An introductory guide to cinematography

Lead: Although my photography started with a digital camera, at the moment I picked up the film machine, I began to understand ISO, exposure and aperture, and began to take correct photos with my heart. 15 years ago, camera manufacturers brought us into the era of digital photography. Some people say that the film is dead. Although most professional photographers have given up film and switched to digital, film is still a very popular photographic carrier and can still bring us enlightenment. Let me talk about some introductory skills of film photography.

Movies vs numbers

Film digital, each has his own love, but some basic elements of film photography, I think, are far superior to digital. When using a film camera, you need to do it yourself, understand the physical process of taking pictures and set the correct exposure index. Can't just click, look at the LCD screen and try again. I think this way, I feel more about the photos I took. I also know that I didn't give all my work packages to the processor of the digital computer.

expense

You also need to consider the cost. Many people may think that film photography costs more: to buy film, you have to spend money to develop it, but a good film camera can accompany you for a lifetime. My old Pentax SLR is older than me, but it has good performance and will never go out of date.

If you use a digital SLR, it will be updated almost every year. The manufacturer's goal is to let you be led by technology: take the clearest photos with the highest pixels and the latest functions. These updates are certainly good, but they also cost you money, didn't they?

film

Different movies are used for different purposes. The main categories are black and white rolls, color positive films and color negative films (negatives). The most common film size is 35mm. Many SLR cameras and paraxial cameras use this film. This film is packaged in rolls, and each roll can be imaged with 24 or 36 films.

The other two main sizes of film are medium format film and large format film. The medium format is much larger than the 35mm roll, which requires a special camera. The imaging quality of medium format film is better than that of 35mm film, so it is used by many professional photographers. There are two kinds of films: 120 and 220. The average medium format camera can use 120 roll, because there is lining paper in the roll. 220 rolls are not like this, only some models can be used, but because there is no lining paper, the reel can hold more films, about twice as much.

Large format film is slightly different from 35mm and medium format film because the film is 4 &:prime；; X5 & prime number; (or larger) paper appears and must be placed in the film holder. The loading process must be carried out in the dark. Only two photos can be put on each bracket. The pockets of traditional photographic vests are designed for this kind of large-format film. There must be many pockets for so many film clips.

Film genre

Decided what kind of membrane to use, there are many kinds to choose from. Besides what I just said, Fuji, Eford, Kodak and Agfa all produce various films. According to ISO, usage, contrast and speed, each film has different functions. We will talk about this topic specifically, but before you rush out to buy a lot of film, you should first browse the website of the film manufacturer to see which film best meets your needs. Also, don't pick cheap ones; If you use a powerful camera and want to take beautiful photos, it is worth using professional film.

Movie camera

If you really want to play with film, you must decide on a film camera. Like digital photography, different cameras have different uses. The most common cameras are the 35mm cameras I just mentioned: there are fully automatic fool cameras, simple (but professional) paraxial cameras, and fully manual (or fully automatic) SLR cameras.

Next is the medium format camera, which looks a bit stupid, but the photos are bigger and clearer. If you want to learn from scratch, you can even try Lomo camera, toy camera or something &; Mdash& ampmdash These designs are easy to use and very popular at present.

Patience, practice and correct setting

The biggest difference between digital photography and film photography is that you can't see your own work when you take film photography. For some of you, this may be difficult to adapt to. It's no good crossing the river by feeling the stones. I don't think this is a bad thing.

When taking film photography, you need to spend more time to ensure that your exposure settings are suitable for the surrounding light. Exposure meters will be very useful here. Need to check whether the parameters meet your requirements and whether the framing is satisfactory. This requires being very familiar with your own camera. Therefore, please be sure to read through the instructions and keep warm. After such practice and patience, most of your photos will be of high quality, and such patience has greatly improved my overall photography skills, because I take every photo with my heart, instead of just pressing the shutter and waiting for the desired effect.

blush

After the shutter is pressed, you should wait patiently for the finished product. I think this is also part of the fun of film photography. Be careful when developing photos. If you don't have the confidence to develop it, or you don't have the equipment, take the film to the photo studio or entrust it to someone else. Remember, you are entrusting others to develop your own photos, so find someone who you think will seriously develop your photos, and don't go to the supermarket to do it for the sake of cheap. You can try to wash it yourself if you have the chance. This is a key part of film photography. As a photographer, he can have more control over his works.

Scan sharing

After the photos are developed, you may want to scan them into your computer. Some photo studios can carve photos, but this cannot replace photos &; Mdash& ampmdash will eclipse the whole process a lot. The moment I saw the newly developed photos, I felt indescribable.

You can also scan photos into the computer, which is also good, but remember, a low-quality scanner will seriously damage your photo effect. After sweeping, you may want to show off some of your favorite works on the Internet. Don't develop the photos and put them in a box for moths to bite.

originality

Now go out and try film photography. You may know more about film photography, and there is a lot to learn and have fun in this process. Start looking for a film camera, save some money, go online to Taobao, or rummage through mom and dad's storage room. You can take a digital camera and do experiments at the same time. Compare the results and don't give up the use of film. It won't be long before you can handle your own work.