I don't know if any of them are "failures". I like them for what they are, an honest look through an amateurs camera. They have an early print feel to them.... I especially like this one:
Nice collection of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! I ended up giving all my 35mm stuff to a young kid who wanted to be a photographer. I lugged that stuff from show to show for years. Now in my 70's I love my little Cannon. shurshot. Any problems I can fix them on my PC. I know it is not the same, but when you get old you have to make things easier. Also I can change my color shots to black and white with a click. Ryan, I look forward to seeing more photos. Great subjects!
You missed it my 'that much' Focus was the reason I went to digital, auto focus, but at the time I was shooting quick on the line and grab shots. But now as I go back to film I take my time and check focus, and use a big(small) f stop to help my eyes. And with shots as you bravely posted, I call them my art shots
They're mostly a hell of a lot better than the film pictures I took recently....but then, I never was much of a photographer. And I took Photography class as a freshman in high school, using B&W film, which we processed and made prints of. In the old days, photographers had to deal with so much clumsy technology, just to get an image captured and on paper. Today that end of it is trivial, so you can concentrate on the art end of the process.
I completely understand, My wife gave me a Nikon FM camera and I thought it would be the ticket to become more of a professional photographer with a manual camera, look out Ansel Adams! I shot several rolls of film over the next few months and I can assure you your images are much better that my photo's, It doesn't come overnight no matter how much you read. After a few years I became more proficient and actually learned how to use the camera, then along came the internet and the Hamb and I purchased a cheap digital camera, they can make a hack look good. I think I'm going to dig my old 1977 Nikon out of the closet and shoot a few rolls of fresh film, thanks for reminding me how much I use to enjoy taking the time to get that just right photo instead of point & shoot. HRP
I carried an Olympus OM10 to car shows for years, never did master it. Got some good pictures along with some crappy ones with a rare really great picture. I do much better with my I phone now. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Proof that sometimes it's good to have "failure" as an option. Perfection is vastly overrated in these matters.
Enjoy them all ! Ryan I had a Browne Box,an Mom never had stuff developed tell every bit of film had been used,so likely some film sat in camera for as much as two years.Making dates by looking on photo edge a bit newer then fact. Adjustments,yes it could be pointed the other way!!!LOL The way I see it ! Any photo is a good photo. I'm feeling very lucky that as many pic's even made it too today from all of us ! Yes,some are not masterpices,ha! But so many did not make it through time,too now! Our loss ! But knowing how any made it and were taken by me or a buddy from the 1950s and 60s,even a bad pic,looks really good too me. Most of us car nuts, I think fill in any missing detail thats a little foggy,some times better then it was anyway LOL in our heads.
Pics look good to me, IMO digital cameras and our new cellphones are the best advancements for us amature picture takers, convenient and always a good pic, just keep redoing until acceptable. Very Thankful to my Mom who had a Brownie box camera, I Remember tiny viewfinder and subject was upside down probably purchased in 40's ? all of our family history was recorded with that camera till the mid/late 60's, including my early history car pictures I post. The picture threads on here are Outstanding and History is so important, Thank You for this Historical Hot Rod site the Best on the net.
I admit that digital has it's advantages and areas of superiority to film. Yet, for me choosing to shoot film goes hand in hand with having a hot rod and/or custom car. I love how you slow down and enjoy the experience and creativity that can only come from something you've done yourself. And that is a lot of the reason all us are here on the HAMB in the first place. One World Theater?
Love the roadster shot at the end. I can’t rven imagine getting a good shot with the wrong eye piece, or how long it would take me to figure out that that was even what was going on.
I had an OM10 for years also. Back when Cheryl Tiegs was the spokesperson. LOL There is a learning curve to everything. Digital is cool now as it's more forgiving and technology has marched forward. Film is/was always difficult in low light. One thing digital still can not do is B&W (when done well) like you can do with film. I plan on getting another film camera when I get my car done. You just cant do digital B&W like you can film. I've tried and tried and tried to replicate Kodachrome also.. Can't do it.
film digital Hello, Nice photos from actual film. For many reasons, film photography was a hit or miss thing. Photos were always taken with one F-stop left or right to make sure something came out when developing. The through-the-lens meter was fairly accurate, but for those finicky editors, it had to be almost perfect. So, back ups to back ups were used each time on assignment. It was handy that our arsenal included two 35mm film cameras, one for color slides and b/w film in the other. Then the final addition to the arsenal was the 2.25 x 2.25 color film twin lens reflex camera for super clear slides and negatives for those full page photos or by chance the jackpot, a center spread. It is nice that people still mess around with film photography. That Leica was always a dream camera for us. It was in the upper echelon of cameras with a lot of history. But, by the time we could afford the Leica Camera, the new 35mm Pentax Cameras were in our hands. Out of focus was a term that a lot of us used to describe the latest auto focus lenses. Sometimes we all made the same point and shoot out of focus shot that had qualities already built in the shot. But, back then magazine editors and critics looked at out of focus arty shots and rejected every single one of them. “Hey, just turn the dial and get it in focus…” None of the auto focus stuff for us back then. It is very tempting with the new age digital cameras that have the size and feel of an old 35mm camera. My son has one and compared to my old 35mm camera, it is night and day, with the film camera winning hands down. But, our long line of digital cameras were rebranded Leica Cameras(Panasonic) and REAL Leica lenses that fit in our pockets. So, we were in the ball game, digitally. Plus, carrying two 35mm cameras in Europe for a month was enough to last a lifetime. No more big cameras for us. A small high quality digital camera gives plenty of great shots for the digital albums and reproductions. Bulk film loaders with several empty cannisters ready was the mode of the day for traveling photographers. The ever present, light tight, black bag, quiet motel room, with plenty of practice, loading empty 35mm cannisters with new film was fun and quite simple. It saved a lot of time and money to just pop in a new film cannister to continuing the shots. That two handed black bag was also used in the dark room to load and unload the 35mm film onto stainless reels for developing. It was light tight and ready for developing. 1966 Asahi Pentax 35mm Spotmatic Camera Jnaki With the abundance of black and white film always nearby, as we became better photographers, the errors started to get less and less. Still, the reserve films gave us a sense of security of sorts. It was more film for more creative shots. Again, my original Asahi Pentax 35mm film camera from 1966 is still going strong and is ready to use at anytime. For an upgrade just before digital camera era, a new Canon AE2 with all of the good stuff,(35mm color film cannister) including a fast 2.8 300mm++ auto focus telephoto lens is still lurking in our temperture controlled closet for future use or sale. (all new,never been used) Digital photography gets its credit as it is making more people aware of their surroundings. But, it is disheartening for 42, I-phones to come out at every incident on the street, mall, or beach to record and do whatever people do with those silly recordings. I guess, insurance brokers/lawyers are happy to have facts to support the cases. But, it is back to the point and shoot mentality. The pixel quality makes up for the fact that most people just shoot and some even have the 15 shot button if pressed too long. 15 choices to get a good shot? Where is the creativity in that?
You mean you can still buy film? I thought I read somewhere the last factory had shut down a few years back. Maybe it was just one company that did. I love digital for the simple reason after the initial expense, it's pretty much free. No limits on how many shots you can take, allowing for creativity. With film, the pressure is on to make every shot count, not so with digital. But, like was said, it is lacking somewhat to film like Kodachrome. Don't know what was different about that stuff, but it was hard to make a bad pic with it! I'm not into B&W pics that much. OK if you're trying to make something look dated [fake dated], but I'd rather look at color anyday. Love it when old color shots pop up of cars we have only seen in B&W surface, just gives it a more real feeling to me. Like one of my kids asked one time, "Did they not have any colors back then?"
Hello, I still have two 35mm rolls left from the time I bought the Canon AE2 new. It has been loaded and then removed, since I realized I would not be using the film camera at the time. But, over the years, I have thought about using it with the fast lenses to see the quality of the shots. A friend had a Canon AE2 back then and was sold on it. There are plenty of places that sell color and b/w film for old 35mm cameras all over the USA. in So Cal,(and Colorado) there is a company called DVD Your Memories http://www.dvdyourmemories.com/los-angeles/about/ They do film developing and are well known for converting old VHS and photos to DVDs or flash drives. A friend used them and the old stuff came out fine. I happen to use an Orange County local place (Parrot Video) that did my old drag racing films from 16mm to digital files on my external hard drive. Also, they converted old VHS tapes to digital files, too. In looking up places that still develop 35mm films from color to b/w, there are plenty of places in every city. Those small shops do other things, but provide these old services, today. A Google search with your hometown is your friend. Jnaki Any reputable camera store has their own lab or access to lab services that they trust. So, contact your local camera store. Ok, I like film cameras and had a long history with them. But, my current arsenal is just as powerful and dishes out exactly as I see a composed photo…right now. That is the main advantage for digital cameras, on the spot photo development. Plus, my 20x telephoto allows me to not have to crowd into the array of people to get a shot. I can pick and choose when and where the shot is to be taken. One thing that digital allows is the almost automatic shooting in sequence. Back in the old 35mm film camera days, only the pros could afford motorized drives for fast shooting. I learned a lot from film cameras, and if I were still doing that stuff and shooting/selling photos, I would get a 6x7 film camera to make perfect 8x10 prints with absolute clarity in the old style of photography. But, there is no handier thing than a digital camera with all of the goodies that fits in your pocket, even those skinny jeans. (or jackets in us, old guy clothing.) No, I am not talking about telephone cameras…either.
It's encouraging to see film photography making even a slight resurgence, though I haven't shot a roll in years. But be careful where you have your film processed and printed. It seems in many instances that current "consumer" film labs will develop your film, run off a set of 4x6 prints for you and return them to you with a CD of of your scanned images. But they DO NOT RETURN YOUR NEGATIVES! It's too much trouble cutting and handling them so after they're scanned to disc they get pitched. And to further add salt to the wound the scans are fairly low resolution and quality.
The Jalopy Journal
