How to shoot film with studio flash light

Shooting studio portrait on film with strobe light. ft, Canon 1V and Hasselblad 501C.
00:00 Intro
00:53 How to connect camera with strobe
03:09 Why you need a light meter
04:38 35mm Ilford HP5 with Canon 1V
11:49 120mm Ilford HP5 with Hasselblad
15:31 120mm Portra 400 with Hasselblad
18:20 Outro
Camera and Film Used:
Canon 1V
Hasselblad501c
Ilford HP5 / Portra 400
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Other Film Photography Gear I use:
🖨️ Film Scanner: amzn.to/3Nbh84H
☀️ Light Meter: amzn.to/3Cc6zrS
⚡️ Flash Light Trigger: amzn.to/3C8pKmi
🧪 Home Film Processing Kit: ebay.us/fzJuc1
👁️‍🗨️ Black and White Film Developing Kit: amzn.to/42lQVof
📚 Photo Books I collect: amzn.to/43tvYIF
🎒 Everything in my Kit: kit.co/sam_zhang
Affiliate links: Some of the links above affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you :) Thank you for your support!!
Follow me on Instagram: @itscapturedbysam

[@larrycloetta9816]

There are almost no videos out there on using modern wireless flash with film cameras, including leaf shutter lenses, and the few that are out there, skip over almost everything, the details, that anyone starting out would need to know. You not only left out nothing a wireless flash beginner would need, but demonstrated somewhat more advanced lighting setups as well. Great video, thank you!

[@jpjast5739]

not quite. she used the wrong wireless trigger. The profoto air ttl doesn’t have pc sync cord but the regular air remote does AND it is universal and works on all cameras. If she had bought the correct remote she would not have needed to buy pocket wizard. Otherwise i agree.

[@shepherdstall2133]

I’m glad there is someone else out there who forgot how shallow the hasselblad’s DOF can be when it’s stopped down and indoors

[@jorgecevallos3225]

You are the first person who explained this the way I needed.

[@itscapturedbysam]

I’m glad this video helped ☺️

[@dawster1949]

Brilliant Sam! You have a wonderful way of inspiring and encouraging us to try new things. The results here were superb and I love the Portra skin tones - it works so well with studio flash…at least in your capable hands anyway 😊

[@itscapturedbysam]

thank you 😀

[@omar.alere22]

these pictures are simply amazing wow

[@itscapturedbysam]

Thank you!!

[@drewsleyy3836]

such a great video!! and so many lighting knowledge gems, super helpful + great shots too :’) you have my dream photo setup!

[@carl-oskarhjern5995]

The Hasselblads photos are amazing.

[@jasonblake5576]

You’re amazing, well done! New follower!

[@anastasiafua]

Amazing Sam! I shoot film with strobes too and really loved how you experimented with different set ups and the results are amazing. I tend to stick to one particular set up but after watching this I realised I can switch up. Love the shots!!!

[@anastasiafua]

Oh try 120 Cinestill BWXX - I use that film for portraits my absolute favourite.

[@2071photo]

the Hasselblad shots are so great!

[@itscapturedbysam]

I keep hearing the Hassleblad is more of a studio camera… it’s in deed pretty awesome!!

[@serg55ish]

Absolutely love your work keep up the amazing work you did an incredible job in the studio, would like to see more of them😇

[@itscapturedbysam]

Thank you🥰

[@MPNKT]

10:46 and 14:48 are THE Shots ✨Great Work

[@jjmccleary]

Thanks Sam! I thought the developing of the black and white rolls turned out nice!

[@itscapturedbysam]

It’s just wonderful when I can shoot, develop and scan all by my self!!!

[@CarlosMartinezxFulLxArsenaLx]

Great video as always! I've been wanting to experiment with flash and film. My favorite B&W film at the moment would have to be Ilford Ortho Plus 80 👌

[@itscapturedbysam]

✍🏻 ortho Plus 80.. got it. I’ll put it on my list 👏🏻

[@anastasiafua]

And yep I always use my light meter too!

[@willf.5403]

Hi! Loved this video. If your viewfinder gets dark when you stop down, you have depth of view preview locked in. Once you disengage that (bump on the side of a CF lens) it will be bright even at f 16

[@itscapturedbysam]

Thank you! 🤓

[@JohnMacLeanPhotography]

I’m just watching this video and came here to say the same thing. I bought a new 501C back in the mid 1990s, which is how I found your channel, from your main video on that body. I sold it in the early 2000s, but still reminisce about it, my beloved 180mm CF and 903SWC. I enjoy your work Sam!

[@WOSHIYEBO]

频道越来越有意思了 粉丝稳定增长中 恭喜

[@itscapturedbysam]

感谢大家的支持🥰

[@POPPINPIXEL]

Great video thank you. I would add an extra light, like a normal light just to help you focus with the hasselblad. You can turn off the light when you’re ready to take the picture it’s just to help you see the ground glass and help you focus. You can also use a measuring tape. Measure from the where the camera lens and body attaches up to the eyes of the model.

[@andyvan5692]

an important point Sam, when using a Hasselblad, a monopod isn't enough, you need the tripod!, to keep things stable, if you move around, you could get the pole out of plumb, and change the distance, without realising it.

[@itscapturedbysam]

Yeah.. I’ll definitely need a good tripod!

[@alessandr_0]

As a non-photographer, really enjoyed the breakdown, great BTS as well! 📸 (also, real friends don't need to bring tripods 😄)

[@itscapturedbysam]

LoL, it was raining that day, when I was editing the video I keep feeling like I was streaming hahahahah~

[@deanteb92]

My favorite part about using older cameras with newer digital flash is that if you have one with a leaf shutter, they typically sync to all the speeds. like cop[al shutters and the like. which is much more helpful than the typical 1/200th sync speeds of many modern cameras.

[@itscapturedbysam]

I always thought leaf shutter could sync to all speeds but UNDER 1/200😅~ I never used high sync speed before, I’d love to try it sometime~

[@oliverthompson8525]

It seems every time I try something you make a video about it! I found that using a spotmeter was super useful for metering film with flash. The settings from my digital camera didn't always translate well as film loves overexposure and digital hates it. With the lightmeter hooked up to my flash kit all I need is the model to hold an 18% grey card to take a reading from and exposure is always perfect! Even tested it with the instax back I made for my rb67 and it nails exposure. instax film only has +/- half a stop of dynamic range so it'll let you know if your exposure if off by even a tiny amount

[@itscapturedbysam]

I’m recently reading and study more about 18% gray and zone metering and dynamic range and all that… it was very confusing at first, but I think I started to get a hold of it… it’s awesome when you can just read the numbers and be able to see the images I your head!! 🥳 if I’m shooting something really important, I would meter the light, figure out the lighting set up and maybe use digital cameras to double check the histogram.. (instax film just so expensive 🥹)

[@andyvan5692]

Sam, at 1:40 you missed one tip, to sync MF and LF cameras (lenses, as they are Leaf shuttered ones 🙂), you need to use both, a cable to the transmitter, then a cable from the receiver to the flash, as most MF and ALL LF cameras have a 'cold shoe' ; aka no electricity into the shoe. the way you do it with 'pocket wizards' is fine for digital, as the shoe there is electrically connected to the transmitter, and the 'accessory shoe' is a hot one!

[@bhop.builds]

Awesome video as usual! Studio strobes are fun to use but can certainly be intimidating when you don't have the limitless photos of digital.. hehe. For a b&w film, i'd suggest trying Ilford FP4. It's a slower film than HP5 at 125 iso, but it's pretty smooth because of it. I think it's a lot less contrasty though, but that can be adjusted in lightroom.

[@itscapturedbysam]

I just got some FP4 and haven’t tried it yet!! Super looking forward to see how it’s gonna turn out!!

[@tor2919]

FP4 has more contrast than HP5. Typically with film the slower the more contrast. And also smoother. I think a lot of people starting out today don’t realise because they scan the film. But when we only printed on paper in the darkroom it was very obvious that the lower ISO film had more contrast while also being smoother. I only would use ISO400 films or faster if I really had to hand hold a lot. With the powerful profoto flash you have there you should really try to use FP4. Or the iso 50 PanF would look mad beautiful too. Also, using PanF would effectively kill the natural light in your studio and you’d only see the light from the flash.

[@artsilva]

Just discovered your videos and I love your presentations and your love for everything photography. I also shoot Hasselblad V system, 35mm film and digital, and to answer your question at the end of your video, for studio work as you did here I would suggest trying a low ISO speed film like Ilford FP4 125 or Fujifilm Acros 100 and develop with standard agitation. The thing is with higher speed (400 and up) or when pushing, it is critical not to over agitate your tanks which can not only give you more visible grain in your emulsion but also increase your contrast. With slower speed films and portrait work in my experience it is always best to develop for a flatter or lower contrast negative which is not hard to achieve with 100 speed as long as you follow the guidelines, why? because in the darkroom or scanned>digital post it is easier to add contrast to a lower contrast negative than it is to flatten an already contrasty negative. Loving your photography journey so far and I'm an instant fan, you just got a new sub 😊

[@itscapturedbysam]

Thank you, this is very helpful. I’m recently learning developing color film as well, using rotation methods, I find the re is more color grain in my negatives. I was wondering if that has anything to do with my agitation… I think I’m gonna try hand agitation instead of roller.. and I bought some FP4, can’t wait to try it!!

[@artsilva]

@@itscapturedbysam I am not experienced with doing my own Color processing so I don't know for sure about color grain. I noticed you have a video on color processing. I need to watch it 🙂Rollers are good for standard processing but if you are wanting to control the grain and contrast, hand rotation is more versatile with the many ways to agitate and its intensity, just keep in mind to tap your tank on the table after each agitation to dislodge any air bubbles off the emulsion. Enjoy the FP4, I think you'll like it especially for portraits.

[@leonardoluna8943]

Hi Sam, I was looking to your video and I notice that you where saying that the view finder turns very dark when you change the aperture and that you was having focus problems, well to prevent this you have to switch the little thing on the left side of the lens that goes up and down (I don't know the name of it) but this piece closes the shutter of the lens to the F/T stop that you choose to make a preview of the depth of field. normally you don't need to have this piece closed , turn the piece up, you will never had bad focus issues or dark screen problems...

[@MaxLamdin]

sounds like you might have your depth of field engaged, which is why you need to keep opening up the aperture, they can be tricky to turn off on some of the Hasselblad lenses but recommend finding the manual for the lens if you can

[@itscapturedbysam]

Ahhhh YES!! There is a depth of view preview lever on the lens!! Ahhhhahaha~ I read the manual before and totally forgot about it!! Thank you :)

[@tor2919]

Sounds like the depth of field preview is engaged on your Hasselblad lens. There is a little tab, usually close to the flash connector. If you push it, it should disengage back to default. The lens has automatic aperture stop down, so you should not have to open up to 2.8 to focus to then stop down to f8 to shoot. If the lens works normally you can set the lens to whatever you want but it will always project the image at the brightest setting when you are focusing, only as you press the shutter the lens will automatically stop down. But if the lens is locked in depth of field preview mode it won’t work this way. One time this mechanism broke on my 80mm so I sent it in for repair. There is a little spring inside that had broken needed to be switched out. Also the best thing with the Hasselblad is the leaf shutter. The camera will sync on all speeds. You can sync on 1/500 shutter which means you get waaaay more power from your flash shooting outside. This was an even bigger advantage in the 70’s when focal plane shutters typically only synced at 1/80. So for flash photography leaf shutters are king, still the case today.

this!

[@Owenwithee]

Another wonderful video. That green backdrop is beautiful, who makes it?

[@itscapturedbysam]

The hand painted one? I made it 😂, it’s the first one I made, kinda uneven, I wanted to repaint it… but start got used to it now..

[@doganayger]

hi, I really did not understood, why you adjusted the aperture of the Hasselblad back and forth in order to have a brighter image on the viewfinder? You can set it slower but you will still see the fmax on your viewfinder. Am i missing something? Nice shooting by the way and for the HP500 is that much overexposing not a problem.

[@DrBrianOCallaghan]

I really enjoyed this video, but around the 14 min mark you say that you have to adjust the aperture on your Hasselblad to see clearly to focus. Have you perhaps left the depth of field preview leaver engaged? The aperture should not affect the viewfinder in normal use.

[@marianataliaperalta327]

Hey Sam! Thanks for the video. I would like to ask you about the information that the strobelight gives you, it is not very clear what type of data the strobelight gives you to adjust in the camera? iso, speed? Thank you

[@itscapturedbysam]

So I fist set the ISO that’s the film speed, right? Then think about what depth of view I want, and what shutter speed I need to cut out natural light, set that in camera. Then rough set the power of the light, meter it, then turn it up and down until the light meter shows the same settings with the camera… not sure if this answered you question? The strobe light has 10 stops of light out put, I can adjust it by guessing how many stops I need to adjust?! I guess~

[@rus.t]

That Chainsaw man shirt though

[@eliabdaniel2476]

are all trigger set ups possible with all film cameras? I have a Nikon F4 camera

[@Edwin_Lam]

How do you what power level the light should have when shooting with film? With digital, we can see the images right away, but not with film.

[@moustachio334]

A grey card will help your meter get a more accurate light reading

[@jpjast5739]

@02:00 you say the Profoto flash needs to be brand specific for the trigger. This is ONLY true for the TTL remote but that is because the pin connectors are different for sony, nikon, canon etc (hardly protofoto fault). If you buy the plain Profoto Air Remote it is universal (works with all brands) and has PC sync cord. No one uses TTL at this level anyway... I use the profoto remote for Mamiya, hasselblad, leica etc and it is wireless because the remote attaches to the camera and the hot/cold shoe which triggers strobe. RZ67 & hasselblad have pc sync port and you plug a small cord into the Air Remote (has a pc sync port). You need the right attachments for Leica film cameras and Mr Leica on his youtube channel explains it, but any Impact cold shoe adapter with pc cable works (b&h). Sam, you bought the right profoto strobe but wrong remote trigger.

[@samuelhollin1524]

Why not plug the sync cable into your Profoto trigger? No need for the pocket wizards at all.

[@andyvan5692]

one question Sam, did you rent the studio?, and the flash gear?, and where did you get it from.

[@tearsofglass88]

Doesn't the Hasselblad lens have a little slider on the side of the lens (DoF preview) that allows you to keep the aperture wide open to help with focusing even when the lens is set to F8?

[@itscapturedbysam]

Sure it dose! I found out later after I made this video~

[@gdeyedeer5479]

Try Ilford Delta 400. Some ppl doesn't like it because the grain is too fine.

[@itscapturedbysam]

Too fine?! Emmm.. that sounds like something I would like 🤓

[@tishaji3268]

Can anyone recommend great books, pdfs or in-depth videos that focus on strobe flash for film photography? There's so much out there that it can be a bit intimidating

[@patriot8627]

Sam妳好！Can a light meter directly trigger a flash when using it? I am a beginner in flash and don't know how to choose a light meter for my film camera😂

[@itscapturedbysam]

The light meter I was using in the video doesn’t trigger flash light without plugging the cord directly into the light… but I believe later and higher models dose trigger the flash light, I personally never used one, so you have to do the research yourself on this~ I’m sorry…

[@98monse]

what about when you shoot with multiple strobes? Do you need a receiver attached to each one?

[@itscapturedbysam]

You can set other strobes as slave, they will fire when they see the main flash go off.. but some times it’s not 100% reliable, if the flash is weak or point at different directions. Have multiple receivers will help for sure..

[@natehaiden]

I am a total sucker for delta 3200 for any occasion

[@itscapturedbysam]

I just bought Delta 3200, haven't tried it yet!!

[@tor2919]

Yeah it can be nice but natural light becomes a total nightmare if you’re doing flash studio photography with a fast film. You’d have to shoot at f22 and probably still need to turn the flash power way down, at which point you risk having natural light compromising the strobe light. Much more practical to use ISO100 or ISO50 film.

[@hourvoyses3522]

You might be the first person to make this cohesive video

[@itscapturedbysam]

thank you

[@Rezail_Uhhh]

Strobe light? That's a laser cannon get down!! I now see what Sam does to her friends, laser burn their image into a photo. Pretty cool though.

[@itscapturedbysam]

That’s what friends are for~ 😎hahahaha~

[@tiantonghu1671]

Fuji Acros 100, really fine grain film that I love. But if you want realllly fine grains, tmax100 is probably the choice. But tmax does not pair nice with ilfosol3 developers, might want to send it to a lab for best result

[@itscapturedbysam]

I just recently got some Kodak developer, I’m definitely interested in trying the TMax100~ I’ll look into the Fuji one as well~ thank you

[@franzmuller176]

hey, i dont know if this is a mistake but i can see the video only in 360. Is that right?

[@itscapturedbysam]

Should be just a render thing, something’s if my publish time is too close to the upload time, the video will be released before it finishes rendering 😅

[@ivanlara11]

Hi sam which model of profoto light this is? 500w or 1000w? thank you :-)

[@itscapturedbysam]

Mine is the 500w

[@ivanlara11]

@@itscapturedbysam is this the B1 model? i belive im using this same one in studio this weekend so im taking notes ! thanks

[@uzbeeeek]

Just pull the depth of field preview lever on the lens and you won't have to open aperture to focus

[@itscapturedbysam]

Ahhhhhh!! That’s a thing?? I’m gonna go try it right now!! 😲 thank you!!

[@bhop.builds]

@@itscapturedbysam I was gonna say the same thing, but found this comment. Yeah, the Hasselblad lens has a little lever on the right side of the lens for that. 😅

[@uzbeeeek]

@@itscapturedbysam You are welcome 🙌🏻

[@thextopic1811]

do forgot to talk about sync

[@marv21000]

I appreciate the effort you've made to provide us with solutions to a question you're asking. But your thought is incomplete because the trigger profoto has the function of directing other flash other than the brand profoto. it was unnecessary to go through a trigger pocket wizard.

[@itscapturedbysam]

What do you main by directing other flash? I know there is an universal profoto trigger, I don’t have the universal one, and it’s much more expensive than pocket wizards 😂… is there something new I don’t know of?

[@marv21000]

By the way, your Profoto trigger has an IN and an OUT input on each side. You can plug in a 3.5 mm PC Sync cable sold by Profoto. you plug the jack part into the trigger and the other into your Hasselblad optic.

[@932nic]

you so cute👍

[@itscapturedbysam]

Thank you!!! 🥰