So You Want to Shoot FILM?
You know that feeling when the older generation asks questions revolving the most basic functions having to do with newer technology? What if the roles were reversed? What if you felt just as clueless about something that comes second nature to them? You’d think I sound crazy; and you’d probably think that anything they did “back in the day” was so rudimentary you’d figure it out in no time. Well, I am here to prove you wrong. But don’t worry I am here to guide you through the process of the world of film. Consider me your sherpa in this crazy uphill climb. I am here to save you the embarrassment of having to ask your parents and fearing the laughter at such trivial questions. In this post I will explain the three main fundamentals that any photographer whether digital or film should understand. And those are ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. Much like the checks and balances we have in modern day society, these three key functions have a significant effect on each other and the slightest change in one may cause a shift in the others.
So what are ISO, Aperture, and shutter speed?
ISO is the sensitivity of the film that is being placed into the camera.
“Well what is film sensitive to? Film isn’t conscious, therefore it can’t have feelings.”
And I am here to tell you that film is sensitive to light. In essence film photography is just chemical sorcery in which light is trapped forever so that we may never forget certain moments of time. Film sensitivity is categorized by sets of numbers in relation to its speed.
“Wait so now, not only is the film sensitive but it’s fast?”
No, film speed has to do with sensitivity in relation to time. The slower the speed, the longer it takes for the film to process the light. And the faster the speed, the quicker the light is being processed. This is important for a number of things. Film with faster ISO’s are typically used in situations in which light is scarce and or you need a shorter period of time for the film to grab the information its processing. And the slower films are meant for broad daylight or high amounts of light, allowing you to process information at a longer rate. Now how is this helpful? And what does this even mean? Let’s say you wanted to shoot outside during a picnic on a bright and sunny day. You may consider a slower speed film as opposed to a higher speed film due to the fact that a slower speed will be easier to help achieve a more common setting of aperture and shutter speed.
“Yeah well I hate picnics, and the sun blinds me… I’m really more into concerts and clubbing, and staring at the stars after a long night out…”
Well the good news is there are faster film speeds that help transfer the light at quicker rates. Again the use of a quicker speed ISO in this situation is to help you obtain a reasonable amount of light within a set of attainable aperture and shutter speeds. So to sum it all up the better and brighter the light conditions, the slower you would want your ISO, and the lower the light conditions the faster you would want your ISO.
“This is all great and dandy… But why do you keep mentioning shutter speed and aperture when we were talking about ISO?”
Remember this is a system of checks and balances. Which leads me to the next topic of shutterspeed. Have you ever had to hold your phone reallyyyyyyyy still for a few seconds to get a picture of that perfect full moon? Or wonder why sometimes when you take a picture of your friend doing a keg stand comes out so blurry? What about a picture during the day that comes out looking like it's been washed too many times in the spin cycle making it look light and faded out?
Well this very much has to do with shutter speed. Shutter speed has to do with how fast the mirror is open and the physical blind/curtain is open. (On newer cameras and phones it’s a bit different as they've moved away from physical shutters, but essentially the same concept.)
Shutter speed is also measured by how long the film will be exposed to light. So as of now you’ve learned that film is both sensitive, and the shutter opens allowing light to be transferred into the camera. Shutter speed varies from anywhere from a couple seconds to thousandths of a second. Usually on older film cameras it’ll range anywhere from B (bulb mode) to 2000th of a second. Now stay with me, here is where it can get a bit tricky. Shutter speed can affect the outcome and mood you are setting for a photo drastically. Do you want to take a picture of someone serving the final blow on your Sunday morning LARP session? Or do you want the subject to be in blurry motion or still? How about that screaming 4 year old cousin of yours who just won’t hold still while eating applesauce? Well shutter speed can affect the amount of motion in said picture. The faster you set your shutter (let’s say 1000th of a second) the more “in place” your subject may seem. And the slower your shutter speed (let’s say a 60th) the more “in motion/ blurry” your subject may be. No matter what the case, shutterspeeds sets the tempo both literally and figuratively for your subject. There is one more thing I should mention. Unless you have the “sniper breath mod” from Call of Duty and can hold your breath and be stiller than sparkling water that’s been opened for 2 months; consider shooting at speeds above a 60th of a second. In other words, in order to avoid the unforgiving shutter shake caused by either the mirror coming down or the slightest movement of your hands; you should shoot above 1/60th of a second to prevent you from getting blurry images.
Now you’re 2/3rds of the way to being ready to shoot, some would say you’re a semi-professional. Let's complete this triangle and practice what we’ve learned. Now that we know how ISO affects the time of day and what lighting conditions you're shooting. And we’ve learned that Shutter speed can affect certain movements and outcomes on subjects or items getting affected by motion blur. It’s time to talk about the star pupil of the camera. No literally…. Aperture opens and closes and acts much like your eyeballs pupil in regards to letting in certain amounts of light helping you regulate the cameras light intake. Also serving as a way to determine depth of field, much like your eye and how we perceive depth. Aperture ranges from wide to narrow and is gauged by. You guessed it. Numbers. The lower the number (also known as an F-stop) the wider the aperture will be; leading to more light admitted into the camera, but also the least depth of field. While the higher the number/F-stop the more depth of field you’ll get but a lesser amount of light is being let in.
“What does depth of field matter anyway? I just want to make sure my lighting and shutter speed are right so that the photo comes out perfectly exposed and my items are still.”
Well lets say you get the first two things right… and you’re taking a nice group photo of your best buds…but you happened to have the aperture wide open set at a low number… you’re in for an upset trip back from your nearest film processing center… because only Jimmy was in focus Timmy,Kimmy, and Bob all look blurry and out of focus. Well there my friend you have now learned the importance of depth of field. The smaller the F-stop the wider the lens, and thus the only information that will register and will be in focus would be those in which seem to be focused on, the background and anything in the foreground will also appear blurry minus the subject you have focused on. Think of wider apertures as Portrait mode on a phone. It looks great for separating the subject from its surroundings and making it pop… but not so great when it comes to those shots of your family doing the electric slide.
Bringing us to the end of this long and boring technical lesson; you have now learned the rudimentary rules that any great photographer follows religously. Let's put it all together and review.
ISO is necessary for “setting the scene” . We must know what ISO to load assuming we know what the lighting will be like; faster speeds for lower light and slower speeds if excessively bright. Next, we need to remember shutter speed is used to monitor the amount of light coming in as well as motion. And to complete the trifecta, aperture is used to control light intake as well as set the depth of field.
“Wait, you made a typo… you said both Aperture and shutter are used for adjusting light intake?”
Yup, you heard correctly they both are used for adjusting light. But here's where the judgement of YOU the photographer comes into play. You get to gauge the situation and choose the outcome as to what people get to perceive based on your choices. This is what tends to drive all photographers into the rabbit hole of their journey through the world of photography. You get to play with light so to speak, setting the scene forever in place. You get to decide whether you want to have something set in motion or in place, or whether or not the background needs to be focused or your subject needs to be blurred. Do you want your shadows encased in darkness or do you want to pull your shadows not normally seen and have them come to light? You are in total control of your photos you produce. And understanding the fundamentals will further strengthen your control of the camera.
Now… Get out there and shoot your own Sludge.