• maezabeth@aol.com
    Home      35mm Photography Tips      35mm Photography Tips-Getting Back to Basics!
35mm Photography

35mm Photography Tips-Getting Back to Basics!

Grasping these 35mm photography tips will give in an advantage to working with almost any photography medium. 35mm film is where so much of modern photography began. In fact, much of the way that the modern digital cameras is, is actually inherited from the world of 35mm film. If you are fortunate enough to work with 35mm film, you will be at an advantage when working with digital. If you learn to use a manual 35mm camera, you will benefit from an education of learning how any camera, including digital, actually work.

There are still plenty of 35mm film cameras available on the market. They include popular brands , Canon EOS Rebel 2000 35mm Film SLR Camera Kit with 28-80mm Lens or the Nikon FM-10 35mm SLR Camera with 35-70mm f/3.5-4.8 Zoom Lens, as well as Minolta, and many, many others.

So it’s worth spending some time getting back to basics and thinking about working in 35mm photography. These 35mm photography tips cover some of the ground-rules for shooting in this classic yet lively medium.

35mm Photography Tips #1–Think About The Film You Are Using

The most basic choices when you’re shooting in 35mm film is whether you will be shooting in color or black white film. Next, think about what the ISO speed) of the film is. In the case of film, you will have to set your camera to whatever the ISO of the film is, in order to get the correct exposure. For a bright, sunny day, a relatively low ISO – 100, or 200, (slow film speeds) say – will ensure that you get nice smooth images, less visible grain, and fewer blowouts.

A film speed of ISO 400 is considered average, and are good for most shoots, indoors or out depending on the light source.On a cloudy day, or at night, you’ll need a higher ISO – up to 1600, (a fast film speed) perhaps – to let you capture those shots. But where as a slow film has very little grain, a fast film will shows much more grain. Some artist like having grain in there images as it give them a unique look and feel. Experiment with different film speeds to see what works best for the images you are capturing.

Tip #2– Use Filters

Just like your skin, the film in your camera is sensitive to ultra violet light, and too much can be bad for it. Make sure that your camera, specifically the lens, is properly protected from ultra violet light when your film is loaded.

The way to do this is to use a special UV filter – the filter simply screws into the front of your camera lens and will filter out all that nasty UV light. As a bonus, this relatively inexpensive piece of glass will also protect your expensive lens from damage of being scratched. There are also various types of filters to use with 35mm film, which can change the tone of your image. Read the filter photography tips article for more information on the use of filters.

Tip #3–Be Prepared

As with all photography, it pays to think about what you’re going to need when you’re out shooting. Keep in mind that 35mm film comes in rolls of 24 and 36 shots, so pack several spare rolls, covering a few different speeds in case the lighting conditions change, and make sure that you have somewhere safe to stash your gear in case the weather turns nasty.

35mm Photography Tip #4–Composition is Key

Whatever photographic medium you’re using, the composition of your images is likely to be the key to whether they succeed or fail. Think carefully about your composition. There are lots of guides to follow – like the ‘rule of thirds,’ working with line and texture, form and shapes–among others, that can really lift your images up to the next level.

Learn even more about 35mm photography, film and black and white photography techniques here!

Return from 35mm Photography Tips to Photography Tips and Resources