The Continuing Joy Of Disposable Cameras

Generally, when I go away on trips, I like to take a disposable camera or two. I’ve had a couple in my bag for a few years now, including your usual Kodak Funsaver, a black-and-white Ilford HP5 disposable and a Lomography LomoChrome Purple. I pull them out when I’m bored or maybe see something of interest where I can’t get to my main camera, the Fuji GFX50R.

A image taken with LomoChrome Purple of a glacial lake on the Main Range Track in NSW, Australia.

This is the National Museum of Australia in Canberra I confess I had no idea about until I booked this trip. The architecture is wild, a real photographer’s wonderland.

I’ve spoken about why I like disposables so much before. They are photography distilled down into its simplest form: compose and click. Maybe it’s because I’m a child of the ’80s, but I suppose there’s a certain sense of nostalgia there too. In fact, when I got this latest batch of images back from the film lab, my daughter’s first reaction was, ‘Wow, Dad, they look so retro!’. That’s right, daughter of mine, and for good reason. IG filters need not apply.

But it’s the fun factor of these things that make them so worthwhile. There’s an element of chaos in the way light interacts with the cheap lens and film, the often wonderfully imperfect results you get and that finger you forgot to tuck away in the corner of the frame. The results may not be sharp or technically precise, but I’ve been slowly moving away from sharpness – something I confess became a kind of obsession early on in my photography journey (Marc Adamus sharpening technique, anyone?).

Kata-Tjuta, Northern Territory, Australia

I’ve also been trying to get my daughter, now ten, into photography and these disposables are the perfect gateway drug. Why not a Fuji Instax like every other hip teenager has? Because, like the ubiquitous smartphone, it’s still (almost) instant gratification. With disposables you don’t know what you’re getting until your images come back from the lab, and I think this adds a certain element of suspense and surprise into photography that’s missing in the modern world.

It was a great bonding exercise heading out with our disposables and coming up with compositions and interesting shots together. In fact, some of the shots presented here I really, really like – maybe more so than many images taken with my medium-format digital. There’s an organic, muted quality to them.

Blue Lake on the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand, though here presented in black and white with an Ilford HP5 disposable camera.

And here’s another view of the same lake, this time taken with a nondescript colour disposable.

It’s been interesting, too, to see how each of these films have created such wild and varying results. Many shots I thought would work perfectly fell flat with Lomography LomoChrome Purple, and many I didn’t think would work at all were great. I made a real effort to use the flash more creatively. That also played into it.

There are plenty of great family photos I won’t share here. The reflect memories and moments in time far better than any smartphone could. I love digital, but I don’t think any film photographer, no matter what they use, would argue with that.

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Above is an amusing situation where my friend and I took a photo of each other with different disposables while hiking the Main Range Track in Kosicusko National Park in NSW, Australia. You can really see the LomoChrome Purple at work on the right.

So, if you’re heading out, why not take a disposable with you if for nothing other than B-roll? They weigh nothing, take up little space but can provide joy in the most abstract of ways. I hope you enjoy the images. More below.

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Mamiya RB67: The Continuing Joy Of Medium Format Film

It’s been a year or two since I posted about film photography. I usually pull the Mamiya RB67 out once a year to take new portraits of the kids and then tell myself ‘Never again!’ given how hard the actual process is. I should point out this is because of my kids, not the camera. It’s very hard in this digital age for kids to stand still and actually wait for a photo to be taken. When I do put in the effort, however, I am almost always pleased with the results.

I have changed my process a little. I still shoot Portra 400 because I find it’s the perfect middle ground that offers lots of latitude with dynamic range and beautiful skin tones. I try not to shoot below f5.6. Anything lower and focussing becomes difficult. I know there are focussing screens and so on, but I find f5.6 provides the right amount of bokeh and depth without compromising both shutter speed and focus. I also have a checklist on my phone I run through to make sure the back is in the right orientation, the shutter lock is off, lever cocked, etc. It just helps make sure I don’t make any mistakes before hitting that shutter button and burning away a couple of bucks. I always use a tripod, even if it is inconvenient. All of this has combined to improve my keeper rate.

In this shot, you can see my focus was off just slightly because my daughter moved before I hit the shutter button. Is it a poorer photo for it? I don’t think so. I would argue only a fellow photographer would notice.

It might sound a bit crazy, but I no longer meter for my shots. I’ve shot with the Mamiya enough to know what shutter speed will work for what kind of light. Outside, it’s usually a choice between 1/125 or 1/250 if I’m trying to overexpose and shoot at 200 ISO. I will err on the side of overexposure rather than under with Portra. Given that, shutter speed and orientation are really the only two choices I make before lining up a composition.

I’ve also become very conscious of light. When I first shot film I disregarded lighting conditions entirely thinking the dynamic range of Portra would cover it, but like any kind of photography, light is king. Now I actively seek out interesting light and will often put the camera way if I do not feel a shot one-hundred percent. This is slowing down and considering your shots—something many talk about when discussing film photography, a lot of which has carried over to my digital work.

While it can be cumbersome and far more effort is required, these film photos are far more special to me than photos of the kids I’ve taken with my digital cameras. I still see that hard-to-define quality in them you simply don’t get with anything else. I’ve been looking into large format (clearly a sucker for punishment), so we shall see where that goes.

Over the years my daughter has become somewhat adept at posing. As soon as the Mamiya is out, she knows what to do, even if she preferred I hurry it up…

Something else that is worth mention is to consider who is scanning and processing your images. I experimented with different labs but eventually came back to Atkins even though they are a touch more expensive. Find a lab you connect with who delivers consistent colors and results.

Have I considered another medium-format camera? Sure! But I always use the Mamiya and can’t bring myself to get anything else. I love the fact it’s all manual, doesn’t require batteries and is built to last. I know there are sexier cameras out there (looking at you, Hassy) but the Mamiya is enough for me. As they say, if it ain’t broke…

Mamiya RB67: The Joy Of Medium Format Film

While my landscape work is predominantly digital, I do like to use film from time to time for a change of pace, to shoot the kids, etc. A good photographer friend of mine was kind enough to send up his father’s Mamiya RB67 medium-format film camera a few years ago with the 90mm f3.8, a couple of backs and so on. It sat around for quite a while until I finally decided to give it a crack.

Having never shot medium-format film before, the learning curve was steep. Even now I’ve got a good handle on it I make mistakes, which is costly when each shot is around $5 AUD considering developing, processing and scanning (I use Atkins in South Australia). However, the results you can get from medium-format film (and I’d happily assume large format if I could afford it) cannot be beat.

I use Porta 400 exclusively now after finding 100 too slow and the grain negligible between the two. It’s such a wonderful film that provides perfect skin tones every time and offers monstrous dynamic range. It’s almost impossible to overexpose. The creamy highlights, the tones… It’s everything film should be. I rate the film at 200 and use a basic phone app for metering even though I have a spot meter, always aiming to shoot 1/125th or higher to avoid shake and slap, especially with a mirror of this size. When the Mamiya takes a shot, you know about it!

It sounds straightforward, but there’s a real process you have to follow with each shot (unlock, dark slide, orientation, cock, aperture, speed, focus), which can be difficult when you’re dealing with jumpy kids keen to get on with playing or running about. The hardest part for me has been nailing focus, especially at the pointy end of f3.8, but shooting at f5.6 has helped a great deal, and simply taking my time. This is not a run-and-gun camera, folks.

I challenge anyone, photographer or otherwise, not to look down into that viewfinder and fall immediately in love. It’s such a beautiful thing, almost another world in there. I know the RZ67 is often touted as the better camera given its faster lens offerings, but I like the fact the RB is all manual, having to wind each shot and so on, plus it makes for a handy self-defence tool should anybody get in your way. I’m serious, this is the M1 Abrams of the camera world, utterly indestructible.

This series was shot over the course of a few months using 10 rolls of Porta. My keeper rate was probably 75%, which is better than it has been in the past, but it’s still an expensive way to take photos. I could learn how to develop and scan myself, true, but I simply don’t have the time. I know a lot of people enjoy that part of the process, but that’s not me.

People often ask me what the appeal of medium-format film is, especially when the difference can seem small to those unfamiliar with photography compared to digital but the cost so prohibitive. But when they look at the files, there is always the same response, because people are simply drawn to that warm sense of nostalgia they seem to evoke. The photos have ‘life’…

As a photographer, I put it down to the silky tonal graduations, smooth highlights, and unique separation offered by this combo of film and larger format, but to everyone else they simply look timeless, and that is really all you can ask for. If you’ve never shot film before, give it a shot. You might be surprised how much it fills the soul (and empties your wallet).

Lord Howe Island: Mamiya 7 Film Photography

I’ve been wanting to visit Lord Howe Island for quite a while. Only a few hours from Sydney, it’s a true paradise. I recall reading an interview with someone who had travelled to every country in the world. Their favourite place of all? You guessed it, Lord Howe.

We were lucky enough to stay at Pinetrees Lodge, voted by Tripadvisor as the number one hotel in Australia. It’s not hard to see why when you arrive, given the wonderful food and service on offer. It’s on another level. Of course, the epic surroundings help, and they’re easy to find.

I took the trip in the middle of a gear conundrum. When my Sigma DP-1 died, I finally decided to jump into a P-series Phase One system. I’ve been lusting after a Phase One for as long as I can remember, but never quite had the funds. Funnily enough, I soon as I started to use it I knew it wasn’t for me. I think I expected to point and shoot and only get magic in return. The results were great, but given the size and bulk of the system, the dual batteries, the cumbersome AF and glitches, I couldn’t do it.

Impressed by the results I was getting from the Mamiya RB67 and looking at the work of Patrick Wack, I decided to go all-in with film and purchase a Mamiya 7 with 65mm f4 lens. It wasn’t cheap, but it’d done my homework and subsequently decided ‘this is the camera that will make my work great!’.

Many people call the Mamiya 7 the best camera ever made. Using one, it’s easy to see why. They’re just naturally fun (and easy) to use. There is little clutter to get in the way of process. It really helps you get on with the job. It’s also beautifully designed and feels great in the hand. I used Porta 400 exclusively, running through about a roll a day for the half-week we were there. I was having a blast on the island using the Mamiya. It seemed like this would be ‘the one’, even if it was a bit nerve-wracking getting the film through the airport.

The results, as you can see, are fine. The 6x7 format works, the tones are wonderful and it gives a real, soft sense of the island. So, why did I sell the Mamiya when I returned home? I was excited to get the files back when I got back. I processed the whole lot in about an hour, but every time I zoomed in I was disappointed. The edges weren’t as sharp as I was expecting, the grain was more prominent… It sounds ridiculous, but I missed that clinical cleanliness of my digital files and the latitude for post-processing. The expense of processing and developing also played a factor (around $5 a shot AUD), so I made the hard decision to give the Mamiya up. I still have my RB67 to personal work, preferring its ability to focus closely over the 7 as better suited to portraits.

If you are considering a Mamiya 7, I’d go for the Mamiya 6 instead, which is more or less the same thing but with a square 6x6 format and a hell of a lot less in terms of cost. There are only a couple of lenses for the Mamiya 6, but I think this is actually an upside in many ways. Many 6 owners have the full set. Either way, there are both wonderful cameras and probably the pinnacle of rangefinders. If film is your thing, you’d be hard-pressed to find better. For me, it’s back to Sigma.

As for Lord Howe itself, I’d love to return. It’s hard to beat a BBQ by the beach, Mt Gower looking on, pristine water ahead with barely a soul around. Then again, I’m pleased it remains a hidden secret of sorts.

While I got around to most of the island’s iconic locations, including the hike up Mt Gower, I never got to the one I wanted to see most: Ball’s Pyramid. This giant sea stack alluded me all trip. I could see it out there on the horizon but could never get close enough given the conditions. There was not a boat on the island willing to go out. I even tried to charter a plane, to no avail. But as the hotel staffer told me, ‘You have to leave something to come back for, right?’. Hopefully next time I’ll get to see it up close and add it to my Icons series. Time to get saving again then, I guess…

Some more images for you: