10 Film Photographers You Should Be Following Right Now (And What They Taught Me About Shooting Film)

10 Film Photographers You Should Be Following Right Now (And What They Taught Me About Shooting Film)

I’ve been shooting digital for years, and somewhere along the way I convinced myself that film was this intimidating, gatekept world I wasn’t ready for. Too many settings I didn’t understand. Too much money wasted on bad exposures. Too many things I couldn’t just fix in Lightroom later. What finally cracked that wall open for me wasn’t a manual or a course. It was watching other photographers who were further down the road share exactly who had taught them and why.

What a 10-Year Wet Plate Photography Project Taught Me About Committing to a Vision

What a 10-Year Wet Plate Photography Project Taught Me About Committing to a Vision

Every Sunday morning I do a photo walk. No agenda, no client, no brief. Just me, a coffee, and whatever lens feels right that day. I started the tradition because I kept noticing that my best personal work happened when I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. But even with that ritual locked in, I’ve struggled with the bigger question: what am I actually building toward? A folder of nice images isn’t a body of work.

One Rejection Almost Ended Joel Grimes' Career — Here's What He Did Instead

One Rejection Almost Ended Joel Grimes' Career — Here's What He Did Instead

There’s a moment most photographers don’t talk about. Not the moment they got their first paying client, or the day their work finally clicked. The moment they almost stopped entirely. I’ve had mine. A travel client once looked at six months of work I’d poured everything into and said, “These feel a little generic.” I drove home in silence and genuinely wondered if I should just go back to my old job.

How to Find Your Photography's Story (What Jeff Bridges' Photo Book Taught Me)

How to Find Your Photography's Story (What Jeff Bridges' Photo Book Taught Me)

I have a confession: I spent about three years chasing the same kind of shot I kept seeing on Instagram. Same compositions, same color grades, same light. I thought I was developing a style. I was actually just borrowing everyone else’s. It wasn’t until I started pulling photography books off shelves, the physical kind, that something shifted in how I thought about making images. That’s exactly why this Peter McKinnon tutorial stopped me mid-scroll and made me want to write about it.

What Alex Webb Taught Me About Actually Seeing Color (And Why I Finally Stopped Hiding Behind Black and White)

What Alex Webb Taught Me About Actually Seeing Color (And Why I Finally Stopped Hiding Behind Black and White)

For a long time, I defaulted to black and white whenever I felt unsure. Desaturate the image, lean into contrast and shadow, and suddenly everything looked intentional. It was a crutch I didn’t even know I was holding until I started noticing how many of my color shots felt flat and almost accidental, like color was just something that happened to be there instead of something I was actually working with.

Celebrating Female Perspectives: What Makes Women-Focused Photography Powerful

Celebrating Female Perspectives: What Makes Women-Focused Photography Powerful

A Fresh Creative Direction I’ve been reflecting lately on how important it is for photography communities to actively celebrate diverse voices and perspectives. Recently, All About Photo released their 55th magazine issue with a specific creative challenge: explore the subject of women through the lens. The results offer valuable lessons for all of us working in photography today. Why Subject-Focused Challenges Matter When a publication or photography organization narrows its focus to a particular theme, something interesting happens.