114: Bill Manning – The Rebirth of Film Photography & The Benefits Of Hybrid Shooting
January, 10 2024
“You’re going to mess up, you know, that is going to be the process”
BILL MANNING
Hey everyone! It’s Sally here, from Studio Ninja. Today’s episode is all about Bill Manning.
Bill Manning is an Atlanta-based portrait photographer and host of the successful Podcast and YouTube channel, “Studio C-41: One Hour Photo.’ Bill has been an active member of the film photography community sharing his passion and knowledge in film photography for nearly a decade with a goal to inspire others to creatively use analog photography in the digital age.
Check out some of the biggest points from Bill’s interview below:
Let’s talk about the re-birth of Film?
Yeah, I think there’s just, um, there’s a lot of catching up to do. Um, you know, there’s really for color film. There’s really one major manufacturer at this time, uh, at the time of this recording, uh, Harmon photo, uh, a local, uh, UK establishment, um, is, uh, you know, working to build technologies to get into the color game as well. And so, um, seeing all these new introductions and this new innovation, new startup companies trying to solve problems that have since gone away are really big indicators that growth is happening in the film photography industry. Um, so, uh, one of the biggest hurdles at this point right now is a new film camera. Um, so, you know, a lot of the old spot Maddox, the old K one thousands, um, uh, the canon ones, these are all very old cameras. And, uh, while there’s still a lot out there, you know, the the prices are just going up because the popularity is going up and you’re dealing with a limited source of cameras that are out there.
So there’s still a lot of limitations around this growth. And, uh, and it’s just finding companies that will see the, the financial value and bringing back a film camera. We’re starting to hear, you know, uh, Pentax, uh, Ricoh. Pentax is starting to look at possibly bringing back a film camera on a commercial scale. Um, so these are very exciting times. And so, um, you know, it’s kind of funny. We kind of hear people say, oh, it’s just a trend, it’s a fad. It’s going to go away and everything. And I think the attitude is starting to change, because a long time ago, a lot of it was, well, film is better than digital. And there are definitely a lot of, uh, advantages in, in digital. But also at the same time, it kind of is, um, like a film and digital approach, as you mentioned earlier, hybrid. Um, and there are definitely advantages with film where you get a look, um, straight off the scan.
And for the most part, a lot of people are very happy with that look. And it actually can kind of save down a lot of time, um, not having to edit photos. And that’s something that, you know, takes time and learning the, the film that you choose to take on your shoots. Because when I take it to the lab and it gets scanned and I get images back, I really don’t have to do much to amend. And I’m very happy with them. And I typically get them off to the client much faster than I would have to do. You know, sitting in front of a computer monitor for hours on end, editing photos and Newton color balances and adding, you know, profiles and, you know, uh, the turnaround I find, at least for film, has actually become much more quick.
How to balance shooting film & digital?
Yeah, no, that’s a great question. Um, you know, I think a lot of people kind of quickly realize that, um, you’re adding more gear that you’re carrying on with you. Um, you know, I think with, with it makes things a little bit more difficult with, uh, mirrorless cameras. But, uh, for those that are still shooting with, say, like, uh, a canon five, D, Mark 4 or 5 R3, those EOS lenses are fully compatible with the older EOS lenses, like for example, the EOS one n the the one V. These are cameras that um, while they are old, but still we’re kind of considered the professional level cameras. Um, at the end of, you know, towards the end of the film.
So, uh, the, the lenses there are fully compatible and adaptable to those cameras. So, uh, so if you do have an EOS lens that’s adapted for, you know, your range or your range, but your, uh, mirrorless camera, those lenses become interchangeable. So you could actually build out a toolkit that actually, um, doesn’t seem as daunting. Um, so essentially, it’s just loading film, uh, as you go along with it. So there. Are a lot of solutions that are out there and even with the Nikon system as well. Another big one, um, where you have 50 plus years of lenses that could be adapted to a single camera mount. Uh, so the, the AFS systems, you know, go up to just a few years ago so you can adapt modern day lenses on old cameras and, uh, they look fantastic and just beautiful film, uh, or beautiful images you get out of them.
If you could add one final piece of advice, something that’s made a difference in your personal life or your business life, what would that piece of advice be?
yeah, I kind of alluded to it earlier. You’re going to fuck up, you know, that that’s that is going to be the process. Uh, I think, um, I’ve, I’ve always wanted to learn I have more you know, I’ve been very interested in four by five and eight by ten large format. These are, you know, a different, uh, style of shooting. I have more destroyed sheets of film than I do, actually. Good images. Um, and, you know, I’m okay with that. And and I look at that and and don’t I don’t get defeated by that, and and that is okay. And as long as you look at that and go, how do I learn from this? So I don’t make that mistake again, or maybe a long time before you make that long mistake again.
Um, and that’s, that’s kind of my approach is, um, it’s okay to fuck up. You’re going to learn from it. And, um, don’t beat yourself up over it. Um, if you’re uncomfortable with shooting film, make sure you have a digital camera with you. You know, there have been plenty of times where I’ll get the shot on film, and then I’ll just take it on my phone just to have it, just to say if it’s a memory that I absolutely want to keep, I have no problem pulling out my phone and just taking a picture of it. And sure, maybe the the the intrinsic value or the emotional value that comes out of it maybe may feel less on on a phone than it would be on film. But I got the image and that’s that’s all that matters to me at the end of the day.
Thank you!
Thanks again to you all for joining us and a huge thanks to Lisa for joining us on the show!
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That’s it for me this week, I hope you all enjoyed this episode.
See you soon,
Sally
About Bill Manning
Bill Manning is an Atlanta-based portrait photographer and host of the successful Podcast and YouTube channel, “Studio C-41: One Hour Photo.’ Bill has been an active member of the film photography community sharing his passion and knowledge in film photography for nearly a decade with a goal to inspire others to creatively use analog photography in the digital age.
