I had bought some white roses and tulips the previous week for this home project. For this project I was using the Zeiss Ikon Nettar 6x6 Medium Format Camera. I decided to shoot all the frames on f8 at 200sec to achieve some level of consistency based on the values I got from my light meter.

The tulips in a vase framed with the curtains on a window sill look like a good first setup. The light was falling in and looked even and I thought the images would come out well exposed. I didn’t factor that there would be a rapid but short break in the cloud which would see light pouring into the frame as soon as I took the first shot!

I then moved the vase to a small table and aligned it in the middle. Throughout the shoot I was using the Zeiss Ikon Nettar on a tripod. I used a cable release to reduce any possibility of shake to the camera occasionally switching to use the leaf shutter. The leaf shutter is excellent because it creates almost no camera shake so you can have more flexibility in more challenging light conditions.

Playing around with different setups, I ended up setting up a selfie with a mirror. For this shot I decided to frame myself in and use the camera handheld. It was a bit of a chance shot but was worth the risk! If you’re not having fun with it then what’s the point!

Flipping between the white roses and tulips was also fun. I’m not expert in flower arranging but decided to place some of the flowers outside of the vase. The great thing about shooting with film is that it forces you to think through what you are shooting carefully. If you are new to photography or looking to develop your skills further you can learn alot about light, composition and framing on your own by doing.

Once your twelfth shot has been taken you’ll need to carry on scrolling your film until you see the name of the film you are using goes past your ‘mirror gate’. You’ll feel the film release lightly from the back and the scroller will become less tort when moving it. At this point you’re good to remove the film. Fujifilms come with a sticky label attached which is very helpful. Be sure to glue the sticker on so the film doesn’t unravel when you take it out! Now you’ll be ready to process your film.