When friends and colleagues discover that I shoot a large proportion of my photographs on film, they are incredulous. Surely, they ask me, I am not serious? They simply cannot understand why I would choose the older and slower medium instead of the instant and cheap.

I have been convinced for quite some time that film is making a resurgence, and for very good reason. I have no hard data, but the woman who processes my films at the camera shop had told me that film sales are “definitely up, almost booming” and Kodak have also said that there’s a resurgence in film sales.  Even anecdotally on Flickr, there seem to be more and more people turning back to film photography.

People are coming to realise that film has definite advantages over digital photography.

Approximately 75% of my photography these days is shot on film. Some of my reasons for returning to film are technical and some of them are emotional but regardless, I generally find that film delivers a superior result for me.

Here are some of my reasons for choosing film:

1. Film has a Broader Dynamic Range

If I use a 100ISO film in an analogue camera, and set my digital to ISO100 and shoot a room with a bright window, or a neon sign lit at dusk, or a garden filled with dappled light, I am almost inevitably happier with the film version. Why? Because if I choose the correct film (there are many types), I will be able to see detail in the dark parts of the room which appear as black in the digital version. This is called latitude, which digital photography tends to lack.

If I am shooting something bright but coloured like a smokey sunset or a vivid neon sign, a digital camera will render the brightest light sources as white, regardless of their proper colour. Film will reproduce those bright points in their true colours, so a red light will be red. Not red grading to pink with a white centre.

Here’s an example:  The images below are of a church in Millicent, South Australia. The top image is digital (Canon EOS 350D) and the bottom image was shot on Fujifilm Superia Reala 100 film, using a Canon EOS 500N . I wanted to capture the warmth and the ambience of the building, but this was a tricky location because the church was a dark yet the windows and skylight were very bright.

In the film version, I can see more detail in the dark places without the bright parts being blown out. If I look at the pews and the ceiling of the digital version, then compare to the film version, the difference is immediately apparent.

Here’s another example: A photograph taken from the Rialto Towers Observation Deck of the city of Melbourne at dusk.

Look at how the film version – shot on Fujifilm Velvia 100 – has richer colours, clearer tones and sharper resolution. The bright spots on Flinders Street station (centre right) are blown out in the digital version so that the pixels are either white or tending to orange, whereas in the film version they retain their true (and accurate) yellow colour. The subtle tones of the buildings are clearer and even the haze in the sky is captured on film, whereas the digital photo shows the sky as an almost single shade of blue.

2. Film is more challenging, but more rewarding

Film demands that thought be put into the composition of each image before the shutter button is pressed. Therefore I find film to be more challenging, but consequently more rewarding when one strikes photographic gold. For me at least, there’s more to celebrate in a ‘brilliant’ film photograph than a digital one.

One doesn’t always want a challenge. Sometimes if I really need a shot, such as when composition an action shot, I won’t use film. But if I am in a situation where time permits, film will usually be my first choice.

3. Film is “authentic”

It strikes me as peculiar that the latest iPhone cameras come with applications that make their digital photos appear to be shot on film or as Polaroids. It begs the very obvious question: If you want the look of film, why not use film?

It is hard to quantify, but film has an authenticity that digital photography lacks.

Perhaps it is the natural vignetting that is a product of a lens rather than a Photoshop effect? Or maybe the softer colours or gentle grain that puts soul into the image?

^{The vignetting in this image is a natural effect from the lens mounted on the camera. (Shot on Fujifilm Superia Reala 100 film)}

4. Black-and-white & high-ISO look better on film

Black-and-white photography has a quality that colour lacks. Photographers may use black-and-white to provide an evocative element in an image or to add drama. Yet there’s really something lacking in digital black-and-white photography. Photographer Ken Rockwell puts it down to digital’s inability to capture tone and shade as well as film, in part because of the failings of colour digital sensors.

Whatever the differences may be, I know that nothing compares to a decent film-based black-and-white photo. Likewise, if I want grain, a high-ISO film will always look better than a crude Photoshop effect or high-ISO setting on a digital.

^{St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne. (Shot on Ilford PANF Plus 50 film)}

5. Film has resolution

On his website, photographer Ken Rockwell writes that “A frame of 35mm film, scanned cheaply at a good photo lab to a CD, is about equal to the resolution of a 25-megapixel DSLR”. Ask yourself: How many people have 25-megapixel cameras?

Of course, this resolution is possible because of scanning technology as much as the film itself. As scanners become increasingly better, higher resolution scans from slide or colour-reversal films are possible. But the other half of the equation is the very detail (ie information) captured on the film in the first place.

Film is an old technology which on a technical level, hasn’t been matched in resolution by digital photography ever. For a whole range of technical reasons, film can capture considerably more detail without converting your images to pixels, adding noise reductions and the like which all reduce image clarity.

In thirty years time, most people’s digital JPG images are going to look fairly poor by the standards of the day, and there will be no way to increase the resolution of those digital images to extract more information. However, in thirty years time it will be possible to re-scan an old negative or slide and the digital image will be of a quality that the technology of the time will permit.

6. Film is fun!

In an era when we can so easily get instant gratification, I actually like waiting for my photos to be processed. I genuinely look forward to collecting my prints or slides to see how my images turned out after a big shoot. I relish the joy of discovering that what I imagined would be “photographic gold” actually turned out better than I imagined.

And yes, sometimes I am disappointed. (Tony Abbott has a phrase to describe this phenomenon).

Conclusion

Everyone will have their own reasons for preferring film over digital, or vice versa. It will depend on what one wants from their photos, and their photography. If you still have an old film camera lying around at home, why don’t you buy some film give it another go? You might be pleasantly surprised.

In the peak of the digital craze, I almost sold my film camera. I am ever so grateful now that I was talked out of that silly idea.

During the week, I decided to attend the Gertrude Street Projection Festival in the Melbourne inner-city suburb of Fitzroy.

I first attended this intriguing event in 2009, and was suitably impressed to make a return visit in 2010. The free festival, which runs for a week every July, provides an opportunity for artists to utilise the shops and buildings in Gertrude Street as a ‘projection screen’ upon which their electronic artworks can be presented for all to enjoy.

It works like this: An artist sets-up a projector or projectors from which emanates a light show. Projections range from those presented on a small screen in a shop window to small projections on trees or footpaths right up to elaborate patters over entire buildings. They can be animated, or static. It seems that the traders get right behind the festival each year, which adds to its charm.

There are so many impressive works which in 2010 have been contributed by 23 artists. The enjoyable part of the Gertrude Street Projection festival is that projections can be found in the most obscure of places, so the visitor has to be really observant so as not to miss anything.

Street projection is a democratic art form; projections can be enjoyed by children, parents and grandparents alike. The varied presentations can be appreciated for their simple luminescent beauty or the complex but subtle metaphors hidden in some of the more complicated pieces.

One of my favourite works in this year’s Festival was Ménage à Trois, by Nick Azidis. His work involved projecting a series of patterns over the Builders’ Arms Hotel from an upstairs shop window on the opposite side of the street which had the effect of draping the entire pub in luminescent patterns that were changed each day. His work is simple, but bold and eye-catching and it is his style of wallpapering whole buildings with light that I appreciate the most at the Festival. Fellow artist Kit Webster also illustrated an entire building with animated projections that rearranged like a deck of cards thrown across a table top. The effect was stunning, and it’s a pity that this treatment isn’t applied to more buildings.

I happened to be photographing Ménage à Trois when Nick Azidis introduced himself to me. He’d been setting up his display when he saw me set-up my tripod outside the Builders’ Arms Hotel and was curious to see what I was up to. After a friendly chat about the various aspects of projection art Nick Azidis kindly agreed to answer some of my questions for The Grapevine.

How long have you been projecting images onto buildings?
It all started when I lived in the city of Melbourne in 1992. Constant temptation, being surrounded by colossal buildings, set the inner spark.

What is the creative process from inspiration to execution?
Responding to the projection site and transforming it into an object of beauty that will inspire or provoke a new and different way of thinking, for a short moment in time.

How did you come across the Gertrude Street festival and how long  have you been participating?
This is the second year I’ve been involved with the Gertrude Street Projection Festival. In 2009, I was introduced to the co-founders of the festival, by a good friend of mine that I have worked on many show with over years, Olaf Myer (Technical Director for the GSPF).

Are you a full-time artist, or do you have a ‘day job’?
Always a struggle to find that balance from week to week. I do have a casual job in the television industry and most of my spare time is spent doing pre-production for commissioned projection work.

Is there a projectionist ‘community’ in Melbourne, or is it an individualistic pursuit?
Yes! The Projection art community has been growing every year in Melbourne, especially now with the Gertrude Street Projection festival on the calendar.
I find it interesting and always exciting working and collaborating with other projection artists. It can often lead to mysterious and unknown outcomes, which I like.

Do you  have artistic influences?
Yes. With projections, some of the things that inspire and influence me include architecture, photography and repetitive background patterns and motifs. I’m also influenced by symbols; logos; trademarks; geometrical and optical art; Chinese lattice designs; traditional Japanese stencils; silk fabric designs; textures; traditional Islamic designs and Aboriginal art.

You mentioned that you have some commissioned works? Where can we  see those?
Alumbra (Shed 14, Docklands) : 14 Kodak slide projection installation
The Lounge (Swanston Street, Melbourne) :11 Kodak slide and moving projection installation
La Di Da (Little Bourke Street, Melbourne) : 8  Kodak slide projection installation
Red Bennies (Chapel Street, South Yarra): 5 Kodak slide projection installation

^{Image: Nick Azidis}

Melbourne’s famous Rialto Observation Deck will close at the end of the month, costing 30 people their jobs and our city it’s finest viewing point.

I am sorry to see the loss of this marvellous local attraction. Aside from its spectacular views and excellent facilities, I also enjoyed the peace and tranquillity that could be found on the breezy Melbourne 360° viewing platform.

The Rialto Observation Deck was opened in 1994. Back then, Jeff Kennett was Premier, Victoria was recovering from a terrible recession and the Rialto was the nation’s tallest building.

After it’s opening, the Observation Deck immediately became a hit with locals and visitors alike. From the 55th floor of the Rialto Tower, one could see right across Melbourne’s metropolitan area as far as Mount Dandenong and across Port Phillip Bay.

However, in 2006 the Rialto was superseded in height by the Eureka Tower, which  opened an observation deck on their 88th floor; 33 floors above the Rialto’s. And whilst I felt the Eureka Skydeck was a much poorer facility, it seems many people disagreed with me.

In some ways, it came as no surprise when the Rialto’s owners announced that the facility would be closed down. They gave no particular reason for closure, but I am guessing it may have been in part because of competition from the Eureka Tower. A classy restaurant will replace the observation deck when the building is redeveloped in 2010.

ABC1′s Stateline programme has a nice video tribute to the Rialto Observation Deck, which you can view here.

This week, I visited the Rialto Observation Deck for one last time. Here are some photos of the occasion:

Today, I was delighted to receive my brand new copy of Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia by Dennis Woodward, Andrew Parkin and John Summers.

The book is of particular interest not only for the subject matter, but because it features one of my photographs on the cover!

Mine is a preview copy, as the book is still yet to be released. Having purchased a previous edition of this same text many years ago, I am quite confident that it will be well-received by academics and students alike. I certainly found the book to be very engaging and informative at a time when I was seeking to understand Australia’s system of parliamentary democracy.

The cover shot is one that I took on a holiday to Canberra in 2006. The photo has been one of my most successful on Flickr, with 41 comments and 37 favourites. Pearson sought to purchase a licence for the image via Photologium, and I was only too happy to supply it to them.  The image is not only featured on the cover, but the chapter pages and related marketing material.

Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia (ISBN 9781442508736) will soon be available at most bookshops, and is published by Pearson Education Australia. More info from the publishers here.

I’ve recently been rediscovering the joys of film photography.

Inspired by the multitude of users on Flickr and a desire to try something different in photography, I decided it was time to give film a go.  I’d used film before, but stopped in 2004 when I purchased my first digital camera. In those days, film was the only option for photography and since I’d been a child I’d persisted with Kodak Gold 100. Only once did I try another film, and that was in 1996 when I sampled a roll of Ilford FP4 Plus (ISO 125).

Things have changed since the film era. Not only has digital photography revolutionised the art of photography, but the internet has come along too and for some reason there’s not half as much satisfaction in placing my photos in an album as sharing them online.

A few months ago I purchased an Epson Perfection V500 slide-scanner. The V500 functions both as a normal flatbed document scanner and photographic scanner for slides and negatives. I wanted a slide scanner so I could upload my analogue photos.

I then had to choose some film. After shopping around, I decided to settle on Fujifilm Velvia 50. Designed for vivid daylight photos, this low-speed film is apparently popular for the rich photographs it produces.

With a roll of film in hand, I pulled my Canon EOS 500N out of the cupboard, dusted it off, loaded a roll of film and went shooting.

The first realisation was that I was unable to review my photos. Sure, I knew this already, but the habit of consulting the rear of the camera to review the shot is hard to break! The second realisation was that I’d be waiting weeks to get my photos back. I took my time finishing my roll of 36 exposures on account of the cost. Because I had no real idea of how many photos would even expose properly, I wanted to use the roll of film as best I could. I finally finished the film last week and had the slides mounted at Vanbar in Carlton. When I received my box of slides, I was pleasantly surprised.

My favourite shot was one that I took in the Cowan Gallery at the State Library of Victoria. The Velvia 50 brought out the rich red of the walls and the mounting of my Tamron 11-22mm lens on the EOS 500N body caused a complimentary vignetting which framed the photo beautifully. The Epson slide-scanner reproduced the colours from the slide accurately.

I also had some nice exposures of Rupertswood Mansion in Sunbury, which I took on my visit in September:

Whilst Velvia 50 is very good outdoors, it tends to colour distort at long exposures or under fluoresent lighting, developing a green tinge. This photo of the Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne highlights this perfectly.

Perhaps one of the more challenging parts of the whole process was not the photography, but the scanning. The Perfection V500 is a powerful piece of equipment and indeed the scanning resolution is phenomenal. Using a series of customised templates that rest on the flatbed scanner, every slide is in focus. However, I had considerable trouble preventing the software from automatically cropping my slides.

Unfortunately the scanner doesn’t come with any manual and their electronic guide was initially confusing. Each time I would specify the size of the image I wanted to scan (by selecting the area) then would set the resolution and the slide size, but it would simply revert back to its preferred size and crop it anyway.

I eventually figured out the source of the problem. For anyone using the Epson Scan software programme, here’s the simple resolution:

(1) Using the drop-down menu, choose “Professional Mode” (if you haven’t alread)

(2) Under the “Preview” button, untick the “Thumbnail” checkbox. This way, full control is maintained over the scanned images.

Now that I have the scanning sorted out, it’s now time to try out all the different films:

What I have in my camera currently: Fujifilm Velvia 100

What I have sitting in my fridge: Ilford PANF+50, Ilford Delta 3200

What I am keen to try: Fujifilm Velvia 100F, Fujifilm Provia 400F, Ilford SFX 200, Fujifilm T64, Fujifilm Sensia 100, Kodak Ektachrome E100VS and more…. there are just so many to try!