1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology with 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: tech stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hi there, kids, 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: and welcome to tech stuff. My name is Chris Pelette 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 1: and I'm an editor at how stuff works dot com. 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: Sitting directly opposite me, as usual, is senior writer Jonathan Strickland. 7 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: Let me take your picture added to the mixture. There 8 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: it is. I got you now, really nothing to it. 9 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: Anyone can do it. It's easy. And we all know 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: how today's podcast really lends itself to that quote. Yes, 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,479 Speaker 1: today we wanted to talk about high speed photography and 12 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: slow motion. Both of these have to do with a 13 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: changing film speeds and shutter speeds and all this kind 14 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: of stuff. To really talk about how the stuff works, 15 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: we have to go a little bit more basic. We 16 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: have to actually talk about the principles behind photography and 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: how a camera works. And before we really get into this, 18 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: How stuff Works has dozens of great articles about photography, 19 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: including articles about how high speed photography works and how 20 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 1: burst photography works. Both of those were written by John Fuller. 21 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: But we also have how cameras work, how photographic film works. 22 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 1: So if you want to learn more than what you know, 23 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: we're going to kind of cover the basics. But if 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: you really want to know the true science and chemistry 25 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: and physics behind how cameras work, I highly recommend you 26 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: check out those articles because they will answer a lot 27 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: more questions. We're gonna try and kind of cover the 28 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: basics here. So so let's uh, let's talk about what 29 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: a camera does. It's seemed kind of silly to say 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: because we're most of us really familiar with cameras. And 31 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: by the way, I should point out also that we're 32 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: really focusing on film phil it was completely not on purpose. Um, 33 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: we're talking about film cameras mainly in this podcast as 34 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: opposed to digital. The two different methods. You know, you 35 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: get the you get a result that's similar using these 36 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: two methods. You know, you get an image of a 37 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: moment in time in both ways, but the actual mechanics 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: behind film versus digital are very different. So we're specifically 39 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,239 Speaker 1: looking at it's gonna say, focus again looking at film 40 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: cameras because well, to to to try and cover both 41 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: would require a like a podcast that's twice as long 42 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: as what we normally do, and we only do that 43 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: for Google Plus well, UH cameras in general though, UM 44 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: and speaking of both film and digital, you're you're you're 45 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: using a series of UM devices to capture that image. There. 46 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: On both film and digital you of course you've got 47 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: a lens um and there is UH, the principle behind 48 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: it is to capture the image. On film, you're using 49 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: a a piece of essentially plastic celluloid to that's treated 50 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: with chemicals they captures that image, and in a digital 51 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: camera use an image sensor. UM. But you know, and 52 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: and there are some similarities of course. It It has 53 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: to do with how fast the camera is firing UM 54 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,519 Speaker 1: and how much light you're letting in through the lens 55 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: um and after that they do differ considerably. So with 56 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: a with a film camera, you know, Chris was just 57 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: talking about it a second ago. But what you know, 58 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: the main the medium upon which you are capturing these 59 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: images is film, and film is really just a strip 60 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: of plastic that's been treated with UH, with chemicals that 61 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: are photoreactive. Yes, that means that the chemicals will undergo 62 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: some sort of change when exposed to light, so they 63 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: turned into monsters. If you've listened to our solar If 64 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: you listen to our Solar Panel episode, you know that 65 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: we have discovered materials that react when light hits it. 66 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: The photons from the light transfer energy to whatever that 67 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: medium is and you get a reaction. In this case, 68 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: the photons are able to change the chemical properties of 69 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: the stuff that's on this film. And I really get 70 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: into that would be diving deep into science. We do have, 71 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: like I said, the article on how photo, how film 72 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: photographic film works, and that explains it. But UM, to 73 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 1: be honest, if I were to try and go into 74 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,360 Speaker 1: it right now, I'm sure I would mess it up 75 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: because you know, my my chemistry is only goes so far. 76 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: My chemistry food is weak chem But at any rate, 77 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: what this this stuff is designed so that when light 78 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 1: hits it, it has a chemical change. Then when you 79 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 1: treat it with other chemicals, that's what allows you to 80 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: create a negative image of whatever it was you were, 81 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: whatever light hit it. So this is why when you 82 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: have film, people say, you know, make sure you don't 83 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: expose it to light before before or after you take 84 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: a photo, because if you do, it's going to ruin 85 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: the image, right because um, the film is going to 86 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: record the light from the that that is coming to 87 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: it through the lens. So of course, when you put 88 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: the canister a film inside your camera and load your camera, 89 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: you close the door which blocks off any light. Um. 90 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 1: And then of course you have to advance the film 91 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: after you've taken a photo. If you if you've ever 92 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:42,039 Speaker 1: exposed film more than once, double exposure, you get a 93 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,920 Speaker 1: really bizarre effect. Yeah. Yeah, And it can be very 94 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: very cool if that's what you're going for. It can 95 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: also be really frustrating if you were trying to capture 96 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: one thing in particular and forgot to advance the film, right. 97 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,679 Speaker 1: And and we've even seen that double exposures go into 98 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: uh the realm of people thinking that something supernatural roles 99 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: going on, because you do get kind of a ghostly 100 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: image if you double exposed film. Yeah. So there have 101 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: been times where people have had just a double exposure, 102 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: that's all it is, but because they didn't realize it 103 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: was a double exposure, they think, Wow, I took this 104 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 1: photo of my buddy Bob, and there's this ghostly face 105 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 1: that's appearing over his left shoulder that's so creepy, and 106 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: not forgetting that, oh before I took the photo of 107 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: Bob I took a photo of Liz. It's just that 108 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 1: Bob's photo was exposed over Liz's photo, and now Liz 109 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: looks like she's a ghost. Actually, I thought it was 110 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,359 Speaker 1: because Bob worked at that leaky nuclear plants. Because we 111 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: took all those photos over that Indian burial ground. That 112 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: was a mistake we made anyway. Um uh. The the 113 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: the idea here is that the camera gives you a 114 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: very controlled way to expose that film to light. And 115 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: the way this works is that first you've got the lens, 116 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: and the lens is purpose is to direct light to 117 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: the film, So the lens is allowing light to pass through. 118 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: When light passes through a lens, that actually the speed 119 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: of the light changes. You know, speed of light is 120 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: a constant, but it's a constant that's based upon whatever 121 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: the medium it is that it's traveling through. For example, air, Yeah, air, 122 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: it's going to travel through it. Light travels through air 123 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: much more quickly than it will a lens. And the 124 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: curvature of the lens, the thickness of the lens, that's 125 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: all going to make the light travel at at slightly 126 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: different speeds. The point being that you focus all that 127 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: this light onto a point so that it exposes just 128 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: the right spot on the film. Now, behind that, you've 129 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: also got a device called the aperture. Now the aperture 130 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: is essentially a hole. It's a it's it's a disk 131 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 1: that can expand or contract and allow more or less 132 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: light to pass through the from the lens to the film. 133 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: So it's it's a barrier between the lens and the film. 134 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: And you adjust this in order to uh to really 135 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: kind of tweak your photo settings, like with a with 136 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: a manual camera, a manual single lens reflex camera or 137 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: SLR manual SLR uh by the way, in case you're curious, 138 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: for those of you who are only familiar with digital cameras, 139 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: a manual single lens reflex camera is not electric at all. 140 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: It's it uses chemicals and it uses mechanical little gears 141 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: and things, but there's there are no electric components necessarily 142 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: in a true manual single lens reflex or at least 143 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: you don't have to have any electronic I think that's 144 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: so in other words, it's kind of interesting because we 145 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: we take it for granted now with digital cameras. Right, 146 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: digital cameras, you have lots of electronic components, but with 147 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: a a an old manual single lens reflex, you're just 148 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: you're just turning little dials, which is advancing the film. 149 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: You might turn a little crank to rewind film, but 150 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: there's nothing necessarily electronic in it. Um. Of course, there 151 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: are hybrids that as well, But anyway, this the aperture 152 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: helps you determine how much light can enter through the lens. 153 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,839 Speaker 1: And then you have something else called the shutter, and 154 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: the shutter determines how long the film is exposed to 155 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 1: that light. So if you were to take a photograph 156 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,839 Speaker 1: with a shutter speed that is a you know, it 157 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: allows the shutter to be open longer, then your photo 158 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: is going to be a little more blurry, unless the 159 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: subject of your photo is incredibly still. So if the 160 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: camera is still and the subject is still, and you've 161 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 1: got a decent amount of lighting, and the shutter is 162 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,559 Speaker 1: open longer, theoretically, as long as as long as the 163 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: light's not too great, you will actually get a very 164 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: clear image because it's it's really capturing that uh, that 165 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,280 Speaker 1: moment um. Now, if something is moving, then you're gonna 166 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 1: get a blur. So if you've ever looked at some 167 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 1: nighttime photography especially or like city scapes where you can 168 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: see where traffic is moving through and it's like beautiful 169 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: red streaks on one side of the road and white 170 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,000 Speaker 1: streaks on the other that you know, that's obviously the 171 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: traffic where cars are coming and going. That's usually using 172 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 1: a camera with a shutter speed where the shutters remaining 173 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: open longer. Sometimes it can be as long as you know, 174 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 1: minutes or or more, and that creates that streaking effect 175 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: because all that light is hitting the camera over an 176 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 1: extended time, so instead of seeing individual cars, you're seeing 177 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: these streaks. Yeah, this this has basically it's a combination 178 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: of things. It's a combination of the aperture setting that 179 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 1: you're using to expose the film, uh, the shutter speed, 180 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: and there are cameras that you can manually hold the 181 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,840 Speaker 1: shutter open uh as long as you want to. It's 182 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 1: often better and creating the photos like Jonathan was just 183 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: talking about, where you leave it open for minutes to 184 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: have your camera on a tripod and use a cable release, 185 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: you know, just so that you don't nudge the camera 186 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,559 Speaker 1: because otherwise you're going to uh jar the picture and 187 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: distort things. So yeah, it also has to do with 188 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: the speed of the film. And uh, it's funny because 189 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: that's sort of a misnomer. You know, there aren't little 190 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: canisters of film moving faster than others. It has to 191 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: do with the chemical properties actually the film. UM. And 192 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: again we're not going to get into the chemistry behind 193 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,560 Speaker 1: it so much. UM. But uh, you know, depending on 194 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: the speed of the film, you would be able to 195 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: capture uh photos in darker environments or lighter environments. UM. Also, 196 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: the speed of the film has is depending on on 197 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: this the type of photography you're doing. If you're trying 198 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: to capture high or fast motion photography, you're gonna want 199 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:51,319 Speaker 1: something that you can expose um to light more frequently, 200 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: like a higher speed film. UM. You know, you want 201 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 1: something that's going to to just from a very brief 202 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 1: exposure be able to capture an image. And and by exposure, 203 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: we're talking about exposing to light. You know, just keep 204 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: that in mind that that exposure has everything to do 205 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: with the amount of light and the duration of light 206 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:14,360 Speaker 1: that hits that film. So a high speed film can 207 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: capture an image with light hitting it for a shorter 208 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:22,600 Speaker 1: time frame. And we're talking fractions of a second. Here, 209 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 1: you know, when we talk about a short time frame, 210 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 1: we're talking really short. We're not talking like, oh, well, 211 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: you know a woman thousand two one, now you would 212 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: be able to take hundreds of photos in the mount 213 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,520 Speaker 1: of time. It took me to say that depending on 214 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: the speed of the film and the shutter speed and 215 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,319 Speaker 1: all of this kind of stuff. So so high speed 216 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: photography kind of leads us into this. High speed photography 217 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: is all about trying to capture, uh an image of 218 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:52,319 Speaker 1: something that's moving at an incredible speed, something that that 219 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 1: is moving so fast that to the naked eye it 220 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,560 Speaker 1: may be either a blur or perhaps even you know, 221 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:02,679 Speaker 1: practically invisible because it's going so quickly. But you want 222 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 1: to be able to capture that moment in time so 223 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: that you can see a very distinct image. Well, this 224 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: is a challenge. You have to figure out how are 225 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:12,840 Speaker 1: you going to do that, and a couple of different ways. 226 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: Perhaps I hesitate to say the easiest way, but perhaps 227 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: the simplest way is to set up your camera in 228 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: a perfectly dark room and you just leave the shutter open. 229 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: Because remember, even though the shutters open that film, if 230 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: there's no light, the film is not being exposed. So 231 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: you've got this film that's just sitting there. Nothing's happening 232 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:39,439 Speaker 1: to it. It's not reacting chemically at all because there's 233 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: no light coming into the camera. You set up whatever 234 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: the thing is you want to take a photo of, 235 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: and then you have it timed out so that the 236 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: instant that thing happens, there is a flash of light 237 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 1: that is up and down in a fraction of us 238 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: can and just that fraction of a second is going 239 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: to be long enough for the light to go through 240 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 1: the camera and uh and to expose the film. Then 241 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:10,959 Speaker 1: you could advance the frame and do it again. Now, 242 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:14,599 Speaker 1: this is a very slow, painstaking process, and it requires 243 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: an incredible amount of timing, and there are a lot 244 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,560 Speaker 1: of different ways of setting up a shot so that 245 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: the uh, the the light will trigger at the right moment. 246 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: Some of them are acoustically triggered so that there's a 247 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: noise and that noise causes the light to flash, which 248 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: automatically exposes the film in the camera. You don't have 249 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: to do anything to the camera at that point, right, 250 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,000 Speaker 1: You're not pushing a button because the camera shutter is 251 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: already open. It's only after the light is flashed that 252 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: you have to advance the film so that you can 253 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: take another photo. Otherwise you're going to have a double exposure, 254 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: high speed double exposure on this this film, which I 255 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 1: think would look really weird. Um. So that's one way 256 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: you can do it. But of course, if you want 257 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: to take a high speed photo of something nature, for example, 258 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: the the an example that a lot of people use 259 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: as a hummingbird, because a hummingbird can beat its wings 260 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: so quickly that with most cameras, if you took a 261 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 1: picture of a hummingbird with a standard camera, it's gonna 262 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: look like a bird with two blurs next to it, right, 263 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: you won't be able to see the wings. Um. But 264 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: if you use a high speed camera where it's able 265 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: to move the shutter at a really fast rate, and 266 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: you have a pretty well lit environment, then you might 267 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: be able to capture an image of a hummingbird where 268 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: you've got its wings perhaps in the upper down position, 269 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: and you can get a really clear look at that bird. 270 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: But it does require that you have a camera that 271 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: can move that shutter speed at a really really fast rate, 272 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: and that you have a high speed film that's capable 273 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:53,720 Speaker 1: of taking light for a incredibly brief exposure time and 274 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: convert that into an image. Yeah. You know, UM, if 275 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: you're a text a listener normally UM that we like 276 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: to get into the history of things. And I wouldn't 277 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: necessarily have have thought of high speed photography is I 278 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: would have thought it was a more modern UM, something 279 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: that was more modern phenomenon. But really the history of 280 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,200 Speaker 1: high speed photography goes back just about as long as 281 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: the history of photography itself. UM. The first example that 282 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: I I read about UM from a a uh AN 283 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: article by Lincoln l Endelman, which was William Henry Fox 284 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 1: Talbot's uh trial where he basically exposed a piece of 285 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: the London Times newspaper that was on a wheel that 286 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 1: he attached it to, and he was using a wet 287 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: plate camera, which is basically a piece of glass that's 288 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: treated with chemicals rather than a film camera. Interesting. I 289 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: had never heard of that before there was one, and 290 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: heard of the camera obscura, which, by the way, you 291 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: can actually build one of those yourself if you or 292 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: wanted to, But I've never heard of the wet plate camera. 293 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,199 Speaker 1: That's interesting. He uh and for a flash he was 294 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:11,399 Speaker 1: using laden jars elimination from laden jars. This is like 295 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,399 Speaker 1: the coolest camera ever. Yes, and cumbersome because you know, 296 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: you don't really take this thing out to go take 297 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: shots at the family on vacation. I'm out to the 298 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,639 Speaker 1: high school football game. Let me carry my laden jars 299 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 1: and wet played caral with me. But but I need 300 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: the team's help setting this up. But he didn't manage 301 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: to get a readable photo of the newspaper at the 302 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: shutter speed of one of second unexposure speed. Let's say 303 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:44,400 Speaker 1: that actually used. But you also probably remember Edward Mindbridge. 304 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,879 Speaker 1: I remember the name. Yes, yes, he had a famous 305 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 1: experiment where um, he had set up a series of 306 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: cameras too, because there was a challenge. Um, you may 307 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: have heard of this guy, uh um Laden, I'm sorry, yeah, 308 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. He may have heard of this guy at 309 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,399 Speaker 1: Leland Stanford. He was the governor of California and he 310 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 1: was that that was the challenge was does a horse 311 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: pick up all four of its feet when it's running? 312 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,440 Speaker 1: And he was the one my bridge and a lot 313 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: of people have seen this, uh seen this series of 314 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:20,560 Speaker 1: photos where they proved that the horse was picking up 315 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:22,160 Speaker 1: all four of its feet because he had a series 316 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,399 Speaker 1: of cameras and that the horse was tripping it as 317 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: it ran by, and so each camera took photos a 318 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: different a different way of doing it, but they captured 319 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: a series of still photos because as the horse was 320 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:34,760 Speaker 1: running by, it took you know, each camera in turn 321 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: took a still photo, and when you put them all together, 322 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: you get essentially slow motion of this horse running. Yeah, 323 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: and yes it does pick up all of its feet 324 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:47,080 Speaker 1: when we'll get it, and we'll get into that in 325 00:18:47,119 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: a little bit, because of course the photography does lead 326 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: into cinematography. But before we do, I, before we jump 327 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: into that, I just wanted to mention one other kind 328 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,879 Speaker 1: because I did mention burst photography when we were for 329 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:05,280 Speaker 1: introducing this podcast, and that that John Fuller, Editor Extraordinaire 330 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: UH wrote the article on how burst photography works. First, 331 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 1: photography works on a similar principle of high speed photography. Now, 332 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: with high speed photography, you may be talking about taking 333 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,719 Speaker 1: a single image and then setting up and taking another 334 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: single image, right right, That's like I'm pointing, I'm pointing 335 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:27,080 Speaker 1: my camera at a hummingbird and I take one photo. Right. 336 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: The point of the high speed photography here is to 337 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: capture a very accurate still. Yeah, yeah, something that's going 338 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: to be. It's really used a lot in things like sports, 339 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 1: you know, trying to catchure, capture that dramatic moment where 340 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: the quarterback is releasing the hail Mary pass. I'm saying 341 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 1: that right, right, because I don't know anything about football 342 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: or you know, the people who absolutely positively have to 343 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: have that shot of the water balloon after the balloon 344 00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 1: is broken and the water is still in the balloon shape, 345 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: but for the apple with the bullet through it. But 346 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: clearly this sort of that has to happen, this sort 347 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: of this sort of event is of course really hard 348 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 1: to capture on film, not just because of the nature 349 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:06,679 Speaker 1: of the mechanics where you know, you've got to have 350 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 1: a camera with that proper shutter speed and film with 351 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: that proper um photochemical reaction speed. You also have to 352 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: have insane timing, and even by setting up an automated 353 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: system where everything's going to happen automatically, you know, as 354 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:26,000 Speaker 1: soon as the event happens, it triggers the camera. Even 355 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,920 Speaker 1: that is really difficult to do. So perhaps what if 356 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:31,160 Speaker 1: you could have a camera that could shoot a series 357 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: of photos in a very short amount of time using 358 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: that same kind of principle. Well, that's what burst photography 359 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 1: is all about. These are cameras that have not just 360 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,520 Speaker 1: the really fast shutter speed and not just the special 361 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: film that's going to to react quickly to a very 362 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 1: brief exposure, but also the ability to advance film rapidly 363 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 1: as you're taking photos. So with a burst photography camera, 364 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:02,199 Speaker 1: it's pulling the film through very quickly and the shutter 365 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:05,680 Speaker 1: is opening and closing, causing multiple exposures, but you're not 366 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:07,960 Speaker 1: not a double exposure because you're you know, the films 367 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: being pulled through as you're as you're doing this so 368 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 1: that you can take a series of photos in a 369 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 1: brief amount of time, so like in a second or two, 370 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 1: you might take dozens or more photos. And this way, Uh, 371 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: the nice thing about this is that you can point 372 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 1: your camera at whatever the event is and just start 373 00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:30,199 Speaker 1: shooting photos until you're out of film and you have 374 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:34,160 Speaker 1: a better chance of capturing that iconic moment you're after 375 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: as a photographer. Yeah, this is uh, this is one 376 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 1: of those times if if you haven't really done a 377 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:46,159 Speaker 1: lot of work with people who are professional photographers, and 378 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,479 Speaker 1: you might be going Last time I bought film, I 379 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: only had twenty four exposures on a roll. You can buy, 380 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: you know, if if you are interested in doing this, Uh, 381 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 1: you can buy whole magazines of film and you know, 382 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,439 Speaker 1: attach them to the back of your camera where you 383 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,879 Speaker 1: have a very very long roll. Or you can of 384 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,479 Speaker 1: course make your own, uh, if you're so inclined and 385 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 1: are good in the dark. I used to have to 386 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,080 Speaker 1: actually I was a newspaper report for a couple of years, 387 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 1: and um, you know, we'd have a big roll of 388 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 1: film and we'd load the magazines are are the cartridges ourselves. 389 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: And after a while you get pretty practiced at it. 390 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 1: But the first few times, uh, I wasted some film. Um, 391 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,520 Speaker 1: but yeah, I mean so so this is sort of 392 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: one of those times when digital cameras sort of have 393 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 1: an advantage because now that we have bigger memory cards 394 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:39,840 Speaker 1: and better digital photography. Um, the digital cameras are are 395 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 1: so much easier and more cost effective uh than than 396 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: film cameras in this regard. But the burst photography is amazing, 397 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,480 Speaker 1: especially if you are you know, it allows you to 398 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:55,439 Speaker 1: set up and have a much better shot at getting 399 00:22:55,440 --> 00:23:00,040 Speaker 1: your shot than than just just clicking and hoping that 400 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: you got it. Yeah. Yeah, Well this kind of leads us, 401 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:10,000 Speaker 1: like I said, into cinematography, using film to capture images 402 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,399 Speaker 1: in motion where you are going to play it back 403 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: so that you have the illusion of motions. So remember 404 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,119 Speaker 1: film as in like I'm going to the movies to 405 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: watch a film is the the illusion of movement. And 406 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 1: it works because we capture lots of images and then 407 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,640 Speaker 1: we put them in order and we, uh, we expose 408 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: our eyeballs to those images very in rapid succession, and 409 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 1: that creates the illusion of movement. So uh, the typical 410 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: film projector will play back film at a rate of 411 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,680 Speaker 1: around twenty four frames per second, which means that every 412 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 1: second that passes, you're looking at twenty four images. Twenty 413 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: four photographs essentially, is what that is. So you're looking 414 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 1: at twenty four photographs in a row per second. Because 415 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 1: of that, it sort of gives this, It gives this 416 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,880 Speaker 1: the illusion of the things that you're looking at are 417 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 1: really moving. It's not that you're looking at instances that 418 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,919 Speaker 1: are put together. It's like it feels like a flowing 419 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 1: motion that has no no real interruption to it. I 420 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,360 Speaker 1: think it's interesting to note too that when you're you're 421 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: saying twenty four frames per second. That's each frame is 422 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:27,440 Speaker 1: a second. That seems pretty fast. But in my research 423 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:30,880 Speaker 1: on high speed photography, I saw mentions of one eight 424 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: of a second. Um. Of course that would take a 425 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:38,920 Speaker 1: whole lot of film. Yeah, but you know, it's it's 426 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: interesting to note that a second is reasonable enough to 427 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:45,919 Speaker 1: give us an idea of motion and to create that 428 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: illusion for us. So, if you have a projector that's 429 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 1: going to play film back at a steady rate, so 430 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,359 Speaker 1: let's let's go with the twenty four frames per second. 431 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: But you have a camera that can take that can 432 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: actually exp those film at a variable rate. That's where 433 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 1: you can start playing with the slow motion or fast 434 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,399 Speaker 1: sped up motion on films. So if you've ever watched 435 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 1: an old movie where for comic effect, usually characters start 436 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: moving around really really quickly, you know, like there's a 437 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 1: chase scene and suddenly everyone's running at a speed that 438 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:23,879 Speaker 1: doesn't really look natural. Yankety sacks may very well be 439 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:28,639 Speaker 1: playing they did, and that's none of that, um, before 440 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,880 Speaker 1: I get sued and uh, anyway, yeah, so this this 441 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: is playing with taking more images per second and then 442 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: playing it back at a steady speed. Um. Now, in 443 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 1: the old days, the good old days of filmmaking. Those 444 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: days you had cameras that were hand cranked, which meant 445 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: that you had a camera man or camera woman really 446 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: camera person um turning a crank that was squirrels possibly 447 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,480 Speaker 1: turning a crank and hopefully a fairly consistent speed for 448 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:04,320 Speaker 1: normal filming to advance the film through the camera as 449 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,720 Speaker 1: it's being exposed to light. And the idea of being 450 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: that you want to turn the camera at a good 451 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: rate so that when you're projecting it back through the 452 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:18,040 Speaker 1: projector it's a steady, smooth experience right when you are dB. 453 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: So yeah, so this this camera is not automated, it's 454 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: it's it's manpowered, and people are known to be you know, imperfect. Yeah, 455 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: not terribly consistent sometimes. Um so, yeah, if you turn 456 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: the crank faster than normal, you'd be exposing more film 457 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:38,880 Speaker 1: in the same amount of time than you would if 458 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: you were going at your normal rate, which and when 459 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:43,720 Speaker 1: you're playing it back, remember you're playing it back at 460 00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: a h at a fixed rate. So if you've captured 461 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,920 Speaker 1: more images in that amount of time then normal, then 462 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:55,680 Speaker 1: you get the effect of slow motion, right because while 463 00:26:55,760 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 1: you've while you've captured maybe say, uh, you know, forty 464 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:04,200 Speaker 1: eight images and then uh, you know, so you're looking 465 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,679 Speaker 1: at forty eight images over the space of a of 466 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: two seconds. Uh. If it were played back at normal speed, 467 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: now you're looking at it at one second while everything 468 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:20,520 Speaker 1: starts to slow down. That could be distracting. Yeah, so 469 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,200 Speaker 1: this is a that's over cranking. Yes, it's when you're 470 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 1: cranking the camera faster than the projection playback speed. And 471 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: there's also under cranking, where you turn the crank slower 472 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: than the projection speed. This causes a sort of the 473 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 1: herky jerky fast motion stuff that you see, especially in 474 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: older films, where people start to are moving faster than 475 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:44,639 Speaker 1: they normally could, and often it looks a little jumpy 476 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:49,000 Speaker 1: because you're missing information. Right, the the the more amount 477 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,080 Speaker 1: of time you have between when two images are taken 478 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: for something that's in motion, the less natural it's going 479 00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 1: to look when when you're playing it back. Right. Because 480 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:01,920 Speaker 1: so if I took a picture of Chris right now, 481 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,200 Speaker 1: and then three seconds later took another picture, and three 482 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: seconds later took another picture, until I had, you know, 483 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:10,520 Speaker 1: two photos, and I played them back at an at 484 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 1: a regular speed, uh, where it would look really really jerky, 485 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,959 Speaker 1: you know, it wouldn't look natural at all and jerky, 486 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 1: not just because of the subject matter, but bump bump. 487 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: So it's only because I've been dried and cured. Right. 488 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,880 Speaker 1: So you may have heard of the term of speed ramping. 489 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:34,640 Speaker 1: Speed ramping is when you in the good old days, 490 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:36,840 Speaker 1: it was done by accident, but today we do it 491 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: on purpose. Speed ramping is when you change the capture 492 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:45,800 Speaker 1: rate of uh the film or video during a shoot, 493 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 1: and this is where you get those weird effects where 494 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: like it's often done in action sequences. For example, let's 495 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 1: say it's a fist fight between two characters and it 496 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: starts out normal, and one character starts to throw a punch, 497 00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: and just as the characters throwing a punch, it switches 498 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,480 Speaker 1: so it goes into slow motion, and then just as 499 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,640 Speaker 1: the punch makes contact with the other person, it speeds 500 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:10,600 Speaker 1: up again and it changes, uh the the capture rate, 501 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 1: but the playback rate remains constant. That's what we call 502 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 1: speed ramping. And there's certain directors who are infamous for 503 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: speed ramping. Um just you know, if you ever have 504 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: seen the movie three hundred or Watchmen, you know one 505 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:28,440 Speaker 1: of the ones I'm talking about use a speed ramping 506 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: so much that it's distracting at times for some people. 507 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,520 Speaker 1: Other people love it. I I personally think a little 508 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:41,440 Speaker 1: goes a long way. I'm sorry anyway, that they're all 509 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: based on the same principle, the fact that if you 510 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:48,280 Speaker 1: keep the playback rate steady and you change the capture rate, 511 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:52,120 Speaker 1: you can you can make film appear to move slower 512 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: or faster. Um. Now, you could also play with the 513 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 1: playback rate. If you kept the capture rate the same 514 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:01,320 Speaker 1: and you change the playback you would get the same effect, 515 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: right you would. You would either try and display more 516 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:08,200 Speaker 1: images per second or fewer images per second than normal, 517 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: and you could get the same. Fact. This is a 518 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: lot easier to do in video than it isn't film. Sure, sure, 519 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: but it's funny to note again that like so many 520 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: other things in photography, that the key to slow motion 521 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:26,680 Speaker 1: is high speed photography. Um. To to really get an 522 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,239 Speaker 1: idea of what's happening and slow it down, you have 523 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:33,240 Speaker 1: to capture many images so that you can you can 524 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:36,000 Speaker 1: go from image to image at a slower rate and 525 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 1: really get a good idea of of the motion and 526 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:44,000 Speaker 1: how things are transpiring. Uh in that image. Yeah, yeah, 527 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:48,120 Speaker 1: if you if you take an uh a video of 528 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:50,480 Speaker 1: something or a film of something, and it's at eight 529 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:53,239 Speaker 1: thousand frames per second, and you play it back on 530 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:56,360 Speaker 1: a twenty four frames per second projector, it's going to 531 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,120 Speaker 1: take you a long time to get through. Like even 532 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 1: if you only shot for maybe five seconds, you know 533 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,280 Speaker 1: that's gonna take you a long time to get through 534 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:06,520 Speaker 1: those five seconds when you're playing it back at a 535 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: rate of twenty four frames per seconds. So then you 536 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: get this incredible slow motion effect where at times it 537 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,600 Speaker 1: may look like nothing is even moving because everything is. 538 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: You know, you're capturing such tiny moments of time that 539 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 1: it's hard for us to detect changes until they are 540 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: dramatic changes. And this is where you can't. You can 541 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 1: see some of those really cool effects where like Chris 542 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,680 Speaker 1: was saying, the water balloon, where you pop the balloon 543 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: and the water has retained the balloon shape for a 544 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:42,040 Speaker 1: couple of a couple of split seconds, like moments in time, 545 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 1: and then you start to see it. You know, of course, 546 00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:50,160 Speaker 1: fall uh that that's we've seen some really cool footage 547 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:53,719 Speaker 1: because of the this uh this technique, and you can 548 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:57,000 Speaker 1: too if you go to the house stuff works dot 549 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,440 Speaker 1: com site. We have a lot of clips from the 550 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 1: Discovery show Time warp Um, which was really popular a 551 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 1: couple of years ago because it showed extreme slow motion. Yeah, 552 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,800 Speaker 1: using amazing high definition slow motion cameras that are taking 553 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:17,680 Speaker 1: thousands of frames of footage per second and then playing 554 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:20,360 Speaker 1: it back at normal speed. Yeah, and it's just it's 555 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: absolutely amazing. I can. I can watch them all the time, 556 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:25,480 Speaker 1: you know, even the ones I've seen before, you know, 557 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:26,880 Speaker 1: I can. I can go back and watch it just 558 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: because it's so fascinating how how all that works. I 559 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 1: love the ones where people get slapped and you just 560 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: see the face deform slowly. Wow, that's what happens. Whenever 561 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 1: I say anything to anyone that's insane. I'm I'm constantly can't. Yeah, 562 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 1: my face is hurting. I got slapped just before this podcast. 563 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: Actually yeah, but it was you that did it anyhow. 564 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: I never said that it was necessarily caused by someone else. 565 00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:58,520 Speaker 1: That's true, that's true. But yeah, I mean you can 566 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:01,320 Speaker 1: you can. You can see at right now. They're they're 567 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: still up there. And I think when we post this 568 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 1: will probably I'm pretty sure there's a playlist we can 569 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: we can show people. Yeah. Um, yeah, that just it's 570 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:11,320 Speaker 1: just a lot of fun to do that. And it's 571 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: a lot of fun to to fool around with high 572 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,120 Speaker 1: speed photography just as that, you know, just as somebody 573 00:33:16,120 --> 00:33:18,800 Speaker 1: who is a hobbyist, um, to see what you can 574 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,600 Speaker 1: do with it. And now, granted, if you want to 575 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,840 Speaker 1: get like a really good high speed camera, this can 576 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 1: be an expensive hobby. Yeah. I mean, if you're talking 577 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: about the top of the line uh kind of set up, 578 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: then you're you're looking at thousands of dollars. So it's 579 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,320 Speaker 1: not a cheap hobby necessarily, but it does really it's 580 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: really cool now and then you know, if you're if 581 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,960 Speaker 1: you're really staging things too, um, yeah, of course, then 582 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 1: you have got the whole staging costs and stuff. Yeah, 583 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,680 Speaker 1: and you're starting to talk about again because it is 584 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: a matter of uh, the camera detecting the image and 585 00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:54,680 Speaker 1: and getting synchronized with the the event that you're trying 586 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 1: to photograph, and um, you know you have to buy 587 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:00,000 Speaker 1: the equipment to do that. We were talking about sound equipment. 588 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:04,360 Speaker 1: They are setups that require you know that that the 589 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:08,520 Speaker 1: sound will true cause the the camera to fire. And 590 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,919 Speaker 1: you know this is again you're having to buy more gear. Um. 591 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,799 Speaker 1: But it's it's it's fun if you can afford it. 592 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,600 Speaker 1: It's pretty pretty interesting stuff. So yeah, this wraps up 593 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 1: at our discussion about high speed photography, slow motion cameras 594 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:26,480 Speaker 1: in general film. Uh stuff is really really interesting. In fact, 595 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,200 Speaker 1: it's so interesting to me that when I look at 596 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: the complexity of these devices. I mean, the principle is 597 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,360 Speaker 1: pretty simple from a high concept point of view, but 598 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:39,520 Speaker 1: when I start looking at the ingenuity that was required 599 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:44,680 Speaker 1: to bring a camera into reality, Uh, I just it's 600 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,239 Speaker 1: phenomenal to me. Again, It's one of those things where 601 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:50,200 Speaker 1: we take it for granted now because they're everywhere. I mean, 602 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 1: we have cameras incorporated into practically every mobile device you 603 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 1: can think of, but the principles behind it, and it's 604 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:01,080 Speaker 1: just it's just phenomenal, amazing that we figured us out. Yeah, 605 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:03,600 Speaker 1: I mean think about we I mean, people way smarter 606 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:07,080 Speaker 1: than I am. Well, you think about how the difference 607 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 1: in the early cameras that you know, degaro types and 608 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: and the wet plate type devices versus the tiny little 609 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:18,200 Speaker 1: cameras in our smartphones, you know, shoes and everything else. 610 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:24,320 Speaker 1: I don't want any shoe cameras. Let's let's not do that. Okay, alright, alright, 611 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,000 Speaker 1: shoot people out there, don't put cameras in your shoes. 612 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,840 Speaker 1: How about diamonds on the soldier shoes? How about self 613 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:34,359 Speaker 1: lacing shoes? Hey, they just came out with those. Yeah, 614 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 1: well all right. Anyway, we're gonna wrap this up. So guys, 615 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,600 Speaker 1: if you have any topics you would like us to 616 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 1: talk about, please let us know. You can let us 617 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: know through email. Our address is tech stuff at how 618 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:48,239 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com, or you can drop us a 619 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:51,520 Speaker 1: line on Facebook or Twitter. Our handle there is text 620 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 1: stuffed H s W. Chris and I will talk to 621 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:59,319 Speaker 1: you again really soon. Be sure to check out our 622 00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:02,400 Speaker 1: new video PI cast Stuff from the Future. Join how 623 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 1: Stuff Work staff as we explore the most promising and 624 00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:09,719 Speaker 1: perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. The House Stuff Works iPhone app 625 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:17,400 Speaker 1: has arrived. Download it today on iTunes, brought to you 626 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,839 Speaker 1: by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are 627 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: you