Medium Format Film Photography

by Jeff Stefan

Newly revised and expanded edition, also available in paperback. Film is dead, right? Not by a long shot. Images made from film are visually rich and continuous, and the good news is that film photography is experiencing a resurgence. This book takes one step beyond 35mm film into the world of medium format film photography. In Medium Format Photography you - Learn about different medium format cameras to find one that suits you. - Learn the essentials of film photography. - Learn how to set exposure on your camera using a light meter. - Learn how to compose shots for square and rectangular formats. - Learn how to develop black and white negatives and understand what supplies to acquire. - Learn how to take corrective action if your negatives do not turn out correctly (it’s always your fault!). - Learn how to photograph negatives digitally in preparation for computer processing. - Learn how to convert your negatives to positives in Lightroom and process your images. Every time you expose an image with your film camera, you’re an active part of a historic and graceful lineage. You’re a practitioner and student of the skill and craftsmanship required in every step of the film process. You are linked with what other photographers have practiced for over a span of two hundred years.

Genres: Photography

99 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 15, 2018

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic intro to medium format photography. The number of typos was distracting to me.

[ted partrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Film photography is a fun alternative

This is very much a book for people already familiar with photography but have not used film in the last fifteen years or, perhaps, ever. I read it cover-to-cover.

[Melanie Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This to-the-point volume contains practical tips and excellent advice about choosing a medium-format camera, composition, and even film development for anyone interested in either getting started in film photography or continuing their exploration in the art with medium-format cameras of a variety of makes and models.

The author is candid and inspired, particularly in the section where he describes the challenges and joys of using Holgas and pinhole cameras. I chuckled as I identified with several of his anecdotes about these splendid plastic cameras.

I also enjoyed the sample black-and-white photos interspersed in the text (most of which are gems taken by the author) as well as the annotated list of photographers and photos to check out that have inspired the photographer-writer's own work.

I'd recommend this book to BFA and MFA students in photography who are interested in medium-format photography as well as to fellow shutterbug friends. This is a book I'll keep handy to revisit as I continue my Lomographic, medium-format journey.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consider this an introduction to medium format from photography.

It's a short book, that quickly goes over the process of shooting, developing medium format film, as well as basics of film photography, including how it differs from taking photos with a DSLR camera.