Film photography – Shooting in the streets of Manila

35mm film and Manila. The two things that gives me nostalgia the most.  Last week, I wrote about having several of my old films developed and how ecstatic I was about the photos. Today, I’ll be sharing them with you. These I believe where taken in 2010 or 2011 during when I still have the luxury of time and could shoot all day. Man, those where the best days.  Seeing these photos for the first time after a long time sure did bring back a lot of memories. Looking at the photos, I’ll try to recall how the day went by — It started out in Pasig, because I live there, shot a few frames, then a commute going to Quiapo. From Quiapo, I walked going to Intramuros, the Port Area, and finally, Rizal Park. Or, It could be the other way around but I’m 90% sure that that’s how the day went. 

Don’t you just like the look and feel you get from film? I don’t exactly know what camera I used for these photos but it’s either my Yashica Mf2-super or the Konica c35. Though I think it’s the Konica most probably. Too bad I sold that camera ages ago. The Konica is a small rangefinder camera with auto-exposure, rangefinders nowadays are my favorite type of camera because of its size and look. I don’t own a rangefinder but I have 2 “rangefinder” style cameras, my Fujifilm x100s and XE3. To be honest, I have been looking for a rangefinder camera these past few days and almost bought one yesterday. I think I’m becoming more a camera collector now than a photographer. In the end, I decided against it and bought films to use in my Yashica. 

What I like about shooting film the most is that it makes me feel inconspicuous. It makes me get closer to my subject without much hesitation. One of my favorite quotes in photography is by war photographer and Magnum co-founder Robert Capa, he said “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”. It may sound simple but getting close to my subject is one of the hardest things for me to do (’cause I’m a naturally shy good looking person). Also, using a rangefinder camera with an auto metering makes my life easier, all I have to do is zone focus, point and shoot and I’ll be on may way again in a flash. Shooting alone with an “inexpensive” film camera compared to a digital camera in the streets of Manila is also a no brainer if you are conscious about your gear.

Overall, I think I’ll be shooting more film this year on side of shooting digital. And now that Manila is also looking promising because of its new Government, maybe its high time I visited the old city and walk around for a whole day.

If you want to see more shots from this series, follow me on my Instagram.