[scortcho]

I hope I'm not the only person out there that still uses film. There's something about it that digital will never replace. Anyway, my dad once told me he and his friend took a picture in which they set the camera on a tripod when it was dark out, held the shutter open, and shined flashlights on their faces. In the finished product, their faces appeared in different places and positions on the same picture. I have both an olympus om-1 and an om-10, do you have any tips on taking pictures like this?

[cdad]

Part of what you have to remember is exposure times. The longer you leave the lens open the more saturation your going to get. So if your going to try this via a single opening of the lens then you will have to realize you will need to do it in the shortest amount of time possible. You can also get the same effect in daytime. Its called double exposure. Or in this case "layered" exposure. Clicking the picture but not advancing the film so you get it all to appear in one frame. You can also use "blocking" (a way of covering the lens so only part of the field is exposed.)

Strobe light photography can bring interesting results. You just have to realize the shot before its taken and understand the concept of the approach to use to get the given outcome.

[solidzane]

You could replicate the results by closing the aperture down to the smallest opening (the largest number... example, f/16 is smaller than f/2.8) Once the aperture is closed, set the shutter speed to 10, 15, 20, 30 seconds. Now you can try it outdoors on a very dark night, or maybe in a windowless room like a basement or garage with no lights on.

Tripod or table set the camera, turn off the lights, start the exposure and have fun making funny or spooky faces with a flashlight... Also try "painting" a wall with a flashlight or laser pointer... Colored celophane over the light can make interesting colors on the wall or whatever... Different object closer and farther away from the camera that are large enough "trees outside for example" give other kinds of effects as well. Just go out and have fun.

As far as film and digital goes... Everyone has their preferences, I prefer being able to see my images right away, but others like the anticipation of waiting for the film to be developed... Others still, have fun doing the developing themselves...

Whatever you prefer, film or digital, you can get very similar results.