Exploring Basketball Photography: An Analogue Approach

Analogue journey goes on

These days everyone seems to be on the analogue photography train – and why not, it does provide a nice contrast to the digital photography.

I remember taking my Voigtländer with the Zoomar lens to EuroBasket 2022 in Prague, and people going like ‘What the heck it that!!’

Think over in that venue it was one of the only analogue cameras on the photo positions.

Most likely in Tampere this autumn we will see – I would say, at least 3 or 4 other photographers with analogue cameras!

What’s my gear?

For this summer – few cameras will make the rounds with me :

• Instax EVO wide – I know, not really analogue camera as such, but it kind of is. This will used for various ‘fun’ ideas over the coming months. Not the cheapest way to provide content – but, looking forward to it!
• Voigtlander – two cameras here – Prominent I and Bessamatic. Both different types of 35mm film cameras, Bessamatic has the lovely Zoomar lens with it – and the Prominent I has three lenses : 35mm, 50mm and 105mm.
• Yashica Samurai X3.0 – this is the cool little one, half-frame camera – so it’s almost like shooting for Instagram stories/Reels .. except in analogue format

Depending on time and opportunities – I might use a ‘pro’ analogue camera as well.

• Canon EOS 1 – pro SLR camera, and this paired with the ‘Eye of Sauron’ 200mm f1.8 might produce some cool results.

Why?

Yes, why indeed?

You can of course shoot with your digital camera and easily apply effects to make your images look like they were taken on an analogue camera – but that’s not really the point here .. at least not for me.

I developed my first film rolls (developed them at home – myself) about a year ago, and there is just something there when you are on the floor of your bathroom and agitate the film on the tank and then pull it out..

When you see the results – it is definitely more satisfying than emptying a 64GB memory card with 800 images to your hard-drive.

Where will you publish your photos and when?

For the rest of this week I am still on ‘relax mode’ – no training camps, no tournaments.

It all starts next week and then goes pretty much non-stop until the beginning of September. Hopefully I can have my film developing kit with me on the road – and have suitable places to develop the film. I have discovered that my camper van is NOT a place to develop film.. it might be dark enough but it is way too dusty/etc.

Plan is to have images posted both on my clients social media channels – on my own channels and more specifically – over here on the website.