Film lovers, we're introducing a new campaign to celebrate our photography roots, and we want to see and share your oh-so-crafty, gorgeously grainy, visual stories on film! Bay Photo has a long running history of providing film services to professionals and aficionados alike, and it's time for us to geek out.
Be sure to post your favorite shots on social media that were born on negative or positive film, and use hashtag #filmshowandtell for your chance to be featured.
Photography’s power for storytelling is legendary, and a picture IS worth a thousand words. That's the immediate impact of seeing a photograph. Whether you shoot from frame to frame or roll to roll, your film story can entice or intrigue, filling the viewer with joy, mystery, or a complex blend of nostalgic emotions. The beauty lies in the collective human experience. Let's come together and share as a community. Let's show and tell.
We're kicking things off by highlighting a couple of TeamBay masters of their craft.
If you didn't already know, in addition to our Tango Drum Scans (done at our Oakhurst location), Bay Photo has served our local Santa Cruz community through two retail stores which have specialized in film processing, scanning, photographic printing, talking shop on old camera equipment, and other appreciated retail services for decades.
Let's hear from our Retail Stores Manager, Mike DeBoer, and Branciforte Store Manager, Oliver Stoops on what gets their film spools turning!
"I love shooting flowers closeup - you can really isolate particular features in a plant and make them look almost alien. I like the abstract nature of macro photography. Shooting it on film really makes me focus on the process, instead of the result.
"I do very minimal post processing on these images and generally try to capture in the camera what I want to see later. Using a handheld meter I can modify the exposure based on values in the shadows and the highlights. The whole process is quiet and slow. For me this is all a hobby. I love trying out old cameras and shoot both 35mm and 120mm, but all these flowers were shot with my favorite 35mm camera: the Canon A1. It's a wonderful machine which also allows for very easy double exposures - it's a classic."
- Mike DeBoer
"Film was the beginning of my journey with photography. I started taking photos with a yard sale Canon AE-1 in high school, where I set up the old darkroom equipment that had been shelved to make room for more modern photography school programs. The tactility of physically crafting an image was something that always drew me to shoot with film, from loading a fresh roll into my camera to hand-making prints in the darkroom. The slowed-down process of analog image-making forced me to think a lot more about framing, angles, and subject matter, more so than if I had begun shooting with a digital camera.
"I have come a long way since my first few rolls of 35mm film; I work mainly with medium- and large-format film cameras now, my favorite being my Mamiya RB67 paired with a Sekor 90mm lens and a fresh roll of Portra 400. The work of photographers like Gregory Halpern and Alec Soth has majorly inspired me to continue my journey with film photography, and to pursue long-term projects with cohesive bodies of thoughtful work. My favorite thing is to go on a long road trip with nothing but a camera and the essentials (and maybe a few friends), for the sole purpose of discovering new instances of remarkable happenstance and beauty the world has to offer in places I have not yet seen."
- Oliver Stoops
Show Us Your Film!
Tag #FilmShowAndTell on social media for your chance to be featured.
Don't forget to save 20% Off Tango Drum Scans through August 5, 2021!