1. GET A FULLY MANUAL CAMERA
The worst thing you can do when you start shooting, whether film or digital, is to shoot automatic. If you’re a bit apprehensive of film you might be tempted to just quickly point and shoot, but no automatic camera can teach you as much as a manual one can. When you play around with aperture, shutter speed and ISO to figure out the current exposure, you tend you learn a lot, not just about exposure but about photography as a whole. And this is even more true with film, as you only have a limited number of shots at your disposal. Most cameras born before the 80’s are fully manual, with hardly any auto functions.
Also be sure to go for a 35mm format as these will be simpler and easier to learn on, and are the best thing for a beginner. Trust me, you might curse at the wind in the beginning but soon you will become so proficient with exposure settings that you won’t even need automatic anymore.
2. READ THE MANUAL
Once you have your camera, it is a good idea to read the manual; I cannot stress enough the importance of this. Even if you know the basics, you need to acquaint yourself with your camera specifications, as fear usually comes out of the unknown. Read through the whole thing, check out the various functions, even if you don’t find them necessary, find out what each button does and all that your camera is capable off so you can take the best use out of it.
While you read it keep the camera with you and give it a complete physical.. I do this with every camera I buy, regardless of how much I know already or how much I’ve shot. Each camera is unique and it doesn’t heard to relearn a few things keeping the new gadget in mind. Figure out how to load, wind and rewind the film, how to change lenses, how the aperture and shutter speed settings work, and any other functions the camera might have. Once you feel like you know the camera, you won’t fear it just as much.
{Photo: Emily Coghlan}
3. SHOOT A LOT. SERIOUSLY.
It is now time to take it for a spin, and don’t you hold back! One of the first assignments I got as a student of photography was to just shoot; no specification no nothing, just shoot. Once we had a stack of pictures to see what we and our cameras could do, we were able to discuss these and learn so much more!
With film many fear that you only have a few chances so they think too much. While thinking is good, you need to just shoot when you start out.. Basically, you don’t know what your camera, or any film camera, can do, and to see the results you have to take enough shots to get a good idea.
These won’t be amazing shots, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Don’t shoot carelessly, and don’t bracket too much taking multiple shots of the same thing, but go around and have some fun and fill at least 2 rolls of film before you develop. You can then look at these, see what’s good and what’s bad, and work from there onwards. Don’t think of it as wasted film, think of it as the costs of a valuable learning experience.
{Photo: Blossoms}
4. EXPERIMENT WITH FILM
Not every film is created equal, and if you don’t get the results you want from one film, it might just be the film’s fault. Even if it isn’t, you have this amazing wealth of surfaces to record your images in, why not jump in and try them all? That’s the beauty of film; you’re not stuck with one digital sensor, but can actually mix things up.
Different films have different colors and sensitivities to light, and they all work differently with different cameras. Experimenting with many films will help you learn how film works and what factors it influences, and you will get to know which one works best with your camera and which results you like the most. Just going on and on with one film and getting poor results will discourage you and make your fears come true, resulting in disappointment.
5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES
One of the things that stand in the way of progress for any beginner in any field is the fear of failing. Ironically this is what usually leads to failure, or mediocrity at the least. My final advice to all beginners is to not be afraid of making mistakes. You are just starting out, you will take some bad photos, it’s only natural, don’t be too hard on yourself. I would actually go as far as to recommend making mistakes. Playing it safe doesn’t make great photographers; you need to screw up in order to improve yourself and progress.
A good way to remove this fear of making mistakes is to not shoot important priceless moments. Since you’re starting out, it’s good to be humble and choose subjects that interest you and that are all around you; everyday life. Finding beauty in the mundane is a great boost for the ego, and is something you won’t be too afraid to mess up either. Most of my initial work is full of pictures from all around me, or subjects that interest me, rather than a grand event that put a lot of pressure on the best of photographers.
{Photo: Briana Morrison}
In conclusion…
To learn anything and to be good at it a lot of experimentation is needed. You need to keep at it to get better and it is the same with photography. As far as fear goes, there really is no reason to be afraid; photography is fun and exciting, and any technical aspects are overshadowed by the artistic passion needed to excel at it. Also, as I mentioned before, fear basically comes out of the idea of the unknown, and to overcome your fear you just need to dive into it. Just get to know your camera, get to know the medium, the process, and just shoot, and soon you will be wondering why you ever held back!
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