In this episode of the @onlyfilmsproject podcast, Mandy (@mandyleft) chats with Bettina (@ysa.gb) as they work on prints at Aire Street Darkroom (@airestreetdarkroom). Bettina is a film photographer from Manchester who Mandy met on a @northwestfilmphoto walk.

They talk about Bettina’s early influences on film, camera preferences, using portraiture to change our personalities in approaching people, zines, and exhibitions. They also discussed their thoughts on fresh perspectives of familiar surroundings, femininity in photography, inspiration for subjects and subject matter and how Instagram has changed over the last few years.

Finally they share a Film Failure Story (FFS) that many will be able to relate to as well as touching on digital photography.

On this episode Mandy (@mandyleft) talks with Nico (@thatonenico) about teaching film photography. 

The conversation begins with Nico talking about his experience working in a film lab and how answering questions from lab customers sparked his interest in education. They then talked about teaching young photographers. Nico shared insights on some of their reactions to film from point and shoots, pinhole, medium format, instant and with developing and printing.

Mandy asked Nico about his personal experience with photography, particularly in traveling with film. They talked about the future of film and some of the benefits as a medium since so much of it involves hands on experience and working with older mechanical equipment. 

Finally they introduced a fun new segment.

OnlyFilms on IG: @onlyfilmsproject 

Mandy (@mandyleft), Alex (@disorganised_film) and Kristian (@kristian.faulkner) are back with first impressions of their results shooting and developing Ferrania P33. They discussed how they thought it compared to other films on the market and how this new film might fit into their different photographic styles. They finished by talking through plans of how to shoot and develop another roll in the future. Along the way, they shared some news of what they've been up to and revisited one of the more unique (PACS) pleasing analogue camera sounds from a past episode.

Shout out to Aire Street Darkroom (@airestreetdarkroom) where Mandy and Kristian developed their rolls and made a few prints.

You can find out more about Ferrania (@filmferrania) and their story at their website - https://www.filmferrania.com/

Hello and welcome back to Grainsplaining!

Today I sit down for a chat with my friend Holly @photoxcore_archive* Holly and I have both done some travelling with film recently. In this episode we discuss airport anxiety, the nightmare confusion of xray machines and our tips for travelling with film! 

But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom, we also talk about the joys of travelling with film: amazing labs, the film community we have met across the globe and why you shouldn’t be put off by the daunting task of airport security! 

I’ve also recruited Holly to help with our #IWDFrameTheGrain Event. We talk more about the event, why you should get involved, and hopefully encourage you to take part. 

Shout outs in the episode: @a_guskaart @kalimcmillan @imageplayground @darkroomkt @analoguephotoexhibition @sistahspace_ @rinkokawauchi

*NB I’m building a reputation for audio issues! Sorry guys but during this call I was interrupted by a rainstorm (recording in a tin shed doesn’t make the best audio). We also realised Holly’s headphones weren’t working after finishing our call! I’ve done my best to edit out the echo but there might be a few robotic sounds. Bare with me…

It’s Women’s Month and we have a special charity print fundraiser underway! Check out our instagram feed for the details, and enter your work into the print sale with the hashtag #IWDFrameTheGrain

For the full information pack, follow this link: canva.com/design/DAF-_HO0bXA/HlZV8dTQmTf_3e721pwAgg/view?utm_content=DAF-_HO0bXA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @grainsplaining @emmajlloyd_ and if you would like to get in touch email us at [email protected]

In our second episode of the Grainsplaining from the archives series, Emma talks to Peggy AKA @cameragocamera! Peggy is the legend behind the cameragocamera blog, which has been running since November 2015!

Peggy effectively runs her own camera wiki, trying and reviewing cameras, and then sharing them with the film world for us to enjoy. Peggy’s blog exists as a diary of her life with film, including experiments, DIY fixes, home developing, re-skinning cameras, and more! It truly is a treasure trove of information.

Peggy shares her wisdom on buying cameras and staying organised with film, including how to store your negatives! This was a lovely and spontaneous chat, recorded with one of Emma’s favourite ladies in film- enjoy!

Check out Peggy’s blog www.cameragocamera.com

It’s Women’s Month and we have a special charity print fundraiser underway! checkout our instagram feed for the details, and enter your work into the print sale with the hashtag #IWDFrameTheGrain

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @grainsplaining @alexandra_heron @emmajlloyd_ and if you would like to get in touch email us at [email protected]

Hey filmies! Welcome to the first episode from our Grainsplaining from the archives mini series. In this episode Emma talks to Laura, AKA @lauz.cam about her journey with film photography, starting with DIY self portrait shoots at home during lockdown… all the way to working with magazines on paid shoots today!

We discuss some tips on self portraiture, and how this genre of photography can not only improve your skills as a photographer, but also act as a form of self care, and a big confidence booster! 

Laura is full of inspiration on how to get started with self portraiture at home, as well as lots of useful knowledge on working in the photography industry.

There are some real gems in this episode, enjoy!

It’s Women’s Month and we have a special charity print fundraiser underway! checkout our instagram feed for the details, and enter your work into the print sale with the hashtag #IWDFrameTheGrain

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @grainsplaining @alexandra_heron @emmajlloyd_ and if you would like to get in touch email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mandy (@mandyleft) catches up with Emma Lloyd (@emmajlloyd_).

They talked about Emma’s experiences with film in Australia since moving there last year.  Going on a photowalk with members of the film community in Adelaide, independent labs in Melbourne in general and specifically FilmNeverDie (@filmneverdie), what cameras she took, how much film, what she is photographing and the idea of bonding with people in a new country over film.

Then with March being Women’s History Month and the 8th being International Women’s Day (IWD), they talk about #sheheartsfilm which Emma started while she was working at Analogue Wonderland and current projects they have both planned to recognize and celebrate the month.

Emma is organizing a print sale to benefit women’s charities. Photographers can share prints on social media that they would like to sell along with the hashtag #IWDFrameTheGrain. People who are interested in purchasing the print can coordinate with the seller and do so by making a donation to a charity that benefits women. Follow the hashtag and the Grainsplaining IG account (@grainsplaining) for updates on the project.

Mandy would like to put together a zine with portraits of female film photographers. She’d like to make the portraits this year and put together the zine in time for International Women’s Day (8th of March) in 2025. Please get in touch if you would be willing to be one of her subjects.

Hey gang! We are back! In this mini episode Emma is here to update you on life down under, film photography in Australia and an exciting project for International Women’s Day! To celebrate Women’s month, we will be organising a charity print sale under the hashtag #IWDFrameTheGrain. Listen in to find out how you can get involved, or head to our instagram feed for more details.

Emma also introduces our next mini series ‘from the archives’ featuring episodes recorded B.A (Before Australia).

P.S. This was recorded whilst lying in a hammock, on a beach, on an island in Australia… so there may be some bug noises in the background. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @grainsplaining @alexandra_heron @emmajlloyd_ and if you would like to get in touch email us at [email protected]

In this episode, Mandy (@mandyleft) chats with Katie (@darkroomkt). They talked about how Katie first got started with printing and then about how she built her darkroom during lockdown.

They talked about printing in colour and with different formats before discussing Katie’s work with photograms and how her process has evolved over the last couple of years.

They then discussed “Silver & Light: An Analogue Photographic Exhibition” (@analoguephotoexhibition) that Katie has organized since visiting the Canwood Gallery (canwooodgallery.com) last year during the Herefordshire Art Week. The exhibition will feature 29 analogue photographers including Mandy. There will be a private viewing on the 30th of March where many of the artists will be present and you can chat with them about their work (please RSVP through the account). Then the event itself will launch on Thursday the 4th of April and run throughout the month until the 28th on Thursdays - Sundays from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. 

In this episode, Mandy (@mandyleft) chats with Kris Faulkner (@kristian.faulkner) about the zone system. They talk a little bit about the history and how the system works to help improve your black and white exposures. They talk about Fred Archer, Ansel Adams and John Blakemore as photographers known for using the system.

Kris talks about Pinsta cameras and also how 3D printing by companies like Chroma Cameras can help photographers get into large format. Kris also mentioned wanting to visit the Peak District soon, particularly the Monsal Trail for some photography.

Finally they talked about compact cameras. Although the market is smaller for compact cameras than it was a few years ago, there are rebadged cameras available at places like Boots and it is a great option for people just getting into film photography.

Back in November 2023, Mandy (@mandyleft) and Alex (@disorganised_film) chatted about Alex's upcoming trip to Japan. On this episode, they catch up to talk about how the trip - Alex's experiences with street portraits, lab development and camera shops. Be sure to follow along with Alex's Instagram and also YouTube for an exciting upcoming giveaway!