I set a goal to use more film this year. I’m happy to report, that I did a lot more photography with film for 2022! Here are some of my top film photos of 2022.
This year I really wanted to make myself get out more often and take more photos. I’m happy to report that I was successful in that! I’m particularly happy that I did more on film and surpassed my own goals. I decided it’d be fun to break this down by the cameras I used this year.
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Top film photos of 2022: Yashica Mat 124G
My Yashica Mat 124G is a camera I need to take out more often. I always forget how great it is until the next time I take it somewhere or start going through my photos. I’m super proud of the shot above, though. Using a TLR for sports isn’t exactly common these days, and I got a couple of photos from Bentonville Bike Fest with it that I’m quite happy with! This made choosing the above photo for my top film photos of 2022 easy.
Choosing a favorite landscape shot from this snowy weather roll of HP5 was much tougher. However, I think this one takes the cake. Snow and black and white film are one of my favorite combinations in photography. Also, the Yashicamat handled the cold like a champ!
Asahi Pentax Spotmatic: Some classic black and white
This photo was another easy pick for my top film photos of 2022. I took my old Spotmatic out to the Pea Ridge National Military park loaded with FP4 early this year. With a slow shutter speed and through a window, I didn’t know how this one would turn out. Luckily, it turned out great! FP4 renders in such a classic way, it was definitely the right film for the job.
Funny enough, another photo with this combo at Pea Ridge made my top photos. The Spotmatic is definitely another camera I need to dust off more often. It’s incredibly simple, fun to use, and I love the couple of M42 lenses I have. As these photos demonstrate, the old Vivitar 28mm is a real hidden gem.
Minolta X-700 and mountain bike trials
My Minolta X-700 was another camera I didn’t use enough this year. However, I really love this series of photos I took of my friend Josh. I paired the X-700 with the Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 and some Cinestill 50D. This lent a great look to these photos. Also, the random RV being a part of the trails and Josh being an awesome rider didn’t hurt. This set is definitely a part of of my top film photos of 2022.
One of the few times I was up early enough to see a sunrise, I captured this photo. It’s just my backyard, but the snow and sunrise really give it some feeling. I love the soft glow on the snow and the sky. It may not be the most amazing photo, but it’s a favorite of mine.
Canon Elan 7 and the Eureka Springs area
The Canon Elan 7 is a new addition to the family this year. I got it super cheap with a broken film door latch. A quick trip to eBay and instructions from this site got it up and running. Eager to test it out, I loaded it up with some Acros 100 and took it to Lake Leatherwood and Eureka Springs.
The photo above is my favorite from the roll, and easily a top film photo of 2022 for me. We arrived a little later than intended (those who know me probably aren’t surprised), but the conditions were phenomenal. We had thick, low clouds everywhere, making for a superb environment. Composing this shot took a minute but was an easy win.
This is a photo of the aforementioned low cloud. How gorgeous is that? The Lake Leatherwood dam looks so tiny in comparison to the hills and clouds. It’s almost crazy to think that it’s holding back all of that water. I’m very glad to have captured this day on film. It was certainly a highlight of my year.
Tiny yet mighty, the Pentax IQZoom 160
My Pentax IQZoom 160 is a camera that’s easy to forget. It’s a bit chunky for a point-and-shoot, it’s pretty plastic, and also not terribly stylish. However, the little thing is a joy to use. I took it on a walk around Benvontille in February with my wife and got the photo above. I had it on a wobbly travel tripod and I don’t have the remote for it. So I held the shutter button down for about 30 seconds as carefully as I could. It’s a miracle it turned out!
Before the long exposure, we were treated to an excellent sunset. It seemed to set the skies ablaze and took its time doing so. I got a lot of photos I’m happy with on this roll of film. However, these two are my picks for top film photos of 2022.
It’s for sports: Nikon F5
My Nikon F5 loaded with Lomo 400 and a borrowed 24-70mm f/2.8 made up my rig of choice for Bentonville Bike Fest this year. As I mentioned in my Yashica section, I really wanted to cover the event on film. All the photos I got from there are special to me, but these are some of my favorites. I had such a great time, but next year I think I need to find a 70-200mm instead.
I also learned that 400 ISO film is a bit much for mid-day sporting events. I was shooting against the max shutter speed of my F5 even with the lens closed down to f/5.6 sometimes! Next year, I’m thinking Portra 160 or Ektar 100 will be in my camera. I’m definitely bringing film again.
Save the heaviest for last: Mamiya RB67
I had a love/hate/love relationship with my Mamiya RB67 this year. Every time I get it out, I love using it. It really immerses me in the process of photography. It’s just so much fun, and looking into that giant waist-level finder is such an experience.
On the other hand, I have to convince myself of that every time I think to take it out. It’s such a beast of a camera. I have to prep a special bag for it just to be able to carry it and one extra lens along. Despite all of that, I do love the thing. I noticed while going through photos for this post that many of my top film photos of 2022 came from this camera.
It was hard to narrow down just the 4 black and white and 4 color images for me. I’m pretty excited that it was a tough decision, and that I could include so many photos! While the Mamiya may be an ungainly camera, it’s certainly served me well this year. I’m looking forward to seeing what we do together next year.
Top film photos of 2022: That’s a wrap!
I definitely think I lived up to my goal to shoot more film this year. Not only that, but I got a lot of photos I’m proud of. My wife came along with me on many of these outings and we made some great memories as well. 2022 may not have been the best year, but photography treated me well this year. It got us out and about having fun and making good times. It’s hard to beat a deal like that!
Don’t forget, you can buy a print here and check out more of my film photography on Flickr!