Film photography has become much more popular in the last few years. Whether the reasons are COVID projects, social media influencers, the desire to get back to creating something more tangible, or just that it’s a really great way to make images, people have been coming in and asking more questions about using film cameras and shooting with film. We are here and happy to help! Asking the lovely people at the film counter questions is a great way to get you going in the right direction, but it is only the start of your film education journey. You don’t need much knowledge to get an image that has something in it, but to get something that you are really excited about and is worthy of framing or giving to someone as a gift takes a bit more skill and practice. There are many sources of information, some great, some not as great, but here are a few that will help you get closer to your film photography goals.
Learn with us!
We have a couple of workshops related to film – Learn to More Effectively Use Your Camera (also great for getting to know your digital camera), Learn to Develop Your Own Roll of Film and the Large Format Camera Workshop. These are individual workshops that are about 90 minutes long so you really get to ask questions specific to you and your level of knowledge. We have workshops in the summer on various processes like cyanotype and pinhole photography. Watch our social media to find out when they are announced – usually sometime in the spring. You can also participate in one of the photo walks we have. While the photo walks are not themselves workshops, you will meet other photographers who have the same interests and who you may learn a thing or two from.
Learn from books…
Books are a good source of reliable information about any photographic subject you might be interested in. For everyone who shoots film for the physical process of creation and the materiality of the image, a book might just be for you. There are so many great books of all kinds including educational and inspirational that it is impossible to name them. We did a quick staff survey asking what everyone’s favourite photography book was. See the results below! Let us know what your favourite photography book is, whether educational or you just love it for the images.
Here at Beau we have a book for sale that is perfect for those starting out – PhotoED GUIDE – Intro to Photography, available for just $19.95 It is published by Photo-ED magazine, a Canadian photography magazine that publishes content from a variety of artists and lens based disciplines. You can subscribe to their newsletter and to get their printed magazine delivered right to your door.
Learn from a school…
There are a few educational institutions in Vancouver where you can learn different photography skills. If you are really interested, you can attend a full time program at Langara College or Emily Carr University. There are also part time courses so you get to learn without the commitment! Langara has a good intro course that you can take if you are a student in any program at Langara. Though digital image based, you will still learn the fundamentals of exposure and composition that are common to all photography. Emily Carr has a Continuing Studies program with a number of photography classes, both digital and film. There are others, just search the programs at a college or university near you.
You can also take a course at the West End Community Centre. The West End Darkroom Club has a darkroom space in the community centre that is open to all club members. You don’t need to live in the West End to join, and it is a great community of people who are interested in film photography. To work in the darkroom you need to have taken a course or have prior experience. The darkroom courses run in the fall and spring, and you register through the city of Vancouver website. – https://westendcc.ca/programs-registration/programs/ – you will have to filter the results as the search doesn’t always work correctly. Watch for registration to open for the next session as they do fill up fast.
Learn online…
Online content can be a great way to learn on your own time and from a wide variety of perspectives. As with everything you read online, information from some sources is better than from others so be careful where you get it from. This is especially true when you start learning chemical processes in film photography. Use common sense and if the person in the video or blog doesn’t seem to talk abut chemical safety or work carefully, maybe find another source. Keep in mind that everyone does things a little differently, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they are wrong, just different. Learn from them and do what works for you.
ILFORD Photo has a really good website that includes stories from film photographers, a community section with a learning zone, images for inspiration and more. They also have an ILFORD Photo Youtube channel where you can watch someone demonstrate how to make prints in the darkroom, a full series about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and processing your first film, and other interesting and informative videos that you will likely learn something from. You can also sign up to get regular newsletters from ILFORD.
Take the ILFORD Film Photographer’s Survey! Ilford wants to get to know you and your film needs so take the survey and show them you are still interested in shooting with film! This will encourage them to keep developing new emulsions and continue producing all of our favourites! – The survey is on ILFORD’s home page – the first slide in the slider at the top of the page…
Here is a direct link to the survey if you prefer to find it there – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/film24
There are other websites out there with good information and great images that you can learn something from. Do some digging and you will find something that teaches you something new and inspires you to go out and take more photos!
Staff Favourite Books –
Boris –
The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from 821 Sixth Avenue, 1957–1965
W. Eugene Smith and Sam Stephenson
Mike –
Arbeit! by Dr. Paul Wolff
One day, I want to get a copy of this book, originally published in 1937, but all the copies for sale are well over $500. I have seen a copy and the photos are truly outstanding. One book of his that I do own (“Frankfurt”) showcases his street photography in Frankfurt from 1927 to 1943 – great photos too. Dr. Paul Wolff was one of the first serious photographers to use Leica back in the day. The book “Arbeit!” showcases Germany’s “industrial might” during WWII, although Dr. Paul Wolff was never affiliated with, nor worked for the Nazis. In fact, he even helped some Jews escape Nazi Germany during the war.
https://www.overgaard.dk/the-story-behind-that-picture-0122_gb-Dr-Paul_Wolff.html
Nicole –
Monument by Trent Parke. Published in 2023 by Stanley/Barker
Embossed Front Cover, Embossed Back Cover, Embossed interior, and a tree-image spread shots (since several pages are gatefolds, but without the vacant nude blonde subject matter).
Kathy –
Hard to choose one so I have to pick two, though it depends on my mood which are my favourites!
Photography’s Antiquarian Avant-Garde: The New Wave in Old Processes by Lyle Rexer
Burning with Desire – The Conception of Photography by Geoffrey Batchen
Meghan –
The Photography Book by Phaidon Press.
It was my first photo book, and while it is perhaps not an aesthetically enticing photo book by one singular photographer, it was the first photo book I purchased that really got me interested in photography as an artistic medium. I appreciated that it showed such a variety of styles of photography, as it was a time before social media, or the depths of the internet and I did not know where to turn to learn more about what others were doing. It always holds a special place in my heart.
Emil –
I’ll have to say two but there are so many I love.
My choices are – The Art of Climbing by Simon Carter and Girl Pictures by Justine Kurland
(but also Intimate Distance by Todd Hido and Wonderful Things by Tim Walker, but the first two will do :))
Grace –
The Other Side by Nan Goldin
