Unit 57 – Photography Film types and uses

Different types of film are used for different styles of photography Black and white film Colour negative film Colour transparency film Instant film Each film has its own unique characteristics and qualities

Black and white film produces monochrome images Film speed (ISO) helps determine the characteristics of the photographs as do processing techniques Low ISO (125 or less) film has fine grain and a wide tonal range but needs a lot of light High ISO film (400 or more) has coarse grain and a narrow tonal range but can be used in low-light situations

Low ISO High ISO

Film from different manufacturers also have different characteristics which photographers can use to produce different effects Ilford and Kentmere film tends to be ‘flat’ with long tonal ranges suited to landscape photography Kodak Tri X is a high-contast, high-speed film, ideally suited for photojournalism Fuji black and white film has a good tonal range and fine, even grain

The way the film is processed also makes a difference to the final image. Different developers produce different tonal ranges. Film can also be ‘push-processed’ or deliberately overdeveloped to artificially increase the ISO. The resulting images are usually very grainy and have a gritty quality.

Kodak Tri X push-processed to 1600 ISO

Colour film comes in two main types, negative and ‘transparency’ Negative film was traditionally used for family snaps because it was easy to use. Transparency film was used by professional photographers because the colour quality was better – but exposures had to be precise. Improvements in negative film technology in the 1980s and the advent of high-quality digital cameras means that transparency film is rarely used now.

Colour film from different manufacturers also has different characteristics Kodak film general has highly saturated colour – well suited to the bright light in North America Fuji film generally has more subtle colours – suited to Japan and northern Europe. Picture Nils Pooker/Flickr

Instant film was designed to give immediate results for people who didn’t want to wait for their pictures to be processed.

It is now used by artists and photographers who exploit its unique characteristics David Hockey Michal Macku