![Split image featuring a vintage camera on the left and two boys standing against a city street background on the right. one boy has his arm around the other's shoulder. black and white tone.](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2024/04/why-i-shoot-medium-format-film-feat-300x157.jpg)
Why I Shoot Medium Format Film
Back in the day, 35mm film was called “miniature” format; its itty bitty negatives were considered only good for snapshots and maybe street photography (sorry, Leica shooter Henri Cartier-Bresson). Serious photography—landscape, portraiture, documentary, commercial—was dominated by medium format film, a platform that produced images with fine detail and luscious tonality, even when blown up to make billboard-size prints.