Real Film Effects vs. Instagram

 The Ritz Carlton Advertising Campain, 2008.

I recently came across these images while looking through an old, external hard drive. They were in a folder full of scanned negatives/polaroids titled, ‘Need to Organize’. Being an old drive, these images have since, been properly archived on our server with their corresponding shoot. I just hadn’t seen them in a while.

What really hit me about these images is how they represented a different time in my photographic career. These were all shot on a large format, 4×5 camera and range from Type 55 Polaroid/Negative to Color Reversal Film.
Side note: I primarily shot that campaign with my Canon 1Ds Mark III so yes, I was also shooting digital then.

As I am writing this I am trying to not sound like a crazy, old photographer. I am only 34. But seeing these, with all of their – in camera effects – made me think of how easily attainable cool effects like these are in Apps like Instagram.
Now don’t get me wrong, I do love me some Instagram. I have an account and regularly post images on there. It’s just crazy how much has changed in only 4 short years.

The cool light leaks…edge effects…water spots on the negative from not processing it correctly, all came through organically. Some good, some bad but all unexpected. I didn’t know that I had a light leak until we processed the chromes at the lab. Personal, I loved the effect of the light leak. The client, not so much. But that’s also why the 4×5 was more of a secondary option to shooting digital.

I cannot think of a better example than the image of the the model above. That image was shot on Fuji RDP Chrome. But as you can see in the gallery below, there is an alternate image from that setting that was shot in B&W on Type 55. A Polaroid that also has a negative attached that processes as you pull it from the film holder. Both shot with the same camera but with 2 different film stocks and different film holders. One processed in a lab, one on set. These days we’re choosing ‘film stock’ on our iPhones after we take a photo. Freakin’ crazy man…

I know I’m simplifying it but that’s how it is. That said, I dig it and fully embrace it. My studio is now 99.9% digital. Occasionally I’ll pull out my film cameras but in all honestly I love the images I get with my Canon digital cameras.
What’s crazier…sometimes I’m blown away with the images that come out of my iPhone.

Below is a gallery of a few more images from the shoot. Each with their own, one of a kind effect.