A conversation with Jake Gale: the how's & why's of analog photography

If you’re curious about analog photography but don’t know where to start, the rest of this newsletter pulls the most useful, practical moments from a 92-minute conversation between me (Brad Sigal) and Jake Gale. We talk tools, process, and why people are returning to imperfect, tactile images in 2026.

Why analog, not because it’s better but because it makes you think

Jake started with a 110 camera as a kid and returned to film during the pandemic. The things he keeps coming back to are not nostalgia: they’re the process and the physical object. Developing and printing are rituals — agitating a tank, listening to music while film sits in chemistry, watching an image appear in a tray — that force a slower, more intentional practice.

He describes the darkroom as a “safe little warm room” where the work becomes meditative. That stillness changes what he photographs and how he composes it.

“You get fewer shots, so each shot can matter more.” — Brad Sigal

What cameras actually do (in plain terms)

• 35mm: small negatives (24–36 exposures per roll). Familiar shape, closest to a full-frame digital sensor. Good starter format.

• Large format (4x5, 8x10): sheet film held in film holders, often one exposure at a time. Much larger negative, enormous resolution for printing and historic processes.

• Toy cameras (Holga, $20 used): plastic lenses, light leaks, happy accidents — affordable and fun for experimentation.

Jake bought an Intrepid large-format camera new for under about $600 (camera body, minus lens) and recommends checking community groups before spending big. He also notes you can still find useful film cameras and enlargers on local marketplaces or at thrift stores.

The workflow, step by step (what actually happens after you press the shutter)

1. Shoot: the film records a latent chemical image — not visible yet.

2. Unload in darkness: use a changing bag or darkroom to extract the film from the cassette and load it onto a reel for a light-tight developing tank.

3. Develop: pour chemistry into the tank, agitate on a timed schedule (phone apps make this simple). For black-and-white the core steps are develop, stop, fix, then wash and dry.

4. Inspect: hang negatives to dry, then make contact sheets or scan the negatives to see the positives.

5. Print (optional): use an enlarger to project the negative onto photographic paper, then develop the paper in developer/stop/fixer trays. Test strips, dodging, burning and filters refine the final print.

Jake’s honest admission: the first few attempts are messy. He suggests practicing on a sacrificial roll and joining a community darkroom to shorten the learning curve.

When and why Jake brings big cameras to big scenes

During Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, Jake used both rangefinder and large format tools to document what was happening in the streets. He brought the large format camera to a Native American encampment on sacred land adjacent to the Whipple Federal Building where ICE operates out of in Minnesota in order to:

• Emphasize the teepees from the encampment and reduce the visual impact of the Whipple Federal building with camera movements;

• Create contact prints and platinum–palladium prints that are materially durable (noble-metal prints can last centuries if cared for);

• Produce an image with historical weight and a different visual cadence than digital reportage.

He regrets not using the 8x10 more during that period, because large negatives allow prints and historical processes that digitals often can’t match for longevity.

Scanning and editing: how film becomes an online image

Jake scans negatives — he uses an Epson flatbed and VueScan software — then works in Lightroom. Scans give you latitude, but Jake admits scanned film rarely gives him the same flexibility as a native digital RAW file. Still, for most uses Lightroom + a high-quality scan is perfectly sufficient.

Notes from the field:

• Scanning at very high resolution takes time. Expect multi-minute scans per frame on consumer scanners.

• Color requires extra attention; Jake is candid about struggling to color-grade scanned color negatives (he’s red–green color-blind), which is why his analog practice is currently focused on black-and-white.

Quick starter kit (if you want to try film this week)

• A cheap 35mm camera (Holga or a used Canon/A-series from eBay or thrift) or borrow one from a community darkroom.

• A roll of 35mm black-and-white film (ISO 100 or 400 depending on light).

• A Patterson-style developing tank and a changing bag (or access to a local darkroom).

• A basic external light meter app on your phone.

Start cheap: Jake recommends community darkrooms (example: Praxis Photo Center in Minneapolis or local equivalents) where you can borrow equipment, get film, and learn without investing in your own enlarger.

A few honest trade-offs

• Film forces more decisions up front: pick your ISO before you shoot; you can’t instantly check the back of the camera.

• Development introduces variability: chemistry, temperature and timing all change results — and some of that is the point.

• Cost and time: large-format sheets and platinum processes are expensive and slow, but they produce one-of-a-kind objects with archival life.

Why it matters now

Jake and I both see younger photographers choosing imperfect technologies — Polaroids, toy cameras, film — because the results feel more human in a sea of algorithmic perfection. Film is not about being easier or more “accurate.” It’s about slowing down, taking responsibility for a single image, and producing a physical object you can hand someone who may never touch a screen.

If you want a practical nudge: Jake’s closing line was simple and true:

“Give film a try. It’s not scary. It can be an enriching and beautiful process.” — Jake Gale

If you want the long conversation (we ran 92 minutes), the full episode walks through the darkroom steps, large-format movement techniques, and the decisions Jake made while photographing. Listen to the episode for the anecdotes — the sculptor’s basement on a photo walk, the fisherman by the ocean, and the people he met who informed a portrait project turned into platinum prints.

If you’re just getting started, sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send you a free 5-page guide, Some Basics to Help You Get the Picture — it explains the exposure triangle, composition rules you can use immediately, and three quick light setups that work anywhere. No darkroom required to start learning the eye.

Now, go out there and get the picture!

Brad Sigal
Get the Picture Podcast