Ultimate Guide to Getting Started in 35mm Film!

Firstly, What is this not?

This is not a 'photography course' as such, there will be LOADS of bonus photography tips but this is not about how to take better or 'good' photos, this is not about correct composition or how to light and expose your images, you could do several courses on either of those.

What I will teach you though, is everything you need to know, and much more, about how to get started in film, specifically focusing on getting you started shooting the 35mm format — I'll go through all the major differences and nuances from digital, both in principal and how it actually changes your approach shooting.

Who is this Course for?

Anyone new to film.

Whether you are a beginner or a professional photographer, I will cover what you need to know to shoot your first roll.

Honestly though, even if you've shot a bit of film already, I think there is so much bonus info packed in here that'll be worth your while, especially if you never took the time to understand some of the technical bits.

As this course is also for people with a strong knowledge in photography, I'm not going to shy away from little caveats and technical terms because they are what many people will immediately understand and they can draw parallels with their digital knowledge.

However, do not fret any of you who've never picked up a camera before, don't go anywhere, if I speak fast and something goes completely over your head, I meant for it to, anything that you need to know I will explain slowly and clearly.

The reason I'm not splitting it up and doing a course for absolute beginners and then one for hobbyists and pros, is because this is about getting started in film and with that the film bit is new or newish to all of you no matter your previous understanding of photography.

If I kept it too basic and neglected to mention certain things, that quickly become fundamental once you get more into it, then I would be doing beginners a dis service.

Similarly all advanced courses jump straight into the nitty gritty bits of film, which is really complicated, and I wish when I started (as an already semi-pro photographer at the time), that someone had also explained just plain and simple - what are the differences here - what should I be aware of coming from digital, and the super practical side - such as how to load a film camera.

Also, if you are a beginner, 1) you can watch this and then come back next year and watch it again and absorb some of the bits you missed but 2) most importantly when teaching something I'm a big believer that once you understand the principles it makes everything click much faster (no pun intended!) suddenly all the pieces will just fall into place.

The technical bits will only sink in with practice and I think people have this habit of trying to rogue book learn settings, but by understanding how things work you'll remember one bit and be able to work out rest... Where as if you've learnt something off about film speed but don't really know what the numbers mean, then when you inevitably forget you'll never be able to just take an educated guess, and so often when shooting film it's all just a bit of guess work and that's part of the fun.

What are we going to cover?

We are going to cover types of film cameras and types of film.
Then we'll look at 35mm specifically, where to get a camera and what to look out for, and what to check in terms of features and condition.
I'll go through the practical elements of loading, shooting, rewinding and some of the quirky camera bits that you only find on film.
I'll also give tips for shooting on film, again looking at it both philosophically and very practically.
We will go through some really common mistakes, things to avoid and how to deal with inevitable mishaps and accidents.
Finally I'll give you a really basic understanding of how film is developed and negatives are scanned, what everything means, and what to ask for at a darkroom lab.

I hope that all sounds interesting, I'd love if you could join me!

Let's get started.

Sheng-Wei Chen

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