Photography Studio

The Photographer's Canvas
Photographic film, or camera film has been called the photographer´s canvas and just as the artist picks his canvas carefully, so does the photographer. Have you ever heard somebody in a camera shop say “May I have a roll of film for my camera, please,” which is normally followed by “Of Course. What kind of camera film do you want?”. Normally this causes a puzzled look to appear on the customer. Most people do not know that camera film comes in a vast selection of sizes and types, and they assume that any roll of film will fit their camera and suit their photographic purposes.

Some of us do know that we must use a specific size and format of film for our camera, and there is a huge choice of film types for all situations. You need to experiment with the different types of film, find a good camera shop and do not be afraid to ask. Explain your needs and the assistant will normally be very helpful to you, describe what you want to try and do and the conditions you expect, the camera film shop will be able to ensure you get the right film for your needs and your current photographic equipment.

Film Selection
The major factor that determines the type of film is the subject that needs to be photographed. A film type that is ideal for one situation may be completely unsuitable for another. Other factors you need to consider includes the type of camera to be used, how a you want to photograph the subject to achieve the kind of images required, the subject’s illumination and colour determination - black and white or color print.

A good photographer is an artist, like the painter they must understand the fundamentals of their equipment and materials, including camera film, in order to make better choice for taking pictures.

This section of Photography Studio deals with all types of camera film and their different characteristics and applications. We hope it will help you with answers to your questions about camera film, use this as a guide to your selection of film and you will take better images.

Processing and Developing
There are many different ways for processing or developing your photo film, we go into all the method that you can use for your processing or developing needs. Follow the links below.

Basic Film Types Overview
The different types of file are:

1. Format -  roll and sheet film
2. Size
3. Sensitivity to color
4. Film speed
5. Graininess
6. Gradation - contrast.

Explore the different types of film by selecting the links below for information on camera film. Or for digital photography discover the joy of taking pictures without film.

Resources
Film format
Film sizes
Sensitivity to color
Film speed
Graininess of film
Gradation
Infrared film
Professional film
Film storage
Scratches on film
Processing black & white film