SINGAPORE: As a teenager, Ms Trisha Lim gave up on film photography because the hobby was too expensive on her student’s budget.

In 2021, a few years into her career in communications, she thought it might be the right time to get back into the hobby, costly as it was.

But with the price of film steadily climbing, Ms Lim, now 28 years old, is unsure if she will continue pursuing film photography.

“I’m quite on the fence. When I finally use (my stash) up, I guess I’ll see how much film costs at that point,” she said. Ms Lim has around 15 rolls of film that she bought overseas or on online platforms such as Shopee and Carousell.

“I’m kind of hoarding what I have left, and I don’t know if I’ll even continue cause it’s really expensive.”

Yet, at the same time, she recognises that it would be a waste if she stops shooting film, since she has already invested in film cameras.

Digital cameras and mobile phone applications which try to mimic film photography are still missing something, said Ms Lim.

“If the digital solutions can replicate it perfectly, it’s a no-brainer, immediate jump (over to digital).”

FILM IS “VERY REAL, VERY RELATABLE”

As recently as before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, a roll of film could cost less than S$4 (US$2.96), shop owners told CNA.

One of the cheaper films on the market, the Kodak ColorPlus 200 35mm, now costs between S$11 to S$18, checks by CNA found.

Ms Lim paid around S$12 for a roll of Fujifilm 200 35mm on Shopee last year. Listings today are asking for around S$20.

“Prices keep rising,” said Mr Ong Tee Huat of Whampoa Colour Centre shop in Balestier. “This year, there have been two or three hikes by suppliers already.”

Shop owners said prices increased after a revival in demand three or four years ago, and that most of their customers now are aged between their late teens and 30s.

“Young people are tired of playing with their phones. Since the pandemic, a lot of them have been exploring film,” Mr Ong said in Mandarin.

Mr Ken Ng, co-owner of Joo Ann Foh Colour Service, said the vibrance of digital colours on mobile phones is too much for some of his customers.

“They find film colour very real to them, very relatable,” he said.

Young adults who spoke to CNA also said film photography makes them more intentional about the pictures they take.

“Shooting film makes me think about what I’m doing, and it makes me think more about exactly what kind of image I’m trying to capture,” said Mr Nikolas Lim, 25, who works in the finance industry.

“Also, because it’s expensive, each shot you take can be nearly S$1, you have to be very precise,” he said, comparing it to digital photography where people take many pictures that they may never look at again.

SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS

Major companies such as Kodak and Fujifilm may be struggling to meet demand.

“Demand has outstripped supply and manufacturing capacity just cannot meet (this demand),” said Mr Ng.

When factories were shut as digital cameras became popular, many machines were sold or scrapped, he explained.

Even if spare parts are available now, it might make more sense to keep them on hand for repairs rather than using them to make a new machine, he said.

Shop owners also said Tokyo-based Fujifilm appears to be focusing on its other products in optics, electronics, biotechnology and chemicals.

“Fujifilm is making fewer and fewer rolls; there’s not much competition for Kodak,” said Mr Ong of Whampoa Colour Centre.

In response to CNA’s queries, Fujifilm said it will continue to produce photo film to satisfy the needs of enthusiasts, and that is has “made every effort to increase production efficiency” and stabilise the supply of film.

“We are aware that customers face some difficulties purchasing our films in Singapore and we will continue our efforts to meet their needs,” the company said. It attributed the price increases to a sharp increase in the cost of raw materials for film production.

Photography websites have also reported on Kodak raising prices earlier this year. CNA has reached out to the American firm for comment.

This photo is of the Owens River and the Sierra Nevada near the town of Bishop in California. I can trace the inspiration for it to the earliest days of my journey in photography.

In the 90s, my love of rock-climbing found me exploring the jagged peaks of this mountain range, known as the “range of light” as it was called by pioneering environmentalist John Muir.

At the time, I lugged a camera along to document the landscapes on my adventures with 35mm colour slide film. My choice, Fuji Velvia, meant that my ‘post processing’ was fixed ahead of time as a highly saturated, high contrast look. It didn’t handle a wide dynamic range well but wow, the transparencies leapt off the light table! When I got the exposure right, which wasn’t as often as I would have liked, the images transfixed me with their vibrant colour.

Many photographers have captured the Sierra Nevada over the years. Ansel Adams set the bar for monochrome enthusiasts, but it was Galen Rowell (1940 – 2002) who was incredibly influential for me. He wrote extensively about light and colour in the landscape, how to look for it and how to photograph it. I devoured his work and his book Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape holds pride of place on my bookshelf to this day.

Galen sold fine art prints at his Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop and with skills as a trail runner and climber, he was indefatigable in his pursuit of unique, colourful landscape compositions across the region. Mountain Light Gallery continued exhibiting and selling his work for 15 years after his death until it sadly closed in 2017.

I spent last Christmas in Bishop on a pilgrimage to reacquaint myself with Galen’s ethos. I naively didn’t know the gallery had closed, but by chance the walls of my hotel featured many beautiful prints of his work. I crosschecked phone location apps with viewpoints of his images, and on Christmas afternoon I found a spot by the Owens River that looked worthy of a visit on a freezing Boxing Day dawn. With the tripod set and dawn light filtering in, a glimpse of clouds toward the mountains gave me hope for a colourful cloudscape at sunrise. And it was just that – I got lucky.

The post processing of this image is very much a reflection of Galen’s influence over my early years in landscape photography. I like to think he would approve of my digital tribute.

A photographer has used a variety of artificial intelligence (AI) and photo editing tools to imagine what the next James Bond could look like.

Photographer Alper Yesiltas, who is based in Istanbul, Turkey, created the hyper-realistic portraits of how actors touted to play 007 after Daniel Craig — such as Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, and Henry Golding — would look in the role.

The photographer says it took him a few days to make the portraits. He used a variety of AI and photo-editing software including Midjourney, Dall-E, Artbreeder, Faceapp, Gradient, Remini, Photoshop, Lightroom, and VSCO.

‘Creating a Photo That Only Exists in My Imagination’

Yesiltas’ project shows how photographers are experimenting with AI technology to imagine and depict scenarios that would never have been possible with traditional photography before.

Yesiltas says that he still has a passion for photography. However, he enjoys the way AI allows him to push boundaries with imagery and implement his camera knowledge.

“With AI, I like to simply create a photograph (or an image that is photo-realistically real) that doesn’t exist, only lives in my imagination,” Yesiltas tells PetaPixel.

“My enthusiasm for photography still lives, but I use AI because I can pretend like I have all the [camera] equipment while prompting.”

‘A Digital Depiction of The Next 007’

Actor Daniel Craig recently left the role of James Bond after playing the iconic character for the last 15 years. And intense speculation has immediately turned to which actor will follow in Craig’s footsteps.

As James Bond fans eagerly await news, Yesiltas wanted to use AI to give a glimpse into what some of the most hotly-tipped actors in line for 007 would look like in the films.

“I’m a super fan of the Bond films and I’m so curious to know who will be the next actor to play 007 for 10 to 15 years,” Yesiltas explains.

“I wanted to digitally depict the top known contenders using AI technology and see who will be a better fit for the role.”

According to reports, Aaron Taylor-Johnson appears to have emerged as a frontrunner for the 007 role — with Richard Madden, Henry Cavill, and Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page also possibilities for the part.

This is not the first time Yesiltas has used AI to depict what previously could have only existed in the human imagination. The photographer used the technology to “resurrect” stars from the dead and show what celebrities like Princess Diana, Kurt Cobain, and John Lennon would look like if they were still alive today.

Image credits: All photos by Alper Yesiltas.

Lara Jackson is an incredible wildlife photographer, conservation biologist, and children’s book author. Over the last few years, Lara has had an incredible journey, becoming highly commended in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition to then becoming an ambassador with Nikon and Save The Rhino. I sat down with Lara to discuss this journey in more detail.

I first discovered Lara via social media a few years ago when an incredible image was shared, and ever since then, I have become a huge fan of her work, not just in photography but also in wildlife conservation. Lara is incredibly passionate about all things wildlife and nature, which really shines through in our chat.

How It All Began

Lara’s love for wildlife has been there since the very beginning, but back then, she did not realize what kind of career opportunities were available to her, believing that her options were limited and that she could only become a veterinarian. It was only when Lara arrived at university that she realized there were many more career paths that could open up for her. Lara criticizes the education system in the UK, as there are many potential careers available via different courses that were just not discussed openly, but fortunately for Lara, she settled on Zoology after trying her hand at other courses. This new direction opened up some incredible experiences, which allowed Lara’s passions in wildlife to grow.

As time progressed, through the Zoology course, Lara loved the fieldwork and decided to continue on to do a master’s degree in wildlife conservation. The course enabled Lara to visit Kenya for three months working with Rhinos, and her incredible journeys just continued from there.

Having prolonged periods away from home allowed Lara to develop an interest in photography. It was later when Lara visited Madagascar and jokes: “I only had an action camera, which of course you can’t get any good wildlife images with at all.” This experience prompted Lara to pick up a bridge camera, which she could take on future trips such as Belize and back to Kenya.

I Was Just Hooked

Lara admits that she didn’t have her first camera until she was 21 years old, and after travelling to amazing countries and working with incredible wildlife, she gleams: “I was just hooked!” The passion for photography began to overtake the conservation work, but they also worked well hand in hand together, as Lara decided to combine them to help raise awareness for conservation.

I asked Lara who her heroes and influences were growing up and, just like myself, David Attenborough and Steve Irwin were the first names mentioned. Growing up in the UK in the 90s and 00s, Attenborough and Irwin were always on television. It was almost a religion to watch their shows in my house, so I can completely understand why Lara is also a massive fan.

A Dream Come True!

In 2021, Lara became highly commended in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards with an iconic image of a Lionesses face covered in fresh blood staring directly at the lens after feeding on a Wildebeest. The eyes of the Lioness are what really draw your attention to this image at first, and then, you begin to see everything else that’s going on. It’s an incredibly powerful image and worthy of all the attention it has received over the last two years, in my opinion.

I asked Lara about how this image was captured and also how it felt to suddenly have all this international attention suddenly put your way. 

 First of all, it was a complete dream come true and completely surreal about how that even happened to me.

Lara explains that during the COVID pandemic, in the first summer, when cases began to fall and travel restrictions began to loosen, she and her partner George travelled back to Africa to Tanzania. At the time, countries such as Tanzania and many others around the world were struggling. What would normally be full of tourists was now completely quiet, just like other businesses all over the world who were desperate for help, promotion, and income.

July and August is when the incredible Wildebeest migration begins. As Lara and George were waiting for the Wildebeest to cross the Mara river, they caught a glimpse of a Lioness taking down a Wildebeest in the corner of their eyes. They drove closer to the scene, maintaining a safe distance, and Lara captured this incredible scene.

I would like to think that I did all of the work, but it was just her and the situation that I found myself in.

What made this experience even crazier was that the fully grown Wildebeest was still alive while this young Lioness was feasting for 10 or so minutes. The blood was fresh on the lioness’ muzzle, and this scene really captures the beauty and brutality of living in the Savannah.

After gaining notoriety from the image and becoming highly commended, Lara had the incredible experience of attending the Natural History Museum in London to attend the awards, where her work was featured front and center. Many images, including Lara’s, were also displayed in the annual exhibition following the awards.

It is because of that competition that I am here where I am today. Ut enabled me to get my partnership with Nikon. It really did accelerate my career, and I have so much to be grateful for.

It’s a great feeling. I think competitions are really important as well because it helps you curate your own work when you’re limited to how many you can enter. You have to be quite critical of your own work, and it helps you become more critical and trying to come up with new compositions.

Nikon Ambassador

Since the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, Lara has been welcomed by the Nikon family and has been on a few incredible assignments. Before Lara’s ambassadorship with Nikon, she was shooting on an entry level DSLR with a Sigma lens, but now, she has been fortunate enough to move on to the Nikon Z9 and her go-to lenses, the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 and Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens.

Lara has had the opportunity to also shoot with the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 with the built in 1.4x teleconverter and the Nikon Z 600mm f/4.0.

I am trying to work out how to get my hands on that lens permanently!

Lara names three assignments for Nikon which she has absolutely loved, the first being when Nikon came to the Isle of Mull, Scotland, where she lives. Here, Lara and her partner, George, were able to photograph some of the UK’s most iconic species, such as Otters, Golden Eagles and White Tailed Sea Eagles.

The Isle of Mull is one of the most incredible places left for wildlife left in the UK. It felt really special that Nikon was shining a light on some of the species that we do still have here, as we are notoriously awful at caring for wildlife and one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

Second was a trip to Switzerland to understand more about the Lynx, who were reintroduced quietly, and how this has affected the country and attitudes from the residents such as farmers.

Lastly, there was a trip to Dovrefjell in Norway back in February this year. Here, they were photographing Muskox in the snow, which was an amazing experience, but also the opportunity to work with three other incredible female wildlife photographers: Rachel Bigsby, Eeva Mäkinen, and Lina Kayser.

Celebrating Women in Photography

Professional wildlife photography is a male-dominated genre, but thankfully, women such as Lara are inspiring many other women to take that step into professional wildlife photography and also conservation.

There are 100% more women and girls coming into photography and conservation. There are women out there, but they are just so underrepresented when compared to our male counterparts. It will be interesting to follow this space over the next few years to see if companies support women a bit more and give them those opportunities.

In truth, I could possibly only name five female wildlife photographers off the top of my head with Lara being one of them, so I agree that this is a space which is being underrepresented and I hope in the future that this changes and is one of the many reasons why I wanted to conduct this interview.

Where Did All The Rhinos Go?

Last year, Lara released her debut children’s book, Where Did All the Rhinos Go?, which is available on Amazon. 

Lara is head over heels in love with Rhinos. Rhinos are quite undervalued by many, as humans don’t seem to feel as connected to these magnificent creatures as they do with other animals. Lara explains that poaching is still very prevalent and is very much a crisis, with us losing a Rhino on average every 16 hours. We are losing Rhinos much more quickly than they can reproduce due to long gestation periods and nursing. 

Launching this book for children allows a truthful yet sensitive insight into how us humans can help Rhinos and inspire the next generations to come to put poaching to an end.

I feel really strongly that we should be introducing conservation concepts at a younger age. I think the fact that I didn’t know you could work in conservation until I was at university is an absolute travesty. I feel there are so many children who would want to help save nature or save wildlife or work with wildlife. I wanted my book to be that entry level and explain to children about how we are losing Rhinos in a compassionate way and be a conversation starter.

In the back of the book, there are questions that parents can talk to the children about and resources where they can find out more information. Children are so compassionate and show empathy that if we can tap into that, the world can be a better place.

The Future

Looking ahead to the future, Lara mentions that she would like the next opportunities to continue being purposeful and have a net benefit in the world. Lara appreciates that she is privileged in the position she is in that she has the opportunities to travel, but unless there is a true benefit to spread those stories in a positive way and help conservation efforts, then it may not always work out. Sadly, these opportunities can be the hardest ones to come by due to lack of funding from certain organizations.

The Arctic regions, Salmon runs in Alaska, Borneo for Orangutangs are all very much on the bucket list for Lara in the future, and I believe she will make it there, and not only that, Lara will continue to capture amazing images and inspire many men, women, and children all around the world for years to come with her imagery and passion.

My conversation with Lara was recorded with permission, and you can watch the full interview above.

… a change of pace today with the day spent creating a piece of jewelry from scratch for a friend … the photo above shows the nearly completed opal in black jade pendant … just a little cleanup to do and then it is finished. So I had the design floating around in my mind and today I finally put it into a real piece of fine neck wear.

The photo next below shows the large piece of Wyoming black jade that I started with. Black jade isn’t really black, it is a highly over saturated green jade and the trimmings all come out s muddy green. Below that shot is the piece I trimmed off of the large piece and which is the approximate size of the finished piece of jewelry.

Next it was time to give it an approximate shape of what I was thinking about and the next photo shows the roughed out piece … I had decided to carve the bale of the pendant and the keel looking thing is the roughed out bale (what the chain goes through. Below that is a photo of me piercing it with a 2mm bit to begin the process of carving the bale. and the last photo below shows the roughed out pendant . Still to go, the cleanup, final shaping and setting the opal which happens to be high quality gem opal from the Mintabe opal fields in Australia.

Back on the cliff in about 6 hours so this is a wrap … have a beautiful day and enjoy life and all whom you meet, today and always!

Cheers,

Ted

Filled with dreams and songs and love, I wander
afield.

Meditation, softened by the peaceful lands of grain and
the illimitable blue sea overhead, draws my heart to
my lips as one whose talent is in song.

I yield to the thousand felicities of this transport, like a
child led by his father’s hand; and no questions darken
this day of my content.

Afield by Max Ehrmann

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The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com

In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.

Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses.  By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.

More about Ted Grussing …

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