For those of you who don't know, I got a vintage Holga 35mm film camera for my birthday! It's been a long time since I used film, and for most people it's a thing of the past. But I think the old retro style cameras can be a lot of fun and a great creative outlet. I just love the way the edges darken and blur, and I love all of the light leaks and streaks. I think it gives the photos a summery feel, and of course summer is my favorite time of year!
I started out with some T-Max 400 black and white, and since no one develops T-Max anymore, I will have to do those in the darkroom with my dad whenever I order some new chemicals so be on the lookout for those! Next I tried a Fujifilm Supra and got a few good ones. And when I find my scanner software I'll post those!
In searching for a more vibrant saturated film, I came across this film called redscale. When I found out how it worked I thought genius! The way you make this film is to go into a darkroom and take all of the film off of the roll. Then you flip the film over upside down and wind it back on the roll! So the film is upside down. If you have ever noticed on the back of your 35mm film there is a dark brown/orangish color on it. Well, the idea is shoot through this brownish layer and it can be used like a filter! So all of your pictures have a really saturated yellow orange or red color giving it a vintage 70's feel.
Like any film I had to kinda guess and test and sure enough if your not in total direct sunshine the photos are too red or dark and over saturated. But I think the whole idea of not knowing what your gonna get is part of the fun! Here are a few that I liked. I'll play around with it until I get some good ones eventually! Let me know what you think! It's always interesting hearing other people's views on this.
Notice this was in the shade, so more red. And because the film is on backwards, take
a look at the numbers on the building. Mirror Image!
