A guest blog by shaoomingg
Shooting slide film (aka. reversal film or "E-6") is tricky and yet rewarding. Reversal film requires more dedication and patience compared to negatives. No doubt that shooting in digital has better exposure latitude in post-processing that would make things easy for most photographers.
But here is the thing, shooting in analog itself is hard in the first place due to the uncertainty it holds and that is one of the things that makes people so hooked up with it. Claiming that the mysterious & unexpecting result in shooting process is fun. Shooting reversal film is even more challenging as it doesn’t give as much exposure latitude as negatives do. The process and satisfaction that you can get from developing a reversal film are even thrilling and fulfilling.
For me, one of the best parts of shooting reversal film is the satisfaction when you see your photograph turns out great and the result meets the expectation that has been imagined. It is a kind of assurance to me. Knowing that my instinct towards lighting is accurate.
As what they said, reversal film has unsurpassed image quality (resolution, sharpness, color brilliance, depth/3D-effect). The thing I really like about it is viewing it under a LED tracing board. It really brings you back to the scene, the viewing experience is different compares to looking it at screens. It feels like you are viewing a world inside a snow globe, surreal, and bizarre.
Every shutter matters, I’m always a slowed paced person and shooting film (especially reversal film) pushed my slow working style to its fullest. While shooting digital, the constant-worrying- and-checking-on-the-image-result-habit distracts me, The immersive process of taking photographs using film allow me to fully engrossed in the creative process. The extra intrapersonal process improved my photo quality delivering performance as I had to constantly remind myself about the shooting purpose and how I want it to be presented.
Shooting reversal films can be easy if you have planned the shoot well. Composition, focusing, spot marking is recommended to get it fixed beforehand. The last step is just metering and Snap!
I tend to arrive my shooting location 2hrs earlier, looking for better spot or observe the lighting direction etc.
In some situation, you have to fully depends your instinct on the camera setting. You might miss the important moment while metering it.
If you’re using bulky camera , I would recommend you to use solid tripod and cable release to avoid motion shake.