Analogue Lives Within Us

I’m a big fan of the digital era! The convenient, speed and the access are only very basic advantages of Digital and I don’t think we’ll ever go back. That’s not to say I don’t value how things were. The fact is what we used to experience before everything evolved into a few clicks here and there was unique and quite intimate. No digital display and stylus can replace the feeling of pen and paper. The paper’s texture and how the pen moves are engraved into our deepest memories. I guess the future generations who haven’t had these experiences may be different but we need to go back and touch base from time to time.

Digital Photography is amazing, especially now with the advancement in technology making professional quality equipments available to consumers, and analogue is dying; there’s no denying. When I went back home a few week ago looking for a roll of 120 film I realized it doesn’t exist anymore there! but is that a good thing?

I was away from shooting on film for so long and when I finally had the time to revisit it I realized how unappreciative digital cameras have made of photography! They’ve made it so easy, they’ve broken the connection between the tool and the master; now the tool is the master! Don’t get me wrong! I still love my Canon DSLR! but I think we need to stay connected to the roots, the origins and those connections will make us the master of our tools again, no matter how intelligent they become!

I wasn’t going to talk this much! I was just going to say a few words before getting to the main topic but the word just poured out! I was going to say a few words about my Lubitel camera and how I has made to fall in love with photography again.

With an analogue camera you’ll become more careful and more aware, you get only one shot, and you won’t know the result until it’s been developed, so you plan and think carefully before pressing the shutter. This is the first photo I took with my Lubitel 166U, a Russian camera made in 1980s. It’s such a wonderful toy! and has thought me so much so far. Lubitel, or Twin-lens reflex camera, are quiet popular, even today, amongst analogue enthusiasts.

The end result is not what makes analogue so special, is what you go through and the understanding you achieve.

Few Tips and tricks for Lubitel

• Exposure: Sunny 16 is a method used to help finding the right exposure. It means on a sunny weather you can set the aperture to 16 and shutter speed should match the iso of your film. From there you can go adjust by going stops up and down, e.g. if it’s a bit cloudy next f-stop is 16 and shutter speed goes a step up.You can also use a light meter; I’ve got a vintage Leningrad.

• Focus: There’s a guide on the viewfinder to help with focusing but it’s not reliable at all! and even your very approximate estimate of the distance will you serve you better. I’d say try to viewfinder first and then see if the result makes sense and adjust accordingly.

• Ideal Film: ISO 400 is the safest choice the works pretty much in every weather condition.

Where to begin your analogue adventure

Lomography is one of few remaming heavens of fun analogue photography. They have and are still producing simple point and shoot cameras as well as reviving some of vintage models such a Lubitel! Some of their cameras could be a bit pricy, but it’s not just a shop, it’s an online community for all photography lover and the best starting point for your analogue adventure.