NOTE: The article below was written before digital photography dominated the market. A separate article about digital photography is in the preparation stage and will be posted when it is completed.
Also, see our article “Is Film Photography Dead?“
The photographic films article:
In the early days of photography flat glass plates were coated with a light-sensitive emulsion. Shortly before the turn of the century George Eastman invented “film” – a transparent celluloid-type material which was coated with the photographic emulsion. This meant that the material could be manufactured as a roll instead of a single flat plate. Therefore many pictures could be taken without having to reload the camera after each shot. Thus was born the roll-film camera – the “Kodak.”
Films may be either positive or negative. Positive films produce transparencies, usually called “slides.” Negative films are printed on paper which has been coated with light-sensitive emulsion. Films may be either color or black and white. On this web site, we will restrict our discussion to 35mm color negative film, because that currently is the most popular format. The resulting photograph from this type of film is generally a color print. However, color negative film is very versatile. It can also be used to make color slides (there is a print film available for this purpose) or black and white prints (this is accomplished by printing onto a photo paper which is panchromatic – that is, sensitive to all colors of light).
Films have varying degrees of sensitivity to light, which is indicated by an “ISO” number. The old “ASA” numbers have been replaced by ISO. However, the values of ASA and ISO are identical and can be used interchangeably. Films with a low ISO number are said to be “slow” because more light is required for a proper exposure than is required for films with a higher ISO rating. See the article about exposure for more information about this.
35mm film is marketed in rolls which can be purchased with varying numbers of exposures per roll – the most common being 12, 24, or 36 exposures. Some special purpose rolls may contain different numbers of exposures, and 35mm film can also be purchased in long rolls such as 25 feet. These long rolls are sometimes used with motor drives to cover events where many pictures must be taken, such as sporting events.
There are many film manufacturers. Most produce fairly good quality films, but there are also some that are very poor. I prefer to use Kodak or Fuji films. This is not to say that there are not other good quality films – it’s just that I’ve had more experience with these two companies.
Find a film that produces good results for you. Feel free to experiment and be sure to keep records so you can duplicate your results. One of the great attributes of a good photographer is the ability to produce consistent results.
Do not hesitate to take a lot of pictures. Film is the cheapest thing you  have! Take lots of pictures and edit your results to select the very best. Don’t be afraid to use the wastebasket. Show only your best pictures to others!
