Interview with Photographer Jonathan Canlas – 100% Film Shooter
The man behind the camera:
I am a 100% film shooter specializing in weddings and portraits based in Lehi UT. I also do a handful of commercial work for local companies like Talisker, Xango etc. I’m married to a great gal named Callie with 5 kids 5 and under :). Isaac will be 6 in Sept, Ruby & Ila are 4, Lulu is 2, and Weston is a couple months old.
1. What made you decide to stay with film instead of crossing over to digital?
I have been film from the get go. I’ve had a handful of digital cameras but was not impressed with the work and effort I had to put in to make my images look like my film work. What I love about film is I can shoot, have it developed and scanned and then I’m done. I don’t have to spend hours trying to make it look good. It looks good straight out of camera. I love the look and feel of film. I have yet to see digital images that look like my film work.
2. What does your work flow consist of? Do you develop your own film or send it off? How often do you use Photoshop? How long does it take from the time you unload the film until you have your pictures ready for your client?
After a wedding/event is shot, I develop all of my own C-41 (color film) on my own Noritsu QSF-V30. I also own 2 Fuji Frontier SP2500’s so everything is scanned in house as well. For my true black and white film, I send it to Richard Photo Lab in LA. They are seriously the best lab in the US, if not the world. I use photoshop all the time but not for the reasons most people do. Since things are scanned and the scanner does not have digital ice, I have to clean for dust and scratches on the negs. Every once in a while I’ll mess with levels and curves but I’m not running actions on my images. I love straight forward, honest photography. I am not into actions and I feel they will be the new selective color very soon if they are not already. I don’t want to really date my images so no actions for me. Actions is a 4 letter word in my business. As far as turn around, contractually, I tell my clients that I will have the images up online (at http://jonathan.instaproofs.com) 6 weeks after the event. I do that to give myself some cushion time. I usually deliver it within 4.
3. What equipment do you make sure you have at every big event?
I bring the same equipment to every wedding. A Contax 645 with an 80mm f/2 lens. 9 loaded inserts (not backs) and lens bellows/hood. I also have (2) Nikon F5’s with a Sigma 20mm 1.8, Zeiss 50mm 1.4, a regular 50mm 1.4D lens, and an 85mm 1.4 lens. A Nikon SB-80 and an SB-800, 2 pocket wizards, a ziplock bag chocked full of film and my Sekonic L-508 light meter with some extra AA rechargeable batteries.
4. How does shooting in film define you as a photographer? What lessons about photography can someone learn by shooting in film as opposed to digital.
Film is completely responsible for my look and body of work. I don’t think you can recreate my look digitally (CHALLENGE!). The look of a Contax 645 is just out of this world. F/2 on a medium format is like shooting f/1 on a 35mm. It is just tack sharp and the color and contrast I can get out of Zeiss lenses is just phenomenal. I know a lot of people do actions to make something look like it was shot on a Holga which I find funny. It is not hard to shoot film on a Holga camera, so why go through all that effort when you could just shoot it on film? I think shooting film also forces you/makes you a better photographer as you HAVE to know what you are doing. There is no guessing or chimping allowed. You have to know your exposures and also working with just 1 iso (400) over and over and over again, you really get to literally know your exposures. To the point that if I showed up without a light meter of any kind, I could still shoot because I know what the exposure would be within 1/3 of a stop. Having this knowledge really frees you up during your shoots. You are never worrying about what your settings are and you are free to create and document.
5. What topics do you cover at your workshops?
Obviously, we talk about film. The ins and outs of it, basically the who, what, when, where, why, and hows of it. But that is just day 1. The workshop is called Film is Not Dead but we only cover film on the first day. Day 2 is dedicated to “loving family formals”. A lot of wedding photographers HATE family formals and I walk them through my process of doing them quickly and making them profitable for their business. I also cover story telling through details and the “formula” I use to document weddings/events. Day 3 we talk about getting published, the power of a blog, Instaproofs and how it can change how you do business, marketing and finally refining your vision. Actually, refining your vision is the constant topic through out all 3 days. The last thing I would want is someone to attend my workshop with the intention to be like me. We all have our own “voice” in photography. And I really strive to help each attendee find out EXACTLY what that is and run with it. All the while hoping film has a place somewhere within that voice or can help them portray that voice.
6. You have a brilliant eye when it comes to composition. Every picture is truly a piece of art. What are the main components you try to achieve when composing a shot?
I am CONSTANTLY aware of what is in my frame. If it is in my frame it is there for a reason. Everything you see of my work is straight out of camera and is not cropped in post. To me that is just one more step I would have to do which equates to more time in front of the computer and less time with my family. So, I am always striving to get what I want in camera. Basic elements of design, color theory (even though I am completely color blind – no joke), and rules of thirds. I am really trying to document normal life around me but make it more than just normal. I guess the whole ordinary/extraordinary approach to things, or taking ordinary things and make them extraordinary. This goes with personal and professional work. My job as a wedding photographer is to make every event look publishable regardless of venue, details (or lack there of), or the couple. I truly feel every wedding is publishable.
7. Name your top 5 sources of inspiration.
1. Music – I could go on and on, but as of late, Matt & Kim, Passion Pit, The Album Leaf & Girl Talk
2. Richard Avedon, Chuck Close, and Steve McCurry are completely responsible for the inspiration I had to do the tight b/w head shots I do.
3. Alec Soth, Craig Cutler, Dan Winters, Aaron Ruell, and a handful of other photographers that DON’T shoot weddings but create work that is completely inspiring.
4. Traveling to places I never would go unless the client took me there.
5. My family – actually, this is number 1 to me. I do everything I do for my family.
8. If you could shoot a wedding anywhere in the world, where would it be? What has been your favorite location thus far?
I would love to shoot more destination weddings on distant islands I’ve never heard of. I shot a wedding last year in Curacao which I did not know even existed had the client not called me and had me come out to this island off the coast of Venezuela. More Mexico weddings would be grand, but not the resort type, more down to earth, middle of nowhere, central MX where the whole town is invited to the wedding. My favorite location thus far? That is hard to say, I love CA both North and South but at the same time I really love weddings out in Potomac MD/DC area. I really don’t have a favorite as it is constantly changing as I shoot weddings and travel to new places.
9. How important is it to bring along an assistant to your weddings?
Up until about 3 years ago, I did everything solo. And mind you, 3 years ago I shot 72 weddings in one year by myself. NOT FUN (the 72 weddings part, I can shoot by myself just fine). My good friend Leo Patrone started assisting me at weddings and now I currently have 4 interns who take turns coming to weddings with me. They don’t shoot, they just man the bag, make sure no one trips over the bag, and assist with second lighting at the receptions. It is important, but if it came down to it, I could totally do it all by myself. It is just convenient to have someone man the bag and handing me inserts for the Contax when a roll finishes etc.
10. Have you ever had to market your business, or do you rely solely on word of mouth?
When I first started out, I thought I had to do what everyone else locally was doing, advertise with websites that had nothing to do with me as a studio or my clients, bridal fairs, and local magazines. But over time, I realized the best form of advertising is a happy client and word of mouth. I don’t do any paid advertising right now. I submit my weddings to publications and blogs and that does way more marketing across the world than I could ever do with paid advertising. I don’t really think I am marketing to just brides in UT. I think that was a mistake I made early in my career. My clients are all over the US and beyond and getting my work out on the web or in print is way more effective than any local advertising I could do.
11. What is your biggest challenge as a wedding photographer?
I don’t know if I have a big challenge. My constant struggle is to be constantly refining my vision through shooting personal work. I never want to use a gig as practice to better myself as a photographer. That is what personal work and projects are for. So, the challenge is actually getting out and doing it, which I am pretty good at. I am constantly shooting. My blog is riddled with personal work, and it is because I am constantly trying to better myself as a photographer and refine my vision.
12. When you’re not taking pictures, what do you do in your free time?
Take pictures :). No but really, I spend time with my family. That is the most important thing to me in this world. I love my wife and my 5 kids and my job provides me the privileged of spending a lot of time with them and I love it.
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wonderful interview, Jonathan kicks trash when it comes to wedding photography.
Nice interview although he seems to bash digital and people who edit their photos a little. I’m guessing that’s his pet peeve? Which is fine, sometimes people can over do it and film has a great feel to it that’s hard to replicate.
However I have to make a comment about what he says about holga.
“It is not hard to shoot film on a Holga camera, so why go through all that effort when you could just shoot it on film?”
In response to that, I’d say why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
no offense to anyone, but a true image shot on a REAL holga shot on kodak e100vs and cross processed will look better than any “holga-like” image someone attempts to make digitally.
I completely see where you’re coming from. However, never say it isn’t possible.
I respect your skill in shooting film, something I’m scared to even take on and certainly don’t have the money to spare for. I know a lot of photographers that use traditional practice with the new digital world and they are very much no to little PP shooters like yourself. In fact there is one locally here that is a master photographer and she does just that ( http://jerrysphotography.us/ ).
Film has a wonderful real feel to it and almost always you can tell when something has been shot with film. It’s great to have and use those traditional skills, but I think sooner or later you will have to force yourself to start using the lighter. And if you don’t in your lifetime, thats great because you will be doing what you love till u leave this earth and that’s what matters.
the only time I’ll be forced to use the later is when they stop making film. even then, i have a fridge with about 6 months worth of shooting to last me. kind of like food storage of a sort. again, shooting film is mainly about the look of it. the ease comes naturally. i can’t make my digital images look like my film images. at least without a whole lot of effort and then again, it is not really even comparable.
film is what works for me, and it works wonderfully.
i hope we’re kidding about that jerrys photography site… Is that supposed to be the digital equivalent to Jon’s work? I’m sure she’s good at what she does, but dude not even in the same vicinity as what’s being discussed. She does school pictures and rock art, Jon does timeless weddings. Film cannot be duplicated. If digital is the future then why is it so focused on replicating the past? I love both digi and film, but I think its ironic how people constantly attempt to digitally hoax Polaroids, lifts, and cross-processes, its not nearly as cool! :) Just do the real thing, its not living in the past, its just real.. like reading a real book with actual paper. Let digital explore things film hasn’t touched, or else the counterfeit look will become gimmicky and dated because its so obvious what its “trying” to be. The future of digital will be amazing once we free ourselves from this idea that its supposed to look like film.
I’m with Ryan. Plus he does seem to box digital photographers in a bit, not all of them edit their work. Some film photographers do a lot of post processing in the darkroom too. It really does vary.
Good interview though, love that black and white shot!
Actually, very few color photographers do post processing in the darkroom … it’s just too much of a pain.
Love me some Jonny C. Great shooter doing great work all over the country who sticks to his film guns. Digi shooters can hate all they want, but the man is true to his principles and he shows it with great aplomb. I remember when he was toying with trading to a digital system as it got harder to buy, shoot and process film in UT. But I’m glad he found a way to make it work (and so are the houses that kept their C-41 machines).
Cheers to Fuel for highlighting real talent where they find it.
dude, jed wells! (we went to school together back in the day at BYU)
Hey, it was not my intention to bash on anyone. Digital definitely has its place and there is nothing really “wrong” with it per say. What I was saying is that I really feel that in a couple years, if not already, the over processed look will look really, really dated. It will be the new selective color and people might say, wow, that is so 2000 and blank. I am not bashing anyone who edits their photos. All photos should be edited, weather in camera or in post. It is all salted and peppered to taste. Just for me, I love film for the look of it. And how that I can get the look I want STRAIGHT OUT OF CAMERA. I may seem like a purist or even crazy, especially in a world where film is DEAD and digital is so called king, but that is my point, film is very much alive and hopefully my images prove that.
Great interview – I’m a film junkie myself so I enjoyed it. I don’t think he’s bashing digital – he’s just saying what works for him and why.
Let me add my two cents: A couple months ago I dusted off my old film camera and started shooting some film again. Let me tell you that after shooting digital for so long, it was so scary for me to take a picture and not know what it looked like immediately after. After that experience, I definitely have mad respect for people like Jonathan who are so seasoned in taking beautiful, original, and like he said, timeless photographs….straight out of the camera.
Ditto. It’s the dependency and convenience that has me hooked to my digital camera.
I also prefer to do as little processing as possible as photos should be shot in their original form. As an exception, certain types of photography, like HDR, is amazing fun to do and provides a different angle. If you were to shoot weddings, people, etc, natural (no photoshop madness) is the best way to go.
Hey Jon,
Thanks for having the guts to stick with film and promote it. So many people think that film is not worth shooting, but I agree with you that there is something that’s just different about it from digital. I’ve been shooting both, but I prefer film and am looking forward to shooting my brother’s wedding 100% film.
awesome article!
thanks todd!
Jonathan,
I find it curious that the handful of photographers, that I follow, and that still use film on the highest level (Jose Villa, Elisabeth Messina…you) all use the Contax 645! What gives? What would you use if you couldn’t shoot the Contax?
I can’t speak for Jose or Elisabeth, but I know I shoot with it because of the Zeiss glass. And the fact that the 80mm is an f/2. Again, that lens shot wide open is like shooting f/1.0 on a 35mm. I have YET to see the look of this lens duplicated on any other camera. I actually bought a Zeiss 50mm 1.4 lens for my Nikons to make it look like my Contax. It comes close, but it is not the same.
if i did not use the contax 645, i’d bulk up my bicepts by using my fuji gx680.
Enjoyed the interview … keep up the faith. I too am a 100% film photographer, for many of the same reasons you do. I do mainly landscapes and some nature photography, on either a Chamonix 45N-1 or a Nikon F6.
ughhh, what I would not give to have a Nikon F6. seriously…
The F6 is a fantastic camera … without the MB-40 battery pack, it’s about the size of the F100, with it, the F5. But, far superior to the F5 (I have one of those as well). I upgraded my F6 to use theMB-40, with the rechargeable Li-Ion battery, EN-EL4.
don’t tempt me! :)
Great article! I don’t see that Jonathan bashed anyone for using any particular format – he just expressed a genuine love for the medium that he has chosen and it happens to be film. If you’re truly excited about your passion then it shows, and that is what I see with Jonathan.
Best Wishes,
Michael
Jonathan,
I am a major fan of yours and I absolutely LOVE your work. I shoot with a digital camera now, but I have only just changed formats since Christmas, and the only reason I changed over was because I used to stress myself to the max everytime I shot a wedding that I would somehow stuff up someone’s wedding. Never once have I done that, but the ol’ self doubt always used to get me. So someone suggested to me to buy a digital and then I would eliminate that stress. I resisted for a very long time, but it has worked for me. I have found there are digital photographers out there who shoot and then do an enormous amount of post processing afterwards. “Shoot now, fix later” seems to be the mantra…
I think the grounding you get from working with film and knowing how light works with film is essential if you are planning on working as, or even calling yourself, a photographer. You still need to know the basics of exposure and composition. I worked for a photographer in the 90’s who would give me his B/W work to hand print, and every shot was perfect, compositionally and exposure wise. No need for test strips with him!! That is the mark of a professional and someone who knows their medium. BTW, he still shoots 100% film as well.
Your work is truly wonderful, and proof of that is how successful you are as a photographer. Your work rocks, and you have inspired me to look at the way I shoot and ‘refine my vision’ as you put it. I have started taking a lot more notice of the little details, something you are very good at. You could shoot with a pin hole camera and I’m sure your shots would be exceptional. Keep up the excellent work – I check your blog everyday for inspiration!!
thanks for looking nicole!
This was a wonderfully insightful interview! Thank you Jonathan! Seeing your work and listening to your previous interview with Analog radio inspired me to take a photography class this summer and also to do all my projects and the final with film. I will miss the dark room, but seeing your work prompts me to keep shooting and experimenting. I hope to get to the point where I really “know my exposures” as you say. It’s nice to know that it can be done.
I myself am a traditionalist when it comes to certain aspects of the art öf photography but beign adept at what you do and defending it. that way you know u see with both your heart and eyes you are not colour blind sir you see the most.
I am a lover of film as well. I think you cannot achieve the same kind of atmosphere that film creates. Jonathan, I was wondering how you process your color photos? The colors of your photographs are absolutely beautiful and vibrant. Is that just from the film you use or do you do some post production?
there is little to no post production with my images. the post is done in exposure at at the time of the scan where they correct for color and density. every once in a while i’ll mess with levels, curves and color balance depending on if the scan was not scanned correctly. if the negative is scanned correctly, there needs to be no post processing. a lot of it has to do with the scanner, a fuji frontier sp2500. and come to think of it, the film stock (FUJI) and the developing as well in FujiHunt chemistry :). Not the simplest of answers, but there you go.
I know I’m late to the party here, but I just wanted to say that Jon is the real deal. A photographer’s photographer, not to mention one of the nicest guys on the planet. Congrats on the great interview Jon!
see you tomorrow joe at the foundation conference!
and thanks for the kinds words :)
My take on Jon is that he’s fearless. Shooting film like he does is in line with any great musician/guitarist who knows their place on the fret board. It becomes instinctive and natural if you shoot every week of the year. Not sure how he keeps the energy going.
Now I’ve got to get this Zeiss 50mm 1.4 lens for my FM3A and shoot my Delta 3200 thats been sitting since I bought my D700.