1/2 stop. (For those who don't know, you can cheat a little with film and over develop it). When I was younger I "pushed" almost every roll of film I shot. I was very dedicated to getting the most out of whatever film I was using. I was also very dedicated to experimenting with every roll of film I shot. I've basically forgotten all the little tricks since I made the jump to digital but I look forward to re-learning them.

I love digital but I miss film. Considering the fact that I probably won't be able to afford a new Dslr anytime soon I need to get re-acquainted with my rz and slide film again. I've had the idea for this photo project for a long time. I had planned to shoot it with my rz67 originally but then it crapped out. Then I decided I'd sit on the project until I bought my new Dslr but then Gustav, and the holidays and medical expenses consumed all the money I saved up. Damn. But, with the rz67 working again I can finally get to work on it!!!!!

So now the wait is on. One thing I truly love about film is the anticipation. Did I nail the exposure? Was pushing E6 slide film 1/2 stop a stupid idea (probably)? Did I remember to switch the back off of multiple exposure? With digital I find myself always looking at the little screen on the back making sure everything was there. As if I didn't know what I was doing. I love shooting film because you don't know for sure. You just have to trust yourself and fire away.

I've been looking at a bunch of photographers work from back in the day. I appreciate their work so much. It wasn't always absolutely perfect. There were flaws because you couldn't see it immediately (like digital) and remedy it or spend hours on an image in photoshop. You just have to trust yourself...

I've been reading Annie Leibovitz new book. She talks about how bad of a photographer she was in the early days. How poorly her negatives were exposed and how she owed so much to the people who did her processing. It's a good book but a lot of the stuff I've already read in various other sources. But I do get a kick out of Annie talking about how most of the time (early on) she had no idea what she was doing.

Anyway, I got off track...

I will get the film back sometime next week. Then I'll have to scan it. I'm sure it'll all be worth it. There is nothing better than holding a big old piece of slide film in your hands. So, once I know everything is back in order with the rz67 I can get to work on the "barflies" project.

I'm very excited about this project. Whenever I talk to anyone about it their eyes light up. New Orleans has so many crazy bars and I can't think of anyone who has documented it in the way that I am going to. Hopefully next week I'll have some samples. But for now I have to figure out the best ways to light big dark spaces...