Hi, happy Tuesday! 👋 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. 🦃 and had lots of pumpkin pie (I certainly did). 🥧

Here is what we’re getting into today.

1. ☠️ How I killed a whole roll of Portra 400

2. 📸 Strobes and film cameras

☠️ How I killed a whole roll of Portra 400

Over the weekend I decided it would be fun to try shooting some still life with a strobe and a film camera. I’ve never used a flash with a film camera before. I learned the hard way. Hopefully you can avoid my mistake.

The setup:

• Camera: Mamiya RB67

• Film: Kodak Portra 400

• Strobe: Godox DP400III-V 

• Subject: Several vintage film cameras

I had everything set up. The remote flash trigger was connected to the camera’s lens. I tried a few test shots without film and the strobe was firing. All seemed good to go.

I went through the roll, taking photos of a couple different cameras at different exposures. The strobe triggered. Still looking good.

Excited, I go and develop the film. 😬

Once finished, I pull it out of the reel. 🫣

And…

Blank! 🤬 The whole roll…nothing.

So what happened?

After some digging, I learned that there is a switch on the camera’s lens next to the PC sync port. This switch has two options “X” and “M”.

I had it set to “M”, which was the issue. “M” is for bulb flash. You know those big flash bulbs on the cameras news reporters used in the 40s 📰? It’s for those.

Unlike a modern flash, it takes a split second for the bulb to reach full brightness. To account for this, when the camera is set to “M”, it triggers the flash slightly before the shutter. 😞 Which means, for me, when the shutter opens, the flash of light has already come and gone. Hence, the blank exposure.

So what’s the moral of the story? Always have the switch set to “X”, which is for electronic flash. With this, the strobe will fire at the same time as the shutter.

📸 Strobes and film cameras

So how exactly do you use a strobe with a film camera? For this discussion, I’m referring to film cameras that either don’t have a hot shoe or have one that doesn’t support modern flash triggers.

This is where the PC Sync Cord comes in. 🤓

On either the camera body or the lens there is a PC sync port. Connecting to your strobe or a wireless trigger your camera can set off the flash. 🔌

You can even find a PC sync port on many light meters. After I set the scene, I connected my light meter to my flash trigger. With my desired shutter speed set, I held the meter up to my subject, pointed it at the camera and took a reading. Taking the reading, the light meter triggers the strobe and provides you with the appropriate aperture to use. If you have a specific aperture that you want to use, you can always adjust the strobe’s power.

Metering is what I was most worried about the most. 😨 Usually when I shoot digital with a strobe there is some trial and error, but with film that’s a little difficult. Fortunately, using a handheld light meter, I was able to get the exposure right on the first try. 🎉

Flash photography gives you a whole new level of control. You control the temperature, intensity and shape of the light! Endless possibilities. If you don’t have a big strobe, but have a speed light (external flash for your camera), a wireless trigger and a simple stand can be used to get your flash off camera.

Well that’s going to do it for this week. 🫡

Remember, if you’re going to turn a negative into a positive with a flash, make sure you have it set to “X”.

Ben Henschel

📷 Canon A1 / 🎞️ CineStill 800T