36 Frames in London: What Cinestill 800T Taught Me About Slowing Down
I recently went to London to present at the IVAC at Richmond American University in London. While there, I connected with Agapé UK, an organization I volunteer with. When I’m in the London, I love to carve out some time for photography. This time, I wanted to freshen up my repertoire and move away from the things I always shoot (aka Tower Bridge 😂). I also decided to shoot film and take my beast of a film camera, my beloved Nikon F5. Honestly, I’m convinced the thing was in a war zone. It’s built like a tank and weighs a ton. It’s heavy and complex yet accessible
Photography is my first love in the arts. It was my introduction into the arts and the moment I realized I had a talent in something in life. Over time, I expanded into graphic design, interactive design, and various visual arts, but photography remains my favorite. I used to shoot wedding photography out of immediate necessity to pay the bills. My true passions lie in landscape, cityscape, urban, and street photography.
Why I Wanted to Shoot Cinestill 800T
I knew I wanted to shoot film on this trip, and I really wanted to shoot Cinestill 800T. The halation and tone is unworldly and ethereal, and instantly cinematic, which is what it’s based on. Presets? Who needs presets when you have film!
It’s been a few years since I shot film. My research agenda as an academic and partner programs have taken hold, and more importantly my family has grown. Plus I have a giant box of film in my fridge that needs developing. But truth be told, digital has always felt sterile after I learned photography on film and in the darkroom. Convenient but sterile. The tactile experience grounded me. It reminded me that I owe part of my career to this process. I chose the role of film for the type of shots I wanted, set the ISO, and budgeted my frames. I quickly remembered how limiting 36 shots was, and had big plans for it. Much like Steve McCurry and the world’s last roll of Kodachrome.
While I previously shot mostly Super 8 film, which is notoriously expensive, I recently discovered CineStill film. Super 8 is super cool and super expensive, pun intended. CineStill 800T is a motion picture film with the remjet layer removed, which creates a gorgeous halation effect.
Finding Film at London Film Lab in Shoreditch
In London, I went to the London Film Lab in Shoreditch and was really impressed with all the film stock and equipment. It can be hard to find Film when you aren’t in a big city. Online stores like bhphoto.com are often sold out or backordered. When I talked to them, they promised same-day development. That was awesome, especially since I was from out of town and only there for about five days. I had just a few left.
What Shooting Film Again Taught Me
The film experience instantly forces you to lock in on what you want to shoot. I had constraints of only 36 images per roll. No longer was I just in the zone of shooting film willy-nilly. I had real constraints that cost money, which helped fuel my creativity and made me much more focused and intentional. It felt a little like I was slowing down and creating photography.
Immediately when I loaded the film, I reunited with the tactile and the mechanical. It was a sweet reunion, and one that I missed. In the age of mirrorless and weightless camera bodies, this was hefty. There was a process, a methodology to loading and making sure I had the film in right that I didn’t realize how much I missed. Immediately, I questioned all my decisions to transition to the digital workflow, even though the immediate feedback was missing. I had to rely on my knowledge of metering and the Camera too. Gone was the immediate feedback loop of digital, of shooting, immediately reviewing and adjusting. Instead I had to envision, imagine the shot and rely on metering, whether in camera or through expertise.
The feedback loop became imagine – shoot – develop – anticipate – review.
Shooting Chinatown on Cinestill 800T
I thought about going to the Barbican and over to a spot where I used to live, off of St. Elmo’s Fish and Chips. Sadly, I didn’t make it to St. Elmo’s Fish and Chips. Next time I’m in London, I’m going to journey there to get a photo of it.
Instead, the film lab recommended going to Chinatown, and I am so glad that I did. The tungsten lights overwhelmed me. I was essentially overjoyed in anticipation of how the images would turn out. Exploring it with my Sony Alpha 3 camera, I took digital shots of the same scenes to compare film (with its halation and tungsten warmth) against clean, crisp digital.
In Chinatown I mostly shot F2 1/60. Timelapses I shot my go to F16 and 30 seconds. I don’t have a remote so I set a timer of seconds to reduce any camera vibration from me hitting the shutter. I did have a small moment of panic when I used the Sony Alpha 3 because the Timelapse was overblown. The film experience reminded me that the film can handle it, and I was right when I saw the results a few days later.
Piccadilly Circus and Shooting Film in Public
I walked over to Piccadilly Circus to capture motion and low-angle time-lapses near the Topps Fanatics store (awesome store by the way). Carrying a heavy professional camera setup drew some curious attention. I also got a few requests to see my work, take a picture of them or share my Instagram handle. What a luddite I must have been to say it was film, and I don’t use Instagram. I’ve got to say, it’s been awhile since I’ve been out and taken photos, and the attention I got at the tourist places surprised me. That was thanks to reels of photographers asking people to pose for photos. Several people asked me to take their photo in that style, I just pointed and said sorry it’s film.
Nikon F5 and Cinestill 800T Settings
The details:
- I got the film at London Film Lab in Shoreditch
- Shot on a Nikon F5
- Lens – Nikkor 50
- F2 1/60
- Cinestill 800T but set the iso to 500 Cleaner Shadows & Finer Grain
- Manfrotto Befree Tripod
Final Thoughts on Film Photography
Whether you are shooting on a vintage film camera or modern digital gear, photography is ultimately about storytelling and intentionality. You don’t have to travel halfway around the world to capture compelling scenes. You can find the magic of photography right in your own community.
Have you experimented with film photography recently? What are your favorite labs or stocks to use? Let me know in the comments below!