THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

TECHNICAL
CONSIDERATIONS
In addition to all the various aesthetic
decisions that color photography requires,
there are some technical ones
as well. As is usually the case, these
technical decisions have aesthetic
implications.
Prints or Slides?
The first decision you'll need to make
is whether to use film that produces
color prints or transparencies (slides).
Both kinds can produce prints of
roughly equal quality, but you cannot
easily produce good transparencies
from negative film.
Transparency film (technically
called color reversal, since the
negative is chemically "reversed" to
produce a transparent positive image)
offers one distinct advantage: After
it is developed, you can look at what
you've got before making prints.
With color negatives, you pretty well
have to have prints made of an entire
roll before you can choose the
ones you like. Transparencies are also
virtually required if you hope to have
your color photographs published.
On the other hand, if you know
that you will always want just prints,
then print film is what you should
use. This is especially true if you plan
to do your own developing and printing.
To get a print from a transparency,
you'll probably need to
make an interneg (by copying it onto
another film) to use in the enlarger.
If you have no use for the original
transparency, then this merely adds
an unnecessary step.
Finally, transparencies impose one
Don't forget to look for photographs
in unlikely places. This reflection of
a neon sign is almost certainly more
interesting than a straight shot of the
sign would have been. Also notice
how the deep "saturated" colors add
impact. With color slide film, this effect
is achieved by slightly underexposing.
With print film, color saturation
can be controlled during exposure
or printing. Student photograph by
Jeff Frye.
Color 249