StomperBlog

As with most outdoor photography, you’ll find the most dramatic lighting first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the sun is low in the sky. If the day is very hazy or windy, don’t bother going up–haze makes for murky photos, and strong winds cause turbulence and image blur due to camera movement. Shoot with the lens wide open in aperture-priority AE to get the fastest possible shutter speed, and lock focus at infinity (over populated areas, regulations require you to be at least 1000 feet above the highest building within 2000 feet of your flight path).

From an Office Window

If you work in a high-rise office building (or can visit someone who does), you have a great vantage point for photography. It’s even a great way to get “aerial” photos without leaving the ground. We’re on the 18th floor of a 20-story building, and it’s amazing the scenes we see out the windows as the weather and time of day change. When shooting through windows, watch out for reflections (although you can use reflections …

In 1980 Ilford Imaging introduced a consumer variation of chromogenic film called XP1. This was an ISO 400 chromogenic film that was easy to use and gave incredible results. Eventually this emulsion evolved to XP2, and today’s XP2 Super. Agfa introduced Vario-XL later the same year, but discontinued it a year later. Many of the staunch traditional film users thought the chromogenic concept to be a passing fad, but this new type of film caught on before long. Kodak later picked up on the idea and introduced chromogenic films for both APS and 35mm cameras. Even Konica came on board with their Monochrome VX400 film.

Currently, there are five chromogenic black-and-white films available in 35mm format: Ilford XP2 Super 400, Kodak Black & White 400, Kodak Professional Portra 400BW, Kodak Professional T400 CN, and Konica Monochrome VX400. Portra 400BW was designed specifically to be printed on color paper; the others produce best results when printed on black-and-white papers, but can also be printed on color papers. XP2 and the two Kodak pro films are also available in larger formats; Black …

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The bracketing technique requires three pictures to be taken (some digital cameras offer an automatic bracketing exposure). The first picture is captured at what is believed to be the ideal exposure (f-stop); the second at no more than two f-stops higher, and the third at no more than two f-stops lower, than the original exposure. The three pictures will document the subject at a graduated range of exposures, which increases your chances of capturing an image with accurate color fidelity. This technique is useful for capturing tooth shade and for calibrating the camera’s auto-exposure mode, says Remi Goulet of SSFODF, a French Orthodontists association. Images captured using slide film, for example, will vary even if the film is over- or underexposed by only one-third of an f-stop.

Aperture-priority mode also allows some control over depth of field. With a 100-mm lens, for example, the depth of field is quite shallow. For capturing &mil, such as an occlusal view, the aperture may need to be stepped down (decreased) to increase the depth of field. Most auto-exposure systems allow you to …