How to expose

For many this is going to be the core of all the course, because the Exposition is something that has not changed in the digital realm. As for me the concept that I like most is the Triangle of Exposure.

It is like the Combustion Triangle, in which there are three concepts that will support the main idea. I have acknowledge of other concepts like the one with the tap and the bucket, if you want that I explain it leave a comment. To start with, the three concepts that put together the Triangle are:

• Film sensibility (ISO/ASA/DIN)
• Shutter Speed
• Lens aperture

Each one has its distinctive features, effects and priorities, which all will depend on how you would like that your photography is going to be.

I am going to discuss it in the order I have listed them. Essentially because in the film we are restrained to have ONE and only ONE film sensibility, there are some considerations if we intend to do forced or counter-forced expositions, and even in those cases, we have to shot the entire roll in one sensibility, not as in digital, in which we can change at will the sensibility to adjust to our needs in each shot.

This is one of the reasons I like more film photography, you have to choose what film to use, and you are restrained to make each one count as the good, even if you do not enlarge it.

Film sensibility

At the very beginning of photography this was not a very used term, this was photographers were able to use safelight to develop and only existed plates, so to develop them they used trays. They made the shot, with some known time and aperture, and then during the developing process they could see how the image appear and stop the process when they tough it has reached the best image. But as photography was becoming more mainstream, due to cinema and companies like Kodak, research and new technology changed the films sensibility to light and with it, the need to name that sensibility.

In the United States the American Standards Agency (ASA, now is it called ANSI), had the most influence in the Americas and Japan about how to call the film speed, while in Europe was Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) the one responsible for such labor. It is something like International System of Measurements and Imperial System, both told the same thing but with different scales, each institution made their own experiments on how to determine film speed. As time advance to a much more standardized World, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was born, this Organization decided to use the two systems, so when one buys a film in the box comes as ISO 400/27º. I, as a Mexican, live under the ASA concepts then adopted by ISO. But both scales are direct one with another, interchangeable without any mathematical operation or so, not as 1 ft moreless equals 0.30 m. Most common values are:

ASA        DIN

50        18

100       21

200       24

400       27

800       30

1600     33

3200    36

As you can see ASA scale work with doubles and halfs, 100 being the double of 50, and 1600 being the half of 3600. In the other hand DIN goes in sums of three between each other, as 18 plus 3 gives 21 for the next film sensibility, but as long as now I have not explained what this numbers represent. 

So now going on, the smaller the number the lesser the sensibility is going to be, this means it is going to need a lot of light to be well exposed, and as the number goes higher the sensibility grows with it, meaning you will not need many light to have a good exposure. And the relationship each one with the another is going to be the doble or the half. Ej. lets took ISO 100/21º, if we go to 50/18º this will tell that we are going to need the double of light to have a good exposure, compared to 100/21º, and viceversa with 200/24º, it is going to need the half of light needed for 100/21º to get the same exposure. But the next question is going to be, Why to have different film speeds? If we are able to shot almost in any condition with 800/30º, for example.

Well there are some cons and pros, depending on which film speed we are intending to use. Film speed is also related to the size of the silver halides the emulsion contains, as smaller the number is, the salts are going to be smaller, which is going to be handy if we want to have the most definition of the image we intend to capture, very useful in landscape, product or studio and maybe portraits. But with the cost of needing a lot of light to achieve a good exposure, so in the cases of landscape tripod is going to be mandatory, in the studio, well we are going to be controlling light via lamps, flashes and using an exposure meter, and in portraits, well as we are going to see later,  wide open lens apertures; we also gain better contrast* with lower ISO values. That is why the largest photos ever are made with low ISO values, as it grants the best definition. But in special cases as sport photography, scientific, and places in which light is not the best of all or we need to achieve the photo we want, the cost is a little loss of sharpness and contrast, as higher ISO values have bigger silver halide grains. 

A way to classify higher or lower ISO's is the next: take for instance 100/21º as the mid-point, below that value, even as low as 6/9º they are called slow emulsions or films, as explained earlier, a lot of light is needed. Then, from 100/21º to 400/27º are the mid-term speed films, more likely as the standard, as you have a balance between outdoors and indoors using artificial light (as lamps or flashes), and medium sized grains. Higher than 400/27º are called quick films, as low light is needed to expose.

The last technologies applied to Black and White photography were made by Kodak and Ilford, as they in the late 80's and 90's developed their T-Max and Delta series. They found a way to give the grains certain shape, Kodak saw T's and Ilford saw ∆'s (capital letter delta), which made possible to arrange them better, and with that more sensibility with smaller grains. Both films are marketed as Pro films. As I know Kodak sells T-Max 100/21º, 400/27º and 3200/36ª (really 800/30º, but can easily pushed to 3200/36º), and the best results are given if you develop with T-Max developer (very self-explanatory) and in the other hand Ilford's are 100/21º, 400/27º (can be used as 200/24º to 3200/36º) and 3600/36º (really being 1000/31º, but can be pushed to 12500/42º), the best results with this films are obtained using at least ID-11 developer, but are better using Mircophen.

So before hitting the street with you camera, and if it isn't loaded, stop and think to which situations are you going to be facing, because that is going to be the best parameter to select a film. If you are going to be out in a sunny day, without any trouble you can use ISO 100/21º, but if you are going to be in a familiar reunion inside a house better choose 400/27º, or any sports event better go higher, even if it is sunny.

*Contrast, for me, is like how intense are the whites and the blacks. For example: in high contrast you will only see whites and blacks but not so many grays, in low contrast you will not see white or black just a big range of grays. Depending on what are you going to achieve at the start it is better to look for a medium contrast, the one that is going to have white, black and the variety of grays.

Detail in some Cameras and Bulk Film

The passion of taking photographs has not being limited to just some professionals, but ironically, the best materials are branded as Pro. But what Pro stands for, well at least in photography, or what have I understand, is referred as the knowledge on how to use the camera, and profit at its best the film, during the shooting, the developing and printing of the image.

Most Pro cameras have extended functions, that may not be used by the amateur, even pro, photographers. In the other hand, film marketed as Pro will have a much wider ability to be used, as pro films will have a much smaller grain, compared to the same speed ratio, and a much higher latitude. Latitude means that a film can hold other ISO (ASA/DIN) than the one is marketed as. For example, Ilford Delta 400 film can be exposed as an 200 ISO or as an 3600 ISO, and whatever is in between. So as for film, the extra money gives extra abilities that used properly will be able to make you get better results.

The video of this week will be focused on my cameras, and how to use bulk film.

For the next video in the series, I show how to fill 35 mm magazines with the bulk film loader. For this instance, these are the things you are going to be needing:

• Bulk loader
• Bulk film
• Scissors
• Tape
• Empty magazines with at least a finger wide film out or refillable magazines and some useless film
• Dark Room* or light probe bag

Bulk film may be kind of expensive at the start, but as you go shooting, it is cheaper than buying new film in small packages. A bulk film will produce 19 to 20 rolls, that will cost the half than buying those same 19 or 20 rolls, also you have the freedom to choose how many exposures each load have. This is useful if you like to think each shot and you take some time to finish it, also gives you the easiness of have one themed rolls, so printing may become more easy, as most exposures have little change in lighting settings.

About cameras and film formats

Well as I said before, I will not go into the realm of brands, instead of that, I would prefer to talk about kinds of cameras, by the format they can hold. You will find more precise information through books or the Internet itself. This entry is more focused on what are you going to need after to develop and print your negatives.

Since the start of photography inventors and engineers developed quite a variety of film, in size and form. Today we still have three major flavors of film, and so three kinds of cameras:

• 135 film: The most used film, even before used by photography (its first primary use was to do cinema), from hi-tech SLR to just plastic point-&shot and even disposable cameras. One of the most recognizable format. 
• The pros are:
• Easy to handle, it is self contained inside a canister, last generation cameras (even point-&shot) were able to determine the film speed, thanks to DX codes.
• Easy to find, as the most famous member of the film family it is still available in convenience stores, super markets and photographic materials supply.
• Wide variety of cameras, in the second hand market, flea markets and forgotten attics, you have a great chance of finding a usable cameras.
• Most amateur photo stuff was designed for this format.
• Any enlarger will be prepared to let you print images.
• The cons are:
• It is the smallest of film sizes found near, it captures great detail, but you are not going to be able to print enlargements bigger than 60" (in.) (It is not so con but is the classic one!).
• Without the correct tools, like a film picker, you are going to end breaking a lot of canisters, which can make you spend a little bit more of money. If you wish to save some pennies, it is worthwhile to search for bulk film, is a package that contains 100 ft. (30,5 m) of film, without the canisters. I will discuss about bulk film latter.
• 120 film (or 6x6): This is a bigger film, it was the first to be commercialized by Kodak to easy to use market, it is older than 135. It is the favorite flavor of pro photographers, the cameras are not that big, but thanks to the size of the film you are going to get a lot of details, this was also the favorite size of NASA, most space photographs were made with Hasselblads.
• The pros are:
• Great detail, capable of doing much bigger enlargements.
• Some cameras were able to have 6x6 or 6x4 or 6x4,5, so the photographer was not constrained to just one aspect ratio.
• Most cameras have the ability to change were the film is loaded, so the photographer was able to change from B&W to color to slide, without the need to finish the film.
• The cons are:
• More oriented to pro markets, so cameras are quite expensive, even used ones, do not forget accessories.
• Due to the fact the film is bigger, you may need to have an enlarger capable of hold the format, it is also recomendable to have an 80 mm lens for the enlarger.
• If not very used to it, you are able to spoil the film, because the film is just winded in a spool and covered by a special paper.
• Only 12 photographs by package.
• Plates: The oldest brother from the family, it has evolved through the years but preserves the aura. The favorite of studio photographers, as the cameras are big, bigger than your head, and maybe your chest, you are attached to its stand, hopefully with little wheels so it can move a bit. 
• The pros are:
• Best quality, most plates nowadays are about 6x4 in. (10x15 cm), if you shot slides the colors are the most amazing than any Photoshoped photograph and if compared to a digital realm, a photograph from a plate would be the equivalent of using an 80 megapixel camera.
• No need to do enlargements, photographs can be positive by contact printing.
• Most cameras have a tilting and shifting lens, capable of modify the focus plane and/or the fugue of lines, making them really vertical.
• The cons are:
• Plates can not be developed in small tanks, can be done in trays, but with any kind of light, or can be processed in bigger tanks, oriented to printing processes.
• Cameras are so big, is very difficult to go around with them, is like going out with a mini fridge.
• Also you need to carry out a case for holding plates, as the holder can only have one at a time, later iterations from Kodak were able to hold two plates, one against the other.

This has been quite a fair amount of information. In my case, I use 135 film, mainly because my first camera is that format, then the older cameras from my house are also that format (just some point-&-shots). When I am able to buy a medium format (120) camera, I will inter to that realm, hope so soon. But in both cases, in the developing process are the same actions, the only considering point is about developing tanks. If you get a plastic developing tank, like the ones from Kaiser, the spirals can be size changed, so they can handle 135, 126 (a dead format) and 120, just be sure is the taller tank, the one that can handle two 135 at a time. If you are more likely to have metal spirals, you need to have the tank and the spiral for each format, in the case of the 120 tanks you can develop two 135 at the same time.

As mentioned with the plates, only if you have the tank for print processing the procedure is not that easy, as developing must be done with trays and there is not any safelight to use with. I recommend to start with 135 or 120, so they are the most easy to use formats.

Part of the presentation

If you were wandering how I look like. Stop thinking of it. Here I am on Youtube. With time videos will get more interesting.

Welcome!

This is my first incursion on teaching old-school Darkroom photography in the Internet. Yes as I have mentioned it! Darkroom photography.

For me, at least, learning and trying to dominate film photography has been one of the best things that happened in my life. I have heard a lot of crossed reactions, from older photographers that got tired of darkroom chores, to guys that still love it, to young people that gets, as myself, marveled of how physical and chemical processes generate images.  I love so much film photography, that it could be a great loss if we do not keep it alive.

As about what I am going to use, through the blog and video tutorials, is what I have bought by the years, since I started to learn. I will try to keep it to the most economic as possible. I admit it, there are a lot of photographic stuff that is not even near to the meaning of cheap, but with some creativity, we can find some alternatives. About which camera is best… well, I will not touch that topic, it is like entering to religious stuff, like Apple vs. PC vs. Open Source (by the way I use Canon). The only brands that I will be telling you more about, are going to be related to photographic suppliers or film and paper brands.

At last but not least, I have been photographing, not professionally, by 3 years right now, lately I have also given lessons to newbies, from how to grab the camera to how to print a photo. Also, I have become the owner of my own Darkroom, so wait and maybe you are going to see that is not that hard to become a light alchemist. I am aware of the digital era, so I also have a digital camera and the use of digital processing via Adobe's Lightroom, with the time, and mostly related to photographic contests, I will talk about the digital realm of photography.

I hope you will enjoy what I am going to share, and maybe we can enlarge the knowledge of film photography.

PS: I am still setting up a date on the calendar to keep publishing articles.