What made you want to try half-frame, and what was your first half-frame camera?

Because I wanted to shoot more film without going broke. So from a full-frame camera, I switched to a half-frame.

My first half-frame camera was a Canon Demi EE17. Fell in love with it right away, even before I saw the scans. It was pure joy having 72-80 exposures and just firing away.

Since then, I have never looked back. I bought three more vintage half-frame cameras and I’ve been exclusively shooting half-frame.

What is it you like most about Half-frame?

The creative freedom. Hands down.

Back when I was just starting out and shooting full-frame, I worried a lot about the costs. I felt pressured to take as many good photos on a roll to get my money’s worth.

And when you start to worry about the money, your creativity becomes stifled, you don’t enter a state of play.

Especially as a beginner, how can you get better if you don’t experiment and learn from trial-and-error?

When I switched to half-frame cameras, I stopped worrying about the money. I felt safer to practice and experiment. I started shooting backups, do bracketing, practice timing, photograph boring subjects I wouldn’t otherwise — all guilt-free!

My film photography skills wouldn’t have improved this much, this fast, if I hadn’t started shooting half-frame.

Favourite subject and/or Half-frame photo?

People.

I hate taking photos of people but they make the best photographs. A scene looks so much better and much more alive when there’s people in it.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of shooting challenges and ethical concerns around photographing people in public, especially candidly.

If you photograph people, you have to have and uphold yourself to a personal ethical standard.

What should you never photograph? What should you never post online? Where do you draw the line?

Just because it’s in public doesn’t mean it’s free game.

Your top tip/s for shooting half frame photos?

Good half-frame camera + Fine grain film stock + Correct exposure setting + High quality scans = Sharp and clear half-frame photos that look like full-frame. Unless you’re pixel peeping.

If you can get a half-frame camera with a filter thread, all the better! You can try all these filters (macro, color, infrared, kaleidoscope) and play around. That’s what I’m doing right now.

Other photographers look down on half-frame because of its “lower quality format”, but I say they’re missing out on the fun, the play, and the massive opportunity to hone your skills, take risks, and experiment at a fraction of the cost of full-frame photography.

After all, isn’t the point of a hobby to be fun? 🙂