The Film Photography Handbook

The Film Photography Handbook

by Chris Marquardt, Monika Andrae
Released February 2016
Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
ISBN: 9781681980669

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to live online training experiences, plus books, videos, and digital content from O’Reilly and nearly 200 trusted publishing partners.

Start your free trial

Book description

In recent years, film photography has witnessed a significant renaissance—and not just among those who have previously shot with film. Interest in film photography has also grown enormously among those who only have experience shooting digitally. In The Film Photography Handbook, authors Chris Marquardt and Monika Andrae speak to both kinds of film photographer as they offer an easy-to-understand, complete resource to shooting film. They also address today’s working climate, including such topics as the hybrid film/digital workflow, the digitization of negatives, and working with smartphones for light metering and to assist in film processing.
This book is intended for anyone who is curious about film, whether you need a refresher course or are discovering this wonderful format for the first time. You’ll learn how easy it is to shoot and process black-and-white film at home, and how little special equipment you need to get into film photography.
You’ll learn all about:
  • the important differences between film and digital photography
  • numerous film cameras, as well as how to buy a second-hand camera
  • film formats, from 35 mm to medium format and large format
  • exposure settings, tonal values, and tonal representations in different types of film, from color negatives and slides to the enormous spectrum of black-and-white films
  • processing film, covering everything you need to know: equipment, chemicals, and workflow
  • scanning negatives to bring your film into a digital workflow
  • both presenting and archiving your prints and negatives

Working in such an “analog” medium requires a unique approach to photography, and it fosters a completely different form of creativity. Working in film can also prove to be a great inspiration for your own digital photography, as well. The Film Photography Handbook covers it all, from the technical to the creative, and will have you shooting film in no time, whether it’s with an old rangefinder, an inexpensive Holga, or a medium-format Rolleiflex or Hasselblad.

Publisher resources

View/Submit Errata

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Hello and welcome to The Film Photography Handbook!
  6. Preface
  7. 1 Why Film Photography?
    1. 1.1 Enjoying the Process
    2. 1.2 Too Many Options Make You Unhappy
  8. 2 Analog or Digital?
    1. 2.1 Film Grain
    2. 2.2 Arrangement
    3. 2.3 Sharpness
    4. 2.4 Area
    5. 2.5 Contrast Range
    6. 2.6 Angle of Light
    7. 2.7 The Bayer Pattern
    8. 2.8 Banding
    9. 2.9 White Balance vs. Film Type
    10. 2.10 Further Processing
  9. 3 Cameras and Film Formats
    1. 3.1 35mm
      1. 3.1.1 The Film
      2. 3.1.2 Rangefinder
      3. 3.1.3 Single Lens Reflex Camera
    2. 3.2 Medium Format: 6×6, 6×7, and 6×9
      1. 3.2.1 Film Types
      2. 3.2.2 Image Formats
      3. 3.2.3 Camera Types
    3. 3.3 Large Format: 4×5”
      1. 3.3.1 Large Format Cameras
      2. 3.3.2 Film and Film Holders
      3. 3.3.3 Camera Movement
    4. 3.4 Tips on Buying a Camera
      1. 3.4.1 Light Seals
      2. 3.4.2 Shutters
      3. 3.4.3 Lenses
  10. 4 Exposure
    1. 4.1 Stops
    2. 4.2 F-Numbers
    3. 4.3 Light Metering
      1. 4.3.1 Reflective Metering
      2. 4.3.2 Incident Metering
    4. 4.4 Without Light Meter
      1. 4.4.1 Sunny 16
    5. 4.5 With Light Meter
      1. 4.5.1 Handheld Light Meter
      2. 4.5.2 Smartphone
      3. 4.5.3 Digicam & Gray Card
      4. 4.5.4 Professional Light Meter
    6. 4.6 Light Metering with the Zone System
  11. 5 Film
    1. 5.1 Black-and-White Film
      1. 5.1.1 From Color to Black-and-White
      2. 5.1.2 Orthochromatic Film
      3. 5.1.3 Panchromatic Film
      4. 5.1.4 Infrared (IR) Film
      5. 5.1.5 Infrared (IR) Film with Aura Effect
      6. 5.1.6 Color Filters
    2. 5.2 Color Film
      1. 5.2.1 Color Negative Film
      2. 5.2.2 Slide Film
      3. 5.2.3 Other Types of Film
    3. 5.3 Instant Film
    4. 5.4 ISO—The Film Speed
  12. 6 In the Laboratory
    1. 6.1 Industrial Laboratory
    2. 6.2 Professional Laboratory
    3. 6.3 Processing Yourself: Black-and-White
      1. 6.3.1 Overview: Negative Processing
      2. 6.3.2 Chemicals
      3. 6.3.3 Hardware
      4. 6.3.4 General Procedure for Film Processing
      5. 6.3.5 Troubleshooting
      6. 6.3.6 Digital Helpers
      7. 6.3.7 Community
      8. 6.3.8 Push and Pull
    4. 6.4 Processing Yourself: Color
      1. 6.4.1 The Press Kit
      2. 6.4.2 Temperatures
      3. 6.4.3 Useful Accessories
  13. 7 Post-Processing
    1. 7.1 Traditional
    2. 7.2 Hybrid Analog/Digital
      1. 7.2.1 Scanner Types
      2. 7.2.2 Scanner Parameters
      3. 7.2.3 Scanning Software
      4. 7.2.4 Scanner Profiling
      5. 7.2.5 Accessories
      6. 7.2.6 The Scanning Process
    3. 7.3 Digital Printing
      1. 7.3.1 Having Photos Printed: By a Discounter
      2. 7.3.2 Having Photos Printed: At a Professional Lab
      3. 7.3.3 Printing Photos Yourself
      4. 7.3.4 High-End Ink Jet Prints
      5. 7.3.5 Profiling
      6. 7.3.6 Printing Workflow
    4. 7.4 Historical Processes
      1. 7.4.1 Cyanotype
      2. 7.4.2 Albumen Print
  14. 8 Presentation
    1. 8.1 Mats
      1. 8.1.1 It’s All About the Right Size
    2. 8.2 Frames
    3. 8.3 Mounting Techniques
      1. 8.3.1 Matting
      2. 8.3.2 Mounting
  15. 9 Storage and Archiving
    1. 9.1 General Considerations
    2. 9.2 Storing Negatives
    3. 9.3 Prints
    4. 9.4 A Tidy House, A Tidy Mind
  16. 10 Fun with “Planned Accidents”
    1. 10.1 Cameras and Optics
      1. 10.1.1 The Box Camera
      2. 10.1.2 Diana, Holga, and Other Toy Cameras
      3. 10.1.3 The Pinhole Camera
      4. 10.1.4 The Subjektiv
      5. 10.1.5 Zone Plate
      6. 10.1.6 Lensbaby
    2. 10.2 Expired Film
      1. 10.2.1 Experimenting is Fun
      2. 10.2.2 Film Speed and Light Conditions
      3. 10.2.3 The Special Joys of Cross Processing
      4. 10.2.4 A Residual Risk Always Remains
      5. 10.2.5 Treated Film
    3. 10.3 Double and Multiple Exposure
  17. Appendix

Product information

  • Title: The Film Photography Handbook
  • Author(s): Chris Marquardt, Monika Andrae
  • Release date: February 2016
  • Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
  • ISBN: 9781681980669