What would you shoot if you had the last roll of film in the world? 4 Tokyo photographers took that challenge and hit the streets armed only with a Hasselblad and one roll of film. With only 12 exposures the pressure was on! Hit the jump for the video.
The One Roll Of Film Challenge
Mattias Westfalk, Bahag, Yoshiki Suzuki and Paul del Rosario were each given a single roll of 120 film and asked to bring their own style to the twelve frames they were allowed. That’s only 12 frames!
With digital, photographers have virtually no restrictions on shooting. You can shoot and shoot and pick the best shot later. But this challenge caused the photographers to really focus on each individual frame as if it were precious and they couldn’t wait to see the results!
The film was processed and all four photographers gathered around the lightbox to read their negatives. All of the photographers expressed support for each other as the eagerly picked out what they thought were the best shots before heading to the scanner. No competition – just a bunch of guys that love photography getting together and seeing what comes up!
The scans come next and each photographer is able to see his work for the first time as a positive. Some of them were happier than other but considering the limitations of the challenge each photographer was able to produce something interesting.
Here’s some results from each photographer:
Paul del Rosario
Ya, it’s… it’s hard. You know I think these days you’re used to shooting with a kind of wide frame and you can get a lot in the picture. However with 6×6, the way you compose, the way you frame the shots, you gotta get everything in that one square. And that’s not a lot of space
Bahag
Bahag was pretty shy during the exit interview and was amused by the shutter mechanism on the Hasselblad. But his interior and exterior shots were vibrant and live and gave you a real sense of each of his locations. Definitely has a nice touch.
Mattias Westfalk
Matias had some of the most striking images of the group and he clearly has control of the medium. He didn’t have a lot to say at the end of the challenge but that might have been a language issue.
Yoshiki Suzuki
Yoshiki is one of the most interesting shooters in the bunch. Even though he was extremely limited by the number of frames he was allowed to shoot, he took his time and worked each of his scenes. Studying the places and his subjects to find the best photo possible.
I won’t know until they’re printed but maybe I’m not satisfied. Because if I’m satisfied then I won’t want to take photos. I want to shoot again soon.
StreetShootr’s Take
This is an interesting challenge that you don’t need a Hasselblad to take on yourself. Just limit your shooting for an entire day to say 36 exposures (the usual number of frames when shooting 35mm film). No more, no less. Force yourself to see each shot before you take it and you’ll be surprised by your results.
When I’m perosnally shooting film I find I shoot a lot less. But while my best shots on film are not necessarily any better than my best shots on digital, I can say my bad shots on digital are way worse than my bad shots on film. It’s all about quality control before you hit that shutter. Once you’re aware that your frames are limited you pay closer attention to your subjects. And this really helps you hone your vision.
Definitely worth a try!
What do you guys think of the one roll of film challenge? Have you ever done this yourself? How did it go? Post your comments below and keep the conversation going!