Shooting with a Half-Frame
Ever heard of half-frame cameras?
They're like a funky cousin of regular cameras - built to double the shots you get out a roll of film.
Back in the 1950s, Olympus introduced the PEN series – the OG half-frame cameras. This camera was unique in that it snapped two mini pics on a single 35mm frame, helping your roll of film go twice as far.
The Olympus PEN, an awesome looking camera that I don’t own
If you think of a typical frame being a wide rectangle, just imagine it being cut in half, so you get two tall rectangles instead.
Since my wife and I have been dabbling with cameras, our little Kodak Ektar has been a fun way to play with film and isn’t too hard on the wallet, since film and photo developing can be pricey.
We’ve tried out black & white and color film from kodak, and had lots of failures and some cool successes. My quick tips and learnings:
Embrace the mini aspect ratio (18x24mm) and dive into its charming quirks
Mind your framing – with less room, every inch counts
You can’t underestimate the amount of light you’ll need - indoor shots are tough so always be near light and use the tiny flash if you have it
Enjoy the tiny size of the camera and bring it along! You’ll be surprised how long a roll of film lasts
People love posing for real cameras
Mid-distance or closer seems to be better, at least for my camera which doesn’t have any way to adjust focus
Some of our photos that we recently got developed:
