This semester in Basic Film Photography

Film Photography

Allison Garlick

ISO

·      Indication of how sensitive a film is to light.

·      Measured in the numbers 100, 200, 400 & 800.

·      Lower the number means it has a lower sensitivity to light.

Film Exposure- amount of light allowed through the camera lens and onto the film. This is controlled by the intensity of light, or aperture, and length of time, or shutter speed.

Aperture

·      Refers to the opening and closing of the diaphragm inside the camera lens.

·      The hole or opening formed by the diaphragm inside the lens or the opening in a camera lens through which light passes to expose the film.

·      Aperture size is usually measured in f-stops

·      On my camera: f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22

·      Large aperture size (open diaphragm) = smaller f/stop number

·      Small aperture size (closed diaphragm) = larger f/stop number

Diaphragm- The size of the diaphragm in a camera lens directly regulates the amount of light that comes through onto the film when the shutter curtain opens during an exposure process.

Shutter Speed

·      Duration (timing) at which the shutter curtain opens up and closes during an exposure process.

·      It controls the degree of movement in your pictures

·      Film cameras have a shutter speed dial on the top of the camera body to adjust shutter speed.

·      From slowest to fastest shutter speed: 2 seconds, 1 second, ½ second, ¼ second, 1/8 second, 1/15 second, 1/30 second, 1/30 second, 1/60 second, 1/125 second, 1/250 second, 1/500 second & 1/1000 second.

·      A 1/125 setting means the shutter curtain open and close within one hundred and twenty five of a second while 1 means an one full-second the shutter opens up during exposure to absorb the available light source onto the film to form an exposure.

Depth of Field

·      The zone of acceptable sharpness in front of and behind the subject on which the lens is focused

·      Factors affecting depth of field:

·      Aperture

·      Focal length of lens

·      Distance to subject

·      The wider the aperture + the longer the focal length + the closer the focused distance = the less the depth of field.