So here’s my initial attempt at Time Lapse Photography.

• Camera was mounted on a tripod.
• A set of 200 still images shot at a 5-second intervals.
• Exposure set at manual 1s and f/8.
• White Balance set on manual (Cloudy).
• Images batch-cropped in Aperture (no other post-prod).
• Assembled in Quicktime as an Image Sequence, played at 10FPS, with titles added using iMovie.

I’m pretty okay with what I got but I need more work on the overall image quality. Will also try shooting at a lesser resolution because besides, the end-result was only a 640×480 movie.

It was pretty boring while the camera happily clicked away so I used that time to catch up on some reading. Next time, I’m bringing lots of coffee! And I hope there will be more cloud movement. :)

My friends had weird looks on their faces when they found out I was using film again. And, I got even weirder looks when I told them I’m processing my own film. They must have thought I’m some kind of masochist. “Why do you do it?” they asked. I simply answered, like most would have, “it’s because I can,” and simply because It takes the best lab in town three days to get my film processed.

So, after extensive research on the web and based on actual experience, I hope I can weed out the more technical details and yet show that the steps needed in film processing can be pretty simple. But before I go on detailing the stuff that we’ll need and the preparation that comes with it, let me first give you an overview of my setup:

First, I don’t have a darkroom and I don’t need it since I don’t do printing on paper. Instead, I scan my negatives using a film scanner and I would just do some minor adjustments like contrast bumping or removal of any artifacts, and post them into the web (cheap) or have it printed professionally by the lab (expensive).

Since scanners can be quite expensive, this workflow may not be for you if you don’t have one yet. I did buy my scanner specifically for this purpose. But if you have a friend who has one, i’m sure s/he won’t hesitate to lend you the scanner if you bring some beer over. :)

Second, I do use a changing/dark bag that allows me to put the roll of film into the light-tight developing tank. Once the film is secure inside the tank, the rest of the steps (wet works) can be done in normal light.

Processing or developing one’s own film may be complicated at first thought, but I do hope I can convince you that it’s really not. In fact, it can be quite fun simply knowing you can do it yourself (you should take a photo of your smile once you see the images that has formed into the negative), and in the comfort of your own home, in just around 20-30 minutes! And that already includes smoking, having coffee, and cleaning your sink when you’re done!

The Shopping List

Darkroom Chemistry Basics

People will usually say that you need at least 4 sets of chemicals (developer, stop bath, fixer, and wash solutions) to home-develop your film. However, I find that it’s enough to just work with two: the developer (which reveals the latent image) and the fixer (which washes out the unexposed parts of the film). For the stop-bath, i only use water. For the film wash, I find that it’s enough to just use water and a drop of liquid detergent like Joy.

Before we can use the developer (Kodak D-76 in this case), this has to be diluted in water to form a stock solution. This solution is then diluted further before actual development to form a working solution. A 415g packet of D-76, which is in powder form, usually yields a 3.8L stock solution when intially diluted. However, I’ve learned based on experience that it’s okay to put in 200mL more water to make it a flat 4L stock solution which in turn will yield a total of 8L of working solution when further diluted 1:1 with water. And with my Paterson tank which requires a 500mL working solution (that’s 250mL stock + 250mL water) for a roll of 120 (medium format) film, that would translate to about 16 rolls! (Sorry, that was a mouthful, I know.)

Similarly, a bottle of Kodafix, which yields 3.8L can also be padded with 200mL more water to produce 4L of fixer solution which I choose to store into individual 500mL bottles. Unlike the developer, this solution does not need to be diluted further, and it can be reused several times! In fact, I’ve tried using a 500mL bottle of fixer 4 times over and I haven’t seen a degradation in quality. Whether it can be reused beyond that is something I have yet to try.

And that, with the cost of these chemicals in mind, is already a lot of savings compared to having the lab do things for you.

Preparing the Developer and Fixer Soups.

1. So, to start off, fill up the used water container with about 4L of tap water. Take note of the water level and mark this up with a strip of masking tape. Then, empty the container and cut off the tapered part off, but be careful to leave enough allowance above the masking tape to allow easy pouring out later on. This is now our mixing bowl for both the developer and the fixer, and the reason why we chose a transparent container is for us to easily see that the chemicals (especially the D-76 which is in powder form) are indeed dissolved.
2. For D-76 to dissolve into water, the temperature of the water need to be at least 50-55 degrees celsius. With a bit of experimentation, I found that 2L of boiling water plus 500mL of water will get us the desired temperature. If you only have a 1L water heater, it’s okay as long as you work quickly. Pour in the first liter, then boil the next right away. It shouldnt take no more than 10 minutes to boil each liter. After doing so, you may then add the remaining 500mL. Please ensure that you’re only using distilled water when brewing both the developer and fixer solutions.
3. Pour in the D-76 powder carefully from its packet. As a precaution, please ensure that the air is not moving much, i.e., if there’s a fan present, DO NOT point it towards you while you’re pouring. That powder should get into the water right away, and not airborne. You don’t want it on anyone’s lungs or skin!
4. Mixing. With the help of the long-stemmed mixing spoon, stir the solution gently. When you see that the powder has dissolved and mixed well with the water, you may stop doing so. You can now light your first cigarette while waiting for the solution to cool down a bit.
5. Cooling. The airconditioning of my small studio spills into the bathroom where I do my mixing, and this is usually sufficient to lower the temp. If you’re in more of a hurry, you can dip a bag of ice into the solution, but ensure that this bag has no leaks. We don’t want the melted ice to be in your solution. Others will suggest that the temp of the solution is around room temperature before storing, but i find that If you can touch the side of the mixing bowl comfortably with your fingers, it’s generally safe to pour the solution out into the accordion bottles.
6. And when you do, ensure that there is no or minimal air left between the level of the solution and the bottle cap, because this solution will oxidize quickly even when in storage. You will also find that, as you use your chemicals for development, the accordion bottle will only allow itself to be squeezed so much. When this happens, use marbles to raise the water level a bit further. This solution, when taken care of can probably last for about 4 months in the tropics.

   Other people will say that this solution needs to be at rest for around 24 hours before using. If you’re impatient like me, you’ll find that a couple of hours is usually enough.

7. While others may suggest that a separate bowl be used for mixing the fixer, I find it sufficient enough to just wash this same bowl with warm water and soap, then have it air-dried (not wiped) before using it again. Ensure that the masking tape is still intact though.
8. Mixing the Fixer solution is more simple as you’ll find out. Once the bowl is dry, you may now start pouring in 2L of distilled water (room temp) into the bowl. Pour in the bottle of KodaFix, then add more water until you reach the 4L mark. Stir carefully for about 10 minutes then start pouring into the individuall 500mL Gatorade bottles.

And right about now would be the best time to go out and shoot a test roll. So grab a cheap ISO 100 roll and start shooting outdoors!

Here’s Where The Reel (pun forcefully intended) Fun Starts.

Development tanks comes in many forms and I will not even try to detail what the differences are. I chose Paterson because of its ease of use and straightforwaredness. Its reels employ an autoload system which allows one to load film easily, especially from within a Dark/Changing Bag. And for beginners, it may be the fastest way to go about it. In fact, it’s easy to be spoiled by its intuitiveness, you may find yourself using this system for a long time. Just take good care of it and this tank will serve you for long.

Paterson tanks come with instructions on how to load film into it and is pretty easy to follow along. Of course, it helps to practice with an unused roll of film. Try looking up onto the ceiling while practicing. And once you’ve gotten the hang of it, try it inside the dark bag. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in less than 20 minutes.

Assuming you’ve now mastered loading the film inside the dark bag, it’s now time to use a real exposed roll of film. Once you’ve loaded the film into the reel and placed the light-tight lid on, the rest is just like a walk in the park.

1. Chemicals Preparations. First, we need to make a 500mL working solution which is composed of 250mL of distilled water and 250mL of the stock D-76 solution. Here’s how I usually do it: I put one graduate onto the bathroom floor (to ensure that the graduate is level) and put in 250mL of distilled water slowly. Then I add in stock D-76 until it reaches the 500mL mark. Simple huh? I would have done it on the sink if it had enough level surface area so I figured the next best place to tolerate some spills is the floor. Please do be careful when handling these chemicals, though. Ensure that these chemicals don’t get in contact with your toothpaste, your toothbrush and anything else in your sink area. So ensure that, during agitation, that the liquid-proof lid is sealed once in a while.

   There is no need to stir this working solution as this would be pretty shaken up inside the development tank. Do a quick temperature check of your working solution then consult the Massive Dev Chart for B&W Film. So, assuming the temperature is at 25 degrees, and that we’re using an ISO 100 film like Shanghai GP3, we will then be needing roughly 5-6 minutes of development time.

2. Development. Second, after carefully but quickly pouring this solution through the light-tight lid (which happens to be a funnel too!) of the development tank and putting in the liquid-proof lid, take note of the position of the minute and second hands of your clock, and start inverting the tank 4-5 times, and tapping the bottom of the tank against the sink top to dislodge any bubbles that may have formed. At the start of the next minute, do this inversion/agitation/tapping again. And at the end of the 5th agitation which is roughly 5 minutes after you first poured the solution, take off the liquid-proof lid and pour out the solution into the sink. This solution is not to be used again.
3. The “Stop Bath.” Right after, start pouring in 500mL of tap water and agitate regularly for about 15 seconds. Empty the water and do this again for two more times. This should wash/rinse away any excess developer and prepare us for fixing.
4. Fixing. Open up a 500mL bottle of Gatorade where you stored your fixer in and pour it onto the development tank the same way you did with the developer, carefully taking note as well of the minute and second hands. This time, we need to agitate by inversion 5 times every 30 seconds for 5 minutes, also tapping the bottom of the tank against the sink top as we did above. After this process, you may pour the fixer back into the Gatorade bottle with the help of the funnel. As I mentioned above, I’ve safely reused this solution for 3 more times. But to be more sure, try to cut off a tip of film from a roll and dunk it in. If the film clears up in 3 minutes or under, this fixer is still useable. [insert environment-friendly disposal instructions here]
5. Washing. By this time, it’s pretty much safe to take the light-tight lid off and rinse with about 1.5mL of tap water. This removes any excess fixer and prevents the film from deteriorating. After doing so, while the reel is still in the tank, pour in another 500mL of tap and put in a drop of Joy Dishwashing liquid. Start lifting and dipping the reel gently for about 5 times. By this time, subtle bubbles may form in the water. And when they do, you may lift the reel off the tank and start unlocking it to release the film. The soap will prevent watermarks from forming while the film is drying.

   Carefully unroll the film from the reel and attach clips to both ends. While doing so, you will notice that images have already formed in the negative, so don’t get too excited for you might drop it! And with the soaped water still in the tank, slowly dip parts of the film into it in a sort of reverse pulley motion for about 3 cycles. After which, while holding one end of the roll, you may now squeegee the film with your other hand’s index and middle finger.

6. Drying and Clean-up. Find a dust-free spot in your home to hang it for drying and start patting yourself in the back. You’ve just processed your first roll of film! So while waiting for the film to dry, don’t forget to wash the tank, the reel, the lids, including the thermometer and the funnel, and ensure that the sink itself is clean. And in about 30-45 minutes of air-drying, this roll of film will then be ready for scanning!

I hope you find this as a good starting point for home-processing. There are other stuff to be considered, though, which I deliberately left out to make things as simple and thoughtless as possible. For example, there are a lot of choices when it comes to the brands and types of chemicals. Each has different characteristics you might want to consider when going advanced. As you can see, I only discussed the Kodak ones here because it’s the most accessible in the Philippines. Another thing you need to consider is the chemicals’ temperatures: either you warm them up to a good temp (by putting the respective containers in a basin with warmer water) or increase your processing time accordingly. For proper timing, you will always find the Massive Dev Chart very useful.

Also, the amounts of working solutions used differ on the size of the film (e.g., 35mm uses less than medium format) so your mileage will surely vary. Of course, if you wanna go all geeky, go ahead and google and you’ll find tons of information on this topic.

So I considered my options, including using an SLR again, and figured that the best way to do just that is to go lomo, to go Holga, to go square, and to go black & white. After all, I’ve been finding myself shooting more black & whites with my LX3, and I’ve also been cropping my earlier photos into squares anyway. I find that the lack of distracting colors brings out stronger responses, and that the square format complements that simplicity. Whether to go landscape or portrait is a question I won’t ever have to ask again with this camera. And the less thought that goes into the picture-taking process, the better for me and for what I’m trying to achieve.

A Holga Experiment

Also, the main reason why I went traditional black & white (non C-41) is so I can process the film at home, and scan the resulting negatives myself. I would have opted to have a lab like Studio 58 do it but the cost is too prohibitive (though their work is quite stunning!) With the same cost I’d be spending for lab processing of about 7 rolls of film, I could instead get my own chemicals, process about 20 rolls with it, and not wait for 3 days to get each roll back! Without a doubt, I’m able to save a lot more of my time and money by just doing it myself. And the whole process is another load of fun in itself. Trust me, the experience of seeing your photos materialize in your hands and hanging them up to dry is always a blast!

So, how am I doing so far? Well, I’m pretty happy with it! It may be a slow process throughout but it’s really a great feeling to just slow down, kick back,  and pray for dear luck once in a while. And as lomo fans would say: Don’t Think, Just Shoot!

If you’re someone who’d want more control over your photographs (may they be digital or film), I’m hoping that this attempt at simplifying photography (based on questions from friends who’re still starting in photography) will somehow give you an idea on how to take photographs, your way, and not just by relying solely on automagical and sophisticated camera presets.

For starters, it helps to understand that Photography = Exposure (the Science) + Composition (the Art). Composition, which is how we arrange and frame our subjects or scenes is a very broad topic on its own, and knowing how to visualize and execute a composition is only secondary compared to achieving the right exposure,  for if one cannot control or achieve correct exposure,  there won’t be any photograph at all. So, before we deal with artistic “rules” and how to break them, let us first tackle the more technical aspect of photography. In this topic, we’ll only be focusing on Exposure and how to achieve control over the different factors that can aid us in our Composition.

So what exactly is exposure? Exposure is what happens when a medium like film or a digital sensor is in the process of capturing the light emitted by a scene. In a nutshell, a Correct or Acceptable Exposure can be achieved using

1. a medium (film or digital sensor) with ample sensitivity (ISO Setting) plus
2. the appropriate lens aperture or opening (F-Stop, F/n) to allow just the right amount of light through, and
3. the right amount of time the medium is exposed to light (Shutter Speed).

And thanks to exposure meters that are built right into the camera and their many features (Center-weighted, Spot, or Matrix), finding the right combination to achieve acceptable exposure has never been easier. However, deviating from this meter reading (which will always attempt to come up with an average Middle Gray) can easily get you either Under-Exposed photos (picture is too dark) or Over-Exposed ones (too bright). So it’s key to pay attention to what the meter says until you’re comfortable enough to “disobey” it. And the only way you can know which is the acceptable exposure is with lots of practice and experimentation.

Factors affecting Exposure.

While different combinations of the control factors listed above will yield the same amount of exposure, you will soon find out that the pictures are really not the same. And understanding these idiosyncracies and knowing how and when to use them will spell the difference between a photo that is only documentary of a scene, or a photo that invites praise. If you have been playing around with your camera’s P Mode to shoot a scene with different combinations, you may already have noticed this. And these idiosyncracies almost always mean there will be compromises that need to be made.

And before we head on to the aspects which control exposure, it helps to know a basic concept which you will also come across a lot: amounts of light are usually referred to as Stops (in reference to how F-stops are related to each other) and each stop above the other is considered “doubling the amount of light.” Conversely, a stop below is considered as “halving.” While the scales/numbers you’ll see below are in 1-stop intervals, cameras/lenses do allow half-stop adjustments, and sometimes, third-stops. This feature allow us to further fine-tune our exposure levels more granularly.

A Fresh Batch of Medium Format Ilfords

ISO/ASA (Film Speed/Sensitivity). Even though digital cameras technically use sensors (not film), it also uses the same sensitivity rating system that was standardized for film decades ago.  The ISO (International Standards Organization) ratings is practically the same as the older ASA (American Standards Association) from which it was derived from, so an ISO 100 film is the same as an ASA 100. The Germans however have a different way of rating their film. They use the DIN (Deutsche Industrie Normen) degree (logarithmic) system. While we may not see any mention of DIN in digital cameras, they are still pretty much in use when it comes to film.

• Usual values: 100 200 400 800 1600 3200
• Each number in the scale above is twice as sensitive (1 stop) as the one before it.
  
• Lower Number (Slower) = Lesser Sensitivity, Finer Grain (Less Noise)
• Higher Number (Faster) = Higher Sensitivity, Coarser Grain (More Noise)

While it may seem convenient to stick to a faster film rating, it’s almost always best to stay as low as possible to get more detail because as you go up or faster, more noise (digital) or a coarser/grainier texture (film) is introduced into the photo. ISO 800 and up used to be exclusively used by photojournalists, as the main output medium is newsprint which is almost always composed of half-tones anyway. For portraits or scenes requiring recording of fine detail,  It’s always best to stay below ISO 400, if the light permits it. However, shooting with coarser grain film than expected can sometimes yield interesting results. But that may not necessarily be the same when it comes to digital as sensor noise is not really that appealing to look at.

50mm Lens with Aperture Ring

F-Stop (Aperture/Lens Opening). When you look at someone looking out the window into bright sunshine, you will notice that the iris of their eyes suddenly contracts to reduce the light hitting the retina. Have the same person look within the relatively dim room and you’ll see that the iris suddenly dilates to compensate for the lack of light. This behavior or reaction to light is the same principle on how lens apertures work. In fact, the camera is actually an emulation of the eye (cornea = lens, iris = aperture,  retina = film/sensor), and the dilation of the opening allows more light in and the contraction reduces it. It continuously adjusts itself to ensure that a perfect picture is formed in the retina.

• Usual values: 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22.
• The F in F/n stands for the lens focal length. Divide the lens focal length with the numbers above and you get the relative area of the opening, .e.g, 100mm/4 > 100mm/8, hence,
• Each number in the scale above allows half the amount of light (less 1 stop) as the one before it.
• Lower Number (Faster) = Higher Sensitivity, Shallower Depth of Field of Focus (DoF)
• Higher Number (Slower) = Lesser Sensitivity, Greater Depth of Field
• As the focal length of the lens extends, the DoF also becomes more shallow, i.e., the DoF of a 200mm lens at f/11 is much narrower than that of a 50mm at the same aperture.
• Lenses which allow very wide openings (2.8 or bigger) are usually more expensive due to more complicated optics.

F-stops are key to determining the depth of field (of focus) of a particular photograph. When, for example, photographing a row of trees that extend into the distance, using a narrower aperture ensures that most of these trees (relative to the specific tree in focus) are in better focus, while a wider aperture will restrict focus to that just one tree and throw everything else out of focus. This throwing out is especially useful when shooting a subject in an uninteresting background.

Some lenses (usually older), employ a DoF scale which will give you an estimate, relative to the subject in focus, how much of the foreground and background will be in focus. If this is not available, you can always use your camera body’s DoF preview button to better visualize the field of focus. For best results in getting a deeper DoF, use of the hyperfocal distance is imperative (this will be covered later).

Shutter Speed (Exposure Duration). The third factor to be considered (and usually, the last in priority) in coming up with an acceptable exposure is the Shutter Speed or the duration of time that the film is exposed to light. If a shutter is made open longer, it essentially allows in more light, and any motion that may occur during that period. Consequently, a shorter duration freezes motion and allows for probably more sharper pictures. You may think this boring, but used wisely, a play on slower shutter speeds can yield pretty interesting pictures, especially when done with water, clouds, light streaks on a highway, while faster speeds can be used to freeze subjects suspended in midair.

• Usual values: 2″ 1″ 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 (the numbers after the first two are fractions of a second)
• Each number in the scale above records half the amount of light (less 1 stop) as the one before it.
• To prevent camera-shake, the shutter speed shouldn’t be slower than 1/F where F is the focal length of the lens, but if you have nerves of steel, you can probably go slower than this. For best results, I’d recommend heavily the use of a tripod.

Still there? Okay, to give an example, let’s assume we’re using an ISO 100 film, then let’s frame an outdoor scene (a tree, with a kid a few meters behind it, and with mild wind blowing) in P mode. Assuming the meter is saying that we use a 1/125 shutter speed and an f/8 for the aperture, the following other P combinations will still yield the same amount of exposure:

• 1/250 & f/5.6 = more motion freezing (leaves will tend to be more static despite the wind), but with shallower depth of field, which will make the kid a bit blurred/out of focus.
• 1/60 & f/11 = less motion freezing (leaves will tend to blur because of the wind), but greater depth of field, which will make the kid to be in better focus.

Did you notice how either shutter speed and aperture compensated for the doubling and halving of the other? That’s how it’s supposed to work if we’re talking about exposure. But each combination yields different effects as mentioned above. And having control over these effects is you taking control of your photography.

Well, while all this may seem complicated and too technical, with practice and experimentation, you will soon find these as second nature, like riding a bike, driving a car, or using a mobile phone. We’ll just have to visualize the end result more and know which tool to use in the process of making that photograph. So the next time you bring out your camera, regardless whether you’re in P mode or in any of the other exposure modes (Manual, Aperture-Priority, or Shutter-Priority), try out the different combinations of ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speeds and see for yourself the different effects that you can get. I do hope you find this useful in your hobby, but I do intend to simplify this further, especially for newbies, by getting more inputs (questions and comments) from both intermediate and seasoned photographers. That will be very much appreciated.

Now, go out and shoot!

Why do it in the first place?

This is a no-brainer. Photographs, like poems, novels, paintings, are works of art that need to be shared. What good is art when there’s nobody else except ourselves is able to look at them? They should be let out into the air and their beauty shared with the world, to tell stories, to invoke emotions, and to potentially inspire another.

But, based on experience which are both my own and others’, there would be several reasons why one can become a closet photographer, and, of course, there are ways that could help work around them.

1. An inferiority complex.

   Some people seem to have this constant need to compare their work with others. Sure, there are more than a thousand photos better than yours. If anything, just let these other works inspire you. Upload your photos anyway and let us be the judge. My photos and my writing are not that great either but I learn a lot from other people’s comments, and it’s these comments/critiques that I try to improve myself on. Wanna hear something interesting? Some of the photos I considered to be the worst happened to be liked by a lot. And it’s these surprises which make it more fun.

2. Photos are too many one wouldn’t know where to start.

   Self-critiquing may be one of the most difficult part in photography. Sifting through a lot of photos and picking the best ones may be difficult. But with a good workflow and a tool that supports that, you can get this done less painlessly. Bottomline is, you will have to do it anyway. So just do it!

   I personally use Apple’s Aperture and it certainly has made my life easier. I understand iPhoto can be fun to use too, especially, with its built-in face-recognition feature, among others. For Windows, Picasa is always a good choice. There are a lot of other choices out there which wouldn’t cost you a cent. So, why don’t you download one and just give it a spin?

3. Dunno where or how to upload.

   Getting an account on an online photo sharing service is always the easier way to go. Like software, there are many choices to choose from. Social networking services like Facebook, Multiply, Friendster each have a feature wherein you can easily create albums and upload photos. If you’re already a member in these networks, you’re almost halfway done. What’s good with these networks is you already have a ready audience in your friends.

   If you want to be more serious in showcasing your work, you might wanna consider Flickr which features a rich set of capabilities from tagging, to per image statistics. Since Flickr is a Yahoo service, you can easily link your YahooID to it and get going in no time. Besides, its interface is one of the most useable ones out there. My experience since I started using it years ago has been very effortless.

   And if you’re already inclined, why don’t you start your own blog in WordPress, BlogSpot, Tumblr, or in Posterous, and start writing about your photos too? These blogging services also have multimedia capabilities where you can upload your photos easily.

So, can’t you see already? Art is being enabled by so many services and solutions already. What’s still keeping you from sharing your work?

So now that you just got your camera, what’s next, you ask?

The Gear Bag.

Choosing a Gear Bag can be complicated, if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Basically, what you would want to have is something that can protect your camera and other stuff from drops, bangs, and at the least, slight rain. More advanced bags like LowePro’s and Tamrac offer All-Weather protection which keeps your camera safe from heavy rain or dust storms. These bags can be expensive but just think of the price of the camera it actually carries inside, and you’ll feel better. Just stay away from ones that shout “steal me” and go for the more inconspicuous ones. Some basic choices you may come across when shopping for bags are shoulder bags, backpacks, soft shell (your waist will love these), or hard-padded for better protection. As a basic, you’d want something that allows YOU (and not thieves) easy access to your camera when presented with a scene you’d want to take a photo of.

Memory Cards.

While most cameras do have USB cables you can use to connect to your computers with, I would still rather use a good card reader. This way, your camera’s limited battery power is conserved. Best thing is, while importing your photos, you can go ahead and shoot some more, provided, of course, that you have a spare memory card.

Memory cards (CompactFlash, SD, XD, etc) come in different configurations. The high-speed ones can be very pricey but can prove useful if you’re into fast-paced photography like sports and kiddie parties. While for most purposes, low-speed ones will actually give you good value. Just ensure that you stick to the more reliable brands. Memory cards can be cheap, but you don’t want to risk your photos in unreliable media. Our photos will always be priceless. Think about it, while the price cards are sliding, it’s really tempting to go for the higher-capacity ones. Now imagine if your 8Gb card full of photos suddenly screws up versus one that has only 2Gb in it. In effect, keeping four 2Gb cards is actually less risky than having that one big cajuna, right?

This may not be entirely related, but in the old days when film use was still prevalent, some field photographers would even ship all odd-numbered rolls through one courier going one route, while the even-numbered ones go through another courier/route. That way, in case something happens to either set, there will still be another set to process, and there will still be a story to be told. Talk about paranoia but it does make sense, doesn’t it?

Long-term Storage. Lots.

After browsing through the manual and seeing how user-friendly our camera’s controls are, we would normally take to the streets and start shooting. It’s undeniable that the fire of a first-time owner is contagious. It’s simply amazing what people could see that we old-timers couldn’t. We’d shoot anything on our desks, our family, stuff in the backyard, lamp posts, gutters, and whatever we fancy. Before we know it, we’ve amassed these so much images that we don’t know what to do with them anymore, and our harddrives are already crying for some slack.

Yes dear, if you think you’re gonna be a prolific shooter, this is one cost you should start considering saving for. As the number of megapixels go up, the size of the average image also grows. And it wouldn’t be hard to imagine how fast this can eat up your drive space if you’re always shooting at higher resolutions. At an average of 4-5mb per image, with 20 images, that can easily translate to about 100mb! Now wait till you try shooting RAW!

Good thing, a 2.5″ SATA drive with about 500gb of space is now just roughly PHP5k. You can either get a matching external enclosure for this extra drive or replace the drive in your laptop. I chose the latter so I can have everything in my Mac at all times. In fact, I do keep everything in my Mac: from work stuff to photos, to my iTunes library. Everything’s here! This “Live Drive” is my personal sandbox. This is where I tweak and manage my photos and do practically everything else, like my real work.

The “Backup Drive” is a different story. And I do keep another less-frequently accessed external drive to serve as such. The less stress that Backup Drive is subjected to, the better I get my peace of mind. At the minimum, though, I make around 3 daily backups to ensure that most changes are indeed backed up: one in the morning when I get to the office, one at noon, and one before I leave for home. Since my Mac is mostly used for work stuff (it’s company-issued after all), I choose to keep my backup drive in the office. If your photos are as important to you as mine are to me, the Backup Drive is a definite imperative.

Software.

Sifting through thousands of photos can be a daunting task. The confusion that ensues can sometimes get out of hand that sorting through the thousands of photos is starting to get tedious and boring. And If we’re not careful, it’s easy to lose track of photographs that we take through the years. That’s why it’s important to use a software (no, Ian, not Windows Explorer) that will allow you to catalog your photos in a very intuitive way. Keeping them is one thing. Finding them again after 5 years is another. Some of the basic features to look for in a digital/photographic asset management software is the ability to use tags/keywords, support for timelines, a folder/album system, and the ability to do some minor photographic tweaks. And the obvious choices for me are:

1. Windows: Google Picasa (free!), Adobe LightRoom
2. Linux: gThumb
3. Mac OS: Apple iPhoto (for most needs), Apple Aperture or LightRoom (for a more professional approach)

Personally, I use Aperture for its ease of use and overall useability, plugin support, and efficiency. The trick is, just like in buying a camera, you should try everything and see which fits better in your hands. You really don’t need to go for the one with the most features, just the one which suits your needs or your workflow. Workflows can sometimes be complicated but this is something that you need to figure out for yourself as you go along. Don’t rush it, but pay attention. The simpler you do things, the better, and the more efficient you’ll become.

Remember, taking photos is one thing (fun!), and managing them (fun yet tedious!) over time is another. But with a good and simple workflow and the tools that fit, both activities can be loads of fun when done intuitively and effortlessly. There are actually more stuff that I feel I need to include here, like tripods, flash, etc. But I would rather not scare you. I’d save that for another day. :)

Now, go out and shoot!

As they say, before one becomes a teacher, one must learn and before one becomes a leader, one must follow. And this is exactly what I’m trying to do by volunteering as an assistant to professional photographers. In a way, it also serves as one of my therapies (the other is writing songs and playing music) in treating work stress. It may be tiring at times, sometimes, competing with sleep, but the satisfaction one gets out of photography (whether i’m shooting or assisting) is worth it all.

There may be some debate whether assistants should be paid or not. In the US, assisting or apprenticeship is already an industry in itself. yes, people do get paid by assisting professionals and I hope the same can be said here. However, it’s not all that bad and sometimes, the benefits of learning new stuff outweighs any amount of money can give. Besides, it’s always fun to work with pros, to see them do their stuff so effortlessly. And the camaraderie one gets out of such an experience is always something to look forward to.

I have only been assisting for a short while, and I’ll probably be doing this for a long time. In each session, I find that there is really a lot to learn. There are things that were there all along but were left unnoticed. Sometimes, it’s amusing to know that the simplest solution to a complex shooting problem can be found in the kitchen. And it’s these stuff that is most probably not found in any book, but can be easily learned by learning how pros do it.

So, what does it take to be a good assistant? A desire to learn. and everything else will fall under that. Assisting is no walk in the park. It also takes an effort to be a good assistant. As I said, there is an industry for assisting and people are getting paid for it. Sometimes, it means crawling into difficult spaces or being a gofer. Sometimes, you just sit there and watch the masters move. But whatever it is, one better make sure primadonna modes are safely turned off.

Some of the things you learn from assisting is how to set the lights up for different shooting situations, metering the amount of light, reloading and organizing film and imagecards, getting the right lenses ready, knowing when to shoot high or low, positioning the subject well, and making a good cup of coffee. I’m sure there will always be something new to learn. After all, we learn new things everyday. In the end, it’s just the desire to learn and to be good at whatever we do which will get us to where we want to go.