Exposure Control

Exposure control of your film is probably the single most important aspect of photography to develop (no pun intended). The reason for this is really quite simple: you can't make great prints from poor negatives. The negative (or the film in general) is the base source for an image. You can sometimes make a decent print from a poor negative, or a good print from an OK negative, but usually great prints require good to great negatives.

Another way of looking at it is this: it's far easier to print a good negative than a poor one. Beginners often make the mistake of beating themselves up in the darkroom trying to get a print from a bad negative, when they should be exposing more film, concentrating on getting better negatives. Much time, frustration, and money is lost in the darkroom due to this mistake.

Making good negatives requires making several choices. Without even discussing composition, you need to be aware of your choice of film, lens, and camera settings.

Film Choice

Using a suitable film for the conditions you are working under is another consideration. You generally want to use the slowest film you can, to get sharper images with better contrast. (See the section on film characteristics for more). This, of course, depends on what kind of image you want, but let's assume we want clear and crisp, as opposed to grainy and muddy. So, under bright conditions (sunlight) use 50 or 125 ASA instead of 400, and under low light conditions use 400 or higher.

You may want to go the other way with film. To increase an image’s impact, a very fast film will give you maximum grain. (You will probably want to combine the grainy film with an altered development and printing method…).

Lens Choice

Although lenses don’t necessarily play a role in exposure, but more in image formation, the choice is still there. Under low light conditions, a lens with a larger maximum aperture may give you a crucial stop or two.

Exposure Combination

There are multiple combinations of aperture and shutter speed settings for each image. Which particular set you choose depends on the situation. If the subject is moving, and you want to freeze the motion, choose the settings with the fastest shutter speed. If the subject is stationary and you want maximum clarity, choose the settings with the smallest aperture (to increase depth of field).

Pre-visualization

Ansel Adams is credited with coming up with the concept of pre-visualization. This is a method of taking pictures which involves the entire photographic process before you even pick up the camera. Pre-visualization means that you have a clear idea of what the image will look as a final print. It involves all the decisions and choices mentioned above, and more. It is also a skill that is developed (no pun…) over time, and with experience.

Pre-visualization requires awareness of options and attention to detail. The more you pay attention to what you are doing as you make exposures, process your film, judge the results, and make prints, the better equipped you will be to make better decisions to achieve the results you are after. Mastery of options comes with experience, and a methodical exploration. Try one thing at a time, be it metering, different films, whatever. Do it until you understand it. This will let that particular part of the process become much more instinctual, and allow you to more fully concentrate on another aspect of image-making. Taken as discrete bits, this stuff is not difficult. It does, however, start with good exposures.

There are some methods of exposure that are worth investigating. These include exposing for shadows, bracketing, placement, the ƒ/16, rule, and adjusting the ASA setting on your camera. These are explained in detail in Exposure Methods.