In a world of touch screen phones and digital photography, manual cameras seem outdated and troublesome to use. But the photos they produce have a unique charm that no filter or editing can replicate.
Film is a tricky medium, especially if it is what you’re starting out on with photography. It’s completely manual, and you’ve got to make sure you understand things like ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and exposure. It’s also easy to make beginner’s mistakes and end up with a blank roll or a blurry shot.
The first roll I ever developed came out blank because I accidentally overexposed all my film–I was so sad. But despite all the possible mistakes and the costs of buying and developing film, the reward is still great. There’s no feeling that can replace getting back your scanned photos and being proud and surprised at how your photos came out.
This infographic covers all the basics to manual photography. You know what they say, you’ve got to learn the rules before you break them, so, if you plan to learn how to shoot film, this guide will be incredibly helpful in getting you started. Don’t be discouraged if your first rolls don’t come out as you’d like, you will definitely see improvement over time if you keep practicing.