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Since the invention of photography more than 150 years ago photographers have essentially had two variables to work which allow control over exposure – aperture and shutter speed. Yes, film speed was a third variable, but not one that lent itself to ready alteration. With the advent of digital cameras this has now changed!

Mountain Winds, New Mexico. December, 2002Canon 1Ds with 500mm f/4L IS + 1.4X at ISO 320Film SpeedFor much of the history of photography film speed was essentially “the best you could do”. The first Kodachrome in the 1950’s, for example, was rated at ASA 10. (We new call it ISO – but the scale remains unchanged). In the ‘60s Kodachrome’s speed was increased to ASA 25 and photographers thought that they’d died and gone to heaven.

Things were a bit better in B&W. ASA 100 was considered “normal”, while films like Tri-X at ASA 400 were very fast but grainy. Grain became an end in itself for some, tho...

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Michael Reichmann
Michael Reichmann
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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.
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