This month marks the start of a new feature from Film Shooters Collective. Approximately once a month we will be featuring a film photographer on both the blog and our Instagram feed. The IG feature will be a one day feature exclusively highlighting the photographer’s work and the web post will tell you a bit more about the person behind the photos.

This month’s featured photographer is Steve Selvidge from Memphis, TN. You can see a lot more of his work at his Instagram https://www.instagram.com/SSS_Film_Pix/ . This photo of Steve is courtesy of his wife, Joann Self Selvidge.

In this post we will feature photos Steve has selected himself as representative of his work. As can be seen from the captions he likes to work with a variety of film stocks and cameras.

I asked Steve a bit about his journey as a film photographer and these are some of his replies.

When did you start shooting film and why?

I'm in my 40s, so I grew up with film.  I intentionally started shooting it again in late 2021. I grew up loving photography but was always single-minded in my pursuit of music and guitar.  That's what I do for a living.  When I started checking out the film photography community on IG, I got inspired to dig out my old Olympus 35RC, load it with whatever expired film I could find in my house, and make some pictures.  Something connected inside that was unlike any other thing that I had tried outside of music.

My son has a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome, and that comes with fairly substantial behavioral issues.  I found that when I was out shooting, or making selections from the scans I had gotten back, all of the noise and stress seemed to go away.  Some people have yoga.  Some people have exercise.  I make pictures with film cameras. 

Do you have any favorite films to shoot with?

Ektar 100, E100, Cinestill 800T, Fuji Superia, Portra 400.

What are your favorite topics or style to shoot (eg., portraits, landscape, street, travel, etc.) ?

I'm drawn to color, contrast, and shape.  The look of my hometown, Memphis.  My favorite topic is that which moves me when I see it.  Occasionally, I get lucky with street photography. 

What type of camera do you use (if you have many like some of our members, choose one or two favorites) and why?

Typically, I will go out with three cameras. A compact rangfinder (Oly 35RC or Hi-Matic 7SII), a full size rangefinder (Leica M2 or Canon P), and some sort of SLR (Nikon F2 or Canon A1, usually with a 50mm)

Many of the images you selected for us are shot on a 400 ISO stock. Why do you like 400ISO?

A lot of that comes down more to the images that I chose, rather than my choice of film stock. Ektar 100 is one of my favorites!  It may also have something to do with the fact 400 ISO tends to be a bit more accessible and affordable compared to some others these days. 

Is there something in particular you look for in creating your compositions?

I would say color, shape, and anything that can catch my interest. When I see something that interests me or moves me, I try to compose and shoot in hopes getting back a photo that really excites me, moves me, or just makes me happy. When I pull it off, it’s exhilarating. 

It seems like there is an underlying current of seeing patterns in the ordinary. What are you thinking when you make these images? 

Sometimes I’m not thinking at all. Sometimes, I’m trying to pull a narrative out of what I’m seeing.

I have always loved photographers that have simply shown the world around them, so I guess that factors in there somewhere. I am very much drawn to patterns. Growing up as a skateboarder in the mid 1980s, I was always obsessed with the graphics, many of which were pattern based. And just as 80s skaters used the architecture around them for something other that what it was designed, so too can that architecture be reimagined into a different image. As a musician, I’ve spent over half my life on tour, often times walking in unfamiliar parts of different cities, staring out of the window of a van or bus. There’s usually something exciting around the next corner, and I try and stay open to that.  

Film Shooters Collective is grateful to Steve for sharing his beautiful images and his thoughts about film photography, and for consenting to be our first featured artist.