From the Arch Club Journal

A beginner's guide to film photography

Everything you need for your first roll, from choosing a camera to collecting your negatives.

Written by Arch Club, a members' club that shoots only on film.

Your first roll, step by step

I
Choose a camera.A simple 35mm SLR like a Pentax K1000 or Canon AE-1 Program is the easiest start. Have it checked or buy from a seller who tests.
II
Choose a film.A forgiving 400 speed film: Kodak Gold or Portra for colour, Ilford HP5 Plus for black and white.
III
Load it out of bright sun.Pull the leader to the take-up spool, close the back and wind on until the counter reads 1.
IV
Set the film speed.Match the camera's ISO dial to the film so the meter reads correctly.
V
Expose and shoot.Use the camera's meter. When in doubt with colour negative, give more light, not less.
VI
Rewind before opening.Press the rewind button, crank until the film comes loose, then open the back.
VII
Send it to a lab.Ask for develop and scan. Keep your negatives; they are your originals.

Getting exposure right

Use the camera's meter, and with colour negative film give more light rather than less. Our guide to exposure on film covers it in depth, including how to shoot without a meter.

Common first-roll mistakes

Thirty six frames, one at a time.
White marble stilettos with red marble straps on a black marble plinth
Shot on film at Arch Club

ARCH CLUB

A members' club for foot photography, shot only on film.

Every Arch Club photograph is made on a Canon EOS-1V, a Mamiya 7 or a Fuji GW690II, with real models in New York and never AI. Members receive new film photographs every month, and collectors can own the original negative, sealed in display resin with a print of their choice.

Membership$49.99/mo
Polaroid$111
4×6 print$200
Negatives$1,100 to $2,000
Cameras35mm, 6×7, 6×9
Become a MemberBecome a Model

Anyone can find a picture. Few will ever hold a photograph.

Visit Arch Club

Published by Arch Club, Brooklyn, New York.