Tchanavia Lastie 1/14/25 Tchanavia Lastie 1/14/25

Frugal Film Project 2025 - January

First Frugal Film Project roll of the month takes us around downtown Newport, RI.

Alright, so welcome to my first official post chronicling my 2025 Frugal Film Project. Now, if you don’t know what the Frugal Film Project is, click here to be taken to my blog post explaining what it is and how I plan to participate.

For this year’s Frugal Film Project, I’m going to attempt to take photos in cities/towns I’ve never visited before. Disclaimer, I didn’t decide to do this theme until I had already taken my January roll of film. While the photos aren’t of a city I haven’t visited before, they are photos of a city so it still fits the theme (kinda).

I’m going to write a little something about each photo, but some may be more detailed than others. I also forgot to annotate the settings for these photos so I’ll make sure for February, I write them down so I can share that info with y’all (in case anyone is wondering). Okay, enough talk. Let’s look at these photos.

City: Newport, Rhode Island

Christmas tree made out of lobster catching crates. — Lobster Crate Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree was my very first shot. For this shot, I just kinda guessed the exposure. Not because my camera can’t meter, but because I didn’t know how to use the metering system in the camera. I was so excited to be shooting with a film camera that I didn’t really take the time to see how to use the camera lol. After I took the first shot, I went to YouTube and looked at how to use the metering system for this camera lol. Overall, I think I did pretty good with just guesstimating the settings.

Sign with sea snail, lobster, and crab on it that says Newport Lobster Shack, we're so fresh — Newport Lobster Shack Sign

Alright, here is my first photo where I actually used the metering system. I’m actually pretty happy with this photo. If I was going to shoot it again, I’d probably shoot a tighter shot so the sign filled in more of the frame, but overall, I like it. I like that the sky isn’t too blown out and you can still differentiate between the sky and the clouds.

Graffiti design of the lady wearing a black body suit with black hair sitting in a martini glass that has water around it against a black background. — The Quencher Graffiti

I love graffiti so of course I had to capture one of my favorite pieces in Newport. This is on the side of a building near the seafood market and marina. I really liked how this photo turned out.

Picture of a white boat that says Save the Bay against a red background with white lettering. — Save the Boat

I’m not super thrilled with this photo. It’s a bit too dark and washed out for my liking. This photo was more into the sun which is why you see so much shadow and why these is such a contrast between the clouds and the sky. I think this would have looked better in black and white.

Photo of a marina with different boats and the sky — Newport Marina

I’m not sure why the fall off of the light happened with this photo. I think I might be standing under a gazebo, but I don’t know why the right side would be as dark as it is. If the photo had consistent brighter lighting like on the left, I think this would have been a better photo.

Marina binoculars in the forefront and boats and buildings in the background. — Newport Marina

This is my attempt at an artsy-ish photo. In the foreground, you can see a pair of those giant metal binoculars that you will sometimes also see on like tall buildings. The horizon looks a bit tilted, but this is still one of my favorite photos from this shoot.

Here is the dolphins structure at the marina. I couldn’t find the name of it when I Googled it, but I thought it looked cool so I wanted to take a photo of it.

Picture of small white lighthouse on island — Goat Island Lighthouse

This is the lighthouse on Goat Island. It was cold and super windy on this day (you can tell by how choppy the water is) and I was on foot, so I didn’t really venture too close. Maybe when it warms up, I’ll take another photo (outside of the project). My only real complaint with this photo is that the horizon isn’t level. Besides that, I’m pretty happy with this photo.

Another photo of the Goat Island Lighthouse. I shot this one in vertical, a bit darker, and zoomed in. Again, the horizon is a bit wonky. Like I said, it was super windy and I’m pretty sure I was zoomed all the way out so I think I was being blown around a bit lol. I would have liked to just get a photo of the lighthouse without the trees on the island.

A flag flying at half mast with buildings in the background — Flag at half mast in remembrance of President Jimmy Carter.

I like this photo as a bit of a snapshot in time. The flag is being flown at half mast in remembrance of President Jimmy Carter. He recently passed away. My only real gripe with this photo is that I wish I had composed it better so that the flag pole didn’t cut through the building in the background.

Goat Island Lighthouse is on the left, water is in the middle, and the Jamestown Bridge is on the right. — Goat Island Lighthouse and Jamestown Bridge

I like this photo, but I wish the water was a little bit more exposed. I like the composition of the photo.

Here is another photo of the Jamestown Bridge. Like with the previous photo, I wish the water was a bit lighter, but overall not bad. I’m glad I was able to get the two big towers…pillars…the two tallest pieces (don’t know what they’re called lol) in the photo.

(Sorry this scan is a lower quality, the digital of it is corrupted and I had to use my phone to scan it.) I like the lighting of this photo and the fact that I was able to get a photo of the bird. I wish the light pole wasn’t in the photo.

Plane flying over Jamestown Bridge — Jamestown Bridge

I like this photo because I was able to capture the plane flying over the bridge. If I could shoot it again, I’d probably expose it one more stop up and move the composition so that there was more sky and less water.

Photo of a multi-story home with trees in the foreground. — Home in Newport

So I like the exposure of this photo, but I am not a fan of all the trees blocking the house. I wish they were a bit smaller so you could see more of the house.

Church tower with a bird flying over head. There are trees block line of sight to the tower. — Church Tower.

Like the previous photo, I like the exposure, but I’m not a fan of the tree placements. If I had walked all the way to Goat Island, I could have maybe gotten a less obstructed view, but again, it was super cold and super windy. So I got the shot I could.

Bird flying over the trees with clouds in the sky. — Bird Flying in the Clouds

I was surprised I was able to capture this photo. I like the composition of it in that you basically just see the bird, the sky, clouds, and tree tops. This also probably the bluest sky I captured. I’m curious if I had processed the film myself, would the sky still have been this color blue. This is another one of my favorite photos.

Church tower in the background with trees and stanchions in the foreground. — Church tower from the marina

I headed back to the marina and took a few more photos. This is one of them. I don’t know how I feel about the stanchions in the foreground. I think they are kinda fitting because they are vertical like the church tower. I probably would’ve cropped this photo if I was editing it in Photoshop or Lightroom.

White boat that has Why Knot written on it in blue. — Why Knot Boat

I’m a dork, so I found this play on words hilarious. I wish the color was a little more vibrant, but I like the fact that the whites aren’t blown out and the photo overall is well exposed.

Wooden sign on gazebo that says Harbor Shuttle and Ferry Landing — Harbor Shuttle and Ferry Landing Sign

I just liked how this sign looked. I’m pleasantly surprised for how it exposed. With the darkness of the roofing and wood, I thought the sky would be completely blown out. However, you can still differentiate between the sky and the clouds (not super drastic, but you can). Also, if you look on the left hand side of the photo, you’ll see a hint of one of the subjects of a photo I took earlier.

White church tower — Church Tower Through Dolphins Structure

Here was another attempt at me being artsy-ish. I tried to capture the church tower through an opening in the dolphins structure. I should have composed this a bit better so that the tower was in the center of the opening and the sliver of the bench was hidden.

Bowen's wharf wooden sign on a building — Bowen’s Wharf Sign

I tried to capture this photo with the flag getting in the way. The sky is overexposed in this one. You can see there really isn’t any blue and you can’t see any of the clouds.

Seamen's Church Institute sign in gold against brick wall — Seamen’s Church Institute

We’re coming up on the last few photos. This photo could benefit from a bit more centered composition and bringing down the exposure a bit. Not one of my favorites, but not bad.

Flag on ship's mast in front of some buildings. — Flag at Marina

Here we are…the last photo from this roll. We made it! My biggest complaint…I screwed up the horizon again. I need to have a grid added to my viewfinder lol. I think this photo is exposed well. I’m also glad I was able to capture the flag in motion.

Final Thoughts for January

Overall, I’m happy with how my first roll of film turned out. For the most part, the photos were decently exposed. When I first pulled them out and looked at them, I had to remind myself that these are film photos so they are going to have some grain in them. I also had to remind myself that I’m shooting with a kit that was less than $75 so I can’t expect Sony A7RIII with a sharp Sony lens quality photos. Once I managed my expectations, I could enjoy these photos more.

I dropped my film off at Wal-Mart to get processed. I wanted to make sure the camera was working and the film would develop so that’s why I sent it off to be developed. That way if I got black or messed up photos back I would know, more than likely, something was wrong with the camera and not the developing process. However, I was a bit annoyed with Wal-Mart because my photos were supposed to be ready on the 13th, but they weren’t ready until the 14th. I know…I know…a day really isn’t that big of deal, but I had already waited a week and I was excited about getting my photos back lol. (First world problems, I know lol.)

I’m not sure what city I’m going to visit in February, but I’ll do some digging to try and find a cool one. I can’t wait to shoot another roll.

Tchanavia Lastie 1/14/25 Tchanavia Lastie 1/14/25

Frugal Film Project 2025

Learn about what the Frugal Film Project is and how I plan to participate in 2025.

Happy 2025! Not only is it a new year, but it is also the start of a new Frugal Film Project. I found out about this cool project last year on Facebook. What is the Frugal Film Project? I’m so glad you asked.

What is the Frugal Film Project?

The Frugal Film Project was created in January 2019 by a group of photographers. The photographers were Aragon Etzel, Matt Melcher, Dale Rogers, Graham Binns, Dan Marinelli, Monette Cruz, Sherry Christensen, Nelson Mullis, Kate Johnson, Marius Voicu, Nick Orloff, Matt Murray, and Sam Warner. The goal of the project at the time was to use a camera that cost $50 or less (including any shipping) and the cheapest film they could find locally. They also committed to using the same camera and film stock for three months and then they could switch to another cheap camera if they wanted. (To learn more about the original project, click here.)

Now, the new cost limit is $75 for your entire kit. This means your camera and lens(es) and any filters, flashes, tripods, etc. There is no price limit for the film, but you have to keep with the nature of the project and keep the film inexpensive as well. You also have to shoot with the same camera and film stock for the entire year (unless your camera breaks or your film goes out of stock). There is also an awesome Facebook group where people can participate in the project, share their work, and ask any questions they may have. Click here to join the Facebook group.

What’s My Experience with the Frugal Film Project?

This will be my second year attempting the project. I started it last year and was able to complete about four months worth, but then work got in the way and I fell off. Last year, I attempted the project with my Instax SQ6 and square format film. Click here if you want to see my YouTube playlist about the project.

What am I shooting with this year?

This year I’m going to shoot with an actual film camera. This will be my first time attempting to shoot film (not including the film disposable cameras). I’ll be shooting with a Minolta X-9, 50mm lens, and 80-200mm lens. My film stock of choice will be the Kodak Gold 200. Each roll comes with 24 exposures.

Picture of black film camera with a lens attached. There is another lens to right of the camera. There is a stack of 12 rolls of film to the right of the lens. — Minolta X-9, 50mm lens, 80-200mm lens, and 12 rolls of Kodak Gold 200.

I initially got a Minolta X-9 off Facebook Marketplace and the two lenses for $65. The kit also came with a flash, camera strap, camera bag, and instruction manual. I took the camera home, added some film, and I couldn’t get it to work. The lever wouldn’t catch the film properly and the shutter wouldn’t released. I switched the batteries out, looked on YouTube, but just couldn’t get it to work. After further research, I’m pretty sure it’s the capacitor that needs to be replaced. As this was my first film camera, I didn’t really know what to look for as far as making sure the camera worked…and I didn’t do my due diligence to make sure I knew what I was looking for. I’m trying to find a capacitor so I can attempt to replace it and see if I can get the camera to work. The capacitor has been harder to find than I thought it would.

Enter Minolta X-9 the Second. I found one of eBay for about $70 (including shipping) that came with a 50mm. They said it worked and that they would take it back if it didn’t work. So I pulled the trigger and got it like a week later. Put in some batteries, loaded the film, and boom…it worked!

What’s my plan for this year?

Last year, I asked ChatGPT to give me 12 themes to shoot for a film project. This year, I was going to do the same, but I saw someone post in the Facebook group that they are going to take photos in a new city each month in the state they are in. I think that is the route I’m going to go this year.

At the time of me writing this, I’ve already shot my first roll of film so it won’t be a new city for me, but I did shoot in a city so it’ll still fit the theme of cities. Also, I’ll be moving to a different state this year, but I can still shoot in a city I haven’t visited in that state.

I would also like to try my hand at developing my own film. I sent my first roll off at Walmart and just got it back. It’s not horrible or anything, but I would like a bit more creative control over my film. I’ll tell y’all more about that experience with an upcoming blog post.

Anyone else doing the Frugal Film Project this year? If so, tell me about in the comments below. I’d love to follow everyone’s journey!