I’ve mentioned this before but I think it is worth mentioning again.
I am absolutely terrible at completing any form of photo challenge. Believe me I have tried a few. The classic 365 challenge. The 30 day challenge. MugShotMondayArt. InstaDaily, etc. Tried and failed gloriously.
When I read through Alicia’s post (Issue 7) and saw her photos I had a completely different thought about photo challenges. It’s not about the goal - to get 365 photos snapped and shared. It is more about consistency. And discipline. And looking around for things we often think of as “won’t make a good photo”. Taking those images and putting them together into something which makes sense to us. Not for the algorithm.
I got in touch with Alicia and she kindly agreed to do an interview with me. Although I’m still not good with photo challenges I certainly look at them in a different non-social media way.
And now onto the meat and potatoes…
Hello Alicia, thank you for agreeing to the interview. Can you please share with the community a few things about yourself - why you like film photography so much, why you decided to start a newsletter - a few things we won't find on the About page?
First off, let me start by saying thank you to you, Richard, for reaching out to me to do this interview! I am very honored.
Back when I first developed an interest in photography, there was no choice between film and digital. Film photography was all there was. Of course, I was around when digital cameras first came out, but honestly, I didn’t take them seriously. I remember buying a little digital Canon Powershot that I would use to take snapshots, but it was the film camera that I would revert to when I wanted to take any meaningful photos. I guess to me, film photography had more of a sense of permanence. It was something tangible.
However, as the years went by, I neglected the film camera and it was the upgraded Canon digicams that came with me everywhere. They were so small and convenient that the film camera suddenly felt too slow and cumbersome. Then camera phones became a thing and even the digicams became obsolete. It wasn’t until around 2019 that I started using a film camera steadily again. I was given an old twin lens camera and it instantly rekindled my love for photography. I began to remember that slow process that had called to me from the very beginning.
Several years later, I discovered photography Substack. At first I was happy to be just a reader and subscriber, but then I started thinking that maybe I would like to share my photos, too. Which, by the way, is very much outside of my comfort zone. I’m a pretty reserved and quiet person. I hate being the center of attention, and yet, here I am, publishing my thoughts and images on a public “stage” and even giving interviews!
Your newsletter is called “The Daily Film Photo Project”. Can you share more about this project and what the journey has been like for you?
So, once I got back into film photography, I still wasn’t shooting with any regularity. I would either let a roll of film sit in the camera for weeks, even months, or I would shoot a roll in one day. I just wasn’t feeling very motivated. Sometimes I would come across photography challenges and start them but never finish. These were usually lists of topics that someone had created, and I would do one or two of the prompts, but quickly get bored. Around the same time I purchased a used Leica SLR with a really nice 50mm lens.
After shooting with it for a time, I discovered that I didn’t really like it as much as I thought I would. - Had I gotten too used to the square format of the twin lens? Had I been lured by the Leica name? - This is when the daily film photo project occurred to me. At the beginning of 2024, I set out to shoot with the Leica for the whole year, using only black and white film. I didn’t have any prompts or photographic goals other than to take a daily image. I found the project frustrating at times. At first it was really hard to maintain the momentum of shooting daily, but I kept at it. In the end, the rewards far out-weighed the frustrations. What I had done was create a habit of intentional photography. I had made photography part of my every day life. And, I grew to love the Leica SLR; an added bonus.
My Substack newsletter came about nine months into the project. I published my first issue in September of 2024. I had found the photography community on Substack really welcoming, inspiring and supportive so I thought I would take the chance to share my project with others. I honestly thought I would just be talking to myself, so it really surprised me when I started getting subscribers and followers! Writing about my experience and sharing my images has also been extremely rewarding.
I am now on year two of this daily film photo project. This year I haven’t limited myself to a single camera or a specific type of film. It’s been more freeing and has allowed my photography to evolve. I find myself more willing to experiment. I’ve also discovered that I shoot differently, based on which type of camera and film I’m using. I’m attracted to different scenes, different lighting conditions, based on what I’m shooting with.
The most important thing I’ve learned from shooting daily is that perfection is not the goal. It took me awhile to accept that I’m not going to love every image I take, and that’s okay.
You wrote the following in a newsletter: “In this fast paced world where everything is on a screen or at our fingertips, I find it refreshing to succumb to the mandatory slowness that film photography insists upon.” - Many newcomers to photography want to rush through the critical steps needed to form a solid foundation because of an urgency instilled in us thanks to social media and the urge to share everything. What is your take on social media and its influence on photography? How does it affect someone who grew up without the push from social media?
When social media first started, particularly Instagram, I was lured in, as well. It was such a unique platform that was strictly photo based, but as you know, it has changed a lot. Social media isn’t what it was at the beginning. It’s this hungry beast of a thing that needs to be fed constantly. A generation has grown up along side of it that only knows constant consumption, and it is anything but social.
I personally don’t think it fosters any kind of art and creativity. My advise to someone just starting out in photography is to shoot for yourself. Forget about trends. Forget about algorithms. Do look at photo books and art books. Do visit art galleries and museums. Don’t watch YouTube tutorials. Don’t pay attention to the number of posts and likes on social media accounts. Shooting film is almost like a meditation; be present; slow down.
What is your process when deciding on what to photograph? Is there a specific subject you tend to focus on?
My process is no process. My photography is of the everyday, which is why I always have a camera at the ready. I do keep a list of ideas that strike me, but mostly I’m shooting very much in the here-and-now.
A gear related question: Leica R4 SLR VS 1958 Minolta Autocord twin lens. Without going into too much technical detail, which of these two cameras do you prefer shooting with? What makes you pick one over another when going out to take photos?
As I mentioned earlier, I spent a whole year shooting strictly with the Leica R4 SLR, in 2024. I did this purposely to force myself to bond with it. Ultimately I grew to love the camera, but my true love is the Minolta Autocord TLR. There’s just something about that camera that has captured my heart. I love the square format and the level of detail in the medium format negatives.
Recently, I noticed that the focus lever was slipping and and my focus range was very inconsistent. I was quite upset, wondering if it was the end of the road for my bestie. Luckily, I know someone who specializes in servicing Autocords. I sent my camera to him and he was able to fix it. That’s the beauty of an all mechanical camera.
As for deciding which camera to use, it’s not based on anything other than what kind of film I have on hand. Since I’m shooting everyday, either camera can be used. Recently I went on vacation and I took both cameras with me, one loaded with color film, the other with black and white. It’s fun to have 2 different formats and 2 different film stocks to work with. It keeps my brain and my creativity sharp.
I’ve never shot a single frame of film but I would like to get into it. What advice can you give someone who is looking to start with film photography but has no experience at all?
Well, I wouldn’t say you have no experience at all. You’re already a photographer. You know how to expose an image properly. You know how to compose an image. All those things are the same with a film camera, you just have to remember that you’re limited to the parameters of the film you’re using.
There’s no such thing as using a 1000 ISO for one frame and 250 for the next, for instance, or firing off a hundred shots at a time. - Get your hands on a fully manual camera, select a film stock and just start shooting. Soon enough, you’ll find your groove. And make sure you print your favorites. There’s nothing like holding a photo you’ve taken, in your own hands.
Substack is a good place to share your writing & photography. What has your experience been and do you have any newsletters you can recommend which focuses on film photography?
I find Substack to be a great place for photographers. It’s a social media platform like no other, and I really hope it stays that way! There’s such a sense of community and such a wealth of knowledge and talent.
There are so many Substack newsletters that I enjoy. Here are just a few that are exclusively film photography based.
Adventures in Analogue by Katia
Eclectachrome by Molly Kate - https://substack.com/@eclectachrome
Fotografia on Film by Raf
Film Rick by Rick Vega
Finding Film Again by Scott Norton
Soren’s Photography Substack
In closing.
The Substack film photography community is very much alive.
Digital is great for a variety of reasons but I think it reminds us too much of rush which the modern age has thrust upon us. And if the photographers’ like Alicia find so much enjoyment from the pursuit of film photography maybe the uninitiated should at least dip their toes in the proverbial waters of film photography.
Thanks for reading : )
Thank you Richard for this great interview, and thank you Alicia for listing me among your film photographer Substackers.
…awesome photos…great interview…thanks both…