“A Guide to Film Photography in Amman” by Ben Schmida
If you’re like me and have a passion for photography and more specifically film photography then this blog post is for you. Amman is a truly photogenic city, with Roman ruins and theatres, Umayyad palaces, markets of all kinds, and street art around every corner, it's hard to decide what to shoot some days. Digital photography is certainly easier and more cost-efficient these days, especially with the rapidly increasing price of film stocks and film cameras. Despite this, nothing can quite match the feel, color reproduction, and satisfaction of film photography. Back in DC, I had learned how to develop and scan my film at home which gave me a much deeper understanding and appreciation of photography. However, when traveling to Jordan I was unfortunately unable to fit a massive film scanner, developing tank, and noxious developing chemicals into my carry-on bag. Thankfully, all hope was not lost, coming to the rescue was Darkroom Amman.
Located in Jabal Alwebdeh (جبل اللويبدة), Darkroom Amman is the only independent film development company in the city, carrying a range of black and white, color negative, and color positive film stocks. They are also capable of developing, scanning, and if desired printing 35mm, disposable, and medium format film (if you brought a large format film camera to Jordan الله يوفقك). Prices for development are reasonable at around 5 JD per roll of 35mm and an additional 5 JD if you would like your roll scanned as a digital image.
Along with the usual darkroom services, Darkroom Amman also hosts a multitude of different events. Just getting started with film photography? Join one of their intro to film photography workshops. Interested in something new and different? Try out activities like screen printing. You can check keep up on all these activities and more on the Darkroom Amman Instagram page @darkroomamman.
Although Darkroom Amman has a great selection of film stocks they rarely have cameras for sale. Don’t worry though, there are a few places where you can still buy used film cameras in Jordan. Located in Jabal Alwebdeh (جبل اللويبدة) is the eclectic Atique (عتيق) an antique shop selling all sorts of second-hand stuff including film photography gear. They have relatively large range of film cameras including medium format TLR (twin-lens reflex), 35mm SLR (single-lens reflex), rangefinder, as well as point and shoot cameras. However, if buying a camera from Atique be sure to test it out first and make sure to check if it’s in good condition. Many of the film cameras especially the TLRs are broken or have fogged lenses from mold or dust. The SLRs are usually in better condition but are still prone to some of the same issues. Additionally, open up the backplate and make sure the light seals are in decent condition to prevent light leaks. If the seals are in poor condition it's not the end of the world as repairs can be made at home with some scissors, sticky foam, and a YouTube tutorial. For rangefinders, follow the same advice in regards to light seals and lenses, as well as making sure the viewfinder itself is bright and feels calibrated. When it comes to point and shoots, the most important thing is usually that they function properly with batteries. I have come across a few point and shoots in the shop that are already equipped with batteries (and sometimes even a roll of film still inside from the previous owner) but most do not have them.
My best advice is if you find a point and shoot you intend to buy, search up what type of battery it requires and come back to test that it works. This can usually be done within the same day as many electronics shops in the area, such as those that sell phones, have a wide range of batteries. This will prevent you from coming home only to find that the camera you just dropped money on is broken. Atique also sells second-hand rolls of film in 35mm and 120 however, most are expired, this can often mean a cheaper price but you must calculate the change in ISO (sensitivity to light) based on the expiration date and hope that the film was stored properly, if not your images will come out foggy or underexposed. I hope you found this useful, until next time, مع السلامة!
Benjamin Schmida is a junior at American University studying on the Area and Arabic Studies program in Amman, Jordan for an academic year.
