120 transparency tips for beginner

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I've just bought a roll of 120 Ektachrome 100G. This is my first time using Transparency film in any format and I'd like some general advice.</p>

<p>I'll be taking photos of people outdoors with my Hasselblad 80mm and incident metering with a handheld meter.</p>

<p>I know you have to be more precise with your metering, but that's about it.</p>

<p>Any advice for a beginner would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Many thanks,<br>

Laurence.</p>

<p>Just meter normally and you will be fine. Slide film has a lot more latitude than most give it credit for.</p>

<p>Laurence, I have used that film with gear not quite in your league. I love 120 transparency as a properly exposed positive viewed on a lightbox is really something wonderful! As Peter says, meter as you normally would. Outdoor metering is going to be a lot easier than the same shot indoor. However, do take note of darker skintones.</p>

<p>Thanks all for the responses. <br>

I'll just forget I'm using transparency and work as I normally would.<br>

Starvy, I have my wife to thank for my Hassy. Still it's only as good as the person using it. What's that saying? "All the gear, no idea!".</p>

 

<p>Ditto about metering comments. Visually look at the contrast range of the scene you are photographing and avoid if possible high contrast scenes. Any deep shadows will get deeper (block up) and any severe highlights (skies etc) will possibly burn out. You dont need to meter this, just assume it will happen. So if taking people photo's outdoors look for flat lighting or even take their photo within a shadow area. Avoid direct sunlight or lighting that will create heavy shadows. If taking photo's in direct sunlight maybe consider fill in flash?<br>

Have a look at National Geographic shots, Steve McCurry and others. They used tranny film for outdoor portraits - have a look at the lighting they used. The metering comes second.</p>

<p>I don't understand how people can justify claiming that slide film has "more latitude than most give it credit for" or that "metering comes second." 120 rolls of transparency are expensive, probably $16-20 after processing, not including a decent scan. You really do have to get the exposure correct or you'll get frustrated and waste $$. You must run a sunny-day test of your meter and camera (in case your speeds are off) and determine a baseline. I know, for instance, that Velvia at 1/60 and f16 will be underexposed, so my Sekonic meter is calibrated +.7 stops. If you're scanning, any slight underexposure will lead to noise and funky colors. I'm sure NG photographers know how to meter. They can't afford to waste shots either.</p>

<p>Scott if people were to worry more about composition than exposure, we would have far more pleasant things to see than we do right now. </p>

<p>Becoming all 'OCD' over metering exposure at this stage will get him no better results than using his brain. Slow down and smell the roses.... If your camera (or meter) is generally 'on' for negative film, it should be reliable enough for transparency film.</p>

<p>Tony's advice is the best so far. Understanding what you shoot *is* the 1st and most important factor in considering exposure.</p>

<p>Tony, thanks for expanding on the high contrast issue. When people talk about transparencies they often use adjectives like "contrasty" and "punchy".<br /> <br /> I had imagined I should photograph in direct sunlight to make the most those qualities. I live in southern England, so there's lots of leafy trees and often cloud cover so I'll try to make the most of that.<br /> <br /> Fill-in flash in direct sunlight is also something I've not experimented with much. I don't have a flash for my Hasselblad yet; perhaps that should be my next investment.<br>

<br /> Scott, Peter, I understand both of your positions. I take a lot of photos of my 14 month old son, so I've learned to use my instinct on exposure and how to use the Hasselblad quickly. That said, I really would like to find time for more considered photography.<br /> <br /> Once I have my film back I'll post my photos for further advice.<br /> <br /> Thanks very much all.</p>

<p>Just to clarify...I wasnt suggesting that you dont need to meter, just meter normally as a previous poster suggested. Its a funny thing exposure,you do need to become expert over time but you cant get hung up on it. Its a bit of a shocker when you have more than one camera or meter and you compare the readings!</p>

<p>Lawrence Rockford : "All the gear, no idea!". On a positive note I changed this to "All the gear with no fear" after building up much equipment to tackle any assignment. May be useful to know that flatbed scanners like the Epsom Pro V750 (£500 approx) will give excellent results into digital medium, from the transparencies, if needed. Pleased to see that film and the best camera of all time, are still being progressed, best wishes,</p>

<p>Laurence, have you checked your hassy for exposition time accuracy and consistency? I'm using cameras with electronic shutter and there are times when +- 1/3 EV counts. Not much, but it matters sometime.<br>

Another important thing is to find good E-6 lab. I couldn't, so I do E-6 by myself.<br>

From my own experience, the E100G is lovely film, with very good lattitude: -3.0..+3.1 EV, but expensive, though.</p>

 

<p>I simply cannot understand why people are not pointing out that the brightness range that can be captured on slide film is much less than either colour or b&w neg film. In most cases were talking between 4.5 and 6 stops between impenetrable black and white. This does indeed mean that you have to be much more careful with metering, and a half stop of exposure difference can make quite a big difference in how your photos look. It is not just like exposing for neg film at all. </p>

<p>Its not just a question of setting a respectable mid tone that will reproduce on slide the scene broadly as you see it by eye. Its a question also of assessing whether the brightness range of the scene can be fitted onto the film you're using, and with incident metering you're going to need to learn that. If the film you're using can cope with a brightness range of five stops and your scene also has a range os five stops then effectively your latitude is nil. These issues are why people use grad filters, fill flash etc to reduce the brightness range in the scene. </p>

<p>In the short term bracketing will help you understand what exposures give you the best results, bearing in mind the performance of your camera and meter. In the longer term you're going to want an exposure process that gives you what you want with one exposure otherwise the cost of your photography will remain high. </p>

<p>Its pointless to debate whether exposure is more important than composition. You want them both. A great composition irrevocably badly exposed is a waste. </p>

<p>David Henderson: We were waiting for this contribution to point it out David.</p>