BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Questions

Tradional PHotography

To love this question, log in above
March 19, 2002

You've asked a very general question that could fill books with a complete answer. The artistic part of photography is essentially the same for both digital and film. The differences are the technical aspects of the tools used.

For starters, go to a library and find:
_The_Camera_ by Ansel Adams. It's the first volume of his classic trilogy about Black & White photography and covers what cameras are, how they work, and how they are used in making photographs. It's still in print. You should also be able to find it in a large bookstore.

It's very concise and is often used as a college text. Don't worry too much about tyring to understand sections with high levels of technical detail. Go for the overviews in particular. It's the only book I know of that comprehensively covers the equipment side (camera type, body and lens) of film based still photography. Most other books of this type are about a particular brand of camera system. This one is not.

If you have specific questions, just ask. The basic process using film:
Film based still photography is the act of recording light on a piece of material (film base) coated with a substance (the emulsion) that chemically changes when exposed to visible light. This creates a "latent image" in the film's emulsion. "Developing" or processing the film prevents any further chemical reaction to light from occuring, and makes visible the light that was recorded when the film was exposed (an image). This image can then be used to make (typically enlarged) copies (prints). The print enlarger is really a very special type of camera that photographs the original film.

-- John

To love this comment, log in above
March 19, 2002