A guy told me my photos looked too clean, like a real estate ad

So I started shooting with a 35mm film camera to get more grain and mood. Anyone else switch up their gear to capture that true abandoned feel?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_carr5919d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy Mark got the same comment about his city shots. He bought a cheap point-and-shoot from a thrift store for twenty bucks. The lens had a tiny scratch that added these weird light streaks, and it totally fixed the "too clean" problem for him.

the_vera19d ago

That scratch trick sounds like a quick fix, but it's just covering up the real issue. If a photo looks too clean, the problem is usually boring light or a flat composition, not the gear. Adding flaws on purpose feels fake, like using a filter to make digital photos look like old film. I'd rather learn to see interesting shadows and angles in the city than rely on a broken lens to do the work for me.