I finally got around to getting off my first film from my medium format camera developed. The film was a black and white one which came “free” with the camera. I’d realised (even before I tried this film) that I’m not very good at visualising the world in black and white. When converting digital files  I need to give it a go to really appreciate what an image will look like in B&W. Unfortunately, there’s no such luxury with film so I tended to go for high contrast scenes this time around to be on the safe side.

I’ve learnt from playing this way, and now I’m looking forward to trying out the colour portrait film I have sat in the fridge.

Because this was an experiment really, I couldn’t bring myself to spend the £20 to get them properly scanned from the negatives, so I’ve scanned in the photos using my cheapy flatbed scanner at home. That has degraded the quality a bit compared to the prints.

Oxfam in Oxford regularly have special camera sale weekends where they display all their photography gear. Rarely is there anything modern, but I’m always tempted by the older cameras. I don’t know why. Last time I almost bought a Kodak Junior, but having researched it, I found that I would have ended up having to re-roll 120 film on to the now obsolete 620 spools. That seemed a little bit too much like hard work, for what would have been just for fun.

But it got me thinking. I fancied playing with a medium format camera. Digital medium format cameras are somewhat out of my reach price wise, so I started investigating film ones. Rather than opting for something very old, along the lines of what I might find at Oxfam – I’ve got hold of the camera above. It’s a early 1990′s professional medium format camera. I’m hoping that the additional expense of film, and the slowness of a fully manual camera, will teach me to think about each shot that little bit more. While it is largely for me to practice with at the moment, I may start offering a retro portrait service for those wanting the look-and-feel of good old film.

I’ve not had any films developed yet, but I’ll post some photos when I have.

My little son, John Benjamin was born on 10th October 2008. (8lb 10oz). He’s wonderful and I’m tired. Joanna is adapting well to her new little brother, but at the moment doesn’t quite understand why he doesn’t want to play with toys.

My friend Graeme at Studio Stratford invited my family up for one of his portrait sessions. The shot above and below are from that shoot. It was a fun day out for all of the family. Emily and Joanna both really enjoyed it. John tolerated it as much as a new born does. If you are considering a shoot with a newborn, from experience I’d suggest waiting until your baby has an established routine, and can sit up. Graeme dealt with a 11 day old amazingly well and I’d highly recommend his studio to anyone living near Stratford-upon-Avon. He also offer makeover sessions with a professional make-up artist/hair stylist. Pets are welcome too!

If you live more locally (Oxford) and would like a similar portrait session, please contact me!