Beginner's Corner: Help! My pictures didn't come out. What am I doing wrong?
Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 2:02PM Here are a few things people say about their first rolls of film taken with a lo-fi camera:
"The lab said my film was blank"
"Only a few of my photos came out"
"My pictures don't have that feeling that Holga (or Diana) pictures are supposed to have"
"Did they mess up my film?"
"What am I doing wrong?"
While the lo-fi Holga or Diana lens will add some interesting characteristics to your images, a certain essential ingredient must be added to each photo to make them work...your brain! When learning how to use your lo-fi camera, you must put a little thought into what you are doing. Once you get the hang of it, you won't need to think about it much, as the thought process becomes automatic.
One of the things you must be aware of is your film camera's limitations. A common comment I hear is that only a few photos came out. A mistake that I see often is that people try shooting in low light conditions. While digital cameras often get a usable image under these conditions, film is usually not sensitive enough to get an image under the same conditions. Lo-fi cameras like light, and lots of it. For now, shoot in good sunlight, or if shooting indoors, night or other low light conditions, use a flash unit.
What film are you using? Your choice of film will often make a difference. One thing to look for is a film with an ISO rating of 400. The ISO rating is a measure of how sensitive the film is to light. Slower films with a lower ISO rating (ISO160 or 200) are easier to find in your local drugstores, but they require more light to make a proper exposure. If you want good color saturation, a film like Kodak Portra or Fujifilm 400HD are good choices. I have a blog post about film here:
Next thing to think about, is how far away are you from your subject? If you are mostly shooting things that are far away from the camera (landscapes, or buildings that are in the distance), you aren't giving the lens much to work with. What I mean by that, is that the unique characteristics of the lo-fi lens give a sharp-blurry feel to the image, but the subject must be fairly close to your camera to make the differences more readily apparent. If you haven't tried it, get closer to your subject, and check your focus setting as you move in.
Another thing to consider, is what time of day you are shooting. If you are shooting around noon, when the sun is high, the light from the sun becomes flat, and the shadows are short and harsh. Try shooting in the late afternoon or early morning when the shadows become longer and the low raking sunlight will give an interesting texture to the subjects.
This is a lot to think about, but just a little awareness of the conditions you are shooting under, and few other things will give your photos that little extra bit of something that you are probably missing from your photos.
Make sure the camera settings are right for each photo. I use the acronym SAFE to remind me.
S - Shutter setting, for everyday outdoor shooting, the camera shutter setting should be on N.
A - Aperture, choose the appropriate aperture setting for the light conditions: Sunny or Cloudy (or Semi-Cloudy on the Diana). If you have a Diana, make sure it is not set to P, Pinhole. This setting will underexpose the film so it appears blank.
F - Focus, set the lens to the appropriate distance from your subject.
E - Expose! Trip the shutter and take the photo, advance the film.
Repeat as necessary.
I have how-to videos for Holga and Diana:
The video for Holga is done with a Holga 120, but the basics still apply to the Holga 135 and 135BC.
Shooting with Holga:
The video for Diana is done with a Diana+, but the basics still apply to the Mini.
Shooting with Diana:
The Holga video also has a couple of composition tips, so even if you have a Diana, you may want to take a look at it. It is also one of my newer videos. After some comments by viewers on my earlier videos, it includes the photo made with the Holga camera.
Reader Comments (9)
Hey, great post.
I got redirected here from your yahoo answer (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081021225123AAwrIkg)
I was wondering if you could help recommend some good places in vancouver that would develop 35mm film taken by my fisheye lomo camera. Do I have to ask the developer to do anything special with the film?
This is a great post! Lots of good information - and not just for beginners! I've been using Holgas and Dianas for a few years now and I still occasionally get a blank roll.
Hi YC, I'm not familiar with Vancouver, so I can't help with a lab, but most any 1-hour lab should be able to process your fisheye film. The Lomo Fisheye takes standard 35mm frames, so there isn't anything in particular you need to tell the lab.
What aparuture do I use if im inside and im using the flash om my subjekt. The smallest is "the sun" setting f/22 right? And the biggest is "cloudy" and its f/14, if i got my numbers right that is. What do you recomend?
Love the guide
/Ronni, Sweden.
Ronni,
You should use the Cloudy setting, or largest aperture, if you are using a standard Diana F+ or similar flash. These flash units are low-powered and don't kick out a lot of light.
You said that it's a lo-fi lens? What if you're using a different lens? I have an F+ and though I (sometimes) get some great shots in, I usually don't. It's been quite difficult for me to figure out. I'm really great at using the Holga, but the Holga is a totally different camera. Just wondering about the different lenses regarding the Diana F+. Do the same regulations apply? Like, how close you are to the subject and what-not? There are so many things I have questions about but cannot seem to figure out on my own although I'd like to.
Thanks, Ashley.
PS: Great post! :-)
Street photography generally refers to photographs taken from the public places like streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other same places.
Hi! I think I did everything right, and my pictures still came out overexposed. I had some trouble putting in the film. Could that be the problem?
Also, I was wondering: could it hurt to change lenses while there still film in the Diana? I mean like for example changing from the regular lens to the fisheye and back.
And last: on monday I'm going to the airport to pick up a friend. Since my pictures didn't work out the last time I was there (I used the flash), I was wondering if you have some tips. For example, I would really like a picture from the big board with al the departure flights on and use my fisheye lens for it.
Thanks!
Hi! Great post, very informative. I can't wait to get started with your tips and tricks.
I have a question. I received a Diana F+ as a gift from Urban Outfitters. I don't know if my model is the bottom of the line, but it didn't come with what the other models seem to have: flash and the plastic frame masks! My question is, can I still take decent photos without the frame masks and what sort of effect will it have? Can I buy them elsewhere?
Thanks so much.