Guides and Tutorials

63 Film Photography Lessons and Theory Explainers

The Redscale Film Guide
A Simple Analogue Technique for Styling Your Frames in Red + More Colours
April 1, 2025
If colour film is inserted with the emulsion side facing away from the lens, it will create darker, red-dominant images. That’s redscaling. This guide explains how this works, where to find redscale film, how you can make your own, and a special trick to get even more colours.
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Can You Scan Film Without Changing Its Look?
And Other Film Digitization Questions Answered
March 24, 2025
The opaque nature of scanning software makes comparing film stocks and understanding the results of different exposures, colour filters, and film brands unreliable. This guide introduces a technique for consistent and predictable film negative inversion. It also answers a few questions about scanning film, starting with an explanation of why it may not be possible to create an image from a film negative without interpreting/changing the colours, whether one film stock can be digitally edited to look like another, what may be the technical advantage of shooting film if it’s going to be scanned with a digital camera, and whether it’s possible to tell if an image was shot on film or digitally.
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Members’ Handbook
What You Get With Your GOLD Membership
February 20, 2025
Thank you for joining the Analog.Cafe GOLD membership program! You are supporting a small, ad-free, privacy-friendly independent publisher. This handbook summarizes all the things you get in return for your patronage.
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How to Make Sharper Photos on Film
23 Ranked Tools and Techniques for All Skills and Budgets
December 10, 2024
Photographs that show great detail, even when examined up close, can enhance the viewing experience. Images shot on film with vintage cameras can produce enormous amounts of sharpness and resolution — but that’s not necessarily the default, even if you’re wielding a premium point-and-shoot. These 23 tools and techniques summarize some of the most effective ways to improve sharpness and resolution in your film photography. They’re ranked based on their potential and include practical advice with appropriate references.
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How to Service the Nikon F2 Photomic Metered Prisms
A Simple Way to Fix Inacurate Meters
December 5, 2024
Nikon F2 Photomic metered prisms are beautiful and sturdy like the rest of the camera but are prone to issues. Perhaps the most common fault on the nearly indestructible Nikon F2 cameras is a malfunctioning metered prism. I’ve seen many copies sold with the readings off by a few stops. In this short guide, I’ll explain what may be causing this problem and how to fix this issue at home.
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How to Edit Film Scans
Bring the Best Out of Your Film
October 24, 2024
This course will teach you the nuances of colour balance and a few simple methods for applying colour corrections. You will learn how to get the best colours and detail out of your film scans and how to draw viewer’s attention to your photos through editing without going too far.
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Shooting Northern Lights on Film
No Screens, No Distractions: Just You and the Nature
October 11, 2024
Learn to pick the most appropriate film cameras, lenses, and accessories for photographing northern lights, select the best films for the job, understand your exposure settings, and how to apply appropriate development and scanning techniques for the cleanest results on film.
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How to Remove Remjet & Develop Cinema Film in C-41
Also, What Is Remjet?
October 10, 2024
Kodak is the world’s leading producer of colour-negative film, but not all of it is meant for still cameras. In this guide, we’ll examine Kodak’s cinema film options, what makes them unique, how to use them in still cameras (your regular rangefinder/TLR/SLR), and how to develop them at home or in a lab.
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How to Bulk Load 35mm Film
October 3, 2024
Bulk loading film saves money, frees you up to use any (reasonable) film length in a canister, helps upcycle 35mm canisters, and even simplifies home film development. With the right tools, you can roll your own cinema film or stage photography experiments that wouldn’t be possible with store-bought film rolls.
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How to Develop Black-and-White Film at Home
As an Absolute Beginner
October 1, 2024
It’s easy to develop black-and-white film at home. The choice of chemicals, timings, and formulations may seem daunting at first, but once you understand how it works, you’ll find it to be a simple, forgiving process with lots of opportunities to excel and advance the quality of your images.
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How to Use Extension Tubes on Film Cameras
Macro Photos for Less
September 30, 2024
Extension tubes are simple mechanical devices that let you to focus your regular or macro lens closer to your point of interest. This can help you fill more of your frame with your tiny subject. However, there are some limitations and a few formulas that you should be aware of.
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Home Film Camera Maintenance and Basic Repair Guide
Tools, Techniques, and Advice
September 17, 2024
How you take care of your gear should depend on the size of your collection, the shape your cameras are in, and their various ages and kinds. This guide takes a measured, customized approach that focuses on preservation and minimal meddling with the gear.
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How to Get Pastel Colours on Film
There’s More to It Than You Think
July 16, 2024
This guide covers film types, exposure settings, scene selection, gear, and digital colour grading techniques for making airy, painterly photographs that feel like pastel art.
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What’s Bokeh and How to Get It on Film?
Lens, Focus, Light, Film Format, and Film Type Can Make a Big Difference!
July 2, 2024
You can have a lot, a little, or no bokeh. It can be gimmicky or beautiful, have a cat-eye or onion-skin effect, be swirly or not, make soap bubbles, or appear diffused. Bokeh is easy to replicate! This article explains how it works.
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How to Make Polaroid “Sol Pints”
A New Creative Instant Film Effect
May 21, 2024
Polaroid film is made for creative experiments. From emulsion lifts and manipulation to embroidery, soups, and cutting — exposed frames are as much raw material as a finished product. This article introduces a new Polaroid film effect and the science behind it. Below, you’ll learn how to make your own Polaroid “Sol Prints,” see more examples of the art, and even get suggestions on how to take it a step further.
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How to Set “Quartz Date” on a Vintage Film Camera
What Does “Quartz/Auto Date” or Data Back Do and How to Use It
May 12, 2024
Some vintage film cameras can stamp the current date and time in a corner of your photo. The dates become a part of the image. This article explains how they work and how to set one up correctly on ANY film camera without a manual.
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Master the Sunny 16 Rule!
Guess Correct Exposures in Any Weather/Indoors Without a Light Meter
February 21, 2024
Free yourself of fiddly devices and phone apps. This short online course spells out the method, provides examples, and suggests exercises for reading exposure without a light meter.
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The Vintage Film Camera Buying Guide
How to Find the Best Deal on a Vintage Film Camera
February 13, 2024
Film cameras have been in production for almost 200 years. The vintage ones are usually the best deal when it comes to features and build quality per dollar. But finding one in good working condition for a fair price isn’t always easy. This guide covers techniques I’ve learned over the twenty years as a shopper and a seller on eBay.
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Film Scanning: Which Side Is Up?
How to Load Film Into a Film Scanner/DSLR Holder Correctly and Get the Best Image Quality
January 9, 2024
There are four ways to insert film into a scanner’s film holder. This post explains which side is the right side up. It also explores what happens if you insert film the “wrong way” in.
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How Much Does It Cost to Shoot Film in 2023-2024?
Budgets for Beginners, Casual, and Avid Photographers
October 17, 2023
How to save or splurge on film: real advice (no sugar-coating) on using your money smartly. Every penny accounted for.
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