Roll 9

Film: Kodak Portra 400

Camera: Leica M7

Lens: 50mm Summicron

This roll takes us from the Marin Headlands to Yosemite National Park. My good friend Georgia was visiting from Australia and we did some adventuring in the Marin Headlands before an Instameet at Mt. Tamalpais. The fog was rolling in and I knew it'd make for some amazing photos. I was super excited how the colored film handled the fog. I have to say it really helped the colored portraits pop!

I also got some pictures of a freckles friend who I met at the mall. I've been working on a freckle project and whoever I run across who has freckles I hand them my card. You wouldn't imagine how hard it is to find some good freckles! 

The last two photos on this roll were shot while I was in Yosemite. I am blown away by the colors that film is able to capture! My digital shots didn't even come close to this and the detail in the shadows is mind blowing. I almost wish I would have kept shooting color while I was there, but I switched it up and you'll see the black and white work from that trip in the next roll!

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Goldie

Goldie

Georgia Verrells

Georgia Verrells

Peonie  

Peonie

Georgia Verrells

Elena  

Elana

Tunnel View, Yosemite

Tunnel View, Yosemite

Roll 8

Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 (pushed +1)

Camera: Leica M7

Lens: 50mm Summicron

One thing I love about my new rangefinder is the size. It's so discrete and I keep a 50mm lens on it, so I only ever bring an extra roll of film.  I find myself bringing this camera with me more than usual. Whether I'm taking Bart into the city or grabbing dinner with friends. There really isn't an excuse to not throw this set up on my shoulder when I walk out the door.  A lot of times I just use my iPhone for taking photos while on the go and leave my digital gear at home, but shooting a couple frames of film is always a fun way to save a memory!

I fell in love with the shots through the window of my two good friends, Kelsey and Cyndy, enjoying Lavendar Lattes together. I was surprised how well the film handled in such dark conditions. I was pushing the Kodak Tri-X 400 +1 to 800. I love that I can shoot the Leica handheld at such low shutter speeds. I believe the window shots were about 1/20 and of a sec. The photo of my friends, Ted and Aga, were shot at 1/8 of a second. The Leica rangefinder has a cloth shutter which has much less vibrates than a dslr camera, so low light handheld shots are a bit easier. 

I'm super excited by the response from you guys! My views keep growing and I can't thank you enough. I should be getting five more rolls back any day and can't wait to share with you guys!

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Cyndy Alfaro, De Young Museum

Kelsey Johnson, Presidio Park

Cyndy Alfaro

Kelsey Johnson (L) Cydny Alfaro (R)

Kelsey Johnson

Ted and Aga

Redwoods

Redwoods

Muirwoods

Roll 6

Film: Kodak Portra 400

Camera: Leica M7

Lens: 50mm Summicron

This roll is a bit of a continuation of roll 5. This is my first roll of Portra 400 I've shot and was super excited to see how the grain would hold up compared to the super fine grain of the Portra 160. Plus I was curious if I would see much changes in the colors between those two films. 

I was blown away by the tones and colors of these photos. The yellows and greens are spot on and couldn't look more natural. Abby's skin tones were just perfect. I especially loved the colors of the walls shot in the room, so soft and creamy! 

I do owe some of my credit to Indie Film Labs. I mail all my film to them and they do an amazing job color correcting the scans. Plus being able to just drop my film in the mail and not worry about picking it up is nice! It saves me a couple trips to a lab that isn't close and they email my developed scans to me and send the negatives back later. 

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Roll 5

Film: Kodak Portra 160

Camera: Leica M7

Lens: 50mm Summicron

I had forgotten how exciting the wait was to get film back. The anticipation of wondering if you exposed your photos right, waiting to see if you captured the shot, and also wondering what the heck did you take photos of anyways. 

This roll takes us from San Francisco to Point Reyes. One of my favorite rolls to date. The colors of the Portra just blew me away. Nothing I've shot on digital had come close to these tones. I've spent so much time using VSCO presets that it felt amazing getting the scans back knowing that I didn't have to see which filter worked best with them. I did do some small adjustments to exposures and  darkened the blacks a bit on a handful of the shots.  

I was excited to focus more on portraits for this roll. Film has won my heart and I hope you enjoy this roll as much as I did.  

Please leave any questions or even advice in the comment section.  

Amanda Fleming

Liz Knox

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Abby Vansteenberghe

Five reasons you should shoot film

Why would anyone shoot film in the age of digital! It can cost a ton of money, you can't check your shots to see if they're in focus, and where do you even find the stuff! I myself switched to digital 11 years ago after I got back from Europe and didn't like the fact my 50 rolls of film I shot took up half my bag. Recently i've returned to film and boy has it been fun!

I think it's safe to say a large majority of photographers on social media platforms centered around photography grew up not using film. Just because film has taken a back seat to digital doesn't mean that it's not relevant. Here are my 5 reasons you should give film a shot!

1. Film helps you slow down and think before you shoot. When I transitioned to digital I found myself taking more photos than ever and at the same time I was continuously upgrading my hard drive to store them all. I think it's pretty fun to head out with a roll of 36 exposures and challenge myself to make sure each shot counts. Oddly enough I've noticed my percentage of keepers with film has been higher than with digital. 

2. Many professional film cameras are actually better than digital cameras on the market. In the age of megapixels and sensors the real truth is film can be scanned and files are comparable or even larger than many digital cameras we shoot with.

3. Film cameras can be dirt cheap and most of them can take a beating and keep on ticking! Imagine picking up a super high end 35mm or medium format camera for a fraction of the price of a comparable digital camera. Many of the latest models of film cameras were barely used as professional photographers transitioned to digital. 

4. There is a huge lens selection that you never considered! For all of those looking for amazing glass and low apertures at a price that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, should look at film cameras. Sure you can buy adapters and use older lenses on your digital camera, but what's the fun in that! 

 5. Film just looks amazing! Sure you can buy VSCO preset packages and try to replicate the look of film with your digital images, but it'll never look the same. Digital camera sensors just can't replicate the colors seen in film. Plus the dynamic range of film can still blow the socks off most basic digital cameras!

There we have it! Film is fun, rewarding, and can possibly help you become a better photographer. Plus when the zombie apocalypse happens you can still hide in a ventelated basement and develop your negatives and make some prints...of zombies!