Wildlife Photography on 35mm Film

Canon 3000N / Sigma 150-500mm f5.6 / Ilford 400

While my focus for the last few years has primarily been filmmaking, I still have a deep love for photography and it is where I learned initially how to use a camera. As a kid, I had a point and shoot film camera that I would use every now and again but certainly wasn’t obsessed with it. But as my love for photography grew in the digital age, my love for film quickly caught fire.

Canon 3000N / Sigma 150-500mm f5.6 / Ilford 400

I recently travelled to one of my favourite places in the world with nothing but my film camera; a Canon EOS 3000N. Originally released in 2002 (when I was 7 years old), the 3000N was targeted at a mid range consumer level camera for people wanting to dip their toes into photography without breaking the bank. The camera is compatible with all of my existing lenses and has captured some of my all time favourite photos.

I find film photography appealing because of its limitations. Since all of my work is digital, I can afford to take thousands of photos and cut it down to the best from there. But with film, I have 36 shots per roll and once I am out of film, It is all over red rover. I also love the physical nature of film. You can’t fake anything on a negative. You are restricted in the edits you can make with the scans you get back so what you see is what you get. If you don’t get your settings right, there is no safety blanket. 

Canon 3000N / Sigma 150-500mm f5.6 / Ektar 100

Wildlife photography is unforgiving at the best of times - let alone on film. While I know none of these photos are going to be featured in any galleries, I am really content with how they came out. Photography has always been my escape from the world and given me an outlet to express myself. In these photos, I hope anyone who sees them will interpret them in their own way. 

Canon 3000N / Sigma 150-500mm f5.6 / Ilford 400