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Black and white photography, whether digital or film, creates professional, moody images with amazing impact. Not surprisingly, then, black and white film seems to be making a comeback. Although many popular films have disappeared from the shelves of our high-street outlets, the choices that remain can still be confusing to newcomers to this field.

So how do you choose which is the right film for you? The first step is to think about what type of shots you want to take - indoor photography with flash or outdoors in natural light? Or maybe you want to concentrate on landscapes, portraits, studio shots, architecture, night shots, or photojournalism?

Why should this affect your choice of film? All black and white film is categorized by film "speed". Film speed ratings tell you how the film is able to deal with low light or bright light. Speeds are measured in ASA or ISO, with the most common being 100 ASA (sometimes called 125 ASA) or 400 ASA.

Photographic film is made up of particles that react to light to produce your negative. This can be seen in your photos, and is referred to as "grain". An easy rule to remember is that the higher the film speed, the larger the "grain. So medium speed films (100 or 125 ASA) will give a finer grain than fast film (400 ASA).

So if you want to produce portrait shots using flash or studio lighting, choose 100 ASA. Your lighting will ensure there is enough light to take a good photo, and you will get a finer grain. On the other hand, if you want to produce moody, atmospheric photos, grain will enhance this effect and you might choose a 400 ASA film.

For the ambitious or adventurous, there are less common film speeds to experiment with. Slow films (50 ASA or less) are perfect for still life photos, and will give you a lot of detail. And ultra-high speed films (1600 or above) are perfect for capturing sporting or music events, whether indoors or out.

If you want to avoid grain as much as possible, there are black and white film available (called Chromogenic film) that use color photography methods to produce smoother results. These films need to be developed with color photo chemicals; so if you want to try developing at home, beware! The advantage to these films is that they can be processed by any color lab and give a much less grainy photo.

When I started out as a black and white photographer I was given some good advice - to choose one film speed and stick to it for at least a few months. It was good advice, and I would recommend you to try it for yourself. Notice the things that you like and the results that you get. Learn what the film will do, and where it limits you. It's a great way to start, especially if you want to develop your film at home. Sticking with one film speed will allow you to learn how to get the most from your developer too, and you will learn a lot. When you are ready to experiment more, choose another film speed to see how differently it affects your photography.

There are some very good reviews of black and white film on the Internet. One of the most comprehensive that I found was at:

http://photography.about.co m/library/weekly/aa090202c.htm

Whichever film you choose, enjoy your black and white photography and have fun!

Learn more about this author, Gill Breeze.
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