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by Richard I'Anson
Girl from Chichicastenango, Guatemala |
The choice you make will have a dramatic impact on how your images look. It will determine the kinds of pictures you can take successfully, when and where you can take them, and what other equipment you may need, such as flashguns and tripods.
Kodak, Fujifilm and Agfa all make excellent films and professional photographers will argue tirelessly for the films they think are best. In some cases one film might be more suited to a particular application or subject than another. Fujichrome Velvia is regarded as an excellent film for landscapes and Kodak Portra is made specifically to accurately reproduce skin tones. Additionally, film is manufactured with a particular color balance. The majority of films are balanced for daylight and electronic flashlight. When daylight film is used in situations where incandescent light is the dominant light source the print or slide will have a yellowish or warm cast. This can be overcome with flash, filtration or by using a film balanced for tungsten lighting.
For the traveler, it's impractical to carry different films to cover the range of subjects and lighting conditions you'll want to record. Try a few different films to see for yourself how they react to different subject matter and under different lighting conditions and settle on the one film that gives you the most pleasing results.
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Tibetan Girls on Stairs. Dera Monastary, Lhasa, Tibet. There wasn't much room to move on the steps leading up to the second floor of the Sera Monastery, and these girls were standing back to let others pass. The low light level meant that with my standard film an exposure of 1/15 second would be requires, which would almost guarantee an unsuccessful picture due to camera shake and subject movement. By using fast film, I was able to use the available light and retain the atmosphere of the location while hand-holding the camera. |
The first decision to make is whether to use prints or slides, color or black and white (B&W). It's obviously a personal choice and depends a lot on what you want to do with your pictures and how you want to show them when you get home. Unless you have two cameras shooting two types of film at once, such as color prints and slides, it won't be easy, and will lead to a lack of continuity in your final presentation. Even with two cameras why take everything twice even if you could? You can always make prints color and B&W from slides or slides from negatives.
Be clear about your main priority for taking pictures and film choice will be easier. If you're simply recording your trip for yourself, then color negative film, from which color prints are made, is the most suitable choice. If you intend to submit your work to a photo library then color slide film is the way to go.
Color prints, displayed in an album, are easy to show others and, because they are so accessible, they get looked at a lot more often than slides after the initial burst of interest wears off. Reprints, to send to people you've photographed and traveled with, and enlargements of your favorite photos, are inexpensive. Minilabs now exist in most cities and towns allowing you to develop and print film quickly and cheaply. You can enjoy your photos and get feedback immediately, and learn from your successes and failures as you travel.
On the technical side, exposing negative film is much easier than slide film, as it has wide exposure latitude and exposure mistakes can often be corrected in the printing.
If you're using a fully automatic compact point-and-shoot camera, color negative film is clearly the best choice.
The main disadvantage of color negative film is that the amount of control you have over the finished print is limited. Unless you go to the extra expense of using a professional lab to print to your directions or you print your own negatives, you may be disappointed that the intensity of color you remembered photographing is missing. Minilabs generally print everything as close to average as possible, so most prints have a sameness about them.
The emphasis in this book is on the use of color films, but B&W films are still widely available and popular. Processing B&W is not as convenient as color negative films (few minilabs offer a B&W service, instead sending it off to a professional laboratory). The convenience of minilab processing is available if you use one of the B&W chromogenic films that can be developed and printed with the same chemicals and paper used for color negative films. The prints often have a color cast, which will often result in them looking slightly blue or sepia brown. Good B&W prints are possible off chromogenic negatives when they're printed onto B&W paper.
Buddhas at Wat Mahathat, Bankok, Thailand Color films reproduce colors differently. Try various films to find the one that gives you the most pleasing results. |
A color transparency, or slide (also called trannie and chrome), when properly exposed and projected onto a white screen in a very dark room, is the closest you can get to reliving the depth of color and range of tones that you saw when you took the photo. Most professional travel photographers shoot transparency film because it allows total flexibility in end use, and it's also the standard requirement of most publishers and photo libraries. Also, and most importantly, the final look of the image is determined by the type of film used and through exposure choices made by the photographer. The slide is a final product and therefore an expression of the photographer's vision and intentions. It doesn't need to be interpreted by a printer, as a negative does, before it can be viewed.
It's important to understand that different films record color differently, and that this characteristic is especially relevant to color transparency film. The variations between films can be quite dramatic and aren't just apparent from one manufacturer to another. A particular Kodak 100 ISO color slide film will not only record colors quite differently from a Fujifilm or Agfa 100 ISO film, but differently from another Kodak 100 ISO film.
When you choose one slide film over another you're actually making a creative decision that can greatly affect how your pictures look. The film type determines the way color is recorded and the film speed (see later) determines the overall quality and sharpness of the image.
Color prints can be made from slides, but are more expensive than prints from negatives, and as contrast is increased in the process they're often disappointing and look too dark. Good quality prints from slides can be made at a considerable increase in cost by a professional laboratory, but are well worth it if you intend to display a framed print of your favorite photograph.
Transparency film is not recommended for travelers using automatic point-and-shoot cameras. To ensure consistent results an SLR with a reasonably sophisticated built-in exposure meter is required.
Color slides need to be projected if you wish family and friends to see them, and that requires extra equipment and preparation. Not to mention the fear you'll put into your friends when they're invited over to see the slides of your latest trip (but more on getting over that later). However, nothing beats a projected slide for brilliance and color.
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Umbrella Workshop, Pathein, Myanmar. Working in a covered but open-sided building, this young boy was facing the light. There was enough light to use my standard 100 ISO film with my fastest lens - always my first choice. |
Most amateur (or consumer) color slide and negative films, have a professional equivalent (identifiable in most retailers as it's stored in refrigerators), but both have the same chief characteristics of color sharpness and grain.
All color films have emulsions made from chemical compounds that change slowly over time, which results in a process known as aging, where the color balance and speed of the film changes. The film manufacturers allow for this based on the way film is used by the two customer groups. It's expected that there will be quite a delay between manufacture and processing of consumer film, as it sits first on the retailer's shelf and then for some weeks or months in the customer's camera. During this time the film ages so that it's close to its optimum during the period of its expected use.
Professional films are aged by the manufacturer and then kept in refrigerated storage so that they're released and used much closer to their intended optimum color balance and speed. This is important for some professional applications where consistency from roll to roll is required. Many professionals buy large quantities at once to ensure this consistency, saving time and money.
For the traveler, amateur films have many advantages. It's impossible to keep film refrigerated on the road so the batch consistency of professional film can't be guaranteed, especially on a long trip and, perhaps more importantly, amateur film is considerably cheaper. Processing costs are the same for professional and amateur film.
As with choice of film, it's well worth trying and comparing a couple of different amateur and professional films to establish which will meet your needs best.
All film has an International Standards Organization (ISO) rating that designates the speed of the film. Film is light sensitive and the more sensitive it is to light the higher the film speed or ISO.
Film speed is recorded numerically. For example, there are 64 ISO, 100 ISO and 400 ISO films. Doubling of the number shows the doubling of film speed, 100 ISO film is twice as fast and twice as sensitive to light as 50 ISO. The 50 ISO film requires twice as much light to achieve the same exposure as the 100 ISO film.
Film is also classified more informally into slow, medium and fast. Slow films have ratings of 25 or so ISO. Medium (or standard) speed films are rated at 64, 100, 160 and 200 ISO, and fast films include 400, 800, 1000, 1600 and 3200 ISO films.
Film speed is also a good indication of the potential overall image quality that can be expected. Slow films have a finer grain than fast films and result in much sharper images with excellent detail and color rendition. This is particularly noticeable when making prints larger than 8X10 inches. As the image is enlarged the grain is magnified and, unless the effect has been sought for artistic reasons, the print will acquire an unsatisfactory soft, textured effect.
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Umbrella Workshop, Pathein Myanmar. The workshop owner was working in a dimly lit area, which required an 1/8 second exposure with the 100 ISA film. Flash would have eliminated the ambience of the location and although a tripod could have been used, I find it limits the spontaneity possible with working with people. Switching to my camera body loaded with 200 ISO film, but rated at 800 ISO, I was able to hand-hold the camera and move round my subject as he worked. Workshops like this one are often dark, but in low light situations the grain of the film enhances the mood and sense of place. |
The choice of film speed comes down to the conditions you expect to be shooting in, personal preference and the expected or desired end use of your photographs.
If you use a compact point-and-shoot camera for color prints, 400 ISO film is ideal. The extra sensitivity to light over the slower films means that you can hand-hold your camera in most situations and that the effective range of the built-in flash is extended.
If you use an SLR and are interested in getting the most out of your equipment and film and intend enlarging your favorite pictures, select 100 ISO as your standard film speed. Carry a few rolls of 400 ISO film for low light situations.
For general travel photography with an SLR camera 100 ISO film is the ideal choice. It's suitable for the majority of picture taking situations. However, different situations call for different speed films. If you have a special interest in landscape photography and will be carrying a tripod, then a very fine grain 50 ISO would be best. If your interest is in photographing sport or theatre, you'll need greater quantities of faster film. Carry a few rolls of 400 for low light situations or explore the possibilities of 'push processing'.
Pushing and pulling film is a technique that allows you to vary the ISO of color slide and B&W film, at the time of exposure, for practical and creative reasons.
The most common technique is to 'push' film one or two stops by exposing it at a higher ISO setting than its actual film speed. (E.g., with 100 ISO film in the camera, set the ISO on 200 for a 'one-stop push' or on 400 for a 'two-stop push'.) The camera meter is tricked into thinking that you're using faster film so that less light is required for correct exposure. The entire roll must be exposed at the new setting and the film lab must be informed so that the developing time is extended. If you don't inform the lab you'll end up with transparencies that are underexposed, or too dark. If you 'push' your standard films carry stickers or devise a foolproof method of identifying the film.
Pushing film creates opportunities to take pictures in low levels of available light, instead of resorting to flash, using a tripod or having to hand-hold your camera at shutter speeds that risk camera shake.
It also allows you to carry only one film stock and push the film as necessary in low light situations, rather than having to estimate in advance how much fast film you should carry on a trip.
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Gokyo Village and lake, Khumbu Himal, Nepal. |
Be aware that when film is pushed, contrast and grain are both increased, which is why pushing film is not recommended in good lighting conditions. It's an ideal technique when working indoors and in low light. The increase in grain often adds to the mood of the shot.
'Pulling film', rating film below its actual ISO, isn't a technique commonly used, but can be useful if film is accidentally exposed incorrectly. If you change from 400 ISO film to 100 ISO film but forget to change the setting on your camera, your pictures will be overexposed. Inform the lab and they'll compensate for the error in the processing.
Rating film incorrectly has become less of a problem since DX coding, which reads the speed of the film and sets it automatically when it's loaded into the camera. DX coding has become a regular feature on modern cameras.
There are several reasons to take film out of the camera before it's finished. You may want to change from a slow to fast film, 'push' one of your standard films, switch from color to B&W, or remove the film before the security check at the airport. If your camera rewinds the film automatically check that it has a mid-roll rewind facility that doesn't wind the film all the way back into the cassette. If it does it's a simple job for a camera technician to adjust the auto rewind to leave the leader out.
TO REWIND A PARTIALLY USED FILM:
TO RELOAD THE FILM:
Ideally, film should not be x-rayed and should never be packed in your check-in luggage.
Unprocessed film is light and heat sensitive and exposure to x-ray can fog the film. The amount of damage results from a combination of the ISO rating, the strength of the x-ray and the number of times the film is scanned. The good news is that Kodak have done extensive tests and found that slow and medium speed films can handle up to 16 passes through the x-ray machines used to check hand luggage at western airports. The more light sensitive, faster films from ISO, are much more susceptible to x-ray damage. Try and limit their exposure to four or five passes.
Be aware that in many developing countries airports still using old technology and the dose of the x-ray may be set at higher than acceptable levels. The danger for medium and slow ISO films is the cumulative effect of x-ray. One or two passes through the scanner may not matter, but five or six may take the levels over the acceptable threshold and fog the film. It's very easy to clock up half a dozen security checks even on a short trip.
Never pack film in your check-in luggage.
High dose CT (computerized tomography) scanners are now widely used for check-in luggage at airports around the world and have been proven to fog film with just one pass. Carry all unprocessed film in your hand luggage. If your travels will take you through many security checks, or you're confronted with a machine that you're not confident is 'film safe', ask for a hand inspection.'
Hand inspections are not usually a problem, but there are ways of making the request less painful for the security staff. Take all film out of the boxes and plastic containers and carry it in clear plastic bag or box (I use tupperware containers, Tony Wheeler uses a Chinese takeaway container). Before you get to the security check remove your film and put your camera bag through the machine, making sure there's no film in your cameras. This indicates that you're doing your best to comply with the security requirements and packaging of the film in clear containers makes the security staff's job easier. It's also worth getting to the security check with plenty of time to spare so you have time to wait if the security staff claim to be too busy to hand-check bags. Remember they're only doing their job, and after all it's for your protection, so be patient and courteous.
Lead lined bags may give some piece of mind if a hand-check is refused. The lead lining stops the x-ray penetrating the bag but may cause the inspector to increase the dosage. If you're lucky, the presence of a solid black package in your bag will simply lead to a hand-check after the x-ray.
The cost of film adds up when you use lots of it, but it's better to take too much than too little.
Run out of film and you'll never forgive yourself. Compared with the other costs of travel, film and processing is relatively cheap, especially given the years of pleasure you'll get from the photographic memories. It's best to take as much as you can with you, especially if traveling to out-of-the-way places. Even if the more remote locations have the exact film you want, when you want it, it may not be fresh or it may not have been handled properly, and it will often be very expensive. Excess film can always be used when you get home, stored in the freezer for your next trip, or sold to a fellow traveler that miscalculated their requirements.
It's almost impossible to recommend how much film to take. You'll need more it you're rushing around from sight to sight than if you intend to sit on the same beach for days. A quick survey of regular travelers suggests that two to three rolls of 36 exposures a week is adequate to record a trip, but five to six rolls a week would suit someone with a keen interest in photography. I budget for 10 rolls a day on an assignment and two rolls a day on a family holiday.
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Richard I'Anson's work had been published in magazines
including "Wanderlust," "Escape," "Habitat," and
"Esquire." His photographs also appear in more that 150 Lonely Planet
titles, including Chasing Rickshaws and Sacred India,
and in books published by Penguin, Random House, Times and Reader's Digest. Travel
Photography is published by Lonely Planet Publication, Hawthorn,
Victoria, Australia. This excerpt has been authorized by the publisher. It may
not be reproduced in any format without expressed written permission from Lonely
Planet. It is reproduced here for your online enjoyment only.
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