This roll is interesting… It dates back to like February, before pandemic/shelter-in-place. The first half of the roll I shot through a Pentax K1000 I found in my dad’s old camera bag. Me and my housemate made a little video on it that I never really felt “finished” with so I put it on the backburner. I wanted to make a video where I developed that film and showed the results but when Covid hit, it put a curveball in everything and the roll sat in my fridge. We also ran out of developer at the house, and then the messiness of the house made me indecisive unto how we would film that portion of the video.
Ultimately, I made a bunch of excuses for the video but eventually developed the roll and got the scans back to confirm I should keep using this camera. The K1000 works great, and the roll switches over to my M6 around the frames of the Poppies. You almost can’t tell, as the K1000 and its 28mm f/2.8 prime lens is very sharp. Its focusing mechanism and exposure meter took some getting used to and I find both more helpful but also more intrusive to the experience compared to the M6’s rangefinder shooting experience. Overall it was fun and easy to use and I now use it as a carry-around that I don’t mind it banging around or if (knock on wood) something were to happen to it.
The K1000 frames were made in Petaluma, CA and the M6 frames were made in Santa Rosa, CA. Some of the clips from the video and frames from this roll are in this video.
I currently own more film cameras than I do digital, and I have no problem with that. I love to have options when I shoot film. Being able to grab a specific tool from my arsenal to enjoy its particular process and outcome is something I know I can get used to. If anything, I believe I’ve reached a new peak.
I love every tool I own for their own reasons. It’s much like owning different kinds of the same size wrench, or different depths of the same size socket to access them in various scenarios. The kind of photo I envision or perhaps the film stock loaded in the camera is part of the context which helps me select my tool of choice.
I try not to draw too much attention or importance to what the tools are; their brand name, or their value. It’s worthless to me if it doesn’t inspire or aid me in making great photographs. The process and the results are of utmost importance to me…
Some of my extended family. My aunt, centered, gifted me my M6 in 2019. (Portra 160, Leica M6)
A lot of people will judge you by the equipment you have or the mediums you shoot on. People have literally stopped me and gasped at my Leica M6, or commented on the cuteness and sleekness of my Konica Big Mini. But the truth is that both of these cameras come from my bloodline. They carry such significant intrinsic value to me that I could care less if they were to be found for $20 on eBay. They carry a history, they inspire me to create, and ultimately they are my tools of creation. That kind of value carries no price tag to me.
As a matter of fact, the most recent camera I’ve begun to use was the first film camera I became familiar with – a Nikon N8008s. It literally is a $20 camera on eBay, but would be one of the last possessions I’d ever sell, same with my M6 or Big Mini. It was also passed to me from family, this one from my father. I shot and developed my first rolls of film from this camera, some of which I made enlargements from that are still framed in my room. I still have the film, contact sheets, and proofs at my parents’ home. The below photos were taken on Nikon N8008s, Kodak BW, hand developed and printed by me in my high school darkroom. Then scanned with a shitty flat-bed scanner…
Carlo (@leftf0otforward) on my right.
Most of the time, I don’t use the whole roll when I go out shooting because I tend to be very frugal with how I consume film. And because of that, I wouldn’t prefer to “waste” a shot that I know I intended for another day or another roll. (i.e. a sunset or colorful scene on monochrome film I would have preferred to have taken in color). But sometimes, you can’t help yourself and you don’t know how tight or how whack the result will be. You just have to find out. That’s all part of the fun and the challenge. See below:
I captured this while driving next to a purple-orange sunset. I knew the creek was going to be in frame, but I was more impressed with the contrast among the creek than the sky like I intended. (T-Max 400, Leica M6)I also dig this shot. Again, I wanted to capture the tones in the sky but it didn’t go my way. It’s alright though – no mistakes, just happy accidents. #bobross (T-Max 400, Leica M6)
My Nikon D800 was the fruit of my own labor. A much needed digital FX upgrade. A much needed sharpening of my edge, a big addition to my tool-bag. The reality is, however, I could sell it and get another body and feel little remorse because although I adore it as a tool, I don’t have a personal connection to it (yet) like I do the N8008s or M6. And yes, the photos will come out sharp and clean in a variety of mixed circumstances, along with creating HD video, but the art I’d create in the process of carefully and accurately burning images onto silver-halide photographic film is a process I will never be tired of and should never be left behind.
And that’s likely why I own more film cameras than I do digital, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it stayed that way.
The shots below are from my first roll ever of Ilford HP5. I really love the look it provided. It is a very contrast-heavy film. It does a really good job of bringing out details within the shadows if exposed correctly, but if there is harsh light or over-exposure, particularly outdoors, you lose some mid-range and depth. At least, that’s how I feel about it so far. When indoors and especially when shooting portraits, the grain of the film suddenly becomes more noticeable. I would say it is more on the looser end of grain than fine. It provides a classic film look, and the higher contrast helps create a cinematic, dramatic vibe. All of the images were shot with a Leica M6 35mm f/2 Summicron on Ilford HP5 400. Enjoy and view my Flickr for more.
Matthew PakMatthew PakMatthew PakMatthew PakMatthew PakMatthew PakMe – shot by Emerald Tanaka
Matthew Pak 