Skip to main content

The Anatomy & How the Camera Works

The Anatomy Of The Camera:

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/338473728219110890/
The viewfinder - This is what the photographer looks through to create the image and to see what they are shooting in front of the camera.

Film speed dial - This allows the photographer to change how fast the film goes past the mirror which would allow for either a longer or shorter exposure time.

Shutter release - A button on the camera or anything that can be used to trigger the shutter release.

Film advance lever - This allows the photographer to pull the film from within the canister, out and onto the spool.

Exposure counter - This shows how many exposures have been taken and how many are left on the roll of film.

Mirror - Allows the photographer to looks through the lens to see what is being captured.

Pentaprism - Allows the photographer to look through the lens through a viewfinder with everything the correct way up and around.

Shutter speed ring - This is the amount of time that the film is exposed to light.

Focusing ring - This moves the parts inside the lens by changing the glasses position this makes the images created by the lens to come into focus.

Aperture ring - This allows the photographer to control the aperture.


Things to take into consideration when using a 35mm SLR:

  • Make sure that the film is loaded correctly before the camera is used.
  • Press the shutter release and then wind the shutter advance lever twice to advance the film into the right place.
  • Change the ISO.
  • Give priority to shutter speed and or aperture.
  • Make sure to use a tripod if the shutter speed is less than 1/30 sec.
  • When thinking about the composition of the image, make sure to take note of what is in the background.
  • Focus specifically on the main subject matter.
  • Take your time.
  • Make sure to rewind the film back into the canister before opening the camera. 


Shutter Speed:

Shutter speed is the amount of time that the "curtain" or best known as "shutter" in front of the film or digital sensor is open for, allowing for the film or digital sensor to be exposed to more light. 


Examples of different shutter speeds include:

  •  Fast shutter speed - 1/1000's. This means that the film or digital sensor is exposed to light for a very small length of time. This is great for getting those frozen motion shots. This shutter speed is used more often than other shutter speeds so there is no blurring whatsoever. The photo below is an example of fast shutter speed.






  • Slow shutter speed - 1/15's. This means that the film or digital sensor is exposed to light for a longer length of time. This is great for getting those blurred motion shots which in my opinion deem more interesting than a faster shutter speed shot. This shutter speed is used less frequently than a faster shutter speed. When using a slow shutter speed it is best to use a tripod in order to keep the camera steady and prevent unnecessary blurring which may ruin the photo. The photo below is an example of slow shutter speed.




  • Very slow shutter speed - 30 seconds. This means that the film or digital sensor will be exposed to light for an even longer amount of time, this is also known as very long exposures. If you were to use this shutter speed then it would work best in low amounts of light and it can create stunning effects making photos seem surreal. The photo below is an example of very slow shutter speed.

Aperture & Depth of Field:

  • The depth of field can range between wide and shallow
The Larger the aperture, the shallower the depth of field, this is because the large aperture allows more light to pass through the shutter and onto the film or digital sensor. This means that the foreground of the photo will be clear and in focus and the background will be out of focus, or a certain subject matter could be the focal point of the photo which might be in focus and the background would be out of focus making it seem blurred. (Small f numbers - f2.8 which is the widest aperture or f4.5). Below is an example of a large aperture.



The smaller the aperture, the wider the depth of field, this is because not a lot of light is passing through the shutter and onto the film or digital sensor. This results in the whole photo being in focus or a very minimal amount of the photo being blurred/out of focus. (large f numbers - f22, f32 which is the largest aperture). Below is an example of a small aperture. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stitching/Panorama

I created a stitched (photo merge) image by taking many photographs which overlap very slightly in order to produce a final panoramic image. I began by opening photoshop and going to the "File" menu and then "Automate" and then clicking on "Photomerge". By doing this, it opens up a tab which allows me to change what sort of photo merge I am going to produce and it also allows me to browse the files that I would like to use for the photo merge. I then browsed through my files to find the exact files that I wanted to use. Once I clicked open, it layered and merged the photos together into one final panoramic image. Once the final image was created I flattened the image by hovering over the "Layer" and then clicked on "Flatten Image" which brought all the layer into one. Below are my 2 final panoramic images that I created. The 2 final images above are underexposed so when I create a panoram...
Post a Comment
Read more

Evaluation Of The Carousel (Week 1)

How to process black and white film: (BEFORE STARTING) Take the canister with the film rewound back into it from out of the camera.  Take a developing tank, scissors, film canister opener and the canister of film into a dark room. (IN DARKNESS) Once in complete darkness, open the canister, get rid of the film spool and cut the end of the film. once all that has been done load the film carefully onto the spiral. Then put the central tube through the middle of the spiral and then place it into the tank. Lastly, put the funnel on top of the tank making sure that it is on correctly. (PREPARING CHEMISTRY) Using water at 20 degrees, add one part water and one part X-Tol developer: one 35mm film =  300ml of a mixed solution so (150ml X-Tol + 150ml water = 300ml) so for two 35mm films, just double the mixed solution. (DEVELOPING) Pour mixed developer into the tan and put the lid back on. start a timer once the developer is in the tank. the time should be set for around 10 minu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Health, Safety & Rules of The Darkroom

The health and safety of you and of others around you should be at the forefront of any photo graphical darkroom enthusiast. Below is a list of the key points that will prevent any minor or major incidents from occurring whilst working in the darkroom. Food and drink must not be eaten or drunk inside the darkroom. The extractor fan must be turned on whenever working with any chemicals in the darkroom. If you are using any chemicals, then either tongs or gloves must be used. If your skin comes into contact with any chemicals, then make sure that this is washed immediately. If there is spillage (may it be on worktops or on the floor), make sure to clear it up immediately to prevent anyone from slipping. Do not run inside the darkroom. Darkroom chemicals must not be consumed. Do not touch or interfere with anyone else's workstations or work at any time. When you have finished using the darkroom, make sure that your workstation is tidy with no objects left under enlargers ...
Post a Comment
Read more