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First Things First:

Understanding

Film Photography

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Before we get started, here are some words that are good to know in order to understand how film photography and cameras work.

Analogue photoglossary

  1. 135 – Also called 35mm; the most common film format.
  2. 120 – A type of paper-backed film used in various medium format cameras like the Diana+ and Lubitel 166+.
  3. Analogue – is the opposite of digital. Any technology, such as vinyl records or clocks with hands and faces, that doesn't break everything down into binary code to work is analogue. Analogue, you might say, is strictly old school.
  4. Aperture – A hole or opening through which light travels. On a camera, the aperture is adjustable so you can control the amount of light reaching the film.
  5. Auto Exposure – Found in a number of modern cameras, this is an exposure system that exposes the film correctly every time, without the adjustment of manual settings.
  6. Darkroom – Literally, a dark room in which you can chemically process film or print from negatives without exposing the photo-sensitive film and paper to light.
  7. Double Exposure – A technique in which a piece of film is exposed twice. Double exposures can result in a dreamy, layered effect, or an upside-down, mish-mash world of your choosing!
  8. Exposure – The amount of light which reaches your film when taking a photograph.
  1. Exposure Time – The amount of time your shutter is open and your film is exposed to light. If you choose to expose your film for a long amount of time, your aperture will need to be smaller, and vice versa.
  2. Film – A sheet of plastic coated with a photo-sensitive emulsion. When used in a camera, the emulsion captures light which creates latent images, viewable when the film is chemically treated.
  3. Focus – Bringing a subject into sharp view using a camera’s lens.
  4. Grain – The sand-like, granular appearance of silver halides on film. High ISO films have larger (and therefore more visible) grain.
  5. Instant Film – Film which develops into a photographic print instantly, usually in 90 seconds or less.
  6. ISO – the term that we use when we are referring to how light-sensitive your film is. Each type of film has an ISO rating. Can also be referred to as ASA, film rating or film speed.
  7. Lens – A glass or plastic element attached to a camera which allows images to be captured on film.
  8. Light Leaks – White or red streaks on film created by stray light that enters a camera body. While originally accidental, creating light leaks on images is now a well-known technique used by plastic camera photographers.
  1. Long exposure – This is an effect achieved by setting a long-duration shutter speed so that stationary objects in the field of view appear sharp while moving elements will be blurred.
  2. Overexposure – When too much light reaches the film, causing a printed image to lack detail or look too light or “washed out” or “blown out.”
  3. Point and Shoot – A camera with fully automatic settings, allowing the user to create photographs without setting a shutter speed or aperture.
  4. Shutter speed – How long your camera’s shutter stays open; usually measured in fractions of a second. You can adjust your camera’s shutter speed via a dial on the camera body in order to achieve light-streaked photos, correctly expose a scene, or sharply capture a fast-moving object.
  5. Underexposure – When insufficient light reaches the film. Underexposing is also a technique employed when exposing one frame of film multiple times, in order to prevent overexposure.
  6. Viewfinder – the eyepiece on a camera that you hold close to your eye, to allow you to see what’s being photographed.
  7. Vignetting – Dark corners present on photographic prints which emphasize the photo’s subject and create depth in a photograph.

The term ‘Analogue Photography’ refers to photography using an analogue camera and film. A roll of film is loaded into the camera and the magic begins once you start clicking: light interacts with the chemicals in the film and an image is recorded. The pictures collected in your film roll come to life when the film is processed in a photo lab.

Continue to the next guide to learn more about film photography