Out on the west coast two weeks ago there was a launch party that I almost considered blowing two days of travel, there and back, to attend! It was the launch of Jose Villa’s new book, written together with Jeff Kent.   I don’t normally do posts about book reviews and I have to be honest, I haven’t seen a copy yet, but that doesn’t change my confidence level one degree.

In fact, since meeting Jose for the first time three years ago, we haven’t spent that much time together, but that doesn’t change the way or why he’s inspired me. First, I love the fact that he’s an artist – not a photographer. No two images are ever alike, almost as if instead of a camera each album is created with paint and brushes, all out of his mind’s eye.  Second, he matches his skill set with the mindset of his clients. If they want a more traditional look that’s what they’ll get, but the most fun are those brides who want something really different.  For that he’s got an arsenal of gear, including taking a Holga to a wedding.

Think about that for a second. If you wanted your work to really be different and you were willing to invest a little time in post processing, what could be cooler than a Holga? Ever use one? Every one has a light leak making every image different – it’s the Rolls Royce of twenty dollar plastic cameras, but only a creative genius like Jose could do an album with one!

Third on the list of what makes Jose one of my favorites is simply the humility and his ability to stay the course. He shoots film! As he said in a post last year:

“People tell me they save so much money shooting digitally, but how much time are they working on their images? Or even more costly, how many people did they hire who are re-working their files? I’d much rather spend $35,000 a year on my lab bill, know I’m getting consistent quality and have the extra time and money to market myself, travel with only a Holga in hand, teach and simply work to be a better photographer. I’m willing to bet I’ll have a lot more fun in the process too!

I’m getting so many inquires from people who look at my work and see it as timeless. They see the quality of my work and while they don’t always understand why it looks different, they clearly notice there’s something they like that’s not the same as all the other albums they’ve seen. Film makes my work unique in today’s digital world.”

In February Jose spoke at WPPI and asked me to do his introduction. I was flattered, but have to admit I didn’t do as good a job as I could have, but there just wasn’t that much time. I stuck with the basics and turned it over to him, but the truth is, I left the room thinking about all the things I wish I had said.  It really boils down to just one long thought:  Jose is a remarkable artist and a purist who, in a world of photographers rushing to close the sale with ever client, simply dares to be different and listens. Only when he knows and understands the client’s vision can he then pull out his canvas and start to paint!

Jose’s new book is available just about everywhere including Amazon, but if you want a signed copy, which is a whole lot more fun, try this link!  I just ordered my copy, time for you to get yours!

The actual statistics on the survey showed almost 8% of photographers are shooting film exclusively, while 9% said less than 50% of the time.  Jose Villa would be a great example of a photographer totally dedicated to film, with Joe Buissink in the category of shooting both film and digital.  The remaining 83% cast their votes for “not at all” and “rarely”, which isn’t surprising.  I’m not about to proclaim myself a rocket scientist, but 322 people answered the poll, enough to simply make it an interesting statistic.

Jose and Joe aren’t alone.  Check out Elizabeth Messina, Jonathan Canlas, Lisa Lefkowitz and Rodney Lough Jr just to name a few.  All film shooters and each doing remarkable work.

About four years ago I was at a gallery opening of Chris Ranier’s in Santa Monica.  The work was shot on Hasselblad with film.  The images were scanned and then printed on an Epson Stylus 9800, since replaced with even better technology with the 9880 and 9900.  Media 27, one of my most favorite creative companies on planet earth, did the images and produced Ancient Marks, the subject of the exhibit.   The work was spectacular with an amazing tonal range.  Every image was at least 40×40 and exquisite.   Without question Chris and Media 27 took advantage of both technologies to create some of the most stunning images I’ve ever seen!

So, while some of you are in mourning over the loss of film, I wouldn’t wear totally black just yet.   In fact, there was an article in the Sunday Los Angeles Times about 18 months ago that profiled a wedding photographer in L.A.  She talked about how she shoots exclusively on film, positioning herself as an artist and a craftsman!  

What goes around, comes around and it sure is fun seeing that it’s film.