|
|
![[camera]](bwcamera.gif)
This question arose when a fellow called asking how to best copy pictures and turn them into transparencies. I suggested that instead of copying with negative film and then copying the results of that film into transparencies, that he use transparency film to do the copies. He did have a camera which was more that just a point-n-shoot so that wasn't a problem. He then asked where to get the transparency film. Simple answer was that any film you got that ended with the word "color" such as Kodacolor, Ektacolor, Fujicolor, etc. was a negative film and would yield prints. Any film that ended in "Chrome" such as Fujichrome, Kodachrome, Ektachrome, was indeed a transparency film. This seemed to be the cheaper solution.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
If you are thinking of buying photographic equipment through the mail there are several things to be aware of. You may be able to buy it cheaper but what happens if it develops a problem while still under warranty. This is a reasonable assumption, after all, the local store has to exist in the community and has to maintain a spotless reputation for honoring agreements. The mail order store is out of town, you will have to either correspond by mail or by phone to notify them of the problem. Then you will have to deal with someone who is essentially faceless and could only be interested in selling new equipment rather than dealing with the problem.
Ex. Your new equipment develops a problem with 3 weeks to go on the year warranty, will the company honor the warranty or drag their feet trying to solve the problem, or worse yet, if they accept the article, will they make it top priority to have it fixed and back to you promptly.
I'm not trying to scare you away from these mail order companies. You know of some companies that are very good and very prompt in dealing with you and any problems in a very ethical manner. The problem is that there are so many companies advertising in the photo magazines that it is difficult to choose. If you go to this link, updated monthly, you will be able to compare company policies, and dealings. You will be able to see what other people think of certain companies, and learn of other people's experiences with them. Photographic Mail Order Survey They are rated in several categories, reliability, speediness of filling orders, fair dealing, etc. All of which will enable you to choose a company which will give you what you want, when you want it, and will stand behind the product they sell.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
First rule is, Do your homework By that I mean look through all the sources available, I have a page that may help at Photolinks On that page you will find all the major manufacturers such as Nikon, Konica, Leica, Kodak, etc. Each company will have listings of their current camera lines.
Browse, decide which you would like to look at further, then go to a camera store or another outlet to look at the camera. Pick it up, look through the viewfinder, etc. Warning! Do you think that you would be the only one using it. My wife wanted a camera which she didn't have to think too much about, just point and shoot. You may be of a different bent, willing to have extra bells and whistles to make it a more versatile camera.
Another source would be the previous answer about mail-order buying. After you shop around to find the best buy on the camera you decided upon, get it and enjoy!
Taking pictures of lightning is very similar to taking pictures of fireworks. Determine which part of the sky, the lightning seems to be coming from, use a wide-angle lens on your camera and a tripod to hold the camera. Set the shutter speed to 1 second, set the aperture so that you will not overexpose the foreground, wait for the lightning and fire the camera. An alternate way on a very dark night with hardly any foreground light would be to lock the shutter open, place the palm of your hand over the lens (don't touch the glass) and remove the hand when the lightning occurs. Then close the shutter and wind the film to the next frame. You might consider getting more than one lightning bolt on the same negative by covering the lens between bolts and then closing the shutter after you've recorded more than one bolt on the negative.
Be careful, be sure that you won't be hit by the lightning. You are touching a metal object that is anchored to a metal object on the ground. Some photographers photograph from the back of a SUV or Panel truck depending upon the tires to protect themselves from a charge. Good luck. Be sure to take more than one frame as it is a possibility that your reflexes will be too slow to actually record the bolt. Using a tripod will stabilize the camera in a way that hand-holding it will not do. Also be aware that when the mirror of the camera flips up, it may jar the camera causing camera shake and blurry pictures.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
With the new automatic loading 35 mm cameras it is very easy to load the camera, they say, what they
don't say is that you must pull out enough of the leader strip to go completely into the takeup reel.
It will need to make a slight bend to go properly into that reel.
Make sure that you are able to see the little gear that will protrude through the film sprocket holes. That gear is what advances the film. You might have to reposition the film to enable that to protrude through the holes.
Obviously if you are using a 110 camera, you may have another problem.
Another problem in this category may be that you were attempting to take a picture without sufficient light to expose the film. IE, the flash didn't go off. Make sure the ready light is on at least 4-5 seconds before snapping the picture.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
You must have a firm support for this procedure. A tripod, or a friend's shoulder, if he/she will hold perfectly still. Point the camera at the sky where the burst will go off. Set the shutter to time exposure. When you hear the blast, open the shutter by pressing, keep your finger on the shutter button until the burst is completely finished. Don't move the camera or you will get streaks. If your camera has 2 time exposure settings, T or B, you will have to consult your manual to determine which one you will use. Both will work, one will mean that you do not have
to keep the shutter depressed but that you will have to press it again to close the shutter. Use
the longest telephoto lens you have, if you don't have any tele lens, use the normal lens. The
f/stop must be at its widest aperture. If you're still unsure which setting, T or B to use, check it by opening the camera, (without film in it) depressing the shutter on T and see if you have to keep the button depressed by releasing it, if you see the shutter close after releasing it try the other one. Use whichever is comfortable for you. You may have to shoot a lot of film to get a small number of prints which you're satisfied with. 400 speed film is adequate for this.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Perhaps you're not filling the frame
Many fledgling photographers, in order to get everybody in the picture will stand farther away from the group than a more experienced photographer. You must fight this urge, fill the frame in your viewfinder, you will find that most viewfinders show only 90-95% of what is there, ie, there is a little bit more not shown in the frame which will be photographed and will show in the picture. Try standing closer, and then farther away until you get used to the discipline.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Bad Color
Both of the questions require that you return the pictures to the processor and ask them to make the colors right. Sometimes the automatic labs put in the wrong filtration while they're printing which causes false colors. Although, sometimes the problem is caused by the misdevelopment of the film. Anyway, take it back and get them to reprint it.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
If you've accidentally dropped your film into water, keep the film wet, once dry it is difficult to unload it from the cassette without stripping the emulsion from the film base. You must take it to the processor and tell them about the problem. It could be that they will not be able to extract the film or that the tape they use to hold the film to the leader strip may not hold. If they cannot do the job, go to a professional lab in a big city, tell them of the problem and see if they can do it. Another alternative is if you have a friend who has a color darkroom and is into color developing and printing. He/she could unload the film in the dark onto a reel, develop it and print or return it to you so that you could take the developed negatives to the lab and have them printed.
Pictures got wet, then dried before I discovered this had happened. Your pictures may still be saved. Put a pan of cool water in the sink, (you can add some Photo-flo
to this water if you have it, if you don't have it, you can get it from a photosupply store). No Photo-flo? Go without it, place the prints in the water and carefully start peeling them apart. Be careful to not pull the emulsion off, patience is rewarded here. You may have to peel a little, wait for the water to penetrate before peeling some more. Place the separated prints on a flat surface, don't stack on top of one another. Or better still, erect a clothes line and hang the prints from this line with clothes pins.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
The newer 35mm cameras are almost automatic in loading, refer to above answer about loading. Don't be afraid of loading. It becomes easier the more you do it. On an older camera (without autoload), be sure to watch the rewind knob revolve as you advance the film to the first frame. This insures that you have engaged it properly. I would suggest that you get the best camera you can for the money you have in the budget even if you have to save for a while. Investigate the used camera markets. Camera stores will sometimes have used/returned merchandise which you may be able to purchase for a cheaper price. People sometimes buy the newest camera and want to get rid of last year's model. Some stores will accept trade-ins, some will not. Shop around!
Insist on testing used equipment and return it if not satisfied. Shoot some film with it. Insist that the clerk answer your questions about what you are buying and that you are trained in the loading and use of the camera. The more you practice with it, the easier it will be to use it.
You can field-check the camera in this way. Open the back, set the f/stop on the widest aperture you can have, then set the speed on the slowest setting. Click, as you look through the lens and listen to the sound of the shutter opening and closing. Move the setting to the next higher setting, do the same. There should be a difference. You should see a circle of light through the lens during the process. Keep going through the rest of the speed settings. Then set the shutter speed to the slowest, the lens f/stop on the widest and test that setting. Reset lens f/stop to next biggest aperture. Watch the light as you click the shutter, it should be a smaller circle. Run through the rest of the stops and notice the circle of light get smaller.
If it doesn't, there is a problem with the camera. It could just be the batteries or it could be something more major.
This tip will help you in getting a good camera, not a bunch of junk. Know your supplier, make friends with him, ask for help. If you get a clerk that just wishes to sell a camera, doesn't want to help, insist on getting another clerk that will help.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Sit at a desk and put a 12 inch ruler horizontally on the top. Place an object in the center
of it. Place another object at a distance of 8 inches between you and the ruler. That is the photographer. With a Wide Angle, he can capture on film the entire ruler. With the Tele lens, perhaps he will only see the area between the 4 inch and the 8 inch marks. This when photographed will have a bigger object than the picture taken with the Wide Angle which
shows the entire ruler. Yet you have not moved the object which is 8 inches closer to you
than the ruler. It's a tool which can be quickly mastered.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Amateur or Professional
Congratulations. May your life together be a long and happy life. Here are some points to consider before using your friend with a camera or a professional photographer.
A professional must produce to stay in business for the long haul. A friend can shrug and say "I'm Sorry!" Which do you want, a chance of getting pictures or the certainty? An amateur with a good track record of producing pictures may be your answer if you are on a tight budget. Buy the film and have it processed so that your friend doesn't have to bear the cost. Hope and pray that he's/she's successful. You can not go back to redo the wedding because you didn't get any pictures.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Redeye
This happens when the subject looks directly into the camera, the flash fires and the lights strikes the blood vessels in the back of the eyeball and is recorded on the negative as a red glow. The cure for this problem is to avoid looking directly at the camera, also it is helpful if you can elevate the flash about 4-6 inches above the lens. Some of the newer cameras with built-in flash have a scheme where a light fires prior to the flash exposure. It is designed to make the pupils contract, thus counteracting the reflective process. This problem is increased with cameras that have the flash right on the camera.
Sometimes the only way to eliminate it is to avoid it. Another way to solve the problem is with the careful application of a spotting pen which can be bought at most stores that sell cameras and film.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Panorama
Bite the bullet if you want a normal looking 4x6 made from your panoramic negative. The only way to do it would be to trim the edges to the 6 inch size. If you will look at your panoramic negatives you will see that the horizontal size is the same as the standard size, the difference is that the camera has masked a portion of the negative on top and bottom. This is printed to enlarge the print to the 10 inch length. In other words, this actually does broaden the field of the picture but. You can't get a 4x6 print except by trimming it and you've spent 60 cents to make a 30 cent print. Be alert when using the
panorama feature.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Camera Repairs
Sometimes cameras do go awry and if you've checked out your loading procedures, the lighting situation (did you use flash and nothing happened) checked your batteries both as to freshness and made sure they were loaded the proper way with the plus and minus terminals pointed the way the camera wants them. If you're using 2 batteries, one will be pointed one way and the other the opposite way. Generally there is a + sign and a - sign on the battery, make sure that those signs correspond with the signs inside the camera indicating the way to insert them.
If these procedures still haven't helped you might try field-checking the camera using the procedures outlined above in "Buying a used camera". If you still have a problem, then I would suggest you surfing to Fargo Camera repair links Gateway to the Camera Repair industry, contains a search engine to find a camera repair facility in your area. I used the search engine and found a facitlity in Columbus, I'm sure that if you put in the area code for Louisville or Cincinatti, it would give you the directions on getting in touch with them. Ask for an estimate for repairs, it could be that your estimate to repair the camera may be more than buying a new camera. Then you will have to decide whether the camera is worth it or not. Perhaps it might need nothing more than a good cleaning or it could be worse. I had a camera that would lock-up (mirror would lock up and render camera unusable) whenever I stored it overnight without cocking the shutter, I would then have to go to the repairman to have him unlock it.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Flash burned out the faces.
Flash burn-out of faces may occur when the face(s) is(are) a very small part of the total negative area, ie, pictures in a gym with a wide open space behind the faces. If you haven't composed carefully to put the auto-expose target on the faces, the flash will reach out past the faces because of the larger area and will expose for that area rather than the faces(s). Look at your photos to see whether this may have been the case. This photographer (La Crescenta, CA) responded that this was the case.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Transparency processing
Visit your local photo supply store. I'm not talking about an amateur store but a professional photo supply store. Ask the salesman to steer you to the proper transparency developing kit. One film which can not be processed at home is Kodachrome. There may be others which require professional processing. Ektachrome may be processed at home. There are more steps to the development process, primary development, bleach, wash, (expose to light if not done chemically), redevelop, fix, wash stabilize, and dry, possibly you may even to re-expose the film to light between certain steps. Then you will have to cut the film and mount it. You will probably spend as much to do it yourself as to having it done by someone else. Ask yourself whether you want the hassle. Another thing is that you must control the temperatue quite rigorously. There is a plus or minus of 1/2 degree tolerance in the first developer! Good luck. It is fun to do it yourself and being able to within a day or two viewing something which only you have done from taking the picture to developing the picture to showing the picture.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Which Camera
According to a search I did on my photolinks page all three cameras offer almost the same features you will need and more importantly, have a good track record as far as support, reputation, and more importantly, used by the professionals.
Sports photography is probably the most demanding of a camera so I'll address this first. Auto-winding is a good feature, not having to wind the film means that you do not have to take the camera from your eye to wind it. Auto-focusing is also a good feature particularly in basketball shooting. You can follow the action so much easier.
I definitely would look for a camera with which you can disable the automatic functions should you need to. After all, when shooting portraits or landscape, this may be very advantageous for artistic reasons. You may wish to alter the exposure or focus. You can't do it without the Manual feature.
This leaves the question down to price. I would first research the cameras so that you will know the various features. Then I would go into a camera store and ask questions of the salesclerk. If that person knows the cameras. he/she can then advise you of the differences in prices and the advantages one might have as compared to another. Beware the salesperson who only knows the prices and doesn't attempt to explain the benefits of the camera. He/she is probably only a salesclerk who knows only how to ring up sales. Ask for one who can help you. Otherwise, rely on your instincts and the knowledge you've gained through your research. This question was submitted by David who is contemplating a purchase.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Coloring
Anyone wishing to color B/W pix may choose either a high-tech solution using the computer or a low-tech solution using transparent oil colors which merely put the color on the picture but don't opaque the background.
You will want to go to a professional photo-supply store and ask for the kits such as Marshal's. This is an old process developed back in the days of B/W printing whereby the picture was colored by an artist. It is time-consuming but relatively easy to do, but hard to do if you want true colors.
The other solution is to use the computer by first scanning the image into a program such as Photo Shop, Paint Shop Pro, or other applications which permit you to capture images and manipulate them. You would then have to color each tone of the image. I have not done this so I can't comment about the time it would take. I have done the oil coloring, tho.
Return to Don's Ask the Photographer Questions Page
Colorizing the High Tech Way
This illustrates the point that to get what is acceptable in the print is not what you see on the screen. To get an acceptable print you will probably have to experiment with the image on screen by adjusting the Hue/Contrast or Color controls. Keep at it until you get on the printer what you want. Bear in mind, the screen may be set for showing more colors than your color can print. I do not find printing out pix from the web is very satisfactory. There's the question of pixel colors, which on the less expensive printers shows as a sandy appearance. And by expensive printers I'm saying that they may cost in the thousands of dollars for the best. I hope that this helps slightly. I meant to send MikeOhio78@prodigy.net an email but the address I sent it to kept telling me there was no such person.
This page was modified 6/15/03 using Homesite 5 HTML Editor 
Link to Homesite web site
Download Communicator Now!
You can reach me by e-mail at: 
dwood@tls.net
Pages authored by Don Wood