from the International Photographer March 1934 pg.4
In principle, standard and sub-standard apparatus is very similar, differing essentially in size only. The smaller size, however, does not give it limitations which larger equipment does not have, but, on the contrary, makes it more versatile because of its light weight, as well as greatly cuts down the expense of equipment and film so that the amateur can afford it.
Though in the majority of cases simpler in construction, 16 mm. is made with the same mechanical precision that is to be found in standard equipment and, with the newest types of cameras, the numerous accessories and the modern high speed, fine grain panchromatic films available, there is no reason why the amateur should not in the majority of cases be able to get as good results as the professional.
It is very doubtful, however, if the average amateur gets the most out of his equipment. What is the reason for this? Certainly it is not because he does not have
satisfactory equipment, time, money, or information necessary to get the best results.
In my opinion there are two chief reasons, first that most amateurs do not understand fully their equipment and how to use it (in spite of the wealth of information available) and, secondly, that many amateurs lack either the ambition, imagination, or ingenuity that makes the work of the professional cameraman outstanding. The fact that many prize winning pictures have been made with a minimum of money and equipment bears out the fact that these are not essential to get good results. In a recent national contest the award for photography went to a picture shot on an 8 mm. camera, for which a minimum of accessories are available at present. It is not the amount of equipment, but the expertness and ingenuity—one might almost say inspiration and genius— with which it is used that determines the quality of the result.
Many amateurs will never excel in their photography because they lack the interest, the ambition, to thoroughly learn the medium with which they are working. By the trial and error method they may eventually succeed in getting fairly good results, but their work will always bear the stamp of the ordinary amateur.
In spite of the simplicity of most 16 mm. equipment and the rules of composition and lighting, too many amateurs feel that motion picture photography is a difficult subject which requires years of study and experimenting to understand fully, and hence make little attempt to learn the basic principles so necessary to make good pictures consistently.
They become discouraged with their first results and, instead of trying to find out what is wrong, they blame everything but themselves, and soon lose all interest.
They fail to realize that a little time and money spent on studying the medium would soon more than repay itself in the results obtained and the film saved. With the amount of information available on motion picture arts and crafts the amateur has no excuse for making bad pictures.
I cannot hope to cover fully all the aspects that are necessary to consider in picture making, but I will mention briefly some of the things in which there is always room for improvement. It is hardly necessary to emphasize the importance of correct focus and exposure. Every amateur is told about this time and again. Focusing is merely a simple mechanical procedure which is simplified to the utmost on most sub-standard cameras, but, except in the case of universal focus lenses, it must not be neglected. Exposure seems to be the chief difficulty of the beginning amateur. The best way to get correct exposure, and in the long run perhaps the cheapest, is by the use of a reliable exposure meter, of which there are a number available. These are simple in operation and quite accurate and in most cases correct for the difference in cameras and films. Many cameras have an exposure guide on the camera, which if followed correctly gives satisfactory results under average conditions.
After the exposure meter and exposure guide has been used for some time it is wise to try to estimate exposure without their use. With some practice it is possible to estimate exposure quite accurately, and frequently it comes in handy when a meter is not available or when there is no time to use it. A great aid in judging exposure is a dark panchromatic viewing filter, which shows the lights in its monochromatic values (as the film would record it) and by cutting down the light makes it easier to judge the exposure in highlights and shadows. It is also a valuable aid in judging lighting and composition. Many professional cameramen use viewing filters, and also find exposure meters of considerable help because of the variety of lighting conditions which they encounter.
An understanding of the use of filters in photography is very important. Panchromatic emulsions have made the use of filters particularly desirable and in many cases indispensible. This is true, of course, only for exteriors, since filters are used in interiors only to obtain certain unusual effects. In most exteriors it is good practice always to use a filter when the light permits, especially for landscapes and scenes including considerable sky, for the proper filter will give a black and white color rendition more clearly like that perceived by the eye than if no filter had been used and, also, prevents a glary white sky.
There are a great number of professional filters on the market which can readily be used with amateur cameras, should special filters for these cameras not be available. The choice of the filter depends, of course, on the effect desired, whether to correct or over-correct color value, whether to increase or decrease contrast, or whether to obtain night effects in daylight. Much information has been published on filters and the amateur would profit by obtaining some of it.
It must be remembered that a filter, because it cuts off much of the light passing through it cuts down the exposure considerably. The amount depends on the density and color of the filter. Each filter, therefore, has what is known as a filter factor, the number of times the exposure must be increased to get the correct exposure. The effect obtained with the filter can be changed somewhat by varying the exposure, particularly in the case of the red filters, where under-exposure gives a night effect because of the dark sky and the contrast in highlights and shadows, while slight over-exposure merely gives an over-corrected (that is, blues and greens are darker than normal) daylight effect.
It is well to know how to obtain these various effects, for they prove of considerable value in obtaining scenes which would be impossible for the amateur to get without using filters. If professional filters are available it is best to study their effect on panchromatic film by using a miniature still camera for which panchromatic film like that used in movie photography can be used. This is considerably cheaper and permits easier study of the result. The shutter speed should be practically the same as that in the movie camera so that an accurate comparison can be made.
Night scenes made with a filter in daylight can often be enhanced by the use of a diffusion disk or gauze (the latter can easily be made out of black gauze) which gives the scene a soft, diffused quality much like one finds on a moonlight night. Diffusion also has a number of other uses and is particularly of value in close-ups and other scenes which it is desired to soften in order to iron out harsh lines. Sometimes it is desired to soften only the background so that it will not detract from the center of interest in the foreground, a trick regularly used in professional pictures.
It is impossible to do this with universal focus lenses, where everything from five feet or so to infinity is in focus, but it can be done with focusing lenses by focusing critically on the desired object and opening the lens as far as possible so that the depth of field is reduced to a minimum. This increases the exposure, unless the light is such that the lens had to be used wide open anyhow, and to compensate for this increase the light can be cut down by a neutral density filter, which has no filtering effect but merely cuts down the amount of light reaching the film.
It can, however, be used in connection with color filters, providing the combined filter factor does not become too great. The 3N5 and 5N5 filters are a combination of the neutral density filter and the areo filter and are excellent for very bright landscapes. Fog filters used with certain neutral density filters give good fog effects even on a clear day. Since these filters are obtainable only in professional sizes it would be well for the amateur to equip his camera with a filter holder in which they can be used. The two-inch size is perhaps the most satisfactory, for it can also be used with most 35 mm. cameras and still cameras.
One of the greatest shortcomings in many amateur pictures is their unsteadiness due to the fact that the camera was held in the hand while photographing, instead of using a tripod. It is unfortunate that 16 mm camera manufacturers advertise their product as essentially hand-held cameras for there are few persons steady enough to get good results by holding the camera while shooting. Too often the picture is so jumpy as to be unpleasant.
It is true that a tripod is somewhat of an inconvenience at times, but the improvement resulting from its use is well worth the extra trouble of taking it along. It makes the picture absolutely steady and enables the cameraman to better line up his composition and obtain effective camera angles. Panning and tilting are very easy with a tripod and in most cases more satisfactory. Panning must, however, be slow and steady, otherwise an unpleasant blur will be produced, and should be used sparingly, preferably only when following a moving object or to show the relation of one subject to another.
Landscapes are best photographed with a stationary camera, for better compositions can be obtained in this way. Photographing from moving objects (trains, automobiles, etc.) is inadvisable unless the movement is reasonably slow and smooth, as that of a fairly large boat in calm water. Pictures taken from a moving automobile, unless it is very steady, are seldom satisfactory.
If it be desired to have a slow moving, or “trucking” shot, a camera truck can easily be constructed out of coaster, baby buggy, wheel chair, or tricycle wheels, which are strong enough to hold 16mm equipment and one or two persons. If a better truck is desired, it can be made out of automobile or airplane wheels (with tires), as is done in the studios. The truck must, of course, be made very steady, preferably be set very low, and must pull and push easily.
If the surface over which the truck is to travel is not smooth enough it can readily be made so by suitable boards. Trucking shots, like pans, should also be used only when there is a definite reason for them. There is really no reason why the amateur should not be able to obtain shots like the professional, for, with the exception, perhaps, of certain crane and “zoom” shots, the equipment used is relatively simple and, with a bit of ingenuity, can readily be made by the amateur.
Two other elements which are important to get good pictures are composition and lighting. Volumes have been written on these subjects, so I will not attempt to discuss them, but merely wish to emphasize their importance. After all, a picture consists merely of line, form, light and shade, and these can be pleasing only when properly arranged, so why ignore the importance of composition and lighting? Don’t shoot at random just to have something to shoot, but carefully choose your subject and photograph it from the best vantage. It makes all the difference in the world how an object is photographed—some of the most commonplace subjects can be given new interest by clever lighting and composition.
Elaborate lighting equipment and sets are by no means necessary ; it is how the available lights and sets are arranged that counts. The amateur should first acquaint himself with the basic principles of composition and lighting and then study the work of the professional, both in still and motion picture photography. He has much to learn from the professional. Much valuable information can be obtained from books and magazines like the International Photographer, but this, by all means, should be supplemented by a thorough study of photographic exhibits and motion pictures shown in theatres daily. They represent the best there is and the amateur can gain much from them. From the pictures shown in theatres he can learn lighting, composition, camera movement, camera angles, continuity and editing, special effects, and many other aspects which should give him a new source of inspiration for his own pictures.
The amateur is, in many respects, to be envied by the professional. He is his own boss—he may even write and direct the pictures he produces and photographs and he does not need to worry about overhead expense and box office. If he wishes to try something new there is no one to stop him—his facilities are unlimited. Yet with all this in his favor he seldom shows any originality, any ingenuity. He merely sits back and asks: “How can I get professional effects without professional equipment?” The answer is simple—find out how the professional gets his effects and then copy him! It is not difficult. It is easy enough to find a substitute for professional equipment, and even though it may not be as handy to use it will, nevertheless, satisfactorily serve the purpose. One need only see the work of the professional to realize that with him nothing is impossible—why shouldn’t the amateur take the same attitude?