I recently participated in a workshop entitled "Embrace the Grain" taught by Joyce Kang and assisted by Heather Chang. Both are amazing film photographers, and of course, this course was about shooting with, and developing film. Since I learned all about photography with a simple Pentax K1000, shooting with film has a genuine spot in my creative heart. I thought I knew how to shoot film but little did I know, Joyce and Heather would teach me so much. And I am still absorbing and learning more each day but reading and viewing their work, plus the other magnificent film photographers out there! If you ever thought about jumping back into this "dying" genre of photography, I truly recommend Joyce's class as a great starting point!

NOTE: I said "dying" as an exaggeration, as many do not realize how popular film photography really is! It actually seems to be growing in popularity lately and shooting both film and digital I can see why. Film has a real rawness about it. The images feel almost nostalgic, reminiscent of childhood and our own family portraits. And there is nothing better than getting back your scans weeks later and totally forgetting what you shot! Its always a pleasant surprise!

Embrace the Grain will take you through 5 weeks of learning. Starting with black and white photography, colour photography, film stocks to use and when, camera types, how to process, how to work with a lab to get the results you want, instant photography (think: Polaroid!} and so much more! Joyce and Heather are open books who enjoy teaching so much they will answer all your rookie questions enthusiastically and with passion! I want to actually take this course again so I can learn more!

And of course, some shares from the work I did in this class. I still have more film to sort through but here are my favorites so far...