Have you ever come across a film photograph that perfectly captured a person, landscape, or beautiful scene, and the lighting in the picture stirred emotions within you? This is not a mere coincidence in the world of film photography, where all light is not created equal. The way light interacts with film to produce a photograph, or a feature film is unparalleled in terms of quality and emotional impact, far surpassing its high-tech digital counterparts.
Let's take natural Sunlight, for example, which is undoubtedly the most incredible light source to work with creatively. Of course, projects and concepts will vary where artificial light will have to be used or mixed in, but all things considered, Sunlight always reigns supreme; you just have to know when and how to use it with something like diffusion materials, lighting ratios, etc.
The uniqueness of natural light stems from the fact that it originates from the sun, a celestial body that creates light of superior quality and characteristics. It's not just about the intensity of a light source but also about its inherent qualities. When it comes to the quality of natural light, nothing beats the light created by that giant star in the cosmos. You see, the sun makes light through a process called nuclear fusion. In the sun's core, hydrogen atoms are fused together to form helium atoms, which release a massive amount of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light. This radiation travels outward from the sun in all directions and is what we perceive as Sunlight.
All light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation is energy that travels through space in the form of waves. It includes various wavelengths, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays. Visible light is a narrow range of this spectrum and is the only range our eyes can detect. However, certain films have a higher sensitivity to wavelengths beyond visible light, allowing us to capture things like infrared light in our photographs.
Now here is where film really shines when making a photograph. Using our natural light example, the Sunlight you see in a scene, falling on a model or tree, water, etc., is used to imprint an image on the film via a chemical reaction; so, the light that enters the camera through the lens is what creates the image on the film, meaning film records light as a physical impression on the emulsion. This is why you'll often hear people say photos produced on film feel more organic and have more character. The light from the scene causes a chemical reaction in the film, resulting in an image that directly represents the light in the scene. Resulting in pictures with a unique aesthetic and character while also capturing atmospheric phenomena that uniquely add to a photograph's overall mood and atmosphere that can't be made any other way.
For reference, let's look at how a digital camera would produce an image of the same scene. The natural light enters the camera through the lens but interacts with a digital sensor and converts the light into digital signals, which are then processed by the digital camera's internal computer applying various image processing algorithms to these electrical signals to create a digital image file. The digital image is only a record of the electrical signals generated by the sensor in response to the light that hit them rather than a direct imprint of the light itself on film.
Can you see the evident differences between the two mediums and understand why film photography is often considered the attractive choice for artistic purposes, particularly when utilized with natural lighting or a blend of natural and artificial light sources?
With a better understanding of how Sunlight interacts with film in photography, you can begin to appreciate the subtleties and nuances of natural light in your everyday life and see the world around you in a new way. You may start to recognize how things have been carefully crafted to take advantage of natural light in just the right ways because Sunlight is essential for the survival of almost all life on Earth. This increased awareness of natural light can also help you understand its benefits, such as its important role in regulating our biological circadian rhythms, closely tied to the natural cycle of daylight and darkness driven by the sun. Maintaining healthy natural rhythms is crucial for overall well-being, making exposure to natural Sunlight an essential factor to consider both in life and in creating art.
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🎼 This song and video are smooth AF, and the sun they created perfectly fits this post! ☀️
