SHOOT MORE FILM: A Beginner’s Guide to Film Photography
This guide was created by Hayley Tang, also known as @hayleyhascameras, a lover of film who has been shooting and developing it for over 5 years! I love getting asked: ‘How do I get into film?’, so I created this page as an all-in-one resource. Let’s shoot more film!
Link to webpage version here.
Hayley’s Tips
There are more types of film than just 35mm, but getting started with that is the easiest and what I’ll be talking about here. Once you get comfortable shooting analog, consider getting into vintage Polaroids or medium format!
If you’re looking into film because you want to capture fun adventures, parties, or vacations with friends, don’t be afraid to get a cheap, simple point & shoot camera rather than a fancy manual one. It’ll be easy to pocket it along for adventures, and you’ll thank yourself when you inevitably drop it or get it wet.
If you have a lot of film, keep it in the fridge. Film expires! I like to use the spot on the fridge door with the plastic cover (where you usually put butter) or just under that, but that’s just my preference.
The fun things about film can be its imperfections. Don’t always stress about the perfect shot. Embrace the qualities analog has.
1. Getting Your First Film Camera
📷 Best Places to Get a Film Camera… and the Best Cameras to Get
PLEASE don’t buy one of those new modern plastic cameras they’re coming out with now. (I’m looking at you, Heyday Film Camera 🤢) Also, we’re graduating from the disposable film camera level here. We don’t need more plastic garbage, and we’ve created enough film cameras in the past, they’re just hiding in secondhand shops or garage sales! Plus, think of how much cooler it is to have a secondhand vintage film camera rather than a disposable or overpriced modern one. Another plus, they’re pretty cheap.
My favorite places to find film cameras (quickly & easily):
Local thrift shops in the electronics/home section
shopgoodwill.com. Yes, they have a website!
Facebook Marketplace
Or asking older relatives if they have any old cameras! You’d be surprised.
You don’t need the most expensive film camera just because online blogs tell you a Canon AE-1 is the best. (They’re great, but not my first recommendation for beginners) Some reliable starter cameras I own myself are:
Minoltas
I own a Minolta Freedom Zoom. I got it on eBay for about $30 bucks, which is a bit higher than what I’d pay for a point & shoot now, but I was really getting into shooting more film at the time and heard about how great and reliable Minoltas can be. This one’s perfect for when I don’t know if I’m going to want to shoot mostly portraits or mostly landscapes on a roll of film.
Shot with my Minolta Freedom Zoom with expired film:
Canon Sure Shot
These are pretty popular line of canon point & shoot cameras. It has two zoom settings. I got mine at a Goodwill. They’re fun to experiment with, or if you suddenly need a closer shot of a wider scene. I would include an example shot here, but I literally cannot tell the difference between the ones I shot with it or my Minolta. (A good point towards just getting any secondhand point & shoot you can find!)
Olympus Trip 500. Olympus cameras are usually more expensive, but I found this one for $1 at a thrift! This model is much a cheaper option than the highly sought out Olympus Stylus Zoom, which not to brag, but I’ve also found at a thrift. Although, I wouldn't recommend buying the Olympus Stylus Zoom as a beginner, this cult favorite is $250+, so just get a different Olympus if you happen to find it.
Shot on my Olympus Trip 500:
Explore other options than these! These are just some cameras I own and have shot with. For most point and shoots, you honestly can’t tell a huge difference between cameras. Thrift something cheap, easy, and what you feel comfortable using for your first time.
Things you might want to note while searching for your camera (or not, because there’s nothing wrong with getting something basic to start with):
Point & shoots vs. manual cameras
I always recommend starting with a point & shoot camera if you’re just getting into photography. I know some people are lured into investing in a beautiful black and silver body manual and getting a bunch of different lenses for it, but before you do that, try out the hobby first. Film is tedious, prone to faults and accidents, and already requires a steady amount of cash to invest in film, developing, etc. You can always upgrade later.
Having a zoom function
You want easy, simple? No zoom. You want range, you want to capture portraits and landscapes? Consider zoom.
Batteries
It’s nice to find a film camera that takes 2 AA batteries instead of the annoying CR123A or 245 Lithium (Which you can get on Amazon, but are pretty impossible to find on shelves). Check the battery compartment of film cameras to see what it takes.
📸 Testing Your Camera
Film cameras are decades old, and because of this, are not always guaranteed to work. Here’s my tips:
Check the battery compartment for corrosion. If there’s corrosion, your camera may not start up anymore. While you’re doing this, you might need to check if you have the correct battery type for your camera. Older film cameras have some interesting battery types that have since been mostly phased out. Look up your camera model and what batteries it needs, you may need to order them online.
Smell test. Does it smell damp or musty? Not a good sign of where it was stored. Check where the film is loaded to make sure it’s clean in there too. (But make sure it’s empty of film first, or else you’ll expose some long lost photos to light and ruin them!)
When in doubt, shoot a test roll. Grab a cheap roll of film and shoot some frames you won’t be sobbing over if you lose/destroy them. Get them developed, then you’ll know for sure if your camera is functioning properly.
2. Point & Shoot Cameras
🤓 Learning How to Operate Your Point & Shoot... Just Point & Shoot
It’s all in the name for these. Point & shoots have a limited range of controls, which can make shooting film simple. Usually there will be some way to turn it on, whether a button or a slide, possibly a zoom function, maybe a date function, and the shutter button. You can always look up an online manual for your specific camera, or possibly even easier, just bring it out to shoot and learn as you go.
3. Manual Cameras
🤓 Learning How to Operate Your Manual, Manually
My first film camera was a manual one I inherited, but I’m probably not the best resource on how to operate your manual film camera. I like point & shoots for the convenience. But, there is beauty in getting a crisp, clean shot that also happens to be film.
Like any other camera, you’re going to want to understand the exposure triangle. This is ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. I won’t get into all the technicalities here, but you essentially adjust these three until you get the right settings you want for your desired scene or picture. There’s tons of YouTube videos on this!
You might also want to consider a light meter. I don’t know everything about these, but they allow film photographers who are shooting in manual to read the light settings of wherever they are and adjust their settings accordingly. They’re handy so you don’t overexpose or underexpose a whole roll of film you shoot.
Unlike point & shoots, manuals have the options of lenses. If you’ve been a photographer before, you know that investing in many different lenses can quickly become a costly pursuit, but it also allows you to shoot different scenes better. You can find tons of secondhand lenses on shopgoodwill.com or eBay.com.
4. Developing Film
📬 Sending it Out
If you don’t shoot film often, then sending it out to be developed is probably the best option for you.
Before I learned to develop, I used Walgreens. Walgreens no long develops in-store, so they have to send it out, and you don’t get your negatives back, just a CD with the digital files and one print of each photo. You’ll have to wait, just like any of these options. Also note: Walgreens isn’t always prepared to develop black and white film either, so make sure to ask. Although you likely have a Walgreens in your neighborhood like me, I’ve also heard some horror stories from film photographers that never got their film back. I don’t send my film out to get developed anymore, so I haven’t tried sending in through online sites, but I know a quick Google search can bring up many different options!
🧪 Developing at Home
If you want to REALLY get into shooting film and you’re going through enough rolls you don’t want to drop $100 or more on developing them, here is my true advice for developing at home. Overall, you’ll save money in the long run if you find yourself sitting on 3-5 rolls of undeveloped film every few weeks or months.
Supplies you’ll need:
Bucket
2 black plastic 1L bottles with caps
Thermometer you can dip into liquids
Funnel
Gloves
Film clips (to hang negatives from, or something similar to clothing pins)
Distilled water for final rinses (Trust me, this step is important. Don’t just use tap water!)
The chemicals I use for the simplest possible process:
For color, I use Cinestill’s 2-bath developer process. It comes with powder chemicals and instructions on how to make the developer and fix.
For black and white, I use Cinestill’s DF96 Developer & Fix Monobath Single-Step Solution. This is just one liquid chemical you use in your developing process. It’s simple, just watch a YouTube video before hand so you understand the steps.
Once you’ve used these chemicals their max amount of uses, or they’ve expire, don’t just pour them down the drain! Transfer them to plastic bottles or containers you no longer need and lookup either your hazardous household waste drop off point or community hazardous household waste collection days and dispose of them there.
Scanning Your Developed Film
You can locate places through the web to scan your film, but scanning film is one of my favorite artistic process of creating an image.
I use an Epson Perfection V600 Photo scanner. These can be a bit pricey, so you can look for refurbished options when available, which is how I got mine. These come with plastic frames that you can insert your negatives and prints into easily to scan multiple at a time.
Similarly, you can try to use a normal scanner and look up how to use photo editing software like Lightroom to edit a negative into a positive image.
After scanning, I recommend storing negatives in binders with plastic inserts specifically designed for holding film negatives. You never know when you might want to return to them or scan them again! Plus this keeps the quite fragile negatives in good condition.
All This Summed Up
If You’re Just Getting Into Film…
Get a secondhand point & shoot camera.
Then buy the cheapest film you can find, usually the Kodak Ultra from Amazon or Ilford HP5+ for black and white.
Get to testing your new—but technically old—camera. Learn about the delayed gratification of film when taking pictures.
Send out that first one or two rolls to be developed somewhere. Be surprised by all the scenes you forgot you captured.
Keep shooting!
