10 Things I Love About Film - ISSUE 47

The follow up to 10 things I hate about film…

Housekeeping 

Hello Love Lucy fam and welcome to another newsletter. Today we have a follow up to the 10 things I hate about film issue a few weeks back that you guys seemed to totally love. So I thought why not keep things balanced and share the 10 things I love with you as well! 

I have a few fun announcements before we get into it though…

Portfolio Reviews

After a few requests from people to do shorter one to one sessions in order to half the price and make it more affordable for people to access my services I have added a new offering to the lumen line up in the form of portfolio reviews!  

This is done via email and allows me to thoroughly review your body of work, project, portfolio or series and provide constructive feedback that is honest but kind and adds on extras like actionable steps, a bit of homework (don’t worry it’s fun), and also links, resources, suggestions of things to get you inspired and move you forward as a photographer. 

This is suitable for both professional and personal work and is something anyone with more than a few rolls of film worth of work can access. This can be digital as well of course, or a mix of both. If you would like further info on what they include, how they work and how to sign up, then hit the button below or click this link here! 

Here is a lovely comment from photographer Andrew Wacker who jumped on the opportunity for a review! Thank you Andrew, it was such a pleasure looking over your work. Be sure to check out his zine Suburban Dreams over on blurb.

I’m very grateful for the review you provided me! This is an excellent offering and a great value, thank you so much for doing these!

The reception to this has been really amazing and I have thoroughly enjoyed the awesome work I am getting to look over. Thank you so much to those of you who have given me the opportunity to provide feedback so far. I appreciate the trust on your side and I am excited to connect with more of you in the community should you choose to submit your work for review. 

A new video went out this week and the soundtrack is banging! It’s got lots of tips on composition, focal length and how I approach shooting busy scenes.

There is a brand new set of prints available over on the shop too, so if you love classic cars on film be sure to check them out while they are still there! 

Okay let’s get into this…

10 Things I Love About Film

1. I love the packaging of all the films. The way each brand has its own colour scheme and font, just like cigarette packs do. I love opening my fridge and seeing them all stare back at me in their colourful glory, just chilling, literally, waiting for me to take my pick. 

2. I love the text I get from Ikigai saying “Good news your film is ready!” my stomach flips and I get butterflies like I’m back on my first date with Lux. Knowing there are all these photos to go and explore and the hope that maybe one of them will be me best yet is a feeling I can’t get from digi

3. I love winding the film back in an SLR (I actually hate loading it) turning that little lever round and round feeling the tension stop and knowing it's okay to open the back and grab that finished roll out

4. I love the way all my point and shoots sound like they are about to die - the whir and the faint electronics still chugging away since the late 80’s working hard to rewind and keep on keeping on for me. The on button sliding over to initiate the reveal of the lens and have it pop out like a little robot ready to see the world the way I tell it to. The sounds of the flash desperately trying to recharge and fire again in between shots. I love those sounds. 

5. I love that there is no menu or touch screen or cable or memory card or software or upgrade to be released. It is what it is and I love it for that. There is no focus peaking making everything look like a scene from predator or any fixtures needed for me to move photos from place to another. There is no setting that I accidently put it on that I now have no idea what it means and I don’t know how to get back to the beginning. I just load it up and shoot and I know film will come through for me…most of the time anyway. 

6. I love the way film renders the colour red, or any colour really but most of all red. It’s so vibrant it bleeds out and demands your attention! 

7. I love the sense of community with others who shoot film. The nod of approval amongst each other like we are members in Fight Club who know about another way of living that is so much more exciting than ordinary life. The mission we are on to keep it alive. 

8. I love converting someone to film. Lending them a camera and then having them be so excited to see their photos and later asking you “where can I buy a film camera?” “Which one should I get?” I rub my hands together gleefully knowing another has come to the film side and then I feel a sense of nostalgia for the many years ago when I first experienced film. 

9. I love the way it feels like magic even though it is actually science and I fucking hate science and because of this I know so little about the process and how it all works that to me it is really just like magic. 

10.  I love how dedicated I am to this medium and even though the cost of living is high, interest rates are skyrocketing, energy prices are through the roof, food is outrageously expensive, my son needs new clothes every few weeks and a third of my wage goes to nappies I still willingly put my card details in to stock up on Ultramax and Colourplus and hell, even Portra 400 or sometimes even 800! I LOVE IT! I CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP LOVING FILM, NO MATTER WHAT!      

I hope you enjoyed this over the top expression of my undying love for film photography and if you think another film shooter will relate or get a kick outta this consider sharing it with them. 

If you are looking for more to sink your teeth into there are plenty of back issues available and more to come in the future. Every Friday to be specific. Subscribe so you get it straight to your inbox. Thanks for reading guys. 

Love Lucy xx