Fran shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Fran?

I have always been drawn to images taken with a film camera because it captures light and flaws beautifully. By shooting film, I am not only learning the basics of photography but I am also learning everyday to become a better observer and be more appreciative of imperfections.

In such a fast-paced, technology-driven world where everything is handed to us 'right now', I also like how film slows me down to get the shot right the first time then having to wait days, sometimes weeks, before finding out if I really did. And if didn't, I don't beat myself up coz a bad roll will remind me of what I did wrong and learn from it. It's not something I could delete and forget about. Having said that, the human element involve in film is very present which makes it raw, honest and a lot more personal.

Film is also predictable in so many ways and yet it has a huge room for serendipitous moments and random surprises and that's a good thing. Shooting film reminds me constantly that there's fun in leaving some things to chance, not knowing and letting surprises knock at my door every now and then.

You can see more of Fran's on her Flickr and blog.

Katherine shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Katherine?

I shoot film for many reasons, although I think it boils down to two. One, it feels visually much more beautiful to me than digital. I think a photo can look like complete crap if you take it with an okay, maybe $300 digital camera, but look really beautiful if you shoot it on a $60 film camera. Until I get to looking at photos shot with super expensive digital cameras (I'm talking 4 digits American dollars here), I can always tell if a photo is film or not. I think that says a lot about the visual-quality of film. The second reason is because I feel much more of a personal connection with my photos when I shoot film. There is something very real and satisfying when you know the life & moment you're capturing when you take a photo becomes imprinted that same moment on a piece of film. And you can hold that image in your hand. Versus images only existing as pixels on a chip with digital. Film is raw & pure, aka, the best :)

You can see more of Katherine's film photos on her website and Flickr.