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Since getting into film photography I’ve found YouTube to be an invaluable trove of (mostly) helpful information. Generally whenever I’m stuck on how to do something or want to find a detailed review of a camera or film there will be something good to watch on there. I thought it might be useful to other film shooters to list the channels I’ve found particularly interesting or helpful. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list and I’ve skipped anything that only occasionally deals with film photography, but if you know of another really good film focused channel I’ve not listed here please let me know in the comments so I can check it out!
This channel is really good for its ‘in the field’ gear reviews of cameras and film stocks. There’s a nice mix of shooting environments from studio and on location model shoots, to landscapes and architecture. Unlike some of the other YouTube channels which focus heavily on the top end brands, this channel covers a bit of everything. Both the hosts shoot some excellent images which help to round off the detailed and informative reviews they give.
Eduardo seems to review every imaginable camera, from obscure old Soviet models to the Japanese classics and some higher end gear. He predominately does this through the medium of candid street photography, which he has a real skill for. Generally he’ll show you the whole roll he shoots rather than just the edited highlights which is pretty great as you get to see the good and the bad. The only thing that bugs me about his videos is that he sometimes shoots pictures of kids on the street without seeking permission from their parents – which is totally legal in the UK and should be completely fine, but in our tabloid fear stoked modern world it makes me feel a bit uneasy. I should stress that there’s nothing creepy or weird about the images he takes, it just feels very taboo to take pictures of children that aren’t your own in modern Britain. Still overall don’t let that put you off checking it out as there’s some great stuff on his channel.
Formerly of Digital Rev, Ian isn’t a frequent YouTuber but when he does post it’s always a treat. His Digital Darkroom series is refreshingly thoughtful and very well produced. He uses film as a medium to explore the work of other photographers, ideas and locations in a way I’ve not seen from other channels and that alone is a good reason to check his work out.
This is really interesting channel and covers a huge variety of subjects. Matt shoots a mix of 35mm on a Leica M6, Polaroid with an SX70 and medium format on Mamiyas and Hassleblads. For the most part it’s all black and white shot with Ilford HP5 Plus. There’s something very down to earth about his work which often focuses on his family and home town. He’s good at explaining techniques and gear in a detailed and approachable format. If you’re into Polaroid or Instax then this is definitely one to checkout as Matt is clearly really passionate about instant photography. He also hosts a really excellent interview podcast called The Shoot.
I have mixed feelings about recommending this one. A lot of the early videos are fairly interesting and it’s mostly well done, although production values seem to have gone off a cliff edge towards a more ‘vloggy’ style from early 2017 onwards. Depending on how you look at these things you’ll either find this an interesting place to get ideas for cameras and films to check out, or a bit frustratingly light on actual detail and analysis. George Muncey who runs the channel and who presents each episode, seems to mostly favour very high end expensive gear, but then tries to compensate for this by occasionally shooting with bargain bin stuff. This is all very well but it leaves the middle ground of high quality, affordable cameras largely unexplored. On the plus side the interview episodes are really good and the Negative Feedback zine is well worth checking out if you like the “urban snapshot” style of photography the channel mostly shows.
Light Priority 