Full frame cameras expose one 35mm frame when the shutter opens and closes. We like that. If you are using a 50 mm lens you get everything the lens offers on the film. Use a 300mm lens and the result is similar. All is right with the world.
Learn the craft well and you will have little doubt that what you shoot will result in a fine print. You won't know if you captured what you saw through the lens (if using a single lens reflex) until either you or a lab somewhere runs your rolls through a chemical bath and sends you the prints.
So many things happen that are beyond your control between your pressing the trigger and seeing the finished photo...or even before. Consider the possibility of getting an old roll of film that wasn't quite up to par or that you misloaded or accidently exposed it while loading. Shooting for fun is one thing but if you were responsible for wedding, anniversary or birthday photos for clients, friends or family it could be devastating. I recall a wedding party that had to return to the church in order to recreate the shoot due to some "bad" film.
Almost a year ago I got my long awaited K1 full frame digital camera from Ricoh/Pentax and have been learning how to use it. It has so many features I haven't scratched the surface.I captured the seagull sextet about to become a septet. Notice their heartfelt vocal greeting! Didn't quite have the setting where I wanted it. We were on a crowded ferry leaving the dock so it wasn't optimal but the composition was too cool to pass up.
An Osprey was tending her nest and doing her best to keep the hot sun off her chick. Looks like Dad just sat this one out and hunkered down in the nest. She didn't look to be in great shape (having seen these birds of prey in action) but intent on performing her matronly task with no visible assistance from the mate. After all..it was rather hot. There is something about capturing a moment in time whether humorous, frightful or heartwarming. Love taking the camera outdoors.
Another passion is shooting live theater, which is fraught with problems for lighting and knowing where the next shot will be. Ragtime, The Musical offers delightful costuming and takes place at the turn of the 20th Century. It is loosely based on actual people and events that took place in New York around 1906. The photographic opportunities were spectacular as the director created staging that made for great picture stories.
The time depicted saw American industry booming as the rich were growing complacent in their mistreatment of immigrants who flooded into Ellis Island with hopes of escaping religious and/or political persecution and capturing a piece of the "American Dream".
The trick to shooting theatricals is knowing where you need to be in order to capture a moment...or being tremendously lucky through the lens. The lighting changes and people move and, usually, just as you trip the shutter. Not all cameras (or lenses for that matter) do well in low or uneven lighting. Out of 300 shots you might have 100 or so where you nailed it. You captured that moment, expression, action or emotion that projects from the stage and onto "film". Such are the joys of digital photography. 100 great shots and you can erase 200 that didn't quite measure up and go again. Using a full frame DSLR means that when using a 35 mm lens you are seeing what you actually are shooting. I haven't given up my APSC camera. It's still in my bag and I will use it for certain shoots but I am still learning how to use the features of my (Ricoh) Pentax K1 which has a bit longer learning curve than I anticipated...not for shooting photos but for actually using some of the very nice innovations and funtions to be found within its programming. It is somewhat disappointing being a Pentaxian here in the USA. The brand lost its standing when the digital age kicked in and they failed to embrace it thereby losing any meaningful share of the soon to be booming market. Their digital brand was a late blooming follower of fashion. They had no product to offer the world that could compare with Nikon, Canon and eventually Sony. My first digital camera was and RCA that looked a little like an SLR but sported 1 or 2 megapixels. Cost me $100 at Radio Shack. Left much to be desired. There was little software to handle the editing and/or printing of the photos...which was probably a good thing. If you have been following my blog over the past few years you have seen photos taken with a Sony A5000 mirror-less (Italy) Germany (soon to come) and a Pentax K5II APSC DSLR and the brand flagship Full Frame K1. I cherish them all. In the past I have traveled with the Sony due to it's small size and the fact it shoots in RAW format (uncompressed photographic files) which means you can really work the photos when editing. It also has interchangeable lenses. In future I will take the K5II on trips if there is room for it! So much to talk about and so little time. I will add a few more shots to this entry. Please enjoy.
