30 22 February 2020I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
TODAY’S FILM PHOTOGRAPHERS
‘Filmhasanaddedpersonalvalue.Ittakesa little
more time to produce good images and prints’
publicationsunderstandthe
photographerstheyworkwith
andchoosesuitablecommissions
accordingly;theyknowthat
workingwithTereza,there’sa
differentscheduleandtheycan’tsee
thepictures‘inthemoment’.Even
whentheturnaroundis tight,it’s
nota problem.‘It’shappenedtome
whereI hada shootinthemorning
andsentthedigitaleditinthe
afternoon.It’snotthathard,if you
rushtheprocessing[payextrato
haveit donequickly],youhaveit in
twohoursandthenI justscan and
send the contact sheets.’
Matt Walkley
Influencedbythe
photographyofAnsel
Adams,DonMcCullin,
TonyRay-Jonesand
morerecently,
MatthewFinn,
37-year-oldamateurphotographer
MattWalkley,whilenotexclusively
shootingfilm,is usingit with
increasingfrequency.Beingan
amateurmeanshehastheluxury
andfreedomtoworktohisown
timetableandmuchofit is
scheduledforprintingthe
landscapesheshootswithhisLeica
MA,Hasselblad500cm,Rolleiflex
T andChamonixC45H-1cameras.
‘Filmhasanaddedpersonalvalue
tomyimages.It takesa littlemore
efforttoproducegoodimagesand
printswithfilm,soI havehadto
expandmyknowledgewhenit
comestousingthecamera,
processingthefilmandmakinga
print.Shootingfilmis farmore
hands-onandthismanualapproach
is somethingthatreallyappealsto
me.It’sfarmoresatisfyingtoseean
imageappearinthedevelopingtray
undertheredsafelightofthe
darkroomthanit is topressprinton
thecomputer.’
Mattusedtoeditdigitalfilesto
tryandgetthelookoffilmbefore
decidingtoembraceits
imperfectionsratherthanremove
theperfectionsofdigital:‘Whenit
comestomychoiceof35mmfilm
I’mprettysettled,KodakTri-X 400
suitsmyneedsandis veryflexible.
It hasa grittylookthatI loveand
looksgoodevenwhenpush
processeduptoISO3200.I also
useit formediumandlarge format
or I use Ilford FP4 plus.’
Emma CaseEmmaCase,a 39-year-
oldprofessional
photographer,is
obsessedwiththe
nostalgiathatfilm
photographycan
triggerandinparticularwhat
Polaroidscaninduce.‘I adore
Polaroid.It stemsbacktotheclassic
handfulofPolaroidsfrommy
childhoodthattellthewholestory
intinysquares,that’sallI need.If I
wasrunningfroma burning
building,they’retheonesI’dsave.’
Emmaoftenusesit inher
professionalpractice.‘I boughta
PolaroidSX-70onlineandstarted
takingsomeatweddingsandgiving
themtothecouple.I knowthat’sthe
onethey’regoingtoputonthe
fridge,likea smallpieceofartwork
thatcan’tbereplicated.’Shooting
Polaroidis a challenge,reacting
differentlytochangesin
temperatureandenvironment,but
Emmais undeterred:‘Youhaveto
courtyourPolaroidcamera,spend
timewithit,taketimegettingto
knowit andacceptit willthrowthe
oddcurveball.’
ForEmma,herwholeprocess
changeswhenshootingfilm.‘I treat
eachcameradifferently,particularly
myfilmcameras.Withmydigital
camerasI knowI cangetthejob
doneandcoverlotsquicklybut
you’renotnecessarilytellingthe
storybetterwiththeinfinityof
imagesdigitalallows.Withfilm
I trytoslowdown,I knowwhat
quirkstheycanbringtothejob.I
feeltheresultstheyprovidedeserve
tobeonthewallmore.’
InadditiontoPolaroid,Emma
usesher‘workhorse’CanonA-1
35mmwhichallowshertomove
quicklyforherdocumentary
photography,a Pentax67,Mamiya
645 andtheLomographyDiana
range.‘Yougetthebestlightleaks,
whichtomearelikegold!’Allare
loaded,wherepossible,witha rollof
KodakPortra 400 film.Sometimes
shedoesn’tusea cameraatall.
REDis a communityprojectof
hersthatsharesLiverpoolfootball
fans’personalphotosandstories,
createdalongsidethefansand
sharedthroughexhibitions,
books,interviewsandevents.It’s
almostexclusively reliant on film,
and nostalgia.Above:A selection
ofEmmaCase’s
Polaroid
photographs.
Clockwisefromtop
left– Morocco,a
laundromat,a
weddingcouple
andLiverpoolFC’s
fans(partofher
RED project)Naomi Goggin
A33-year-old,
self-taught,full-time
professionalfreelance
weddingphotographer,
NaomiGogginhas
beentakingfilmphotos
sinceshewas11.‘Growingupyou
justunderstoodyoudidn’tgettosee
thepicturesuntillater,thatwasthe
excitement. A huge inspiration for