I didn’t really grow up shooting film or knowing much of anything about film photography. My path to photography was digital technology, so to me film was an anachronism. I’ve only just taken up film photography in the past couple years, but it’s already taught me a lot about the art of capturing light. Shooting film requires a distinct approach, especially with older cameras that lack modern conveniences like light meters and auto-focus. I decided early on that I didn’t want to use a 35mm film SLR - that’s too similar to what I’ve shot in the past with digital - so I’d only been shooting medium format film. I find that the 6x4.5 120mm format feels very natural, as the aspect ratio is the same as the micro 4/3 digital format that I’ve been using for a decade.

I shot with various Mamiya 645 models for a couple of years, starting with a fully manual 1000S, then a 645 Super, and finally a 645AF. The AF in particular is a great camera, but it’s incredibly big and heavy, so I recently sold it to another photographer in Hong Kong. I still have the Bronica RF645 for shooting medium format film, but I’ve now (contrary to my previous instincts) got a 35mm film SLR to play with - a Canon EOS 30V (one of the ones with eye control AF).