Unit 23 - Task 1 - Large Format

Large Format refers to film or the cameras that use film larger than 4x5 inches (102×127 mm).

The advantage is that a Large Format image has an area 16 times the size of standard 35mm, thus containing 16 times the resolution of a standard 35mm. This means Large Format images are of a much higher resolution and often contain much more detail.

Old Large Format Camera

They're often used for images that have to be enlarged to a high magnification while still requiring a high level of detail.

Large Format Film

An example of a photographer who used to use large format on a regular basis is Ansel Adams. Because of his big landscapes, he used large format regularly so he was able to develop his prints with these high levels of detail.

Unit 23 - Task 1 - Colour Negative

A negative is a strip of plastic film, on which the darkest areas are lightest and the lightest areas are darkest. They're an inverted version of a black and white image.

A colour negative works on the same principle, where the colours are converted into their respective complementary colours.

35mm Colour Negative Film

Colour negative film usually has a dull orange tint to it, because of a colour-masking feature within the film.

Colour negative film is the most commonly known film. Everyone will most likely have used it or at least heard of it. In the days before digital photography, colour negative film was available to use in your professional camera, but it was also integrated in those cheap 'throw away' cameras designed for one time use. You would then simply hand in the camera at the shop and they would develop the film.

Above is an image that I shot 17 years ago with my 'old' Canon camera on 35mm colour negative film, whilst on holiday in the United States of America.

Personally, I think that shooting on film is a skill. It makes you think. Nowadays, the camera does almost everything for you and all you have to do is press a button. The only thing you have to think about is composition. Don't get me wrong, when I took this image there were already 'Auto' modes and things that made life easier for the amateur photographer. If I was to take that image again with the knowledge I have now, I wouldn't use those. I would do it the manual way.

Even though this images was taken when I was 15 years old and without any photographic skills at all, it's clear what differences there are in image quality compared to digital photography. The film image is not as crisp. Perhaps it's because of my age, but digital photography has my preference. I prefer the sharpness in images.

Unit 23 - Task 1 - Colour Transparancy

This type of film produces transparancies or diapositives (called diafilm in a lot of places). The film can then be used with a slide projector. In our task, we used a medium format film in combination with a Hasseblad camera.

We were asked to produce images inspired by Andres Serrano.

These resulting images are in the hands of my tutor.

Unit 23 - Task 1 - Different Paper, Different Result...

Today we discussed paper types. In order to do so, we had a whole bunch of different types of paper with identical prints on them. We did so for colour print and black and white print.

• Photo Rag 308 gsm
• Bamboo 290 gsm
• Photo Rag Pearl 320 gsm
• Normal A4 paper
• Baryta FB 350 gsm
• Photo Rag Satin 310 gsm
• Leonardo Canvas 390 gsm
• FineArt Baryta 325 gsm
• Photo Rag Book & Album 220 gsm
• Photo Rag Baryta 315 gsm
• Photo Rag Bright White 310 gsm
• Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305 gsm 
• Rice Paper

Now when you put all these different types of papers together, you'll notice big differences between every single one of them. For example, looking at the Leonardo Canvas, there's a lot of detail lost in the prints and the canvas is very floppy. And although there's a lot of detail lost in the colour print, it's a lot better than the same print done in black and white. Put that next to the Photo Rag Baryta and the difference is clear. It's much stiffer paper with great detail, colours and the whites really stand out.

The Rice Paper is very thin and has a strange yellow colour. The Photo Rag Bright White and some others have no reflections when in the sun. The Bamboo in black and white is very smudged, resulting in a lack of detail.

Every single paper has different qualities and different faults. My personal favourite is the Photo Rag Baryta, but that's my opinion. Everyone will have their own opinions on these papers and all these papers are great when used for the right prints.

Unit 23 - Task 1 - Abstract Imagery

These are some images I submitted for my Experimental Photography brief. Using my Canon 550D and my standard 18-55mm IS lens, I took photographs with a shutter speed of 1 second. During that second, I zoomed out and this is the result.

A Gerbera

My Grandson

Pieces of Fruit

A Rose

A Fish Tank Ornament

As you can see, zooming out while taking a photograph can create a great abstract effect. It's almost like rays of sun or even like travelling at warp speed! I was quite surprised by some of the results. A pretty simple technique with a great outcome.

Unit 23 - Task 1 - Historical Process - Cyanotype

Historical processes, there's plenty of them. One of my favourites is the Cyanotype. The process starts by mixing equal amounts of Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate. This photosensitive mixture is then applied onto paper or cloth and allowed to dry in a dark space. As long as the surface is able to soak up the solution, a Cyanotype can be printed on any surface. Watercolour paper is the most common material used for this process though.

I decided to use the following image to create a Cyanotype from.

By letting ultraviolet light, such as sunlight, pass through a contact negative a positive image can be created on the chosen surface. So I attached the negative on top of the paper I used for this. This is what the image looks like when it's turned into a negative.

When you leave it in the sun, the surface with its solution soaked in, will turn a grey/blue colour because of a chemical reaction caused by the solution. In this case, the surface was only exposed for about 10 minutes, which was enough. After this, it's time to develop the Cyanotype. This is done by rinsing the surface with water, which rinses off the yellow unreacted iron solution. Although the blue colour darkens during the drying process, it can also be accelerated by soaking the paper in a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide. After which you'd rinse it once more.

All that's left now is to leave the print to dry and the Cyanotype is finished. Here is the result I got.

SEE SKETCHBOOK FOR FINISHED IMAGE

I really love this process. It's great to see your surface react to the sunlight and simply not knowing exactly what the finished product will be. An awesome print in about half an hour work. Great stuff!

Task 3 - Camera Types

There are many different camera types. From digital to film, 35mm to large format. Every single one has its advantages and disadvantages, so it can be confusing finding the right camera for the job. Below I will talk a little bit about some of the important types of cameras. First, let's talk about a few of the formats available in photography before we discuss the types of cameras using these different formats.

ISO 400 Fuji 135 Colour Film (35mm)

35mm

35mm film is probably the most popular film used by people today. Each image on the film is 36x24mm and is commonly known as "full-frame" format. In 1934, Kodak introduced it under the term '135'. The full-frame format has now been adopted by many high-end Digital SLR Cameras.

Original 120 and 620, Modern 120 Film

120 Film

120 film was created by Kodak for use with their 'Brownie' No. 2 camera. Intended for amateur photographers, it was quickly overtaken by the 35mm '135' film. However, together with its relative '220' film, it remains the only Medium Format film widely available for professionals and amateurs.

Medium Format (left) and 35mm (right)

Medium Format

Medium Format is a term used to refer to a certain type of film and the cameras that use this film. It is used for film, and cameras that use film, that is larger than 36x24mm but smaller than 4x5 inches. Anything bigger is referred to as 'Large Format', which I will discuss too. The image on the right shows the size comparison between 'Medium Format' and 35mm.

Large Format

Large Format film

Large Format refers to film or the cameras that use film larger than 4x5 inches (102×127 mm). The advantage is that a Large Format image has an area 16 times the size of standard 35mm, thus containing 16 times the resolution of a standard 35mm. This means Large Format images are of a much higher resolution and often contain much more detail. They're often used for images that have to be enlarged to a high magnification while still requiring a high level of detail.


Now that we've discussed a few popular types of film, let's talk about some of the different cameras that use these types of film.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR)

The inner workings of a SLR camera

SLR cameras are often 35mm, but can also be Medium Format. They use a prism and mirror system that allows the user to see directly through the lens, meaning "what you see is what you get". Unlike viewfinder cameras, where the image captured can differ a lot from what the user saw through the viewfinder. SLR cameras are available with many different lenses and many different lenses can be bought. Some examples are removable lenses, fixed lenses, prime lenses (fixed focal length) and zoom lenses (range of focal lengths). Before the SLR cameras, all cameras with a viewfinder had two light paths. One directly through the lens onto the film. The other above (Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras) or to the side (Rangefinder cameras). Because the two path were different, it meant the captured image could differ greatly from what the photographer had seen through the viewfinder.


Medium Format SLR

Medium Format SLR cameras are the same as normal SLR cameras, but use Medium Format film instead of the 35mm film. This means that there isn't a standard size to the prints. Instead, the image size is only restricted by the size of the film. Therefore, the images could be anything from 36x24mm to 4x5 inches.

Twin Lens Reflex (TLR)

Classic Rolleiflex TLR

TLR cameras are cameras, as the name suggests, with 2 lenses. Both lenses are of the same focal length. One lens is the photographic objective lens (the lens that takes the actual photograph), while the other is the lens connected to the viewfinder. The viewfinder is usually positioned on the top or the side and mirrors used to get the scene from the lens to the viewfinder. TLR cameras most often use the Medium Format '120' film, although there are a lot of examples of TLR cameras using different formats. There are no general purpose Digital TLR cameras, since the era of the TLR camera ended long before the Digital era began. The only exception is the rather expensive Rollei Mini-Digi, which was introduced in 2004 as more of a collector's camera.

Large Format Cameras

Most Large Format cameras are 'view cameras'. These cameras have a front and a back part which are called 'standards'. The front standard contains the 'lens pane' (which as the name suggests contains the lens) and the back standard contains the 'film pane' (which contains the film). The bellows is a flexible box, pleated like an accordion, that sits in between the two standards and makes it so the standards can be shifted and tilted. This shift and tilt movement was especially good for architectural and close-up photographers, because it gave them a better control of rendering perspective and increase apparent depth of field. It would help them solve otherwise impossible depth of field problems and they could create special effects that would be impossible to create with conventional fixed-plane fixed-lens cameras.


 Instant Cameras (Polaroid)

Instant cameras are cameras that use self-developing film and generate a developed film image. The most popular instant cameras were formerly made by Polaroid Corporation. 

Polaroid SX-70

The original idea, by Edwin Land, behind this type of camera was that they would be easy to use for everyone. In the early days, a photographer would take a picture and pull a large tab at the back of the camera, which would pull the negative over the positive. The image would then go through some rollers to spread the developing agent. After waiting the required time, the photographer would open a little hatch at the back of the camera and would peel the positive from the negative. He would then need to coat the black and white positive in a fixing agent, which would prevent fading. This was a messy procedure which led to the development of coater less instant pack film which didn't need this coat of fixing agent anymore. 

2 photographs taken on instant film

The later integral film cameras, such as the Polaroid SX-70 shown above, managed to really bring Edwin Land's idea to life. The photographer would simply take the photograph and the camera would do the rest. It would adjust exposure, take care of focus and simply eject the photograph which would then develop without needing any intervention from the photographer. In October 2009, Polaroid announced they would bring back their classic instant film cameras after they announced a year before that production was to be stopped.


Rangefinder Camera

A Rangfinder camera is essentially a camera with a rangefinder fitted to it. A rangefinder is a mechanism which allows the photographer to measure the distance to his subjects, allowing him to take photographs that are super sharp. Most rangefinder cameras display two of the same images of the subject. One of the images moves when a wheel on the camera is turned. When the two images merge into one, the correct distance can be read off the wheel. Older cameras then needed that value transferred to the focus ring, giving the correct focus.

1947 Foca Rangefinder Camera

Nowadays, digital cameras have a rangefinding mechanism that measures the distance using electroaccoustic or electronic means. And of course also focus automatically using the autofocus.

Pinhole Camera

A pinhole camera is really simply a box, entirely light-proof, with a tiny hole on one side. The light will pass through the hole and project an inverted image of the scene on the other side. In other words, the image will be upside down. Because pinhole cameras require lenghty exposures, the shutter would be operated manually by using light-proof material to uncover and cover the pinhole. To create a photograph, the scene could be projected on photographic film for example. Once the scene has been exposed on the photographic film, the photographer would simply develop the film as normal.

The principle of a pinhole camera

It can be a little tricky to find the right size required for the pinhole. The smaller the pinhole, the sharper the image, but the image becomes dimmer too. If the pinhole is too small, the sharpness worsens due to diffraction.

An example of a 20 minute exposure taken with a pinhole camera

 The Camera Obscura is a very well known example of the pinhole camera. Often, people would use a light-proof room with a little hole on the window side and project the scene on the walls of the room. It is often used for drawing or entertainment. In drawing, the scene would be projected onto paper, upside down, and traced for a perfect representation of the scene when turned around.

Image Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:135_fuji_film_macro.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Film_size_comparison.jpg

http://benneh.net/blog/tag/large-format

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/camera5.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/120_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin-lens_reflex_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_camera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangefinder_camera

Assignment 3 - An Explanation of Field of View

The Field of View (FoV) is how much of a given scene is covered by your lens. How much can you see? A quite simple explanation can be given, using the focal lengths of your lenses. If you were to use a wide angled lens, such as the standard Canon 18-55mm kit lens, you will be able to see a lot more of your scene when using a focal length of 18mm, meaning it is a wide FoV. However, using a focal length of 55mm on that same lens will mean you have less of your scene visible, meaning it is a narrower FoV. If you were to go even further and use a lens with a focal length of 300mm, it would leave only a small section of your scene visible, simply because the FoV is so narrow.

The following image shows you exactly how wide or narrow your FoV would be at certain focal lengths.

I will try and illustrate what this would look like in practise, using some of my own photographs taken with focal lengths of 18mm, 55mm, 70mm and 300mm.

18mm

55mm

70mm

300mm

As you can see, there's a lot more of the scene visible in the photograph taken at a focal length of 18mm than there is in the photograph taken at 300mm. It's the same scene, but the FoV is much narrower at 300mm. For landscapes, photographers often use a wide FoV, to fit in as much of the landscape as possible.

Image Source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pallotron/1803416154/sizes/o/in/photostream/

Assignment 2 - Shutter Speed... How does it work? (Motion Blur)

Shutter speed, also known as the exposure time, is basically the length of time the shutter of the camera is open. This, together with the Aperture, will determine the amount of light that will reach the film or sensor. Setting the correct Aperture and Shutter Speed will result in a correctly exposed photograph. A very fast shutter speed can be used to freeze fast-moving subjects, whereas a slow shutter speed can be used to intentionally blur subjects.

I will now try to demonstrate by showing some photographs I took.

Shutter Speed of 1/80

Shutter Speed of 1/4

Shutter Speed of 2"5

The following photographs were taken at night, on the field near my house, using a torch to create all sort of patterns. Because the shutter speed was so slow, the camera wasn't able to record the person waving the torch.

Shutter Speed of 10"

Shutter Speed of 10"

Shutter Speed of 4"

I hope this explains a little bit what Shutter Speed means and how it works.

Assignment 1 - Depth of Field... An Introduction to Aperture

The following photographs were taken using a Canon 550D, using the standard kit EF-S 18-55mm IS lens. The assignment was to use a shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field simply means that there's only a small part of the image in focus. The rest is blurred.

The aperture is basically the hole in the lens through which light travels. The lens aperture in photography is usually specified as an f-number. To simplify things: The smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture, the more light travels through, the less of the image is in focus. The bigger the f-number, the smaller the aperture, the less light travels through, the more of the image is in focus. To get an image with the correct depth of field and the correct exposure, both the aperture and shutter speed have to be set correctly.

To achieve a shallow depth of field, we need to use a large aperture, so a small f-number. The images below have all been taken using an aperture of f/5.6. These are photographs I took myself.