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The power of photography: time, mortality and memory

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We take thousands of pictures nowadays, but do we still cherish them?

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With film usage and adoption on the rise, we wanted to resurrect the debate of digital photos versus analog photos. As a film processing lab, we obviously have a bias, so not going to say which is better, but to present the differences and list advantages.

While in Eastern Sierra Nevada, we shot two photos, one film and the other digital. Both the digital photo and the film photo were taken with the same settings. The left image was captured on Velvia 50, taken with a Canon EOS 3, a 50mm lens at f/4. The photo on the right was taken with a full-frame Canon 6D with 50mm, 100 iso, and f/4. Both images are unedited. As you can see, Velvia 50 has a very fine grain and has rich, vibrant colors straight from the scan compared to the unedited JPEG from the Canon 6D. And yes, you do have the option to edit digital photos, but there's something special about making a beautiful image in-camera on film and not having to spend any time editing!

Also, if you're looking for a little less saturation, there are other great film choices, like Provia 100, which isn't as saturated but still has great color and fine grain, or you could go with a color negative film which will give you more subtle colors and has a wider range of exposure latitude.

Film Photography Advantages

Lower initial cost than for a comparable digital camera

With a higher dynamic range, film is better at capturing white's and blacks' details and can't be replicated with digital cameras. Also, film can capture subtle details lost in digital photography.

Film is more forgiving of minor focusing issues and exposure problems.

Film captures photos at higher resolution than most digital cameras.

Analog film can be pushed or pulled multiple stops when needed, but the amount of contrast within the image is affected. Some photographers use this to their advantage to create the ideal look they desire, but this method still does not allow extremely high ISO speeds without impacting image tones.

Film photographers with a limited number of exposures available on a roll of film must think more about their images before shooting them. Digital photographers tend to take pictures first and think later. Depending on your viewpoint, this is either an advantage or disadvantage.

Unlike digital cameras, film cameras are future proof and don't become obsolete.

No power or batteries needed. Long trips and cold conditions can be limiting for digital cameras.

The Darkroom photo lab scans your film photos, now allowing you to edit your images on a computer with photo-editing software or share on social media.

Digital Photography Advantages

The resolution in even point-and-shoot cameras, which is often 12 to 20 megapixels, is high enough resolution for large prints.

Digital cameras also have the advantage of being able to change film speeds between individual photographs.

The cameras are generally lighter weight than film cameras.

Memory cards are tiny and can store many images.

Instant gratification and images can be viewed immediately. Some film photographers consider this a disadvantage.

You can edit your images directly on the camera.

You can choose to print only the images you like best.

Many cameras offer built-in filters.

Film Offers Color Consistency and Dynamic Range over Digital

Film is the golden standard of photography. Nothing compares - not even digital. A good example of this is when a film company like Fujifilm tries to match film's beautiful color consistency. Such an 'advancement' in technology is nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

Film is the golden standard of photography.

Take Provia and Velvia, for instance; when Fujifilm tried to replicate these stunning film stocks into their mirrorless digital cameras, it was a sad day indeed. Rather than making more film, they halted production and turned their attention to replicating the color science in camera. Digital mirrorless owners rejoiced as they could now take photos enriched with 'Veliva' and 'Provia' simulations. Looking at these cameras' digital photos, the film simulation effect is merely a punch in contrast and saturation with some embedded metadata text. This type of marketing ploy has nothing on the traditional film stock we have been shooting for years. That's why when you pick up a roll of Velvia or Provia, you know that nothing is going to beat the original. The color consistency is famous in film and not as a digital reproduction.

Check out The Darkrooms film index, reviews, and sample s

Adding to this, the film can capture a wider dynamic range (13 stops, to be exact) than most digital cameras. Because of this, you won't have to edit your highlights, lift your shadows, or increase saturation. The image is perfect in every way. You can't get the same results on a digital camera.

Resolution of Film is Higher Than Most Digital Cameras

The title above may seem far-fetched for those new to film, but let us explain it to you. Film is manufactured in various formats to suit a variety of cameras. This is much the same as the sensor sizes on digital cameras. However, unlike digital cameras, film can capture and store at greater resolutions. More specifically, when the film stock is larger, so is the photon count on the film stock's surface.

For example, if we were to put a 120mm negative against a 35mm full-frame digital sensor, the film's resolution would trump the digital camera. This will be more evident at lower ISOs; however, as you increase ISO, the signal-to-noise ratio drastically changes, and the digital sensor will win in terms of resolution.

So if you are looking to shoot film at lower ISO's (Under 800, let's say), then the resolution you can get will outperform a smaller sensor.

Amazing Photos with Cheap Cameras

Top 10 Photography Podcasts for Film Photographers

Film Processing And Editing Is As Creative As Taking The Shot

One of the key elements of film photography is the creative control offered throughout the processing and editing stages. Rather than being a bulk-edit workflow as experienced in digital, there is a staged process involved with film. It is a process that is both enjoyable and challenging but still one that you have full control over. One of the biggest advantages of film editing is the greater level of light management within the darkroom environment. Film offers a significant level of dynamic range with less blowout of highlights and loss of detail in shadow areas. Digital files can be impossible to recover from such issues.

While it is convenient that digital editing can be done in-camera or on a digital device, it is often done on the go. There is fulfillment and enjoyment in our busy world to be gained in slowing down and working within a darkroom a lab. Alternatively, many are now taking the time to work on high-resolution scans from film photography outings. With the right processing flow, film negatives will last a lifetime and can be used for scans or prints numerous times. Those in the digital world live in constant fear of computer crashes, hard drive failures, or even memory card corruption. There is nothing worse than a memory card read error while in the field or while trying to import images onto a computer.

Editing should be far more than simply pushing around sliders on a screen. Film processing and editing impacts all the senses and brings you closer to creative outcomes.

The Cost Of Film Photography Is More Manageable and Less Jarring Than Digital

Like it or not, the costs involved in photography's creative pursuit are a key consideration for many people. Both film and digital have unique cost considerations worth exploring - however, film photography has a gentler approach with a lower financial burden. With film, your up-front costs are far less as film cameras' price is significantly lower than that of a modern DSLR or mirrorless kit. The price of some of the high-end models is staggering and would place most under financial strain. Plus, you are shackled with the other drawbacks of being locked into the digital medium.

Film photography spreads its costs out throughout your life as a photographer. Aside from the camera, the ongoing cost of film is a low-cost element - buying in bulk is always a smart choice as you are more likely to get out and shoot with a bag full of film. Plus, you save a little on each roll with a bulk lot. From there, you are looking at lab and darkroom costs depending on how deep you want to dive. A popular solution is to manage lab costs by opting for digital scans of your film. These scans are of the highest quality and retain all the quality and detail of your original shots. Plus, you now have full creative control of which direction you want to head and how much you want to spend.

You can now take your digital scans and edit them further with your preferred editing software - or not at all. You can opt to print your scans at home or through a lab in any size and format you want. And, if you are so inclined, you can, of course, share your work on your site, blog, or via social media platforms. Either way, it is evident that you will invest much less with film throughout your photography life than you would through digital. Film cameras last lifetimes while digital-only last as long as their circuits hold-up.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comments below.

This was originally posted on our Instagram ( instagram.com/thedarkroomlab).

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Film vs Digital - A Photo Comparison - TheDarkroom

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With film usage on the rise, we're resurrecting the debate of digital photos versus analog photos with recent photo comparisons and the advantages of each.

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Photography Tips - Understanding Exposure

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Cameras are complicated. I was frustrated with my first DSLR. I couldn't capture what I saw through my viewfinder. It took a ton of trial and error to improve my photography.

When I managed to work it all out, I started taking some pretty spectacular images. This photography for beginners guide will share with you everything that I've learned from my mistakes.

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How Do Cameras Work?

As beginner photographers, we tend to be visual learners. And it's my job to make beginning photography as easy as possible for you.

So I thought to myself, "What better way to help beginner photographers learn how to use their cameras than by creating an infographic?" And that's exactly what I did.

I collaborated with an illustrator friend of mine, and together we made these images. The following are something that will make understanding exposure, and how cameras work, a whole lot easier!

Check out what we came up with below.

For those beginning photography, exposure is key to capturing a great image.

Learning how exposure works will help you to take control of your camera and take better photos. Shutter speed, aperture and ISO are the elements that combine to create an exposure.

As you'll soon learn, these elements have an effect on more than the exposure. They also cause alterations in depth of field, motion blur, and digital noise.

Once you understand how each one works, you can start diving into manual mode. This is where you take control back from your camera.

The exposure triangle is a great way to remember the three settings. When combined, they control the amount of light captured from any given scene.

This will help you to understand that changing one setting will need a change in the others. That is if you are photographing the same scene with the same exact lighting conditions.

Read here for all the information you need on the exposure triangle.

Exposure happens in three steps. We will start with the aperture. This is the hole inside the lens, through which the light passes.

It's similar to the pupil of your eye. The wider the aperture, the more light is allowed in and vice versa. Simple? Not quite.

As the aperture widens, the f/number gets lower and more light is allowed into the camera. This is great for low light. But be aware that it's going to make the depth of field very shallow. This is not ideal when taking landscapes photos.

So this is a short summary but I go into full detail about that in this post. The aperture is the preferred setting to set first, as it directly influences how much of your scene is in focus. But, if you are looking to create motion blur, then it is second to the shutter speed.

Exposure will be much easier if you can memorize the f/stop scale.

The scale is as follows: f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22.

Once the light has passed through the aperture of the lens, it reaches the shutter. Now you need to decide how much of that light you're going to allow into the camera.

Ordinarily, you only want a very small fraction of a second (for example 1/250) to prevent motion blur. However, different shutter speeds complement different situations.

Anything from really fast (1/4000) for sports photography to really slow (30 seconds) for night photography. It all depends on what you're shooting and how much light you have available to you.

Knowing how your shutter speed works is a key element in the basics of photography.

Once the light has passed through the aperture and been filtered by the shutter speed, it reaches the sensor. This is where we decide how to set the ISO.

As you turn the ISO number up, you increase the brightness. But, at the same time, the image quality decreases. There will be more digital noise or "grain".

So you have to decide upon your priorities in terms of exposure versus the grain.

For example, I would reduce the image quality if it meant that I could prevent motion blur in my photo. There's no possible way to fix that in post-production (yet, at least).

Once you've understood aperture, shutter speed and ISO, you need to learn how each of these elements of exposure work together.

For all those basics of photography, exposure is the most important.

If you don't have this down, composition and framing become a moot point in beginner photography.

In this post, you will learn about the 'stop' based system for measuring exposure. And you'll also learn how to prioritize the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO for the best photo.

Understanding Your Camera

Digital photography for beginners can be confusing. Exposure isn't as simple as learning about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. You also have to learn about how your camera looks at light.

Metering modes are there to tell your camera how you want it to look at a scene.

The picture below was taken on spot metering mode. If you were to take the same photo using the evaluative mode, you would end up with a completely different exposure.

This is also covered in my free video training. If you're looking for an article that explains digital, including Canon, metering modes, here it is.

Understanding this basic photography point might be the key to understanding why your photos are coming out underexposed or overexposed.

The histogram shows you a mathematical review of exposure after the photo has been taken. It tells you how evenly exposed a photo is. New photographers often find it frightening to understand. But it is easy, and I tell you how.

LCD screens aren't very good at showing you this information through their display of the image. This is because they are affected by the ambient lighting conditions you're in and the brightness of the screen itself.

That's why the histogram is such a powerful tool to utilize in beginning photography correctly.

Full-Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority or Manual Mode. How do you work out which one you should be using?

There's also a lot of misconceptions about which mode to use under which conditions.

When you understand what each mode does, the one that will be suitable for your situation becomes a lot clearer. This is also covered in my free video training.

When you're shooting in low light, you have to widen your aperture to allow enough light into the lens. But this has a major side effect. A shallow depth of field.

You can use this in a creative way. But it's not the only possibility. There are many situations, such as landscapes, where you'll want to use a narrower aperture. So that the whole scene remains in focus.

This tutorial walks you through everything you need to know about choosing the right aperture (and the DoF) for the right situation.

When it comes to covering all of the basics of photography, DoF is very important.

White balance is something I wish I'd learned more about much sooner than I did. I look back on some photos now and wonder what I was thinking.

The white balance changes the colour cast of the entire photo. It is responsible for the overall warmth. It can determine whether your photo appears blue or orange, cold or warm.

Auto white balance doesn't often do a good job. Especially with tungsten light. The sooner you learn about this basic photography idea, the more accurate your photos will look.

This is also covered in my free video training.

Have you ever wondered what the 'mm' on your lens means? Or why people use longer focal lengths for portraits?

It's all discussed in this post. The focal length affects more than the 'zoom'. It also influences the perspective.

I cover which focal length you would want to use in different situations. As well as their possible side effects.

It's a really worthy read and one of my favourite tutorials to date.

A lot of you may not realize but, unless you spend about $2000 on your camera, you're shooting on a crop sensor.

This means that your sensor is much smaller than professional SLR cameras. It is cropping your image. The crop factor has a range of effects on your photos.

It creates a narrower viewing angle and will influence your lens purchases in the future. For those beginner photographers, research what lenses will help your field of photography first.

Polarizing filters only allow light into the lens from a certain direction. This results in the removal of glare and reflections from non-metallic objects.

Water and glass are the most affected, as well as haze from the sky. Cutting out these reflections and anomalies will make for more natural saturated colours.

This looks fantastic and it cannot be replicated in post-production. That's why it's so important to understand.

Photography beginners, I will walk you through the 10 step process of taking sharp photos like a professional.

It covers everything from choosing the right aperture and shutter speed to shooting in RAW.

It's pretty easy to make only a few small mistakes which will result in less sharp images. That's why we cover all ten in order of importance.

What can I say about the nifty fifty? What's not to love?

For those of you who are beginner photographers, when I talk about the nifty fifty, I'm referring to the 50mm f/1.8 (or faster) prime lens. This can be picked up very cheap for most digital SLRs.

It's a great introduction to buying better quality lenses. And an excellent way of getting to grips with aperture.

The article linked is a review and guide. I wrote it because I recommend this lens as the first upgrade for every beginner photographer to make.

It's easy to use and, for the price, will yield some excellent results.

It's important to understand exposure. But, if you can't get to grips with basic composition, you'll struggle to take really good photos.

I'm not saying that you have to follow every compositional rule. But it helps to learn these rules so they can help guide you in taking better photos.

This is often the first compositional rule that any beginner photographer comes across. And that's for an excellent reason: it's simple, and it works.

The basic premise is that you divide your camera's frame into thirds. By planting key objects on these lines, the composition of the image works better.

This is a tool that always works. But it is easy to overuse it. If you've not learned much about photography yet, it's a great way of improving your photos.

It will help to make them more exciting.

Visual weight differs in size or weight as we know it. It's all about what we're drawn to when we look at a photo.

When you understand visual weight, you'll start to understand how people look at photos. And how you can position certain elements in a frame to direct the viewer's attention to where you want them to look.

It's not so much a tool or a rule, but an understanding.

Shapes are essential in photography. Triangles are in almost everything we see in one way or another. It's only a case of distinguishing and knowing what to do with them.

Triangles make great compositional tools. They're easy to make and manipulate and are quite common. These are a great way to use the simplest and most basic photography compositions.

They are also perfect for combining different compositional techniques. These include lines and paths to create a more interesting part of a photograph.

You can even use them to make a photo feel more stable or unstable.

If you take photos of people, you're taking photos with eye lines. It's important to understand the effect that eye lines have on how we view a photo.

Eye-lines are the direction your subject's eyes are pointed in. The negative space in front of the subject's face is known as ' lead room '.

These have the ability to focus our attention on a particular part of the photo. They also produce tension and other photographic elements.

Although they're not physical lines, they can be used as such to produce different elements. These will help make triangles and vertical lines.

Balance in a photo affects how we feel when we look at it. An unbalanced photo can make us feel uneasy. A balanced photo will make us feel more relaxed.

It doesn't matter whether you choose to make the photo balanced or unbalanced. But you should understand why you've chosen one or the other.

Both affect your photos in different ways.

Again, it's one of those situations where the more you know, the easier it will be to produce the desired effect.

Conclusion

So that's a brief introduction to digital photography for beginners.

Of course, there are tons more you can learn about photography. I would encourage you to go and explore for yourself in my tutorial archive.
Want to get ahead of the beginner pack? Check out our new post about awesome photography facts next!
In the meantime, if you're looking to get started with some free premium training for photographers, check out this video.

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Photography for Beginners (The Ultimate Guide in 2021)

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Subscribe Below to Download the Article Immediately You can also select your interests for free access to our premium training: Cameras are complicated. I was frustrated with my first DSLR. I couldn't capture what I saw through my viewfinder. It took a ton of trial and error to improve my photography.