There are different ways of downloading the pictures from your memory card. You can download directly from your camera to your computer using the USB cable supplied, but it’s quicker to download via a separate card reader. As a precaution, many photographers download their images onto a portable storage device or laptop computer while on location. Some printers have card readers built in and you can print directly from your card without needing a computer.
Sharpening
• This function gives your pictures an appearance of greater sharpness by emphasizing the borders between light and dark areas. Whether and how much you sharpen in the camera is a matter of personal taste and also the subject matter. Sharpening is more suited to architecture than baby pictures, for example, though you can choose different degrees of sharpness. If you plan to work on the images in Photoshop later, it’s best not to sharpen in the camera but to leave it as the last step after you have retouched and resized the image.
Using a card reader is a quick way of transferring your pictures from the memory card to your computer.
Downloading the images from your card into a portable storage device such as this makes a secure back-up copy and is a way of managing your pictures on location.
Film effects
• If you want a digital image to look as if it has been shot on a particular film you can use software that will mimic the appearance of any film available now and even some obsolescent ones. Films such as Fuji Velvia, Kodak TriX, Ilford Delta and many more can be reproduced in Photoshop using software programs.
Film quality
It’s a mistake to write off film as a dying technology – in fact there is probably a greater variety of films available than ever before. While digital technology has been motoring on, film emulsions have been improving too. New films have been launched and some old discontinued films have been revived; at the same time the current favourites are still being improved.
The processing chemistry that goes with black and white film has been improved also and there are several small manufacturers making traditional formulae that have not been seen for years. This revival is directed toward the art photography movement.
Some photographers working in both colour and black and white prefer to shoot film and then go digital by scanning the negative into the computer and fine-tuning the image there, combining traditional and modern technology.
Black and white film
The actual speed of black and white films is dependent on the amount of development they receive – for example, a film that has a manufacturer’s rating of 400 ISO can have a working speed of 1600 ISO if the development time is increased sufficiently. Longer development times increase grain size and contrast. There are films available designed specifically for uprating, known as push films.
Black and white films are available in the following categories:
Slow-speed films: 20 to 50 ISO This group of slow films produces the ultimate in photographic technical excellence, giving very fine grain and high resolution (sharpness) and contrast. Use them for any subject that would be especially enhanced by those qualities, such as architecture and still life. Ilford, Adox and Rollei make films in this category which are superb when matched with the manufacturers’ recommended developers.
Medium-speed films: 100 to 200 ISO Films in this versatile group offer most of the qualities of the slow films in terms of fine grain and high resolution but are not as contrasty. This enables them to produce more shadow detail, which is useful for subjects such as landscapes and portraits. Ilford, Kodak, Fuji, Lucky, Adox, Foma and Rollei all have films in this range.
High-speed films: 400 ISO This group is the most versatile of all, and the manufacturers have been improving their films continually over the years. Ilford’s 400 ISO film started its life as HP3 in the 1950s, became HP4 then HP5, and has now graduated to HP5+, its latest manifestation in a long and distinguished career.
Today, all the 400 ISO films can be pushed up to 1600 ISO and beyond. At 400 ISO they reproduce a huge tonal range and can be used for almost any subject, which has made them the universal choice for photojournalists for many years and has also made them popular for landscapes on medium- and large-format cameras. As well as Ilford, Kodak, Fuji, Foma and Rollei all have films in this range.
Ultra high-speed films: 1600 to 3200 ISO These are all push films which can be rated at anything from 200 to 50,000 ISO, according to development time. The more you push them the grainier they become, with increased contrast. Use them for available light pictures and for when you want grain for graphic effect. Ilford, Kodak and Fuji produce them.
Chromogenic films Designed to be processed in C41 colour chemicals, these films have the advantage that they can be quickly processed with colour negative film in a mini lab. Although the negative looks different, they produce a normal black and white print. They are made by Ilford, Kodak and Fuji.
Infra-red films These films are like normal black and white films except that they have an extended red sensitivity. Foliage and faces become pure white when infra-red film is used with a deep red filter – to get the greatest effect, use an 87 or 88 Wratten filter to cut off all visible light relative to the infra-red. Exposure readings are difficult, and you will need to do a wide bracket (see p.32). Ilford, Rollei and Adox make infra-red films.
Digital transfer film This is a transparent film with a surface to accept inkjet printing, allowing you to make larger negatives. Makers include Permajet and Pictorico.
Colour film
Transparency films Colour transparency or slide film has been the traditional colour film for both the professional as well as the family slideshow evening. It has been preferred for the highest quality commercial printing. Most of the big transparency processing labs have now changed over to digital work, but transparency film still has many devotees.
Kodak films start from Kodachrome 64 ISO, the sharpest 35mm fine-grain colour film available. Their Ektachrome range starts from 64 ISO and goes to 400 ISO in steps of 100, 200 and 400 ISO. Kodak also make 64T film, a 64 ISO film which is balanced for use with tungsten light.
Fuji’s slowest colour transparency film is Velvia 50 ISO, which is highly saturated and has fine grain. Velvia is also available at 100 ISO, along with Astia and Provia 100; the latter also comes at 400 ISO. The Velvia films have a warm colour balance, while Asti and Provia are more neutral. Fuji also provide a tungsten-balanced 64 ISO film.
Kodak 200 ISO transparency film (left) and Fuji 400 ISO colour negative film.
Colour negative films There have been great improvements in colour negative films over the last ten years; the colour is more accurate, and the grain is smaller and sharper. Most photographers still shooting colour film are using colour negative, which has the advantage that a print can be made in the darkroom or it can be scanned and used digitally.
Kodak make a range of Portra professional colour negative films at 160, 400 and 800 ISO. These are available with a neutral colour balance (NC) or with more vibrant colour (VC). They also have a large range of amateur films from 200 to 400 ISO.
The Fuji Superia range covers 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 ISO. These films