What is my point in showing you pictures like this from my film days? To show you that I started somewhere as well. But I also want you to know that if you have been shooting for two, three, four even five years you are still just starting out. Today I see it to often where people complain that they are not getting the shots they want six months or a year into shooting.

I can tell you from my 20 years of shooting that the only way to get better is to continue not only educate yourself but continue to shoot and grow as a photographer. Who cares if you go out there and get one keeper out of 50 if your learning and growing. But in no way should you expect to the best photographer in the world in short order.

These old images are sobering to see and share. I have no issues whatsoever sharing them and having people see where I started, I have nothing to hide. I look back on these images and I see flairs of the future photographer I would become. I see mistakes that I try and help photographers not make when they are starting out. But I also see a kid who didn’t know any better and kept shooting and shooting and shooting.

Maybe it was a good thing the internet was not as powerful at that time. The only place I could share my work was at the camera store or with my local family and friends. They could tell me yay or nay but no one could tell me how to become better at that time. I got a few pointers here and there but I mostly was attempting to find my own way into understanding photography.

So there you have it, another one of my early rolls of film for you to look at. I plan on continuing the Fro Film Project and sharing other rolls of film I have shot.

The post If I took TERRIBLE photos like this when I started, you have nothing to FEAR: Fro Film Project first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

Now take a look at the year, it was 1994 / 95 so there was pretty much no internet for me to educate myself, I was shooting blind. On top of everything else I was shooting film as digital was still a solid decade away.

The point in me making these videos is to show you where I started and how I was not very good but I was trying. I think in this day and age new photographers expect to be experts in a matter of months or maybe a matter of years. But I was still shooting in auto modes when I got to college.

It takes time, it takes A LOT OF TIME to start to feel comfortable. The best way to learn is to SHOOT SHOOT and guess what, SHOOT.

The post CONFESSION – I used to shoot sports in FULL AUTO and here are the results: FroFilmProject first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

Some of you will remember taking your images to a lab to be processed and getting them back with the negs cut into strips of four and in plastic sleeves. First things first pros would have their negs cut into strips of five and than placed into archival negative sleeves. That is exactly what I ended up doing and continuing to do until I retired my film cameras.

As I look back in this book of negatives I have some strange numbers that I have no clue what they mean anymore. But I do have the date, location and name of the band that I photographed. I also made a point to leave a sharpie dot on above the frames that were the keepers.

The way we filed our images in the past is pretty similar to how we organize our images digitally.

I will keep these negatives in this book and maybe one day break them out again to see the light of day.

Past FroFilm Project Videos

The post I Found Them Under My Bed: FroFilmProject My Negatives first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

My interest was to capturing sports. So at the age of 13 I set out to photograph my friends who were playing on the Jr High School baseball team. I want you all to pay close attention to what I am about to say. I started in the running man auto mode because that was all I knew. At this point I did not have any mentors so it only made sense to use that mode.

Of course I really didn’t know anything about settings but I could capture a moment. I had this knack anticipating the action and coming out with solid sports images.

What I tell people all the time when starting out is I rather see you capture a moment and have the worst exposure ever then a proper exposure with a terrible moment. I know that sounds strange but I can teach anyone how to get the proper exposure but it’s much harder to teach people how to capture a moment.

These images that I am critiquing were my first attempts and shooting baseball. I knew the sport which made it much easier to know where the action was going to happen. Even back in the day I filled the frame as much as possible.

It is always nice to look back at your old work and see where you came from. All I know is I have come a long way since 1994 and hope you can take something form this video.

The post My first real photos: Critique from 1994 first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

Now let me tell you, when I opened this box up the images I saw were terrible. Yes, these are my images and they were my half assed attempt at fashion photography while in college.

I was lazy and only wanted to shoot sports. The point of school is to try a little bit of everything so you are more prepared for when a client asks you to shoot something.

Let this box of crappy photos be a kick in the ass to try a little harder even if you don’t like a certain assignment.

The post Mystery Critique: These Photos Suck, oh yea, they are mine first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

Everyone knows I like to be different and do things slightly different. When I moved into my new loft and there was no peephole in the door I got the bright idea to turn a SLR and Lens into my peephole.

The first issue was picking the right lens for the job. The lens could not be to long or it would stick out the other side of the door. It also couldn’t be too short or you would never be able to attach an actual camera to it.

So my construction guys came up with the idea to get a PVC pipe, cut a hole in the fire proof door, glue the PVC pipe and slide the lens into it. We got lucky in the fact that the lens fit perfectly into the 2 1/2 inch diameter.

Now when people come to my door I can look through the camera, focus and take pictures of who ever is standing there.

I may attach a DSLR to it from time to time to take pictures of people when they come to my door without knowing I am taking their picture. That would make for a fun scrap book, catching people off guard in pictures.

One thing to think about is if you live outside this may not work for you. I luckily live in a building where my entrance opens up in the inside.

The post How to turn a DSLR into a $4,000 Peephole first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

Lets look at what the filters did. Filters came in different numbers, my set of filters went from 00 to 5. The lower the number the more flat and grey and image would be, the higher the number the more contrasty it would be. I LOVED CONTRAST in my prints so I would generally start with a 3 1/2 filter and work from there. Think of this as if you were sliding the contrast filter higher in lightroom to make your images go boom.

The light from the enlarger would be filtered by these filters (or gel filters as some people have called them) and they would then expose the photo paper with that light.

I can recall one of the assignments in school was to test out every filter in the pack so that we could see exactly what each one did. The best was I learned was to see how flat the lower numbers were in comparison to the higher ones.

All I can say is I loved being in the black and white darkroom making my images go BOOM.

For more FroFilmProject Videos please check below.

The post FroFilmProjct Yes there was such a thing as FILTERS in the Darkroom first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

It has honestly been a long time since I shot a roll of film and I must say, it is pretty scary at first. It is a totally different mentality, you have to be secure in your exposure. You don’t get to see the results instantly you sometimes have to wait months.

I remember what I did after taking the first frame, I went to check the image on the back of the camera only to realize that was not going to happen.

Another funny thing happened though, I switched back to shooting with my Nikon D4 after I was done with the roll of film. I went from shooting stills to video in a matter of seconds and felt like my creativity level was going through the roof. Having the modern digital SLR made me realize that I can do so much more with todays cameras then I ever could with film. Now that does not mean it’s better today it just means I feel more productive.

Click the image below to see all 36 Frames from this roll of film

The post Fro Film Project All 36 Shots From A Roll of 3200 Speed Film first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

Now this film is nothing like what you can get with your digital SLR. Where we are used to pushing our ISO to 4000 or 6400 we were pushing the limits of film at 800 with the Fuji Press. Non the less the film was great used by just about all the pros I knew.

So the point of shooting film at this concert was just to shoot film. I wanted to relive shooting the Nikon F5 which was not easy at all. First there are only five focusing points and guess what color they are? They are all black, so that means if you are shooting in a dark situation you wont be able to see the points. Yup, they did not light up red just yet.

The funny thing is I accidentally took a picture and was like “doh” I just wasted a frame. It is a totally different mentality where you want to make every frame count. Sure we may think that with our digitals but you have space for hundreds of images per card.

I really enjoyed shooting part of the dhow with film. You don’t get to see your results and you have to trust in your settings and live with the results.

When I saw the images on the computer the first thing I noticed was the depth that was captured. The images are sharp, not like what you see with digital cameras, there was a depth that is just hard to explain.

If you have never experienced shooting film I suggest you pick up a roll of film, fire it off and wait to see the results at a local lab.

Click the image below to check out all the images from this roll

The post Shooting a concert with my Nikon F5 and Fuji Press 800 Film: FroFilmProject first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

The lighting was non existant but I am pretty happy with the results.

Stay tuned for the entire roll.

Click the image below for the FULL RES version.

The post FroFilmProject Sneak Peek – Ilford 3200 ISO first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

Here are some things to consider when you are loading film. Before loading film you want to make sure the roll that you are going to load has not been previously exposed. Generally after shooting a roll the leader will be inside the canister.

Now that you have a new roll of film the leader will be sticking out. Place the canister in the camera pull the leader across the back until it lines up with the sprocket holes. Be extra careful not to touch the shutter at all as it is very delicate. (loading may be different from film camera to film camera). In the Nikon F5 once the film is in place all you need to do is close the back and it will advance the film into place.

On the back of the film door you will notice a pressure plate. This plate keeps the film flat so that your image can be evenly exposed. Be sure not to touch this plate as well. Sometimes you can tell the amount of film that has been through a camera by looking for scratches on the film plate.

Thank you for watching another installment of the FroFilmProject.

The post How to Load Film into a SLR first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

What a fantastic camera, it was the first Pro Nikon to incorporate autofocus and it is built so well. What I really enjoy about this camera is the fact that every function is tied in with a dial. If you need to change the ISO theres a dial, if you need to change the shutter speed, theres a dial. Everything you want to do with this camera has a way for you to control it.

If you are looking to pick up a film camera to learn on you can get a really clean Nikon D4 for $200 or less.

The post Fro Film Project Episode #006 Nikon F4 first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

You had the Nikon F3, F4, F5 and F6 from 1980 to 2004. That is amazing, the progression of bodies and the changes that happend were vast. Today we get changes but they are not as huge as they once were.

The post Fro FIlm Project Episode #005 Nikon Film Camera Progression first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

The workflow is not quick and intuitive like shooting digital. Beside my Nikon F100, all of my film cameras are 100% manual. That means no light meter, no auto focus. It’s amazing how with digital, we’ve come to rely on the camera’s built-in light meter. And how much easier it is to shoot with auto focus. And that LCD display on the back of the camera! We take a shot and then, bam, we can see exactly what we got. Not so easy with film.

Unless you’re shooting with a modular camera like a Hasselblad 500 series, where you can quickly and easily swap backs – from a film back to a polaroid back, you really can’t know what you’re getting until you get your film back from the lab. The cool thing about the Hasselblad with Polaroid back is that you can proof your images – provided you’re using the same film speed as your instant film.

Meaning, that if you’re shooting 100 speed film, then proofing with Polaroid FP-100C film is going to be a close approximation. This is as close to chimping as you can get with film! And it’s a bit of a process. Loading different film into different backs and the mechanics of it all. Definitely something that requires a fair bit of practice.

So… am I suggesting you run out and buy a film camera and film? Well, unless you’re super-curious, it’s a fairly big undertaking. First off, there’s the cost. What formerly was relatively inexpensive and the standard for photography, has now become more of a niche market. Lot’s of great film is no longer manufactured. Lots of great cameras are no longer manufactured. In fact, most camera manufacturers have abandoned film for digital, however it’s still alive and kicking. All I’m saying is for you to be prepared. Be prepared to mess up and be prepared to be amazed.

Whether it be mess up loading the film, or mess up your exposures, or mess up your focus. Film cameras are tricky to master. They all have different quirks. Same goes with film. Just because two types of film are the same speed, doesn’t mean they will look the same. I’d recommend you look online on sites like Flickr to see what different film and film cameras can produce. That may help give you an idea of what works for you and what you want to explore.

Am I suggesting you buy the same cameras as me? Not really. Yes, a Rolleiflex is a great camera. Same with a Hasselblad 500cm. So is the Nikon F100. But think about what it is you want to shoot, your work flow, your style, subject matter and devotion to the medium. There are tons of options with film cameras out there. From point and shoots, to 35mm SLRs to TLRs to Medium Format and that’s just conventional film. Then there’s the whole world of Polaroids!

So when buying a camera, make sure that it’s something that has good documentation available online. I always recommend googling the camera and downloading and reading the manual before you start using it. Even an old film camera. You will not only learn about the camera and it’s features, but you may find you learn some things about proper usage and avoid damaging the camera.

Think also about how you’re going to process the film. I have a lot of friends who do their own black and white negative processing in their apartments! It doesn’t require much in the way of space and equipment. Color is a different story and ideally needs to be sent out. Then there’s the whole thing with scanning negatives.

You will either need the negatives professionally scanned (a lot of film processing places offer this service), or if you do decide to get a film scanner, be prepared to spend time learning and tweaking things. Most consumer film scanners are mediocre. Sorry if I’m offending anyone, but to get super-rich, detailed, hi-res scans, you really do need professional gear.

So a little food for thought before you run out and buy a film camera or load film into that old camera you have laying around or was handed down to you buy your parents. I think shooting film can help make you a better photographer, but it’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons before you take the plunge.

Please subscribe and leave your questions and comments below.

The post Intro to Film Cameras first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.

You had to make a decision before you ever went to the shoot to make sure you had enough film, the right speed film and the right type of emulsion for the shoot you were on.

If you loaded a roll you had to live with it for the next 36 or so shots before you could put something else in. Sure you could rewind it early but you just wasted money on un used frames.

I personally loved contrasty film like Kodak VC which stood for Vibrant Contrast opposed to NC which was Neutral Contrast. When it came to black and white I liked using the ilford HP5 and sometimes the Delta 3200.

The post Fro Film Project Episode #004 – Selecting the Right FILM first appeared on Fro Knows Photo.