Recreating the ‘Film Look’ of the World’s Most Influential Portraits 

Camera: Mamiya RB67 Pro-S (circa 1974)
Lens: Mamiya-Sekor 90mm F3.8
Film Stock: Kodak Vision3 500T, Kodak Porta 800, CineStill BwXX, Ilford Delta 400
Mechanical Timer: Autoknips IV (circa 1952)
I get all my film supplies at Downtown Camera, a Toronto-based photography store. Shoutout to their AM/FM film club which gives discounted film stock and development. 100% not sponsored, never spoken to them outside of making an order, just really love their service. If you're local, give them a shout: downtowncamera...
Who is this Video for?
Whether you are just getting started in film photography, or you are an experienced film photographer, everyone can benefit from a new challenge. Shooting self portraits with a film camera is arguably one of the simplest and yet most challenging forms of photography. Pushing myself to use analog photography for taking photos of myself has developed my knowledge of film photography, and given me a deeper appreciation for how iconic historical photos were taken.
This video is full of film photography tips that I learnt along the way, and covers a range of film camera basics, so I believe this is a great starting point for beginners in film photography. Through these medium format portraits, and seeing the stunning 'film-look' that can be achieved in-camera with almost no editing, I wanted to show you the benefits of taking self portraits on film and how the process can make you a better photographer. I hope this is the catalyst to you getting started in film photography in 2023.
Gear I use in my videos:
My main camera: amzn.to/3oGYXaF
My second/vlogging camera: amzn.to/3p87rX4
Favourite photo/video lens: amzn.to/3xn9XhL
Best vlog/landscape lens: amzn.to/2RRVE37
Primary microphone: amzn.to/34IU06p
Lens I use for close-ups: amzn.to/3fCEsHR
My EDC photo camera: amzn.to/2S0LNIe
Studio lens: amzn.to/2SO6jvO
Main (awesome, budget friendly) light: amzn.to/3wLvb60
My primary tripod: amzn.to/3wMIDX7
THE vlogging tripod: amzn.to/3yRhZyd
For anything that might be stolen: amzn.to/3c9ZU4S
My Socials:
Instagram: / james.k.graves
TikTok: / james.k.graves