“I think having a vision as a photographer is more important than just having the most expensive equipment,” says LA-based photographer Dave Tada. He’s been uploading at least one new analogue photo per day to his Tumblr page for the last 11 years. That’s no major feat when we think of how easy it is to take a digital photo these days. But my head spins when I try to calculate how much he might have spent on all that film for this project.

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Putting the focus where it matters the most, Dave Tada raises an essential point to those who feel getting the latest gear can make us better photographers. And let’s be honest; we’ve all been guilty of this feeling at some point or the other in our careers. I’m not averse to photographers getting newer gear if it helps achieve their creative vision. However, the issue arises when photographers assume that purchasing that latest lens or camera can actually help us find our vision when there may have never been one. Hats off to Dave’s commitment to keeping his analog Tumblr page alive and active on a daily basis for so long. Keeping a steady flow of analog content to a blog isn’t easy.

The Essential Photo Gear Used by Dave Tada

Dave told us:

Leica M4

Leica M5

Leica M7

Leica CL

Leica CLE

Leica 35mm Summicron ASPH

Minolta m-rokkor 40mm lens

Voigtlander 50mm 1.5 ii

Contax G2

Contax T3

Contax TVS III

Konica Hexar AF

Canon 1V

Rolleiflex 2.8e

Fuji GS645

Hasselblad 503cw

Contax 645

Mamiya 6

Mamiya 7

Olympus OM4T

Nikon FE2

Minolta X700

Yashica T4

Nikon L35 AF

Rollei AFM35

Fuji Klasse S

Minolta TC1

I have a strong suspicion Dave might have left out a camera or two there. What an impressive list this is!

Most of my disposable income goes back into buying more cameras. If I’m shooting with strobes, I use Profoto D1s and recently picked up some Godox AD300s since they’re compact, light and battery powered.

The Phoblographer: Please tell us about your life and what brought you to the world of photography.

Dave Tada: I live in sunny Los Angeles, California, and work as a freelance fashion/editorial photographer. I originally got into photography in high school, wanting to document all of my important life events, and thought my career path would lead me to be a documentary photographer or photojournalist. I wanted to be the next Henri Cartier Bresson, Mary Ellen Mark, or Lauren Greenfield. Later on, I became interested in fashion photography and was inspired by Nick Knight, Helmut Newton, David LaChapelle, amongst many others.

The Phoblographer: Tell us what fascinates you about analog photography? Is it the experience itself, the thought process, the development, the anticipation?

Dave Tada: I do have an unhealthy love of film cameras and how they all make me shoot in a different way. I think they all have their own personality. Also, for me, film has such a unique look that sometimes feels familiar, yet also otherworldly. I shoot digital for work, and it serves its purpose for that. However, it’s a bit too sterile and perfect looking, in my opinion.

The Phoblographer: “Check back every day for a new image.” How hard (or not) is it to keep this up on your Tumblr feed, especially since it’s all analog work.

Dave Tada: Over the years, it’s just become part of my daily ritual. I just realized it’s been going for over 11 years now (crazy).

The Phoblographer: Does your website and feed lead to more commercial and paid work for you or is it just an extended hobby?

Dave Tada: I have picked up a few clients over the years, but at this point, it’s really mostly for myself since all my friends have since left Tumblr, except for John Sypal (tokyocamerastyle). He still likes my photos on there.

The Phoblographer: Do you feel people these days, especially strangers, are more receptive to having their pictures taken on analog cameras rather than being a digital subject?

Dave Tada: Some people have expressed an interest in film photography when I’ve asked them to s...