Talking to an old wedding photographer changed how I shoot rolls now

Met this guy at a camera swap meet last Saturday. He's been shooting film since the 70s and said he only takes 12 shots per roll instead of 36. Said he'd rather have 12 good ones than 36 mediocre ones. It got me thinking about how I blast through rolls at parties and end up with maybe 3 keepers. Made me slow down a lot this week. Has anyone else tried shooting fewer frames on purpose?

2 comments

2 Comments

skyler_white1mo ago

Oh wow 24 frames that sounds almost manageable but 12?? That's like a whole new level of self control. I tried doing a 24 exposure roll once and almost had a panic attack halfway through a street fair because I was so scared to waste a shot on a bad angle of a hot dog stand. You're totally right about it feeling more like hunting though, like you actually have to stalk the light and the moment instead of just hoping something works out. I remember I burned through like 8 frames on a single sunset last week because I couldn't decide which cloud looked best and ended up with basically the same picture 8 times. Maybe I should try 12 next roll just to see if I can actually resist the urge to shoot everything in sight.

matthewp521mo ago

12 shots per roll" - that's brutal but smart. I started doing 24 frames for street stuff and it forced me to actually look at what I was shooting instead of just spraying and praying. Way better hit rate now, feels more like hunting than fishing.