HOW/WHERE SHOULD I STORE MY FILM?
If you’re buying extra film and keeping it at your house or studio, it’s important to make sure its not subject to any extremes of light or temperate. You’re likely fine keeping it in a place at room temperature, but the best storage option for longest use is in the fridge in a plastic bag or container.
WHERE DO I BUY FILM?
See my full blog post HERE about where to buy film, what film to buy, and where to develop film.
WHERE DO I DEVELOP MY FILM?
See my full blog post HERE about where to buy film, what film to buy, and where to develop film.
DO YOU EDIT YOUR FILM SCANS?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Usually the only time I edit is when I’ve shot on a crappy roll of film or at bad settings and I want to fix skin tone. So, then, I’ll just adjust the Hue + Saturation of Oranges and Reds in Lightroom.
WHAT DO I DO WITH MY NEGATIVES?
The negative film strips you’ll receive back with your film scans are basically your RAW files of the images. If you ever need a new copy or want to create a certain sized print of any of the film images, you’ll need those negatives to do so. Don’t tell anybody, but I actually never keep my film negatives; ) It’s just another thing to store and worry about and this newly-dubbed city girl does NOT need anything else to find a place for her in small apartment.
I just make sure to tell clients that they may only print their film images up to an 8×10 size MAX because above that will be a major loss of quality; AND, as always, BACKUP your photos.
Again, personal preference on this one, it’s a pick your battles situation to me and not important to keep them on file for me.
HOW DO I FILL OUT THE FORM WHEN DROPPING OFF MY FILM?
HOW DO I SHARE MY IMAGES WITH CLIENTS/FRIENDS/PEOPLE?
If you’re looking for a gallery to deliver your images in, I use Pic-Time, and would reccomend it to EVERYONE!
Follow this link for 50% off your first year!
HOW DO I UPKEEP MY CAMERA?
Surprisingly, but also, obviously, old film cameras maintain themselves SOOO well. It’s incredible, in comparison to Wedding Photographer DSLRs that have a life-span of 1.5-2 years only!
Read my post HERE for your maintaining 35mm cameras (it’s very minimal work), and HERE for your Polaroid Land Cameras (a tiny more work, but still very minimal and routine.
WHERE SHOULD I STORE MY CAMERA?
Again, these old film cameras are pretty durable and have stood the test of time. Keep your camera in a case or cover to be free of dust/debris; or on display in a space that you’ll keep clean and can keep dust off the camera.
Make sure it’s not subject to any extreme conditions: temperature, light, or in reach of kiddos or pups.
HOW DO I LOAD MY FILM?
For loading your 35mm camera see my post HERE or refer to your relevant Owner’s Manual.
For loading your Polaroid cameras see HERE or refer to your relevant Owner’s Manual.
I FORGOT IF I LOADED FILM IN THE CAMERA AND I DON’T WANT TO OPEN THE BACK AND EXPOSE IT, HOW DO I KNOW??
I hope other people have had this problem, because, once I learned the answer I felt very silly. All you need to do it take the knob that you use to wind the film up at the end of the last frame and just gently turn clockwise—if you feel a bit of a ‘catch/resistaence’, there’s a roll of film in there, if you feel nothing and can continue turning without resistence, you’re all good to open the back cover!
Another great thing that some cameras have is a window in the back where you can slide in a piece of your film packaging to remind you what type of film you loaded.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A LIGHT METER?
I don’t have a light meter and really don’t plan on buying one anytime soon….they are soooo pricey and I’d rather have 500 things from Zara soooo…
I use a light meter app on my phone…and it’s free…and it works like, the exact same. Sure, it’s a little amateur feeling when shooting a client and you pull out your phone to hold in front of their face to meter, but you can get over that and spend the money on something more important; )
HOW DO I KNOW THE CAMERA WILL WORK?
I have personally tested each one and included the images I took on the cameras for you to get an idea of what the camera does + feel comfortable knowing they do work!
WHY CAN’T I RETURN?
Due to the nature of vintage products, it’s not feasible to run The Filmshop like a large business where there are resources to put into a return system. Vintage purchases are always with disclaimers that are identified to the consumer prior to purchase; it is the responsibility of the buyer to recognize the minimal flaws and pre-use of an item.
Our return policy does address issues with shipping or damaged product so you can feel comfortable and informed with all your purchases.
CAN YOU EXPEDITE SHIPPING?
Unfortuantely, not at this time. Plan on a shipping time of between 5-10 business days.
DO YOU OFFER LOCAL PICKUP?
Yes! If you’re based in Portland, OR you can setup a pickup time at our studio when you complete purchase.
I CAN’T SEE ALL THE FEATURES I’M WONDERING ABOUT IN THE PRODUCT IMAGES, CAN YOU TAKE MORE?
All images that are attached to the listed product are what we maintain. If you’re wanting to see a more in-depth look, you can try to google specifically what you’re looking for or try a You-tube video search for a more 3D perspective.
I hope you understand that we try to give you the best idea of what you’re getting, but we can’t tend to all the many intricate details of the vintage items. That’s part of the fun though, discovering a new feature all the time!
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT FILM TO BUY, THERE’S SO MANY OPTIONS?!
See my full blog post HERE about where to buy film, what film to buy, and where to develop film.
I’M NERVOUS I’M GOING TO ‘MESS UP’ MY FILM?
Hey, you probably will at some point..but, that’s good..cuz, then you’ll have gotten that learning lesson out of the way and you won’t ever make the mistake again!
I messed up and still mess up rolls whether it be accidentally opening the back and exposing all my roll or having crazy settings and shooting complete nothingness in my final scans. Like with anything in life, practice…just start. Every time you shoot you’ll feel more and more comfortable.
WHY SHOULD I PURCHASE FROM YOU?
I enjoy sharing my love for film with everyone! I get asked so often where I buy my film cameras or what film I like to shoot. I wanted to provide access to an art that I hope never dies!
I purchase, clean, test, itemize, review, and prep each camera/accessory for you to know that you can trust that it works and is categorized into a certain filter to determine the best type of camera for your desired use.
WHERE DO I BUY FILM?
See my full blog post HERE about where to buy film, what film to buy, and where to develop film.
WHERE DO I GET MY FILM DEVELOPED?
See my full blog post HERE about where to buy film, what film to buy, and where to develop film.
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH CAMERA TO GET?
There are many different types of film cameras and a variety of uses for each. I have created a custom categorization method for each product that falls into one or more of the (3) cateorgies that best fit your style of photography: The Gypsy, The Scholar, The Art-Lovers.
With each product description there will be one or more of the Photographer Categories listed for you to reference if it’s a good fit for your style of photography.
See the (3) Photographer Categories HERE.
HOW DOES THE PAYMENT PROCESS WORK?
All payments are processed on my secure website. Accepted forms of payment include all major credit + debit cards.
Shipping is added on depending on the weight of the product.
All items are non-refundable due to their vintage nature.
HOW DO I KNOW HOW TO USE MY CAMERA?
I have included a page of links to your specific Owner’s Manual HERE.
Just know that shooting film is a lot of trial and error, watching YouTube demos, and reading your camera manual. But, you will get the hang of it in no time!
WHAT IF MY FILM DOESN’T TURN OUT?
Sometimes your film will work, sometimes it won’t.
Due to the nature of film and many factors such as: where it came from, how you loaded it, what settings you shot it on, etc… sometimes your rolls won’t work out…and that’s completely normal!
It’s a bit of trial and error, especially if you’re shooting all manual or during low light situations with no flash.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, you’ll get it and it’ll be amazing when you do!
For any further questions please email: info@chantelmarie.com OR…google it; )