f/1.8
issue 01 31 august 2012
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A big thanks To Nyimas Laula for the cover photo • Everyone who submitted photos and took part in the issue in any way • People who showed enthusiasm about the magazine • My uncle for supplying me with my first camera • Mr. Skillings for teaching me the things I know about journalism and design • Photographers who keep film alive
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Contents 04 06 08 09 10 30
A word from the editor
The editor-in-chief’s letter to readers
Film lives
An editorial about analog photography
The beginning of film photography
A brief introduction to how photography began
Different kinds of film cameras
Blurbs about 7 different types of analog cameras
A pic or two from you
Photography submissions
According to you
See what readers say about film photography
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Photo by Lisa
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A word
from the editor
Dear readers, It is about time I become serious about my love for photography, even though I am merely an amateur photographer. Since the age of 10, I have been a part of the world of photography. I started with disposable cameras to take pictures of my friends at school, but I finally owned a digital camera a year or two later when I inherited one from my uncle. Fast forward eight years and four more cameras later, and I have become an avid photographer and photography enthusiast. Taking pictures and drooling over other people’s work is no longer enough for me. No, I am not aspiring to obtain a degree in the field. However, I give you this: the birth of f/1.8. I hope to spread my little knowledge about photography, and more importantly, I aim to share my love for the field with others. I do not know how long this magazine will last; for all I know, this may be the only issue. Despite this, I am grateful for the time it has lasted, and I am even more thankful to contributors and those who encouraged me to make the magazine. f/1.8 is named after the F-number, which—as MerriamWebster defines—is “a number following the symbol f/ that
expresses the effectiveness of the aperture of a camera lens in relation to brightness of image so that the smaller the number the brighter the image and therefore the shorter the exposure required.” An f-stop of 1.8 is relatively small, and it would provide a shallow depth of field. This results in a clear image subject and a blurry background. When one reports the news, or writes a story, or photographs a subject, one must clearly define the purpose of that article, story, or image. Although it is up to the person to decide whether or not to evidently present the subject, this photography magazine endeavors to present the issue clearly. On that note, I should let you enjoy f/1.8's film issue. Cheers!
Nicole, editor-in-chief
film lives
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Photos and text by Nicole Editor-in-chief
Photo by Nicole
My ex-boyfriend once asked me what is the difference between film and digital photography. (There is a reason why we are no longer together.) However, I now realize that in this digital age, younger poeple are sometimes uninformed in regards to older technology. Sometimes we forget that anythiing existed before digital cameras, smartphones, and tablets. Technology advances so quickly that last month’s
new big thing is already on its way to being outdated. Despite all of this, analog photography continues to live, not just among older generations, but even among young people. In fact, all of the picture submissions for this issue came from young photographers. People like me inherit old cameras from family members, and this can spark an interest─sometimes even a passion for film photography. Unfortunately, it can be
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Photo by Nicole
difficult to fuel this love when resources are becoming more limited. Many general stores no longer sell film, so photographers resort to purchasing supplies online or at specialized stores, where things can be pricey. Photographers also have a hard time finding developing services because many places have converted to dry labs. Although resources can be difficult to find, they are still around. Ebay.com offers
cheap film from its sellers, but if you prefer not to go on Ebay, you can visit the B & H Foto website for film, cameras, lenses, and accessories. While specialized developing stores exist, your local Walgreens, Costco, or Rite Aid may still have wet labs. Analog photography is not nearly dead. Major stores such as Urban Outfitters promote film photography film photography by selling lomo and disposable cameras,
in addition to their clothing. Former Polaroid employees created the Impossible Project, the instant photo revival, and made a new line of film for instant cameras. Lomography. com features colorful photos taken with its cameras, which they sell, although at a high price for something that is made of plastic. Although film photography is no longer the leader in the photography field, it continues to be very much alive.
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The beginning of film photography
Nicephore Niepce created the 1st permanent photograph by projecting an image onto a pewter plate
500 BCE
Mo-Ti discovers what we now call the camera obscura
1820 CE
William Fox Talbot was the 1st to use negatives
1840 CE
Louis Daguerre created the 1st commercially successful photograhpic process
1890 CE
George Eastman created film and invented the 1st compact camera
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Different kinds of analog cameras
Box: It looks exactly what it sounds like. The box camera is a simple device that only allows minimal aperture control. These are most effective outside and during the daytime.
Twin-lens reflex (TLR): This mechanically simple medium format camera has two lenses: one for taking the photo and one for the viewfinding system. Fun fact: there has never been a TLR camera with a zoom lens.
Rangefinder: Although the rangefinder looks similar to an SLR, it works differently. When focusing on a photo subject, one initially sees a double image, but turning the focusing ring will create a clear view.
Point-and-shoot: Like the digital version, these easy-to-use pocket cameras are ideal for everyday photography. Because the lens is fixed-focus, the photographer must get in close to take the shot.
Lomography: These plastic cameras can be lumped into the point-andshoot category because they work the same way. However, lomo cameras give more “vintage� and colorful pictures.
Single-lens reflex (SLR): In contrast to the TLR, the SLR allows the photographer to view the image and take the picture from one lens. They are the most flexible because users can easily change the settings and lenses.
Instant: Most people are aware of the Polaroid camera, which is simply a type of instant camera. An instant camera developes its own pictures by spreading a developing agent over the film from rollers inside the device.
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A pic or two
from you
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Photos by Stewart http://stewartlangton.tumblr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/stewartlangton/
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Photo by Stewart
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Photo by Stewart
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Photo by Lisa
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Photo by Lisa
Photo by Lisa
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Photos by Cait http://caitkovac.tumblr.com/
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Photo by Willow
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Photo by Willow
Photo by Willow
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Photo by Nyimas Laula http://half-framed.tumblr.com
Photos by Nyimas Laula
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Photo by Nyimas Laula
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Photo by Nyimas Laula
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Photo by Nyimas Laula
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Photo by Nyimas Laula
Photo by Nyimas Laula
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Photo by Nyimas Laula
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Photo by Nyimas Laula
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According to you Analog photographers are becoming more of a rarity nowadays. With the reign of digital photography, who would continue to use film anyway? I asked a few photographers why they still choose to shoot film.
Willow: I acquired my first film camera when I was a sophomore in high school, a Polaroid Impulse. Shortly after, Polaroid went bankrupt and stopped producing film. I was so upset as I hadn’t really had the chance to actually use my new prized possession. I was then gifted a Minolta SRTMC-II. I started taking it everywhere with me as I wanted to document my everyday life. That didn’t last for very long unfortunately as I became too preoccupied being a teenager to keep up with it. A few years went by, I got more into modeling, worked with many photographers who shoot film, and that is when my love for film photography
re-sparked. I also discovered Francesca Woodman whom is one of my biggest inspirations. When it comes to photography, I feel that film photography is the true art form of it. Sure you can do all sorts of fancy things with digital photography but the computer does all the work for you. With film, there are so many more things you have to take into consideration in order to get the ‘perfect shot’ i.e. lighting, composition, film type, processing/developing techniques, etc. Although I am young and never got to truly experience the era of film photography, I do everything I can to keep the art alive.
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Stewart: Why I partake in film photography? How long is a piece of string? There are so many reasons; here are just a few. At first it was the mystery and the intrigue of not knowing if that first roll will turn out or work. Also the delay and having to wait for the film to get developed, no instant gratification like DSLRs offer. There was also the fact that the first serious camera I had was a film SLR, a Pentax K1000. It was my dad’s, but he stopped using it years ago. I found it one afternoon and my interest peaked, a full manual camera. Which I later found out is the camera that most photography schools recommended to students because it teaches you to think. That is the other factor: the thinking aspect. You have to think about every shot and make it count as you don’t get to look at what you just took. 24 or 36 exposures–that limit forces you to really consider what you are shooting and question, 'is this really worth using a frame.' It forces you to take better photos.
I have a DSLR as well and I get far more keepers from my film cameras than my DSLR for many of the above reasons and more. I’ve recently picked up an old Voigtlander Bessa 1 which takes 120 format film and shoots 6x9 negatives, which means 8 shots per roll if you are lucky. Talk about limits, hey? It’s cheaper–start doing the math, and film becomes quite attractive and when a full frame DSLR is 3000–6000 dollars, and a 35mm SLR is 100 dollars, or even free, and you can still get the same photos in film as you do on digital for a lot less. Yes you have to get the film processed at a store, but if you thought about your photos you should be happy to pay for them as you know they are worth it (develop yourself and it might even work out cheaper). It’s different–how many people do you see still rocking a film camera? Not many, hey (well maybe a few more these days). But it shows an appreciation for something different that appeals to me (plus did I mention its cheaper... being a student
means I’m not exactly loaded) Post processing─get it scanned at the developer and your set, everything is fixed; white balance, colour balance all that. I’ve not needed to touch any of my films with Photoshop (and if I did it made them worse, so I just left them). And seriously, the less post processing I have to do, the better because I’m lazy and don’t really want to spend a couple of hours on a bunch of photos that only took me maybe 10-15 minutes to shoot. The ‘It’ factor–there is just something about photographs done with film. It just has that something extra. You try and replicate it with Photoshop, and it just doesn’t quite have that ‘it’ feel to the images. It’s hard to describe but people who shoot film will know what I’m talking about. These were just a few of the reasons I shoot film, there are many more reasons on the technical side and also many more that I can’t quite remember right now, but I don’t want to bore you.