Denton Square: 35mm Film Review

… and Bear (because he is cute).

So I have been playing with some new film. All of these photos were taken on our Pentax K1000 with a fixed 50mm lens. I do have another lens for this camera but honestly, I rarely use it. I like the simplicity of the fixed focal length. When taking photos all I have to worry about is setting up the shot and handling the f-stop and shutter speed (since the film determines the ISO).

ISO: ISO is a number that represents how sensitive your camera sensor (or film) is to light. The higher the ISO number, the higher your camera’s sensitivity, and the less light you need to take a picture. The trade-off is that higher ISOs can lead to degraded image quality and cause your photos to be grainy or ‘noisy.’ (Definition from Shorthand.com)

If you are curious, yes, I do take color photos. As I write this I currently have color film in my camera. That being said, I really love black and white. As I very much still feel like a student when it comes to film I feel that it is important to understand how light and shadows work.

Kodak 3200ISO

The first four photos I shot on Kodak 3200ISO film. This is the same film I used to shoot the Tarleton v Baylor game. This film is great for night photography because it is very light sensitive. The issue with night photography on film is that if the film is not sensitive enough then you really have to increase the shutter speed, if the shutter speed is too long (without a tripod) then the images tend to come out shaky. High ISO film lets me use a reasonable shutter speed (typically 1/60) in really dark areas.

I like this film but it is but it’s defiantly something that I will only be using on special occasions.

Kentmere Pan 400

My normal go to black and white film is Ilford HP5 400ISO. I typically push this film to 800ISO. Pushing the film increases the contrast. There is a local shop that I found that carries film, in addition to the Ilford, this Kentmere film that is made by the same company and it’s a little less expensive. From the little bit of research I’ve done the main difference is that the Kentmere has less silver in the emulsion than its more expensive cousins.

Photographic Emulsion: a light-sensitive coating on paper or film; consists of fine grains of silver bromide suspended in a gelatin (definition from Vocabulary.com).

That being said I am really happy with the way these pictures turned out. I did shoot this roll at box speed (400ISO) but I do intent to push a roll (to 800ISO) to see how that changes the contrast. My rule when doing anything (photography, baking, cooking, etc.) is to follow the instructions first to see how I like it and then go back and change things the next time around. This sets a good baseline.

Note: Keltin did take the Campus theatre photo, the rest are mine.

If you want to see more film photography in general, check out my photos on Grainery.

I hope you enjoyed this deeper dive into photography than I intended. If you are interested in learning more about the different films that I have used and want to see a post on that let me know in the comments, I am happy to talk through them. Have a good rest of your week and go exploring.

Thank you KW Photography for allowing me to use your wonderful photos!

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