In November 2018, I took my first steps into the world of 35mm photography and ordered my first SLR, an Olympus OM 30 complete with the Olympus OM Zuiko 50mm lens. With that, me and my wife decided to take a festive trip into the city so I could take my first shots on film.

I uploaded my first shots to my instagram feed (@analogjxxk) in January 2019, and haven’t stopped shooting film since. Eight months on, I thought it might be fun to look back through all of the shots I have from that very first roll of film, both to critique them and see how far I’ve come as a photographer.

The Camera

The Olympus OM 30 was the third consumer model introduced into the Olympus OM Range in 1983 following on from the OM 10 / OM 20. Featuring LED focusing aids, this aperture priority camera was notably Olympus’s first step towards an Autofocus SLR when coupled with the now rare Olympus 35-70mm AF zoom lens.

The Film

I hadn’t realised the Kodak Color Plus 200 I had bulk ordered online was going to struggle in the low light, so after a visit to what seemed like every Boots store in London I finally managed to find some Fujifilm Supera X-Tra 400, a faster film more suitable for late evenings.

The Good Shots

I only really take portrait photographs of my wife, much to her dismay. Around 75% of them are greeted with disgust, but every now and then I will get a shot that she is happy with. I love how saturated the red lanterns are in the background, and the overall greenish tone to the shadows.

This shot is far from perfect, and looking back now I would spend more time to nail the focus and framing of the scene, but it still holds a special place in my heart. The reds really pop, once again a staple of Fuji Superia.

I love how dark this shot is and the overall mood it creates. People who have followed me early on instagram will notice this is the first shot posted to my feed. I’m happy with the overall framing of this image, but perhaps I would opt for a slower shutter speed to give more shadow detail in the foreground if I were to retake it.

I don’t know if it really counts as a self portrait if somebody else has taken the photo, but this is still one of my favourite photos of me. Those reds sure do pop! This shot is also a testament to how easy the camera is to use; bar slight focusing issues the exposure is perfect. This was the one and only shot my wife took using this camera, and she had no experience shooting an SLR.

I love the statues silhouettes against the moody London sky, once again showcasing the famous green shadow tones of Fuji Superia. I would try to get even less shadow detail in a retake, capturing just the silhouettes against the clouds. I should have waited to take the shot as the figure in the foreground is distracting.

I still had a few shots left on the roll after we left the city, so I took a stroll around Hatfield Forest the next day to finish up. I still have an interest in Landscape Photography, and wanted to try and capture my first landscape shots on film. This is one of my favourite images, and I still struggle to believe it was taken on my first roll of film!

The Not So Good Shots

I really struggle with street photography, but love the genre. I think a tighter crop on this scene, cutting out the menu below and trying to frame the chef underneath the meat would have made for a better shot.

This shot just has no interest. I don’t really know what I was pointing the camera at…

I think I was trying to capture the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, but have instead managed to capture a blur of people against the red lanterns. I don’t even think having the foreground in focus would save this image, it just doesn’t work. I would need a higher vantage point in order to really capture the scene, which isn’t possible.

Not in focus. Plain and simple. The OM 30 should feature an indicator when looking through the viewfinder that lights up when in focus, but mine doesn’t seem to work. I think even if in focus, I should’ve taken a step back to capture more of the lighting at the top of the frame.

I remember this being a very last minute shot, as I hadn’t spotted the classic London Bus until it was too late. In more light I might’ve been able to capture it in focus, but in this scenario I just didn’t have enough time to react. I do like the sense of movement the image creates.

The OM 30’s light meter did a great job of metering for the bright Christmas lights, but my wife is nowhere to be seen standing in the middle of this sign. I don’t think I could’ve made this shot work without either blowing out the highlights or losing the shadow detail, which is shame. Luckily for her, I managed to get a decent snap on my iPhone.

Final Thoughts

I remember being very excited when my first batch of film returned developed and ready to view. The 6 good images I did make aren’t that bad! The OM 30 is a great camera for somebody interested in shooting good quality lenses without having to shoot manual, but I soon outgrew the camera and wanted to shoot without restraints. I have since passed the camera onto my wife, who enjoyed shooting it on our trip to America this summer.

The 6 bad images are a mix of poor ideas and poor execution, and I would like to think that I have grown as a creator and would choose better subjects for my shots. Saying that, I am still guilty of making some truly horrendous decisions with what I shoot.

I would love to hear your feedback on this format! I’m hoping this can become a regular feature, where I go back and critique every roll of film I have shot.

What was your first experience of shooting film like?

Let me know in the comment section.

What Next?

More Olympus OM 30 Images at Lomography

Buy Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400

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