Foundry WIndow

Foundry WIndow, originally uploaded by mhall209.

We took another trip over to Sutter Creek. It is not that big of a trip, we can easily drive over for lunch or dinner. But this time the light was a little better than past times. I used a borrowed old school film camera for this shot and just got the film back from the lab.

Using film is a challenge. First, you need to slow down and think about what you are doing. You don't get do-overs like you do with a digital camera, and each click of the shutter costs money. I don't get prints, just a CD, so it only costs about a dollar a click, but that adds up fast!

I started carrying both a film and digital camera and shooting both to see the difference, and on these rural scenes the film camera is way beyond what I can do with a digital camera. I just can't reproduce the color with a digital camera. I have heard people say that in the past, and I just scoffed, but now that I am actually trying it, the film rocks.

There are a couple problems though. I cannot replace the lens on the camera I am using. The only zoom abilities I have are my right and left feet. If I can not move closer I can not get closer. With the fences around, that's an issue.

The other issue I am up against is the ISO of the film. ISO is a sensitivity rating. For the last several months I have been using an ISO 400 film, which is great for low light, like cloudy winter days. With summer coming up I need a faster film, one with a lower ISO, like say 200. But when is is cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon, you can't just replace the film. Well, you can, but that wastes the rest of the roll!

Well all that to say I really like this image. The light, color, and composition are what I was looking for.