Theory & Reflections

Looking for something to reflect upon, some photography theory or philosophy, or just want to read about how/why other photographers do what they do? Then this is the place to start!

Photography is often a lot less about the facts, and a lot more about the subjective and individual. For everyone who undertakes it, it is a very personal experience. I take a lot of pride in the fact that 35mmc has always – and will always – perpetuate these ideas.

As such, in this section of the website you will find authors sharing their thoughts, reflections, workflow and experiences. You won’t find anyone telling you how to think or how you should approach photography, but instead a series of articles from people reflecting on how they think and what they do.

Below you will find a list of the articles in this section separated into categories. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, or indeed feel like you have something you would like to add, then please feel free to get in touch. You can find out more about how to write for 35mmc here.

Philosophy and Reflections

Here you will find articles from authors talking about their thoughts towards photography, why they do what they do, now and in the past.

• 1960s New York. Dad’s slides scanned – by Charles Higham
• 35mm in the Time of Coronavirus – By Steph Powell
• A Beginner’s Exploration of Documentary Photography – By Hugo Morgan
• A Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs – By Frank H. Wu
• A Portrait of a Violin Maker, and some reflections on shooting what I enjoy
• About the value of my (and your?) photography – By Benoît Felten
• ADD, and My Photography or Where the Hell is the Leica? Sure I’ll Play Parcheesi!
• Alex Lambrechts on Inspiration and Style – an Interview by Hamish Gill
• An Experiment in Looking at Photographs – by Sroyon
• Architectural photography with a 50mm lens (and some thoughts on minimalism) – By Daniel Sigg
• Are All My Photographs Failures? – By Frank H. Wu
• Artefacts of a Laboratory – Adapting an enlarging lens to a Sony DSLR – By Jordi Fradera
• Bokeh as the Subject (in Photos and Writing)
• Bokeh – Finally Rationalising my Relationship with this Overinflated Element of Photography
• Breaking a Rut With A Return To Film – By Chris Ledda
• The Contrarian with the Contax – By Frank H. Wu
• CoronaVirus isn’t going to stop me Blogging about Cameras and Photography
• My Dead Dogs Came Back – By Frank H. Wu
• Death in the Camera Store / Learning to See On the Other Side of Fear – By Gerard Exupery
• Deciding on My Favourite 5 Frames From 2019 (And Maybe A couple of Sneaky Extras) – By Gavin Bain
• Dilemma Dilemma: What Shall I Use, Color or Black & White? A Short Comparison – by Andrew Morang
• Do We Need to Know What We’re Looking At? – By Frank H. Wu
• Does the Voice of the Student Matter? – By Holly Gilman
• Entering Solitude, or helping myself publish with a #FullRollFriday post – By Theo Swinscow
• Everything Goes Back to the Beginning – By Marcel Zyskind
• Some of my Favourite Film Photographers – Simon King
• Film Photography – A Realisation That Cheap Thrills Can Still Be Had!
• Film Photography – Enriching my Journey like a Topolino – By Andrea Bevacqua
• Film Photography is Not about Serendipity (for me)!
• Film Photography as the “Long Tail” – By Frank H. Wu
• Film Photography; a to road rediscovery – Guest post by Richard Williams
• Film Photography Shows Why Private Property and Capitalist Markets Work Well – By Frank H. Wu
• Finding a style not a camera – By Taylor Ervin
• Finding My Analogue Groove – By Laura Cogan
• Finding Subjects in Familiar Sights – by Chris Illing
• Finding my way in photography – part 1 – by Nick Holt
• Finding my way in photography Part 2 – My first steps shooting film – Guest Post by Nick Holt
• Forward Motion – On the Road with Saint Etienne – By Mike Monaghan
• Hanging Out With Photographers? For a Price?
• How Film Photography Helped Me to Appreciate Colour – by Simon King
• If You Run From Your Ghosts You’ll Never Find Out What They Want – By Gerard Exupery
• In Homage to – and Defence of – the Work of Tatsuo Suzuki – By Steven Bleistein
• Inchindown: Why make photography so hard? An Interview with Simon & Dave
• Is it Easier or Harder to Take Photos Now? – By Frank H. Wu
• It’s All Done with Mirrors – A Tale of a Telescope Street Photo – By Tom Ace
• Kershaw Penguin, Learning Photography, and My Introduction to Medium Format – By Peyton Hunter
• Kodachrome 64 – Digitising for the “Look”? – By David Hume
• Kodak Ektachrome E100 – Forgetting my Expectations & Embracing a bit of Failure
• Kodak P3200 & Happiness found in my (lazy) Hybrid 35mm Workflow
• The (Lack of) Value in (my) Photography (and negatives) – In the Dark Shed – with John Whitmore (VIDEO)
• Limiting and Reflecting on my Digital Output – by Simon King
• Magnum Contact Sheets – Book Review – by Holly Gilman and Sroyon Mukherjee
• Second City – Making My First Zine – by Richard PJ Lambert
• Meeting the Vintage Field Camera Man at the Golden Spike 150th Anniversary – By Frank H. Wu
• Memories Lost, Memories Created, Memories Kept – By Jim Grey
• Minolta Hi-Matic 7 Review – One Year Shooting Film – By Seb Copley
• Motivation in Your Photography or The Importance of A Project – By Julian Higgs
• My Colour Film Photography Workflow, or: A Rant about how Software isn’t the Enemy!
• My “Reason for Visit,” stage 3B cancer – By Nicolás Hagen
• The Necessity of Bad Photos – by Frank H. Wu
• Northern Sustainable Darkroom: Helping Analogue Go Green – By Edd Carr
• Not shooting / won’t shoot – What to do to find and build inspiration – by Ryan Neilan
• On Finding inspiration (Don’t hold your breath) – By David Hume
• One Good Photo of Everybody – by Frank H. Wu
• Overcoming Creative Block – A Few Tips – By Daniel Sigg
• Own Your Workflow and Goals (and don’t get too distracted by the mantras of others)
• “Are You a Photographer?” – By Frank Wu
• Photography as Social Activity – By Frank H. Wu
• Photography Theory and Practice – A Collaborative Project
• Photography vs. Cameras and a Full Spectrum Fuji X100 In the Mist
• The Photos Not Taken – by Frank H. Wu
• pixl-much-latr – delivering on a Kickstarter 22 months behind schedule
• Finding the P-Word in Photography – By Laura Cogan
• In Pursuit of Elegance (if Not a “Good” Photo – Whatever that Means) in the Highlands – By David Allen
• Recurrent Corneal Erosion and a Mamiya 645 Pro – It’s a Pirates Life For Me – By Adam Laws
• Reflecting on G.A.S and Finding other Distractions – By Holly Gilman
• Reflecting on Old Photographs – Nathan’s Famous Since 1916 – By Gerard Exupery
• Reflecting on Some Film Photography Failures – by Simon King
• Remembering what it is to be a “Novice” & Reflecting on the Arrogance of Experience
• Revisiting and Reflecting on my Photographs from 2012 – by Samuel Hardwick
• Searching for Relevant Difference in a Digital Commercial World – By Tim Cole
• Sharing my Failures – Lost Frames from Amsterdam – by Simon King
• Sharpness? Overrated, and very rarely part of the definition of a good photo!
• Katie Melua on Shooting the “Album No.8” Cover with Film – Interview by Sroyon Mukherjee
• Shooting the Shooter – Photographs of me with my Cameras – By Jordi Fradera
• The Short Life of Tri-X Man – by Frank H. Wu
• Six by Four – my experience of creating a Photo Book – By Frank Lehnen
• Some Thoughts and Experiences in Favor of the Price Hikes on Film – Steven Bleistein
• Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
• The story behind a photo of a plastic bottle or: A (slightly defensive) response to a comment posted on my Sony A7rii review
• Studying Eisenstaedt – By Frank Wu
• Taking the Lengthier Route – The Manner in Which Now I Work – By Timothy Hall
• Thanks for the memories – Finishing a Roll of Neopan 1600 I started in 2012 – by Dave Donnelly
• The Alchemy of Film Photography – finding my perfect formula – by Joseph Tan
• The beginning the middle and the end…
• My Joy in Getting back into Film Photography – by David Mitchell
• The Remains of the Abandoned Microscopy Lab – Shooting Expired Film – Pt 1 – by Ricardo Andrade
• The Remains of the Abandoned Microscopy Lab – Shooting Expired Film – Pt 2 – by Ricardo Andrade
• The Waitress, the Tarantula, the Body in the Bathtub and Why I Had To Buy My Girlfriend a New Pentax
• The Wet Side – My Early Career in NYC Darkrooms – By Gerard Exupery
• The Yashica 124G and How it Helped Me Get Married – by Sacha Cloutier
• Thoughts on ‘up north 1’ and a little common ground shared with someone I’ve never met …
• My Thoughts After One Year Of Shooting Film – by Aukje
• Three Mistake I’ve Made That Involved Photography in Some Way
• The Value of Inspiration
• Video: Chatting to Ashley Carr in a Carpark in Stourport
• Video: Chatting to Ashley Carr in Stourport (part 2)
• What A Photographer Needs – By Ryan McCarthy
• When You Pray, Be Specific – By Gerard Exupery
• Why I might hate these old negatives – By Gerard Exupery
• Why I spend my free time being a lab technician for a friend – By Sina Farhat
• Why I Think You Should Print Your Black & White Negs In Your Own Darkroom – By Recky Reck
• “Why It Does Not Have to Be in Focus” and “Out of Focus”: Pinhole Adventures Part 4 – by Sroyon

Gear Theory

In this section, you can find articles from authors talking about their gear and media choices and reflecting on what these choices means to them. There is a lot of content online that perpetuates ideas about right and wrong approaches to photography. This section of the website aims to dispel some of those ideas and instead help to outline the reality that we all have different approaches to photography and the kit we use.

• 3 Focal Lengths in Danish Marshland – by Sroyon Mukherjee
• 5 Frames Composed in Layers, with a 35mm Lens – by Simon King
• 7Artisans 75mm f/1.25 Review – a confusion of “want” over “need”
• A Few Words In Praise of Humble 50mm Lens – By Andy Larner
• A Fuji X100 and Solution that isn’t a Solution to my Photography Grump
• A look back at a Return to Photography and Discovering Shooting Legacy Lenses – By Rock
• A Quartz Date Dilemma – By Taylor Ervin
• An Experience Thrift Hunting in my Hometown – By Gavin Bain
• Architectural photography with a 50mm lens (and some thoughts on minimalism) – By Daniel Sigg
• The Genius of Barnack, a Leica iiia & how rangefinders found a home on 35mmc
• The Beauty of Basic: Life with One Lens – By Will Mordell
• Bokeh – Finally Rationalising my Relationship with this Overinflated Element of Photography
• Compact Magic: Turning into a Point-and-Shooter – By Christian Schroeder
• Conversion to Film: The Expected and Unexpected – by Anton Yakovlev
• Defining the Perfect Lens
• Discovering Film Photography in the Digital Age – by Joe Y
• Disposable cameras – Reflections on my early use – by Tobias Eriksson
• Doing my Thing (with a Fuji or two) – By Thorsten Wulff
• Why I Enjoy Film Photography More Than Digital Photography – by Frank Wu
• Enjoying and Learning in the Darkroom – by Michael Scott
• Enjoying Some Pentax SLR Gear Acquisition Syndrome
• Evaluating and Choosing Half Frame – By Javier Martínez Delgue
• Extreme GAS! I don’t need a new camera, I need a new Helicopter!
• Fight of the Fifties… – By Bent_Brent
• The Film Camera – a Tool or Something More
• Film vs. Digital – An argument against the argument
• Finding my perfect classic Sonnar – PT1
• Comparing (or not) Oranges and Oranges – Finding my perfect classic Sonnar – PT3
• My First Film Camera – by Aukje
• My First Film Camera Continued – by Aukje
• My First Experience of Film – by Ross Gibson
• My First Roll With a Leica Film Camera – Guest Post by Aukje
• My First Roll(s) With A Leica Film Camera Continued – Guest Post by Aukje
• Halina AF700 Review – How it saved me from Creative Block – By Miriam Woodburn
• Help! I am being held prisoner in a lens collection! – By Jonathan Leavitt
• I’m a photographer, and I like cameras – why is that not ok? (Video)
• “Karmera” and the act of giving away your gear
• Kodak Tri-X – Finding my Photo Mojo in Forty Rolls – by Ryan Neilan
• Leica M-A – From Digital, Back to Film (part 2) – by Anthony Killeen
• Leica M Edition 60 (Leica M60) Review – the Deconstruction of the Digital Camera
• Leica M8 – How important is the use of a CCD in the look of the photos?
• Leica M8 – With or without a infrared cut filter comparison …
• The Leica Mystique: The Brand vs. The Camera
• The Leica Rangefinder and the importance of a well calibrated system – By Alan Starkie
• Light Meters – by Marco North
• Lomography Metropolis Film and the Minolta Riva Panorama
• The lure of the uncomplicated camera
• Sony A7Rii – Making it work for me – Take Perfect. Spoil it. Be happy – by Aivaras
• Monkeying Around with Focal Length and Perspective – by Sroyon Mukherjee
• My failing right eye, an old watch, the Leica M7 and learning how to frame a photo again…
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8 – Returning to the Cheap Fifty: A Homecoming – By Max Cooper
• Nikon F75 Project – Part 4 – The SLR viewfinder, fundamentally flawed and entirely outdated…?
• No, your Pentax Spotmatic F is not better than my Leica M6! / Don’t be like Frank
• It’s Not the Camera – by Frank H. Wu
• Olympus AF-10 Super Review, or: Pushing the functional limits of a crap point & shoot.
• Olympus XA and other Compacts – Rediscovering Old Flames – By Alan Reich
• One Camera, One Lens – A Methodology that Stuck – by Jack Lowe
• The Perfect 35mm Compact Camera – by Roger Hicks
• An insight into my Post Process of colour images shot with the Leica M9 in low light
• Rangefinder vs. SLR – Protest Photography – by Simon King
• Rediscovering 28mm – With the Aid of an External Viewfinder – By Tauseef Khan
• Reflections on Experiencing an Attack of Anti-GAS – By Dan Marinelli
• Practice [and not a New Camera] Makes Perfect!
• Rollei 35SE Review – and some wider thoughts about shooting a zone focus camera
• Sharpness? A creative goal, but still not a prerequisite for a good photo, or: why I’m enjoying my Makina 67
• Shooting Film on Assignment: Can it Compete with Digital? – by Simon King
• Shooting film, XP2, my laziness and other comments on entering the world of analogue photography…
• Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with 3rd-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
• Smena 8M Review – Sometimes you just have to play – By Carlos Argott
• Street shootout between Nikon 35mm camera/lens combos yields surprising results – By Isaac D. Pacheco
• The Gear Acquisition Syndrome Horseshoe
• The Kit Before the Horse – By David Allen
• The Viewfinder effect – and why I choose to cripple myself with an offset viewfinder
• The Yellow Filter And Why I Love This Community – by Aukje
• Three 50mm lenses that fit my needs (video)
• How to Travel Without a Camera – By Elben Shira
• Twin Lens Reflex Cameras – Making My Case for the Quirky Design – By Alex Mitte
• Video: Chatting to Ashley Carr in a Carpark in Stourport
• Video: Chatting to Ashley Carr in Stourport (part 2)
• Traveling? Taking a vintage film camera? Take a back up! – By Denys
• Why Are You Carrying The Camera? – By Frank H. Wu
• Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge

Workflow

Similar to the above section, but here you will find articles that focus on the the wider workflow. Again, the content in this section reflects how differently we photographers approach what we do.

• 4 Decades of Panoramas – Analogue & Digital – By Jordi Fradera
• Digitising Film – My Adventures So Far – By David Hume
• Epson V800 – Home Scanning Colour Negatives – by Aukje
• Experiments in Developing Colour Film At Home: The Chemicals Dilemma – by Aukje
• Finding the value in home scanning – Guest post by Frank Lehnen
• Kodachrome 64 – Digitising for the “Look”? – By David Hume
• Kodak P3200 & Happiness found in my (lazy) Hybrid 35mm Workflow
• Kodak Portra 800 Review – and some Thoughts on Shooting it Within my Workflow
• Legoland Windsor & giving AG Photo Lab a go
• My Colour Film Photography Workflow, or: A Rant about how Software isn’t the Enemy!
• Own Your Workflow and Goals (and don’t get too distracted by the mantras of others)
• Plustek OpticFilm 8200i Review – A case for home scanning – by KJ Vogelius
• Scanning/Digitising My Life – By Jordi Fradera
• Discovering the professional scan – Guest post by Frank Lehnen

Interviews

A more recent addition to 35mmc – I have started interviewing some of the people I come across in the photography community, from artists to manufacturers and those who run charities – people who I find interesting, inspiring, or simple that I have enjoyed chatting to and want to draw some attention to what they do.

• A Conversation between Film Soupers Amy Berge and Jen Stamps – By Holly Gilman
• Alex Lambrechts on Inspiration and Style – an Interview by Hamish Gill
• Art Meets Education – Educating Underprivileged Children Through Photography – an Interview with Nico Klein-Allermann
• Bringing a New M-Mount Sonnar Lens to Market – An Interview with Chris Andreyo, Skyllaney Opto-Mechanics
• Inchindown: Why make photography so hard? An Interview with Simon & Dave
• It’s Not all Serendipity – An Interview with Sandy Phimester
• A Lifetime of Photography – An Interview with Gerard Exupery
• Katie Melua on Shooting the “Album No.8” Cover with Film – Interview by Sroyon Mukherjee
• The State of the Film Photography Industry at the turn of 2020 – An interview with Charys Schuler, Editor, PhotoKlassik International

Learning Journeys

In this section of 35mmc, authors document their paths into photography through series of articles. Thanks to the help and support of the readers of 35mmc who comment on these articles, and indeed the varying paths the authors take, these series provide very interesting reading for photographers at all levels.

I think of myself as fairly knowledgeable, but I still learn a great deal from the insights of the authors and those that comment on the posts. It goes to show, I think, that it doesn’t matter how much we think we know, there is always more to learn – and sometimes, it’s the ‘student’ and not the ‘teacher’ we can learn from.

• How I Came to own my Grandfather’s Olympus OM10 – By Joel Anning
• How I Lost the Washington Monument – by Simon King
• Does the Voice of the Student Matter? – By Holly Gilman
• Loading 35mm into 120 Camera (Without Adapters) – By Andrea Bevacqua
• A Personal Comparison of “Affordable”, Mid-Speed, Black & White Film Stocks – By Holly Gilman
• Experiments Pushing & Pulling Ilford HP5 – By Holly Gilman
• Stand development Follow Up – My First Steps into Analogue – Part 8 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• My First Rolls of Ektachrome – A Tropical Thunderstorm – By Aukje
• “Why It Does Not Have to Be in Focus” and “Out of Focus”: Pinhole Adventures Part 4 – by Sroyon
• Stand Development – My First Steps into Analogue – Part 7 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• Making, Measuring and Testing the “Optimal” Pinhole: Pinhole Adventures Part 3 – by Sroyon
• Making and Using a Cardboard Camera: Pinhole Adventures Part 2 – by Sroyon
• Nine Homemade Cameras: Pinhole Adventures Part 1 – by Sroyon
• My first 3 rolls of home developed film – By Holly Gilman
• Discovering Bromide Drag and New Developers – My First Steps into Analogue – Part 6 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• First Experiments in Home Developing Colour – My First Steps into Analogue – Part 5 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• My First Roll of 120 Film – My First Steps into Analogue – Part 4 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• Some little improvements – My First Steps into Analogue – Part 3 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• Honing In On Areas For Improvement – My First Steps into Analogue – Part 2 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• Finding the digital bit more difficult – My first steps into Analogue – Part 1 – By Andrea Bevacqua
• Kodak Portra 800: My Latest Crush In Film Photography – By Aukje
• Kodak Ektar 100 – Shooting Fashion In The Dark – By Aukje
• An Instax Project And A Framing Challenge – by Aukje
• Experiments in Developing Colour Film At Home: The Chemicals Dilemma – by Aukje
• Nikonos V – Underwater Film Photography – by Aukje
• Epson V800 – Home Scanning Colour Negatives – by Aukje
• Pushing Tri-X To 3200, Or Shooting A Concert On Film – Guest Post by Aukje
• My Thoughts After One Year Of Shooting Film – by Aukje
• Kodak Ektar 100 Vs Portra 400 In Greece – By Aukje
• Ilford HP5 vs Kodak Tri-X – Finding My Go-To Black & White Film – by Aukje
• Kodak Portra 400 – My First Experience With – by Aukje
• Fuji Pro 400H & Kodak Portra 400 – Quest For Colour – By Aukje
• The Yellow Filter And Why I Love This Community – by Aukje
• Minolta Riva Panorama – A Fun Intermezzo – by Aukje
• My First Roll(s) With A Leica Film Camera Continued – Guest Post by Aukje
• My First Roll With a Leica Film Camera – Guest Post by Aukje
• Kodak Tri-X – My First Roll – by Aukje
• My First Film Camera Continued – by Aukje
• My First Film Camera – by Aukje

Compact Photographers

A series of articles where authors reflect on their personal reasons for finding particular joy in always carrying a compact/pocketable camera.

• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #21 – Luis Diaz
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #23 – Anil Mistry
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #24 – Gran Angular
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #25 – Carlos Albisu
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #28 – Grégoire Huret / Tete De Loup
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #29 – Daniel Marinelli
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #30 – Wen Zeng
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #31 – Trenton Trammell
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #26 – Caio Proença
• 35mm Compact Camera Photographer #22 – Mickaël André
• 35mm Compact Photographer #1 – Stewart Duffy – A Trip 35 man
• 35mm Compact Photographer #11 – Rob MacKillop
• 35mm Compact Photographer #12 – Benn Murhaaya
• 35mm Compact Photographer #13 – ‘Thirdculture’
• 35mm Compact Photographer #2 – Dominik Mrzyk – Student Shooter
• 35mm Compact Photographer #3 – Julián Péter – Hi-skill with a Hi-Matic!
• 35mm Compact Photographer #4 – Troy Holden – A mju-ii man
• 35mm Compact Photographer #5 – Jake Kenny – An “Urban Abstract” Shooter
• 35mm Compact Photographer #6 – Nicholas Poole – Armed with an Oly 35SP
• 35mm Compact Photographer #8 – Daniel VanDurmen – An RF xpro shooter
• 35mm Compact Photographer #9 – Alex Redman – He walks, he rolls, he shoots
• 35mm Compact Photographer #10 – John Roberts – Rollei 35 Shooter
• 35mm Compact Photographer #14 – James Fox-Davies
• 35mm Compact Photographer #15 – Frank Lehnen
• 35mm Compact Photographer #16 – Patrik Rośen
• 35mm Compact Photographer #17 – Sean Fisher
• 35mm Compact Photographer #18 – Oswaldo Guadarrama
• 35mm Compact Photographer #19 – Jimmy Yang
• 35mm Compact Photographer #20 – Michael Rennie
• 35mm Compact Photographer #7 – Alan Duff – A Hiking Street Shooter