Christmas Ideas for the Film Photographer 2016

Time is running out, but there are still deals to be had online for Christmas. The Phoblographer has ideas for the street photographer who prefers film. While KEH Camera has a wide selection of used cameras, they do make you sign up for their newsletter to receive notice of great deals off already discounted used gear.

Of course, any film photographer would appreciate film itself, see Sources of Film and Which Film to Use for ideas. Silverprint in the UK has a deal of 35% off Foma enlarging papers on orders over £100 after the discount code has been applied. Shoot Film Co. has pins, stickers and trinkets for film shooters, plus the PhotoMemo photographer's memo book, a handy way for keeping track of exposure data, etc.

The Film Shooters Collective is offering up to 25% off their No Grain, No Glory T-shirts as of now.

Sources of Film

The death of film is greatly exaggerated. Many places still carry film. The drugstore near you may even have a couple of rolls on the shelves. Your local camera shop, if your city has one, may have a selection of available rolls of film. Increasingly, online sources are convenient and have more selection. B&H Photo has a wide selection of films at reasonable cost, plus chemistry and photo papers. So does Adorama. In the UK, SilverPrint sells worldwide, not only films but chemistry and more. In the USA, the Photographer's Formulary sells just about every combination of chemistry a photographer would need. Ultrafine Online sells a variety of films, some hard to get such as Maco and their own line of high contrast Ortho Litho film. Of course, the Japan Camera Hunter blog sells items in Asia, including his own JCH StreetPan film.

Fuji Instax film, it seems, can be purchased anywhere cameras are sold, including big box electronics shops, pharmacies or just about anywhere. Of couse, how can one mention Instax without mentioning Impossible Instant Film.

In short, there seems to be a plentiful number of sources for getting film, film chemistry and papers. The variety and pricing of which depends on how far you are willing to search for what you want and at what price. Not only do prices vary, but shipping varies also and some online shops offer free shipping over a certain amount. It may be cheaper when buying online to buy 10 rolls and save with free shipping than to buy a couple of rolls of film at a time.

Richard Pickup, on Why I Shoot Film

Richard Pickup was interviewed on Emulsive at the end of last month. (Yes, it is December already!) Richard is not only a photographer, but also a film photography instructor. His web site hosts his research and helpful tips geared for film photography. Check out this Emulsive post by Richard on Visualization for Film Photographers.

I suspect most readers of this interview will be aware that film is most certainly alive and thriving, and that a vibrant, knowledgeable and highly committed film community supports its use. -- Richard Pickup