The beginners guide to analogue photography. 2 --- Aperture.

 

 

Part one here!

Now you know what kind of camera, and what film to use. So on to part 2 of the beginners guide to analogue photography. Making beautiful pictures on an analogue camera is a bit harder than with a digital camera. You really have to think what you are going to take a picture of before shooting. If you failed to take a good picture, it is a waste of your film, and development. So a waste of your money! Before making a picture, think about the composition of your photo.

The aperture is one of the tree most important things to make a good picture.  The other two most important things to make a good picture are light sensitivity, which I already explained, and shutter speed, which will be explained in the next post.

The aperture controls how much light your film will get. The amount of light that hits the sensor determines how much depth there is in the picture. Depth of field is the distance within which the subject in the picture appears sharp. By playing with the aperture value you get a completely blurred background or a completely sharp background and everything in between. So the aperture offers you possibilities for creative photography.

 

 

The Diaphragm (= aperture) is located in your lens, the settings are on the side of the lens indicated with an F/number. The numbers vary from F/1.4 to F/32. Some lenses have even more, but those would be really special professional lenses.

Let me show you the difference between a high and a low aperture:

Low aperture: +/- F/2.8

 

High aperture: +/- F/3

There is one other thing that is important to know about the aperture. A low aperture can cause over exposure of your film! I found this picture on the internet, It shows what happens with picture when you shoot with a high and low aperture. (So the pictures are from high to low)

 

I think that was it for explaining the aperture. If you think I’ve missed something, please comment what. I will include it if its important.

Thanks!

Part 1 – 12/18/12

Part 3 – 12/22/12

Part 4 - 

The beginners guide to analogue photography. Part one --- Film.

As some of you know, my first analogue camera was an Olympus trip 35. I had bought it in the thrift shop and didn’t have a clue how to use it. I can imagine a lot of people have got an analogue camera somewhere, or want to buy one. But are struggling with the same problem. So here is a good beginners guide to analogue photography. It will even include some tips and tricks for the most awesome multiple exposures and redscales! I will write it in parts, today part one. I will show you guys:

• Why buying an analogue camera in the thrift shop is better than a new one (especially when you are a beginner).
• What film do you buy for your camera?
• What ISO/ASA is.
• How to load and unload your camera.

First of all, buying an analogue camera from a thrift shop is pretty fun. Why? Because I know a lot of people who bought a new analogue camera. Which is not a real smart move when you’re starting analogue photography. A new analogue camera (for example, from lomography)  can cost you a lot of money. An analogue camera from the thrift shop is as good as a new one, (sometimes even better) and a lot cheaper. Plus, an old camera often has the name of the previous owner carved or written on the body somewhere. They always come with a little history you can fill in yourself. Not that I dislike lomography! Love that. But for a starter who is still finding out if they like analogue photography, the thrift shop is a cheaper solution.  I would recommend you to buy a real simple automatic analogue camera if you’re only shooting for the fun. If you’re planning on really thinking about what you are going to take pictures of, making almost art-like pictures, I would recommend you to buy a SLR camera, which has an exchangeable lens, ISO settings and shutter time settings. Scared you will buy a broken one at the thrift shop? DON’T PANIC! Just read my older post on how to buy the right vintage camera!

This is a SLR camera with an exchangeable lens.

Already have an analogue camera? You would have to buy film for it. Now you have different film types. So first of all check what kind of film your camera uses. Most of you will have a 35mm film camera. But there are a lot more film types out there. The only ones that are being sold by lomography (not expired) are 110mm, 120mm and 35mm. You can also get instant film (for cameras like the polaroid land 1000 camera). I am going to focus on the 35mm films right now, since I’ve got the most of those, and those are the cheapest ones out there.

So, you are going to buy film. What kind of ISO do you need? ISO/ASA shows the light sensitivity of the film you are using. For example: You are having a party soon. Most of the party time is late at night. It will be dark. You will need a high light-sensitive film. You would have to use an 800 ISO/ASA film. If you are going on a summer vacation, there will be lots of trips to the beach, with a lot of sunlight. You won’t need a light sensitive film, because you have a lot of sunlight. You would have to use an 100 ISO/ASA film. If you’re going on a skiing trip, there will be loads and loads of light because the sunlight will reflect in the snow. Making  pictures on the slopes is possible with a 50 ISO/ASA film. ISO/ASA ranges from low numbers to real high ones (even 1600ISO/ASA). The most common ones are those between 50 and 800. Though, buying a high or low ISO film does influence the sharpness and contrast of your picture. Let me show you in a real simple table I made what kind of ISO you can use:

ISO/ASA	Sensitivity	Contrast	grain
50	Low	low	low
100	Medium	Medium	Medium
200	Medium	Medium	Medium
400	High	High	High
800	Really High	Really High	Really High

If the right film is in the camera, you set your ISO settings on your camera to the same as your film says.  You are ready to take some cool analogue pictures.

Don’t know how to put your film in your camera? Just watch this video:

Don’t know how to unload your film? Just watch this video:

 

So that was part one of the beginners guide.

The links to the other parts will come here:

Part 2 – 12/19/12

Part 3 – 12/22/12

Don't forget to fill in my survey, I need at least 50 people for this. Only 25 have filled it it right now.

http://www.enquetemaken.be/toonenquete.php?id=128030&p=1&zelf=0

And don't forget to follow me on Glipho! If I hit the 50 followers, I will give away a vintage camera to one of you guys. (You have to be following me for a chance to win)

Analogue #3 The Olympus OM-10

As promised, the next blog post on my analogue camera’s. Already the 3rd one, but no worries, I still got a lot of cameras to go! This time it’s the beautiful SLR-camera Olympus OM-10.

I had bought it at a giant thrift shop in Hilversum. I absolutely love this one, I had brought it with me to Turkey (vacation) and used it for a school project. It is Ideal for a lot of reasons. For example the lenses. Olympus has a whole OM-system which includes lenses! you can buy them on eBay for a low price.  Here are some pictures I made with my Olympus OM-10:





The Olympus OM-10 is a 35mm film camera. This camera is part of the OM system which Olympus launched in 1972. The Olympus OM bodies were divided in a high range and a middle range. The Olympus OM 1,2,3 and 4 where the high range category, the two middle where the middle range cameras, and the cameras above that where the lowest range. This way, Olympus was able to built a lot of camera parts that where the same and later put in the expensive equipment for the Olympus 1,2,3 and 4. So you where able to have a good quality camera for a lower price.
The Olympus OM-10 was launched in 1979. The early productions of the OM-10 have had malfunction issues with electronics, metering, and shutter magnets. So If you want to buy one at the thrift shop, make sure to check if the metering and shutter works. If you don’t know how to check your metering and shutter, you can read my other blog on how to buy the right vintage camera.  
If you’re looking for a good quality camera, you should take a look at this one. Its beautiful and it has this lovely “click’’ sound when you take a picture.
For the fun, here is the commercial of the Olympus OM-10 back in 1979:

If you have any questions, or think there is something missing in the information that MUST be included, please comment! If you’re looking for 35mm film, just click here.

Thrift shop Saturday Typewriter

YES! finally went to the thrift shop today! The last few weeks I wasn’t able to go because I was so busy with school. I went to the local one in Breukelen…. BAM, BINGO! I bought a beautiful typewriter. At first I was scared it wouldn’t work, but it does! The ink could be empty, but even after all those years, that still works!

I bought this one for a friend of mine, he wanted to have a typewriter and I promised to buy it for him. Next time I’ll buy one for myself, I LOVE THE THING!

Its so pretty:

But, I can’t leave the thrift shop with something for myself… so I went for an old film camera! It is a vintage Bell & Howell Optronic Eye 8mm Movie Camera and it uses 8mm Auto Load Cartridges.  I can’t find a lot information on this one, but I’ll have to de some better research and I will tell some more about it in one of my analogue camera posts. The only thing I could find is that its from the early 60’s

so here is what this awesome camera looks like:

 

Have a good day!!

 

 

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Analogue picture time!

Today I got the pictures back from development! These pictures where the first ones from my Olympus OM-10. I;’m so happy with the outcome!

My Olympus!

I have had a school assignment for my art class. I made a series of pictures that all had to have some kind of emotion in them. THANKS Ruben, for letting me put water in your eyes and make you cry! haha!

I actually asked Ruben to shout as loud as possible in the picture above!

The other pictures are just some random pictures I took to get the 25 pictures I needed before I could take out the roll. For the analogue people out there: I used a Lomography ladygrey 35mm 100ISO roll, and had my diaphragm on 5.6!

I took one of those random pictures for you guys to see!

Have a nice week! I’ll be learning the whole time :(

Oh ok, I will sleep and eat too, don’t worry….

 

 

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My summer in analogue pictures

I was thinking about making my blog post about my vacation and show some pictures of my trip to Turkey.  But since I got all my analogue pictures at once on my mail I decided to make one big story covering my whole summer. All the pictures on this blog post (except for the first two) where made with my analogue camera’s. Two Olympus trip 35’s and one Kodak ektralite 600.

The Kodak:

The Olympus:
So what did I actually do this summer? Lets start at the beginning of it. The last few weeks of school. The weather as getting warmer and nicer. the vacation was so close nobody could concentrate on learning and going to school. For me, the first real summer day was when we made a trip to “De Strook”. The teachers had all decided we could get free from school and all hang out together and have some fun. We had a nice barbecue and went swimming together.


So for me this was my first summer day. It was also the first day of warm weather (about 25 degrees centigrade). 
Then the actual vacation begun and it started good. We – my mother brother and boyfriend and I- had a few trips to the beach in “Zandvoort”. I had a really good time there. We normally don’t make any trips to the beach, and I hadn’t seen de beach for over a few years then. This summer we made quite some more beach trips to Zandvoort.   We had a lot of fun!

The last highlight of my summer was my vacation to Turkey. I had never been to Turkey before. I went together with my boyfriend. Who came with the fantastic idea to go somewhere for a week. We had found this amazing hotel in the old center of Antalya. If you ever plan on going to Antalya. The Alp Pasa Botique Hotel is really beautiful and affordable too!














So that was, in a short story, what my summer was like.

I hope You have had A great summer too! Lets hope the winter is going to be as much fun as the summer!

Analogue #1 Thanks mom!

YAY! I just got home from school and my mom was waiting for me in the kitchen. She had made a coffee for me and had this look in her eyes. That look mothers have when they have something for you they know you're going to like.
My mother gave me a leather bag, which was quite heavy and asked me to open it, and so I did.

At first a dusty smell came out of the bag and then I saw what was in it. My mom just got me a new (old) camera! It is a praktika TL1000. It is a 35 mm camera.

I have been collecting old cameras for a few months now and I have a total of 15 cameras. I love the grain and color the pictures of an analogue camera have.

It all began with my olympus trip 35. I had bought it in the local thrift shop for 3 euro's and just wanted to try it so I bought a 35 mm film for it. When I developed the pictures I was sold! The Thing I like the most is that it will always be a surprise whether your pictures look good. And, don't forget the lightleaks.Some of my 110 mm cameras get those lightleaks, but I have one on my olympus trip film too. ( I think something went wrong during developing).



Olly.



picture taken with my olympus trip. (lightleak on the left)



My cat.



SO THANKS MOM! :)