With the current popularity of film photography (yay!) we know that there is a bit of a knowledge gap between the long time shooters and those who are new to the hobby. We get a lot of questions (which we love) and we hear a lot of the same ones, so we wanted to put some information out there that just isn't common knowledge, or at least the information you won't find on Tic Toc.
Q: Why do I want to keep my negatives?
A: Your negatives are like a digital file from your camera, but even more permanent. You can lose a digital file, but a negative can always been re-scanned to create a new file or scanned at a higher resolution for print enlargements. They are easy to store when they are cut and even better when they are put into archival pages that you can organize in a binder.
Q: What kind of film can I use in my camera?
A: Film cameras are usually referred to by the film format that they take. 35mm cameras take any 35mm film (color or black and white), medium format take 120 film (larger than 35mm and on a different type of spool), or large format (sheet film in 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, and up).
Q: What kind of film do I want to use?
A: That's up to you! Film is broken down into different speeds (think ISO on digital cameras) which indicate the amount of light they require to create an image. The lower the speed (ASA) the more light the film needs (ex. sunny day would need 100) and higher speeds require less light (400 for shade or indoors with flash, 800-1600 for indoors/low light). It will take a little trial and error, but you will find that certain brands and types of film will give you the look you want (warm or cool colors, saturated color, high or low contrast, etc) and sometimes you don't know what you want until you see it!
Q: What else should I know?
A: Lots, which is what makes learning about photography so much fun! A few things to keep in mind: 1) Film does not like to get hot, so don't leave it in your car on a hot day 2) Don't shoot more frames than are on the roll - 36exp means 36 photos, not 39 - over-shooting can lead to torn film 3) Light is what makes photography possible, so make sure you have light on your subject 4) Keep your negatives!
And if you know us, you know we are always more than happy to help you with your photography questions. And if you don't know us yet, we would love to help you!
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