10 Reasons Beginner Photographers Should Try to Learn With Manual Film Cameras

10 Reasons Beginner Photographers Should Try to Learn With Manual Film Cameras
Vertical Images and Battery Grips for Digital Cameras
Insights from Photographer Behind ‘Humans of New York’ Phenomenon

Posted: 02 Jun 2013 02:39 AM PDT

When I learned about photography for the first time, it was in my high school’s darkroom with a fully-manual Pentax K1000, which was at one time possibly the most prolific and popular SLR camera on the market. Why, you ask? Because it was built like a brick (which is mainly what makes them a popular decisions for school boards around the world), have a fast maximum shutter speed, and don’t have very much else. After all, there is nothing more detrimental to the learning process than distractions such as buttons, knobs, and menus. Most people today are learning photography on entry-level DSLRs, which, while more basic than a fancy high-end digital, are still needlessly convoluted and, worst of all, easy to use!

When you learn something new, what is it you want to know first? Most people would probably agree: the basics. Manual cameras are nothing but basics, and they will start your education from the very foundation, leaving you no choice but to meditate on composition and the exposure triangle of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. In this video, the infamous Kai W explains why he believes that the art of photography is best learned on a manual film camera (for those of you reading this by email, the video can be seen here):

To recap his 10-point argument, everyone should learn on a manual film camera because:

It’s so old-fashioned, it makes you look cool. Enough said.
Film is unforgiving – it demands hard work, as well as some trial and error, to get a good exposure.
No automatic settings. You must become familiar with the principles of exposure, or suffer blank frames.
Exposure – If your camera is of an age before light meters were invented, you may have to use the “Sunny 16″ rule of thumb to gauge what settings you should be using (in full sun, your exposure will be f/16 at a shutter speed equivalent to your ISO – 1/100th sec at 100 ISO, 1/400th sec at 400 ISO, etc).
Manual focus – you must consider which part of the picture should be in focus, rather than letting the camera hook on to some random spot.
Nobody will steal it. Even previously high-end film cameras aren’t worth much anymore.
The ISO isn’t auto. With digital, the effect of ISO has been largely forgotten by many, but because you have to use the same ISO throughout a roll, you have to come to understand its role in your exposure.
Slow you down. Manual settings, as well as the consumption of valuable film, forces you to put more thought into each shot, which has obvious positive effects on the learning process.
Cheap gear – everyone thinks film is dead, so you can pick up your equipment for a song, or sometimes for nothing at all.
No need to upgrade – there are very few film cameras in production anymore (though there are some), leaving you to think about your photographs instead of your equipment. Not to mention that in the days of film, cameras were built to last a lifetime, rather than the short wait until the company’s next release.

learn film photography

More often than not, when a person buys a new DSLR, they use it on auto mode indefinitely. The pictures they produce are great, and they feel satisfied with that. This is a fine course to take for anyone who just wants to preserve memories, but if you’re really serious about learning how to make a great image, it won’t be long before you’re watching YouTube tutorials and bugging your local camera store clerk for advice on how to go further with your photography.

For those who are really serious about understanding these machines, the modern DSLR, with all its complex bells and whistles, can be convoluted and difficult to understand.

learn film photography

Successful images may make you feel good about yourself, but it’s through failure that we all learn best. The constraints imposed by manually-controlled film photography force the mind into a place of problem-solving the deep intellectual involvement, which ramps up our brain’s ability to absorb information.

By limiting our possible shots from the thousands down to a 24-exposure roll of film, we have no choice but to consider our every move, our every shot; to think critically about what we have done in the past and what we should do in the future, and to engage our minds in the acquisition of a valuable new skill.

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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Vertical Images and Battery Grips for Digital Cameras

Posted: 01 Jun 2013 12:39 PM PDT

Why shoot vertical images?

Something I try to do on a regular basis is shoot both horizontal and vertical images of a scene. There are a number of reasons for this, but my primary reason is that most magazines and books use lots of vertical images. Magazine covers are verticals. Books are mostly vertical. One exception I can think of is web sites that tend to use more horizontal images.

“Down The Gorge” captured by Mitch Johanson. (Click image to see more from Mitch Johanson.)

Vertical images stand out in a world where most people grab their camera and just shoot horizontal photos. I think part of the reason for this is that most cameras are designed to be held in the horizontal orientation and, let’s face it, holding them vertically can be a challenge. I can tell you from experience that after a day of shooting verticals my right wrist is very sore.

We look at these photos on our horizontal computer monitors and watch videos on our horizontal televisions. Perhaps with new tools like iPads and smartphones, which offer rotating screens to accommodate both vertical and horizontal images, this will change.

Of course the subject can make a difference as well. Out of interest, I looked at the 2,425 general photographs of France that are available in my stock portfolio, and 1053 of these are verticals (about 43%). This feels about right for me, many of the subjects have been covered well for many possible uses. In another instance, I looked at photographs of live music performances and found what I expected: about 75 percent of what I shot are verticals. This makes sense to me as well, as I shoot many images of individual performers and they tend to be vertical.

Analyzing how you shoot can also be a good way to understand where you need to make changes in your habits. I find when I shoot aerial photos that only about 25 percent of what I shoot are verticals. This is probably not good as many of the aerial photos I sell are verticals, but at the same time, shooting both horizontal and vertical images of all the subjects would likely cost me quite a bit more money. This is one of the reasons I upgraded to the Nikon D800. With its 36.3 megapixel sensor, I can easily crop a horizontal aerial photo to a vertical if needed.

From a stock perspective, if I have both horizontal and vertical images of the same scene available, I’ve likely doubled my chances of making a sale. I find too, from a compositional standpoint, that vertical images are often stronger. Maybe to make life easier in the future we should start shooting in the square format again. The old Hasselblads were wonderful tools; the images stood out because they were different.

So, what is your preference: horizontal or vertical? Maybe if you aren’t shooting verticals you should start exploring the possibilities.

“Venezia” captured by Jaideep Singh Rai. (Click image to see more from Jaideep Singh Rai.)

Battery Grips

Want a vertical grip to make shooting a little easier? Many high end professional cameras have both horizontal and vertical grips and shutter releases built into the body, but these cameras are both very expensive ($6,000 range) and very heavy. Another option is to purchase a battery grip with the additional vertical shutter release made by many of the DSLR manufacturers like Nikon and Canon. You put them on when you require a vertical shutter release or additional battery power and remove them if you need a more compact or lighter system. Aftermarket battery grips are also available from a number of manufacturers at very reasonable costs. I have one of these for my Nikon D800, and while it may not be quite as nicely made as the Nikon it works well and has never given me any problems.

I tend to carry my battery grip specifically for certain assignments when I can use it to its advantage. For example, for live music where I shoot many verticals I find that the ease of shooting vertically makes carrying the extra weight worthwhile. Often I’m in a position where I can put the camera down on a regular basis and don’t have to lug the extra weight around all day. The D800 grip (and all the others) also has an additional battery so that I don’t have to switch batteries as often, which can be a huge factor if shooting video or shooting from boats or aircraft. There is nothing worse than running out of power at the decisive moment! While I see many photographers carrying cameras with grips permanently attached, to me that defeats the purpose of owning them. I tend to leave the grip at home when I’m traveling light and need to watch the amount of gear that I carry or when I’m using a tripod and the grip is of no benefit to the shooting experience. If you don’t require a grip, don’t use it!

About the Author:
Kevin Oke is a professional nature and travel photographer with over 30 years experience. When not traveling he writes on his blogs, Nature Travel Photography and Kevin Oke Photography.

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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Insights from Photographer Behind ‘Humans of New York’ Phenomenon

Posted: 01 Jun 2013 09:47 AM PDT

Brandon Stanton has made a name for himself in the world of photography after creating a street photography project titled “Humans of New York.” The project entails Stanton walking the streets of New York City and finding interesting people to photograph. But the project doesn’t just stop at taking a snapshot, Stanton takes his time to get to know his subject by asking simple questions such as, “Where are you going?” and “What was the happiest moment of your life?” The project has given Stanton a different perspective of the city and, in the TED talk below, he shares some of his coveted insight. Take a look (for those of you reading this by email, the TED Talk can be seen here):

One thing Stanton has learned throughout his project is that media tends to flock around the most extravagant characters at big news events. He says that he consistently observes photographers crowded around the same individual, meanwhile many other interesting characters go unnoticed. This has taught Stanton to not just focus on the extreme, but also get to know the less outgoing people.

humans-of-new-york-1

“There’s something about peoples perception of reality, in New york specifically, that was different than what I was experiencing on the streets. I was wondering what it was that caused those perceptions to be so different. Then one night I happened to catch a local news story and all I was seeing was stories of violence and rape and murder.”

For Further Training on Street Photography:

Check out this new 141 page eBook that covers everything about the genre even down to specific post processing techniques that can bring the best out of street scenes:

It can be found here: Essentials of Street Photography Guide

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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips