35mm Film Photography

Accessible | Versatile | Enduring

Where It All Began

Craig Fouché Photography continues to celebrate 35mm film photography as the foundation of a lifelong journey through analogue photography, craftsmanship and visual storytelling. The 35mm format is where my photographic journey truly began — a humble beginning that sparked a lifelong passion. It was the late 1990s, long before the age of digital photography, and I carried a simple point-and-shoot camera everywhere I went. One defining afternoon at a waterhole in the northern Kruger National Park would change everything.

I waited for nearly three hours in the blazing heat, watching the still surface of the water shimmer with promise. Then, at last, a hippo yawned, revealing its enormous teeth — and I pressed the shutter, convinced I had captured a coffee-table masterpiece worthy of the great wildlife publications I admired.

When the photographs were finally developed, reality set in: the hippo was the size of a matchstick head, barely visible against the water. My artistic vision was intact, but my equipment had reached its limit. That moment of disappointment became the true beginning — the spark that led me to buy my first real camera, complete with zoom lenses and creative control – a Pentax MZ50. I later progressed to professional Nikon equipment, including the F90x, F5 and F6, together with a comprehensive range of Nikon D-series lenses.

From that point on, 35mm film became my classroom and my canvas. It taught me everything — from patience and composition to exposure, timing, and anticipation. Each roll of film carried the mystery of the unseen, the quiet excitement of waiting for the negatives to return from the lab, and the discipline of shooting with intention. Every frame mattered, every mistake was a lesson.

The 35mm format is not just the foundation of my craft but also of modern photography itself. Its compact size, versatile lens systems, and beautiful grain structure have made it the most enduring format in photographic history. From wildlife to portraiture, from travel to the everyday — it has captured more of the human experience than any other film size ever could.

Even today, despite the evolution of my work into medium and large format, 35mm remains a symbol of beginnings — of curiosity, discovery, and pure photographic joy. It is the root of my creative journey and a reminder that every great story starts with a single frame.

Continue the Journey

35mm film taught me more than exposure and composition. It taught patience, observation and the quiet satisfaction of creating photographs that could not be reviewed, corrected or repeated moments later. Every roll carried possibility, every frame demanded intention, and every developed negative marked another step in a lifelong journey.

Although my work has expanded into medium, large and ultra large format photography, 35mm remains the foundation upon which everything else was built. It reminds me where the journey began—and why I continue to choose film today.

Explore the Collection

Discover the Fine Art Film Collection — a curated body of work that invites viewers and collectors alike to experience the grandeur of Africa’s landscapes through the expansive lens of medium & large format film.

Film is not a relic. It’s a living medium — and in a world of automation and artificiality, it stands as a quiet rebellion.

Film is still very much alive. And so is the craft.

View My Fine Art Film Collection