Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: Why Film Is Back: History and Appeal
Why Film Is Back: History and Appeal
Knowledge check
Q1. Which development in the 2000s is most often cited as a turning point that pushed photographers toward the digital era, making film a niche choice?
- A. The invention of the autofocus lens
- B. The rapid rise of affordable digital cameras and camera phones
- C. The introduction of color film in the 1930s
- D. The banning of chemical developers in Europe
Q2. What is a common reason beginners give for choosing film today?
- A. Film produces sharper images than any digital sensor
- B. Film is cheaper per shot than digital in every situation
- C. Film encourages more deliberate shooting because each frame is limited and costly
- D. Film does not require any light to capture an image
Q3. Which company's discontinuation of a major film product in 2012 is often cited as a sign of the industry's decline before the revival?
- A. Kodak discontinuing its Kodachrome color slide film
- B. Canon discontinuing its autofocus SLR line
- C. Fujifilm discontinuing all of its instant cameras
- D. Ilford discontinuing black and white paper
Q4. What does the term 'analogue' mean in the context of film photography?
- A. Images are stored as digital files on a memory card
- B. Light is recorded as a continuous chemical change on a light-sensitive material
- C. Photos are printed using inkjet technology
- D. The camera uses artificial intelligence to adjust exposure
Q5. Why do many photographers say film has a distinctive look?
- A. Film grain, tonal response, and color rendition differ from the output of digital sensors
- B. Film automatically removes all noise and distortion from images
- C. Film always produces perfectly accurate color regardless of lighting
- D. Film images cannot be scanned or shared online
Module 2
Module 2: Choosing Your Camera and Film Stock
Choosing Your Camera and Film Stock
Knowledge check
Q1. Which film format is most commonly associated with 35mm still photography and offers a frame size of roughly 36mm x 24mm?
- A. 120 roll film
- B. 35mm (135) film ✓
- C. APS film
- D. Large format sheet film
Why: 35mm (also called 135) film is the most widely used still camera format, producing negatives of about 36mm x 24mm, and is available in a huge range of cameras and film stocks.
Q2. What does the ISO rating of a film stock indicate?
- A. How many exposures the roll contains
- B. The film's sensitivity to light ✓
- C. The color temperature the film is balanced for
- D. The maximum shutter speed the camera can use
Why: ISO measures a film's sensitivity to light. Lower numbers like ISO 100 need more light and give finer grain, while higher numbers like ISO 800 or 1600 are more sensitive and suited to dim conditions but show more grain.
Q3. Which film type is designed to produce positive transparencies that are viewed directly on a light table or projector?
- A. Black-and-white negative film
- B. Colour negative film
- C. Slide (reversal) film ✓
- D. Instant film
Why: Slide or reversal film produces a positive image on the film itself. Colour negative and black-and-white negative film must be printed or scanned to produce a viewable positive image.
Q4. A beginner shooting in bright daylight with a fixed-shutter camera wants to avoid overexposing their images. Which film speed would be the most suitable choice?
- A. ISO 3200
- B. ISO 1600
- C. ISO 800
- D. ISO 100 or 200 ✓
Why: Bright daylight provides plenty of light, so a slow, low-ISO film like ISO 100 or 200 is ideal. Faster films would risk overexposure in strong light, especially on cameras without adjustable shutter speeds or with limited aperture control.
Q5. Which type of camera is generally recommended for beginners learning film photography because it offers manual control over exposure and focus?
- A. A disposable single-use camera
- B. A fully automatic point-and-shoot camera
- C. A manual-focus SLR camera ✓
- D. A Polaroid instant camera
Why: A manual-focus SLR lets beginners learn the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO while seeing exactly what the lens captures through the viewfinder. Disposable and fully automatic cameras hide these controls, and instant cameras offer limited creative control.
Module 3
Module 3: Exposure Fundamentals on Film
Exposure Fundamentals on Film
Module 4
Module 4: Light Metering and Manual Control
Light Metering and Manual Control
Knowledge check
Q1. What does a handheld light meter measure in order to recommend an exposure?
- A. The colour temperature of the scene in Kelvin
- B. The amount of light falling on or reflected from the scene ✓
- C. The distance between the camera and the subject
- D. The film's grain size and sensitivity to red light
Why: A light meter measures the intensity of light, either incident (falling on the subject) or reflected (bouncing off it), and converts that reading into a recommended combination of aperture and shutter speed for the film's ISO.
Module 5
Module 5: Developing Black and White at Home
Developing Black and White at Home
Knowledge check
Q1. Why is it important to keep film loaded in the developing tank in complete darkness until the developing process begins?
- A. Light makes the developer solution evaporate faster
- B. Exposure to light will fog the film and ruin the images recorded on it
- C. Darkness helps the chemicals mix more evenly
- D. Film must be kept dark to prevent the emulsion from drying out
Q2. What is the purpose of a stop bath in black and white film development?
- A. It fixes the image permanently onto the film
- B. It washes away unexposed silver halide crystals
- C. It halts the action of the developer so development does not continue unevenly
- D. It softens the emulsion so the film can be scanned more easily
Q3. What does fixer do during the black and white development process?
- A. It adds contrast to the negative
- B. It removes unexposed silver halide so the image becomes permanent and light-stable
- C. It develops the latent image formed during exposure
- D. It hardens the film base to prevent scratches
Q4. Why should the final rinse or wash of developed film be done with water at a reasonably consistent temperature?
- A. Temperature changes make the film emulsion crack or swell unevenly, which can cause damage
- B. Warm water is required to activate the silver in the film
- C. Cold water removes the fixer more quickly than warm water
- D. Consistent temperature is needed to prevent the film from curling
Q5. A common beginner mistake when developing black and white film at home is inconsistent agitation. What is the main problem this causes?
- A. The film base becomes brittle and breaks
- B. Uneven development, resulting in streaks, patches, or areas of differing density
- C. The fixer is used up before it can work
- D. The negatives become too small to print properly
Module 6
Module 6: Scanning and Digital Post-Processing
Scanning and Digital Post-Processing
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the main advantage of scanning film at a higher resolution (such as 3200 dpi instead of 1200 dpi)?
- A. It makes the film grain disappear completely
- B. It captures more detail from the negative, allowing larger prints and more cropping flexibility ✓
- C. It automatically corrects exposure errors in the original photo
- D. It reduces the file size without losing image quality
Why: Higher scan resolution records more detail from the negative or slide, which gives you larger output sizes and more room to crop without visible loss of sharpness.
Q2. Which file format is generally preferred for archiving scanned film images because it preserves all image data without compression loss?
- A. JPEG
- B. GIF
- C. TIFF ✓
- D. BMP at low bit depth
Why: TIFF is a lossless or near-lossless format that preserves full image data, making it ideal for archival masters, while JPEG discards data each time it is saved.
Q3. What does the term 'dust and scratch removal' refer to in scanner software?
- A. Physically cleaning the negative with a brush before scanning
- B. An infrared channel-based or software filter that reduces dust spots and scratches in the scan ✓
- C. Removing the film from its carrier to prevent scratching
- D. Adjusting the contrast of the highlights only
Why: Many scanners use an infrared channel to detect dust and scratches and then digitally repair them, although this can soften fine detail and does not work on all film types, such as some black-and-white films.
Q4. Why is it useful to adjust white balance and levels during digital post-processing of a scanned color negative?
- A. Because the orange base mask of color negative film shifts colors and the tones need correction to appear natural ✓
- B. Because color negatives are always printed in black and white
- C. Because scanners cannot record any color information
- D. Because adjusting levels increases the film's original ISO rating
Why: Color negative film carries an orange base mask that must be neutralized, and adjusting white balance and levels restores natural color and tonal range in the scan.
Q5. What is the purpose of cropping and straightening a scan during post-processing?
- A. To change the film format from 35mm to medium format
- B. To improve composition and correct tilted horizons introduced during scanning or framing ✓
- C. To add grain that was not present in the original negative
- D. To increase the dynamic range of the original exposure
Why: Cropping refines the composition and straightening corrects tilted horizons or misaligned frames, which often occur when placing film in the scanner.
Module 7
Module 7: Building a Personal Film Portfolio
Building a Personal Film Portfolio
Knowledge check
Q1. When building a personal film portfolio, why is it useful to shoot a consistent series of images rather than unrelated one-off frames?
- A. Consistent series are cheaper to develop than individual frames
- B. A cohesive series shows a clear personal vision and point of view to viewers ✓
- C. Film labs only accept portfolios that contain exactly 12 images
- D. Unrelated frames cannot be scanned or printed
Why: A portfolio is meant to reveal your artistic voice. A cohesive body of work built around a theme, subject, or visual approach demonstrates intent and vision more effectively than a random collection of strong individual photos.
Q2. Which practice best helps a beginner keep a film portfolio consistent in tone and processing?
- A. Changing film stocks and developers for every roll to test variety
- B. Using the same film stock and developing process across a project ✓
- C. Scanning each negative at a different resolution
- D. Shooting only in the brightest midday sun
Why: Using the same film stock and processing approach keeps grain, contrast, and color rendering uniform, so the images read as one coherent body of work rather than a mismatched set.
Q3. What is the main purpose of editing down a film portfolio before presenting it?
- A. To reduce the file size of the final scans
- B. To remove weaker frames so the strongest, most relevant images stand out ✓
- C. To ensure every photo was taken on the same day
- D. To hide the fact that the film was expired
Why: Film is expensive and frames vary in quality, so editing ruthlessly keeps only the strongest and most thematically relevant images, making the portfolio more impactful.
Q4. When sequencing images in a film portfolio, which approach is generally recommended?
- A. Placing the most technically perfect image first regardless of content
- B. Ordering images by the date they were developed
- C. Arranging images so they flow visually and narratively, guiding the viewer through the work ✓
- D. Alternating randomly between color and black-and-white every frame
Why: Thoughtful sequencing creates rhythm and narrative flow, helping viewers experience the work as a deliberate story or progression rather than a disconnected set of pictures.
Q5. Why should a film photographer keep a record of camera settings, film stock, and development notes for each roll?
- A. Film labs legally require this documentation for every roll
- B. It allows the photographer to reproduce successful looks and explain their process in the portfolio ✓
- C. It is needed to prevent the negatives from fogging
- D. It replaces the need to meter the light at all
Why: Detailed notes help you learn from results, repeat effective combinations, and accurately describe your technical approach when presenting your portfolio to others.