Light, Camera, and Film

Photography at its very core is all about light. In fact if you look up the origins of the word photograph in a dictionary you will find that the source of the word is the Greek photos (“light”) and graphein (“to draw”). So a photographer draws with light on a light sensitive material.

The camera is basically just a light tight box used to hold light sensitive materials for use with an exposure mechanism. There are simple exposure mechanisms (pinhole shutters) that have been in use since around 1000 AD. In fact several well known modern photographers still use a pinhole camera for unique projects. Most working photographers today use a lens and shutter to control the light exposure.

Light

You might wonder "Why is he going to discuss light? Everyone knows what that is." Since light is the very essence of photography, it seems important to have you understand how a photographer perceives and uses it. Science describes light as electromagnetic radiation. To them it is just one of many forms of energy. The rest of us don't think about it much but we are very dependent on it. So much so that we have invented hundreds of different ways to light up our streets and homes.

For a photographer there are many forms of light to think about. There is natural (outdoor) light and many different forms of man made light. A photographer also must think about the quality of the light. For example the difference between soft candle light and the harsh sunlight at the beach. Part of the quality of light that photographers must learn about is the color of the light. Light indoors is a different color than light outdoors and light at the beach is a different color than light in the mountains. An experienced photographer must not only keep this in mind while creating photographs, but learn to use it for creative means.

Not only does the type, quality, and color of light come into play in making a successful photograph, but experienced photographers favor a specific light combination. For me, most of my photographs are made in early morning or evening light.

Camera

There are many different types of cameras but the discussion here is about photographic cameras, sometimes referred to as a still camera. Cameras can be generally categorized by the size of film they use (and yes there is some comparable considerations with digital). Large film size means a larger light tight box. So a serious photographer chooses a camera first of all based on the type of photography. If you are interested in making pictures of sports events you need a camera that is agile and easy to use. Portrait photographer typically use larger cameras that use larger film to capture more detail. More detail means those fashion shots in magazines are rich in detail and crisp. This larger size of camera is called medium format.

If you are serious about landscape photography and admire the photographs of giants like Ansel Adams your camera is a large format view camera. Large format film starts at four by five inches per sheet of film. Each picture requires one sheet of film. The camera itself is an odd looking contraption that allows the front of the camera to move independently from the rear, or more importantly the lens to move independently from the film. This enables the photographer to control aspects of the perspective rendered in the picture. Something that can not be done with a smaller camera.

If you are a fan of Ansel Adams, his most memorable pictures were made with an 8x10 large format view camera. It used eight by ten inch sheets of film!

Film

Film is the light sensitive material that I use to capture the light and make my photographs. Color film is made in two types, negative and positive. Color negative film is used to make standard color prints, the kind you used to get from a one hour lab. Color positive film, also known as transparency or slide film, was the first common color film and is used for movies.

Color positive film has been the mainstay of most professional photographers until the advent of digital sensors and is still the color film of choice for most serious color film photographers. The main reason for this is that color positive film reproduces scenes in a vivid larger than life way that no other medium can match.