In this edition, we bring you a new image in focus with a special offer and a photo tip on using the right film. There haven't been any new additions to the site in lieu of the holidays, but stay tuned! We hope you enjoy this newsletter. If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see in these newsletters, email us at tips@bloomphoto.com and we'll try to accomodate!

IMAGE IN FOCUS
by Keith Chapman

This issue's Image in Focus is a memorable photograph entitled "Grand Canyon Rainbow". This image was captured on Rebecca's large format camera, a Wista 4x5 view camera using Fuji Velvia transparency film, during the fall of 1998 at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. As you might guess from the clouds in the image, it was rather a stormy day at the Grand Canyon's North Rim. In fact, the weather was changing so rapidly on this particular day, that we decided to skip hiking and see the sights with the car nearby. We decided to stop at an overlook vista off the main thoroughfare and had set up to shoot the on-coming storm across the canyon. Interesting cloud formations were hovering above the canyon walls. The wind was creating an interesting and constantly evolving pallete of clouds, sun rays, and color. We set our tripods high on the canyon wall just below an overhanging boulder, but above the constant stream of visitors coming through to soak in the amazing view. As Rebecca focused her large format camera on the in-coming storm, I sat down and watched the quickly changing cloud cover in front of us. My job in stormy settings is to keep en eye on the storms while Rebecca concentrates on her art. This is especially important during lightning storms as you might imagine. However, in this case the storm was very far off and I was not particularly on the lookout for danger... that is... until I saw a young couple below us holding onto the metal railing at the overlook. What drew my attention to them was the fact that the woman had long blond hair... that just happen to be standing on end. The boyfriend then became quite amused with this and started placing his hand above her head, making many jokes at her hair's expense. Not finding any humor in this situation, I immediately alerted Rebecca that we were now in a very strong charge field and that we should stay under the boulder and crouch as low as we could get. We also started packing our gear and mentioned to the couple that this may not be the safest place to be. As I was packing up some of the 35mm gear, I turned to the opposite direction from the storm only to see a brightly lit canyon with dark clouds behind an ever so faint rainbow. And before Rebecca tore down her large format, she captured this rainbow as it grew stronger by the minute. The charge field was obviously moving onwards as the young woman's hair resumed it's natural position, but we were still on alert and ready to move out if the skies opened! This extra time allowed Rebecca to capture a few more images of this quickly moving storm before it was time to move on to the next amazing view.

Click here to view a larger version of this issue's Image in Focus at the www.bloomphoto.com site. This image is located in the "Canyons" category.

SPECIAL OFFER:
If you wish to order this issue's Image in Focus, mention "IF#2" when ordering before February 1, 2001 to receive 15% off.

PHOTO TIPS: FILM SELECTION
by Rebecca Bloom

After you choose the correct camera for the job you are doing, (see Photo Tips, December 2000) the next step is choosing the correct film. The correct film can make or break an image depending on the situation and subject you are shooting. There are several things to consider when choosing film as described in this month's Photo Tips.

The film speed or ASA (also known as ISO) is basically a rating of the film's ability to capture light and record it as you see it. The smaller the ASA, the less reactive it is to light, and therefore the film needs more light to capture the image. The larger the ASA, the more reactive it is to light, and therefore the film needs less light to get the proper exposure. Lower ASA's tend to be called "slow" films and higher ASA's are "fast" films. Today's cameras tend to decide your exposure for you (unless you are using a fully manual camera), so in low light situations the shutter will stay open longer in order to let in enough light. The camera knows the ASA of the film loaded by using a bar code on the side of the film canister you load into the camera. These codes are standard for every type of film so your camera will know the ASA no matter which brand of film you choose.

It may seem as though a fast film would be optimal no matter what the situation, simply because you would not have to be concerned if there is enough light, but there is a big drawback to the faster films. In order to make the film more reactive to light, the film manufacturers make the film grain larger. The end result of this is images taken on faster film tend to be "grainier". The individual grains can actually be seen in the prints when the film has a ASA of 400 or higher. If you want to enlarge your images greater than 5 x 7, then you should use films with the smallest grain, i.e., smaller ASA. Landscape photographers tend to use the smallest ASA they can get and compensate for the slower film by using a tripod in order to stabilize the camera long enough to get enough light to the film.

If you are shooting in a high speed situation such as a soccer game, you should use a faster film in order to capture the action without blurs. Typically a 400 speed film or faster will give you nice, sharp images in this case. If you are shooting still images such as a landscape or portrait, slower films will do well. For photographs taken at outdoor events like a picnic, 100 to 200 speed film does well if it is a bright sunny day. If you have my luck and your picnic day is overcast, you may want to think about a faster film to make sure Uncle Jerry isn't a blur when he's throwing that frisbee.

Different films also have different levels of color saturation as well. If you are taking a portrait, you do not want to have an extremely saturated film because the red in someone's cheeks will jump off the image. If you are taking a picture of the beautiful fall foliage, you don't want a film that has muted colors, you WANT those colors to jump off the image. For general use, the films you will find in the drug stores and department stores will do fine for either job. If you really want to capture color, you should experiment with some of the professional films you can only get at the larger camera stores. My personal favorite 35mm film for capturing color is Agfa Ultra 50. This has been the most saturated negative film I have ever used. The only problem with it is, as you can tell from the name, it is 50 ASA which means you will likely need to use a tripod if you want sharp images. The professional films are all refrigerated because they have a "shelf life" in which the colors are the most reactive. The Kodak and Fugi films you find in the department stores are aged so they last a lot longer, but you sacrifice some color saturation.

Have you ever taken a picture of your pet indoors without a flash and gotten the pictures back, only to find Fido looks like someone dumped a can of yellow paint over him? This is because the film you used was daylight film and the light in your house is very different than natural sunlight. Films are balanced for a particular light "temperature" with daylight, tungsten, and flourescent being the most typical. The film you get at the drugstore is generally always daylight film. If you are going to be shooting in your house under a lot of artificial light (not using a flash), then you should get film balanced for your light, or use a filter to compensate for the difference. Flash light is balanced to the same temperature as sunlight, which is why when the flash works, Fido no longer looks sick.

Kodak has recently come out with the Kodak "Max" film which they claim can be used in high or low light situations as well as high speed situations. They have developed a film that is basically very tolerant to over and under exposure. The Max film is actually 800 speed film, which as you recall from above, will give you fairly large grain. They have recently come out with 400 speed Max film, which will obviously give you smaller grain than the 800, but is less versatile. If you are not interested in enlarging your images significantly, these films will do very well for you in most situations.

Film can do a lot to enhance your images, but it can also do a lot to make them ordinary. If you choose the right film for the job, you can capture some great images. Remember from the December "Photo Tips" on choosing a camera, the size of the negative also has a significant impact on your final image as well. Learning how to balance the tools at your disposal will lead to better images. If you have any specific questions regarding film choice, please feel free to email me, and I will do my best to answer your questions.

I hope this has been helpful for you hobbyists out there! We want to continually improve our tips so if you have a suggestion or request, please email us at tips@bloomphoto.com and we'll do our best to meet your needs! Happy shooting and keep it fun!
 

EBAY AUCTIONS

We offer selected images for auction on eBay.com starting at discounted bid prices. To see what we are currently offering in our auctions, click here. From time to time, we place other items we come across in our travels or items from our spring cleaning! So, all items may not be photographic images.
 

HOW TO ORDER

Bloom Photography takes orders in any of the following methods:

• Email order@bloomphoto.com with your print selection including print name, print size, framing option, payment method, and shipping address.
• Send the same information via US mail to:
Bloom Photography
PO Box 19527
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269
• Order online (coming soon!) at www.bloomphoto.com

PAYMENT METHODS

Credit Cards:
Bloom Photography is currently only able to take credit cards through paypal.com. If you wish to order by credit card and are not familiar with paypal's services, please email us at info@bloomphoto.com. Soon we will be taking online secured payments via credit card. We're working on the logistics now!

Personal Checks:
Payment can be mailed to Bloom Photography and must be cleared before the item is shipped.

Money Orders, Cashier Checks:
Payment can be mailed to Bloom Photography. Item is shipped upon receipt of payment as long as it is in stock. Otherwise it will be custom printed and shipped within 7-10 days.