What to do when you have a month to shoot one roll of film, that month happens to be June, and that June happens to be the beginning of an awful summer? Sticky, humid, and very hot (but not sunny), both literally and figuratively. You push through. As you always do. Because you have no other choice. And I’m not really talking about photography.
To borrow the running theme of my last post – god taketh a lot this time, and giveth nothing.
Firstly, I have to say that *all of this* is not really a review. None of my blogposts are. They are more of a chronicle. A chronicle of me stumbling through a hobby. And trust me, this is the only artistic hobby I can handle, and the only one I enjoy, no matter if – or how much – I suck at it.
This month’s camera was the Canon AT-1 with Canon FD 50mm f1.8 S.C., and the film was Lomography Color Negative 800 (shot on 400, but more on that later).
The camera
To be quite honest, I’m generally not a fan of Canon – there’s nothing tangible in my distaste, just an overall animosity towards the company as a whole. But, and there’s a big but, I do love my AT-1. Even though it has light leaks. And I’m too lazy to repair it.
I think I’ve already said this, but I prefer using manual or semi-automatic film cameras. They make me slow down and be deliberate with every frame. In a world – and life – that’s so very fast-paced, that’s a nice change. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with fully automatic film cameras, this is just my personal preference. And even if I chose to shoot with an automatic one, I always go for the manual focus. I need at least some semblance of control, however small.
All this to say I just don’t really understand the insane Canon AE-1 hype, when the AT-1 is right there. Virtually the same and much cheaper. You just – and I really do mean just – need to pay a little bit of attention to what you’re doing.
To add, I know I should probably write down some technical characteristics of the AT-1, but I also know I don’t really need to. What is there more to say? This is a 50 year old SLR. An SLR that was in 6th grade when I was born. Already knew fractions and exponents and everything. But I will say this. If you, dear reader, are ever in position to buy or try one, do. It’s worth it.
The film
I will start by saying that Lomography single-handedly kept film – and film photography – alive, especially during the late 2000s and 2010s. At least until a few years ago, when thankfully many more manufacturers decided that they probably should go back into the game (Fujifilm, we’re still waiting for you). You may not agree, but you also cannot in good faith argue that Lomo wasn’t doing its best to keep film photography in the spotlight during the years when the hobby dwindled into the photography margins. I salute them for that. That being said, their classic color negative films (100, 200, 400, and 800) I’m not a huge fan of. But, as I’m also not a fan of Cinestill films, that might as well be a me problem. Their b/w and lomochrome films especially, on the other hand, I love.
The film for this month was picked somewhat haphazardly, as it’s an ISO 800 film, which doesn’t make much sense during summer. I decided to try it anyway because I was advised to shoot it as 400. And I’d say that the advice was good. I’ve shot 800 as 800 before, and… it does look better when shot as 400. But again, that’s a matter of personal preference, as most things are. The process of scanning was easy and unproblematic. Thank you, Universe.
The photos
Take care, and I’ll be seeing you soon.
