Brian McDaid: Film days

Columnist Brian McDaid returns to using the old school cameras that he used years ago.

‘Can you charge these?’

‘Sorry I’m new here, charge what?#8217;

‘The batteries!’

‘They’re not rechargeable.’

‘Nah, can you charge the batteries and film to my account!’

I thought this would be easier, something I have done years ago never giving it a second thought, and now I’m panicking a bit as I get ready to shoot my first roll of 35 millimetre film in years. Last weekend a friend left me in a camera. I thought it  wasn’t too old.

Then I realise that 20 years have passed since this was mainstream in photography. So, it’s a journey of a different kind on a road less travelled shooting photography. There’s a feeling of Deja vu getting the lens caps off these hardly used old Nikon camera as it was Nikon that I used for the most of my film photography days.

Starting on a Zenith camera , progressing to a Olympus OM10 both of which I shoot mostly on in colour, before buying my first Nikon called a Nikkormat to work only in black and white for around ten years, progressing to a Nikon FM2 complete with MD12 motor drive and on to an F4E.

Then at the Donegal Democrat, who I work for was sold to the Derry Journal and they moved us all on to Canon cameras and lens and eventually on to digital.

So this wee trip down memory lane getting ready to shoot photography back on film and back in a Nikon has a familiar feeling to it as I set about removing the batteries that have been in the camera for over 20 years. The flash, a speed light SB22s had four double A Panasonic batteries, one of which had leaked a bit over the years.

This meant that the contacts had to get a bit of a sanding down back past the corroded metal to make a better contact before the lights came to life on the back of the flash. It looked more like the dash from the ‘Back To The Future’ DeLorean.

Sliding scales and switches to deal with film speed, called ISO, power of the flash output based on settings from manual to automatic to ‘through the lens’ (TTL).

The camera itself, a F65d with the d not standing for digital but standing for a data back.  A few old Sanyo CR2 batteries are replaced with new Duracell’s before the panels powered up on the top of the camera and the old noisy autofocus lens reacted to the shutter button as they hunted for something in view to focus on.

‘Chimping’

I’m instantly aware of what once was known as ‘chimping’ because I’m doing it here and there with nothing to look at the back of this camera!

When photography first started to use digital cameras, it was the term used to describe the head movement of a photographer from looking through the viewer while taking a photo to quickly looking at the LCD on the back of the camera to check what the photo you just had taken looked like.

Even setting up this old film camera, a habit of years, is hard to get out of as I am looking for an LCD to confirm the setting I’m setting on this old film camera but there’s nothing there.

An old quartz date printer on the outside of the film door that was once annoying for some, including me, that put the date at the bottom of a negative which would appear at the bottom of the printed photo giving you the date the photo was taken, that is, provided you set up this clock right!

I have opened the back of this film SLR camera a good few times but I’m still not ready to put a film through it yet. I bought two films of Fuji 36 exposures 200 ISO/ASA colour but I’m going to be ready but also going to wait for the right light to suit this film.

Digital photography has moved away from all the setting up of shutter speed and aperture that was needed for the old film cameras for most that’s all sorted especially if taken in a mobile phone.

Nowadays, more time is spent reviewing the photo than taking it and even more time is spent getting the image up and online and monitoring the reaction.

Film preparation is more important as once you press the shutter you will have to wait until the roll of film is developed and the images are printed on photographic paper before you have a look at the photo you have taken. Maybe the search for the most in the moment photo online can leave us missing the experience of everything around us.

I’m hoping that this photo shoot on film will reclaim some of the joy that is lost trying to meet impossible deadlines, to be the first to be lost online looking through the window of your phone missing the company of the friends that are sitting beside you.

The camera looks and feels so fine compared to the bulk that digital cameras are.

A  flashing Err.. message on the top screen on this camera will mean that it’s more than likely that the film is not loaded right than anything electrical.

The sound and feel of the curtain opening inside the camera and the film motor-drive looking for the leader on a roll of film has a lovely sound from the past.

The smell of fresh film is the magic of these two rolls as I pop open the two containers these films are packed in. It says ‘best before February 2024’, that’s two years away but already I’m so looking forward to shooting photography this way. This is where this story ends this week, all in the preparation rather than just scroll down and shoot.

Dark Room Days 

I might have coursed days spent in a darkroom developing old Kodak Tri-x, T`-max and Fuji black and white negatives at 44 Port Road where the Democrat Newspaper once work out of the in the 80’s and 90’s get photos ready for the Galway Express to Ballyshannon of some lorry driver that would be heading through the Gap.

But that was an era that has all but now disappeared like a good photo, that I always think finds you rather than you finding it. This old film camera has found me,  the red rewind buttons on the top plate will soon be taking a 36 roll on a wee journey, where life will be slowed down a bit and enjoyed as the curtain on the shutter and film replace the new age film  sensor for a few photos done the old way.