Photography Projects - Good?

musings from an ageing mind

Photography Projects are a great way to get out and take photos and exercise the old grey matter sitting in our collective skulls. Whether you enjoy making books and zine’s or just want to be part of a collective endeavour, a Photography Project can be a very fulfilling experience.

I am currently enjoying being a contributor to the Frugal Film Project, a collective endeavour based on facebook with the aim of shooting cheap, locally sourced film in a camera or system that cost less then $75. The Frugal Film Project was an idea that Sherry Christensen, host of the Embrace The Grain Photography Podcast, had in 2019 and she invited a small group of Film Photographers to shoot one roll of film per month, in a camera that cost no more than $50 and see what happened.

The results of that first year are summarised on this video on the tube.

Such was the success of that first year, Sherry was happy to do it again in 2020. Some of the original group stayed for the ride whilst others joined and, well, it grew. The Frugal Film Project was slightly modified to take into account the rising prices of Cameras and Film as our chosen genre enjoyed a renaissance. The limit was raised to $75 and rather than have to spend a lot of time looking after a website, Sherry moved the project to facebook.

At first it was a small group, but it has grown and now has around 800 members, many of whom regularly contribute every year, myself included. It’s great to see Film Photographers around the world finding unloved cameras and giving them a chance to shine. My own preference has been to use vintage folding cameras and shoot film made by the good folks at Harman Technology, home of Ilford and Kentmere B&W film. I’m lucky to have one of the big manufacturers 30 miles from my house and I call that local. For our American chums that’s basically next door.

For 2025 I chose a Kodak Retina 1a that I bought in a bundle deal off the bay for £29, a Watameter rangefinder and a yellow filter. Metering is done by my Gossen Trisix, a gift from a dear chum who helped me get back into film in 2017. My chosen film is a variant of Ilford FP4, Type 517 Cine Film, bought for £3.50 per roll from Analogue Cameras who literally bought a refrigerated shipping container full of it in 2024. In my book that’s the find of the century so far, but it is a finite resource. I have enjoyed learning how to use both the camera and film and it has been very fulfilling for me.

I have enjoyed being involved with the Frugal Film Project since 2021 and one camera in particular has been a revelation for me in that time. My Balda Baldax 4.5x6 medium format camera that I lovingly christened “Baldy The Baldax!”

The plethora of Photography Tutorials you can find on th’interweb all say the same thing, “learn to use your camera in manual mode.” Ladies and Gentlemen, nothing gets as manual as an old camera. Baldy The Baldax has taught me so much with no automation apart from the exceedingly nice Compur #00 shutter. Made in Dresden in 1933, this little gem of a camera has been an excellent teacher and given my brain a solid workout each time I take it out for a wander.

It didn’t care if it was out in the snows of winter or the heat of summer, Baldy The Baldax just kept going. I learned that the shutter is pretty accurate and, in conjunction with my Gossen Trisix light meter, I was able to get some decent photos with it. I also learned to accept the light leaks that it suffers with from time to time. It is, after all, a 90 year old and if I ever get to that age I will be a very happy man. (I fully expect to leak too, it happens to us all eventually, including remembering social media when it was just a field.)

So, I ask my self are photography projects good? The answer from my personal experience is an emphatic yes! There are times when it has been a total chore and not very enjoyable, but that’s when you have to grit your teeth and get it done. The end result is very fulfilling and I keep going back to it for another year. I had been considering giving it a miss in 2026, but I know I would miss it and have to go back with my tail between my legs. Better to stick around and enjoy the process than having regrets if I didn’t.

If you fancy having a look through my previous blogs you can find them all at jimgravesphoto.blogspot.com and read about my adventures with various cameras since 2020. I hope you enjoy them.

Jim