Film Is Not Dead Workshop | Plymouth, MA

I wanted to share a bit about my experience attending the workshop Film Is Not Dead. First off, prior to attending back in June I had been shooting with my Contax for a little over a year. I had initially learned how to shoot by asking questions, shooting with friends, and reading books (Jose Villa and FIND Guide). For that first year I practiced a lot with expired film and used multiple labs to experiment and get better. So with that foundation I went into the workshop not so overwhelmed but with an open mind ready to be filled!

What initially interested me in Jonathan’s workshop specifically was his work with people and families. I feel like he has a way to pull out real, natural expressions with his subjects and his images really tell a story. My background has been mainly in weddings, but I have been wanting to include family portraits into my work for a while now. I also wanted to offer a style that was different from everyone else. I wanted to take a more lifestyle approach to my portrait sessions and to have fun with my clients and to give them images best represent them.

At the workshop Jonathan shared about using different film and camera types. How to meter and best expose your subjects. He also got into the post processing of film. How to work with your lab and ultimately how film can open up so much more time in your life once you become consistent. No more sitting in front of the computer. Instead working to better your business and more importantly time to be with your family. On the last day he got into building your business and making it work for you.

Each day we got to shoot, first watching Jonathan and how he directs his subjects and then we split into groups and shared each couple or family. Throughout each afternoon Jonathan worked with each group to show what he would do. It was great to see how he interacts with his clients but also how he exposes on the fly and loads roll after roll of film!

At the beginning of the workshop we were all given our choice of medium format or 35mm film to shoot with. Jonathan also gave us some awesome goodies to take home so we could refresh our minds about what we had learned. I also left with some inspiring photographers who I call friends! The FINDer community is like non other! Everyone is so supportive and encouraging as we all learn and re-learn this thing called film. I feel much more confident in my shooting and am slowly building a portfolio I am proud of! I feel like your are never done learning about film because there are so many ways that you can shoot it. Everyone can be very different and still enjoy the gratification film gives them. If you are considering attending his workshop I hope that you will go! It was an amazing experience!