REDEFINE | Film Photography featuring Léa Jones, Photographer
Why are you passionate about film photography?
First, I love film photography because I find the colors incredible. I am often surprised by the scans that I received: how a green or blue was rendered, or all the different tones in my daughter’s hair. Another reason I love film is that it has taught me let go of perfection: I want to nail focus and exposure, and I try to capture the best moment and I will frame as well as I can, but because I cannot overshoot. I will not try to take the same photo 25 times to get one perfect shot. I will shoot one or two frames and hope for the best. I find it very freeing. Sometimes I mess up, but it doesn’t matter to me. If I captured the emotion or the feeling I consider it a success.
Did you start off with film or digital?
I started in 2010 with digital and it’s only in 2014 that I discovered that people were still using film. I love grain and I love deep colors so it was not difficult for me to fall in love with film. I love that I can shoot medium format, it really is pretty amazing. I would never be able to shoot medium format on a digital camera!
What are the tips you would share with anyone trying to begin shooting film?
Get a cheap 35mm, get a light meter, watch a few tutorials on how to meter, join a group of film shooters (most filmies are super helpful), and just try it. It’s not as difficult as you might think. Portra 400 is very easy and forgiving, and Agfa Vista is my favorite cheap film. Send your first roll in. Use a professional lab. When I started out, I used a local one, and the scans were nowhere near as nice as when I started to send it to a pro lab. Some labs will give you feedback on your metering and that is super helpful. Enjoy the ride, there will ups and downs, but nothing compares to scans hitting your inbox.
About the photographer: