From the Arch Club Journal

The exposure triangle for landscape, and the film to load

Sharp from the near rock to the far ridge. How to balance film speed, aperture and shutter when the subject doesn't move.

Written by Arch Club, a members' club that shoots only on film.

The triangle in one minute

Every exposure balances three things. Film speed (ISO) is how sensitive the film is to light. Aperture (the f-number) is how wide the lens opens, and it decides how much of the picture is sharp from front to back. Shutter speed is how long the light falls on the film, and it decides whether movement freezes or blurs. Open one by a stop and you can close another by a stop for the same exposure.

Film adds one twist: you choose the ISO when you load the roll, and it stays fixed for every frame. So the film you pick before you leave home is the first and biggest exposure decision you make.

What matters in a landscape

I
Aperture comes first.To keep everything sharp, most landscape work sits between f/8 and f/16. Go much smaller and diffraction starts to soften the whole frame, especially on 35mm. Medium format, enlarged less, tolerates f/22 better.
II
Focus a third of the way in.Focusing at the hyperfocal distance, roughly a third into the scene, keeps both the foreground and the horizon acceptably sharp.
III
Let the tripod carry the shutter.Mountains don't move, so slow shutter speeds are fine on a tripod. Use a cable release and let the camera settle.
IV
Mind long exposures.Past about a second, most films need more exposure than the meter says, an effect called reciprocity failure. Each maker publishes a correction table. Fujifilm Acros II needs almost none.
V
Use filters.On black and white, a red or orange filter darkens a blue sky and lifts the clouds. On colour, a polariser deepens the sky and cuts glare off water and leaves.

Starting points

LightFilmApertureShutter
Bright sunEktar 100f/161/125
Golden hourPortra 160 or Ektar 100f/11Meter it, on a tripod
Blue hour, long exposureAcros IIf/11Several seconds, little correction

The film to load

I
Kodak Ektar 100.Saturated colour and some of the finest grain in colour negative film. Built for scenery.
II
Fujifilm Velvia 50.Slide film with vivid, punchy colour. It has little room for error, so meter carefully.
III
Fujifilm Acros II.Fine black and white grain and the best behaviour of any common film in long exposures.
IV
Ilford Pan F Plus 50.Very fine grain and strong tonal range, at its best with a red or orange filter.
Slow film, small aperture, a tripod, and all the time the light allows.
White marble stilettos with red marble straps on a black marble plinth
Shot on film at Arch Club

ARCH CLUB

A members' club for foot photography, shot only on film.

Every Arch Club photograph is made on a Canon EOS-1V, a Mamiya 7 or a Fuji GW690II, with real models in New York and never AI. Members receive new film photographs every month, and collectors can own the original negative, sealed in display resin with a print of their choice.

Membership$49.99/mo
Polaroid$111
4×6 print$200
Negatives$1,100 to $2,000
Cameras35mm, 6×7, 6×9
Become a MemberBecome a Model

Anyone can find a picture. Few will ever hold a photograph.

Visit Arch Club

Published by Arch Club, Brooklyn, New York.