As you dig through a box of old wedding photos, you may come across the negatives from the event. When you open them, you will realize that they look quite different than the negatives you had from your older film camera. These negatives are much larger than the 35 mm negatives you are used to handling. This is because the wedding photographs were captured by a professional photographer on medium format film.
What Is Medium Format Film?
Photographic film comes in several sizes, but the three main ones are large format, medium format, and 35 mm. Medium format film is 56 mm in height, and the width varies depending on the type of camera used. Any film that is taller than 56 mm is considered large format. In contrast, the smaller 35 mm film is 35 mm in height. Interestingly, medium format film cartridges were first introduced for the amateur film market, but soon became the standard used by professionals, and even in the digital world of modern photography, medium format images are still quite popular among professional photographers.
Benefits of Medium Format Film
Why do professionals choose medium format film? Because the film itself is larger than a typical 35 mm negative, as much as six times larger depending on the camera used, much clearer enlargements can be produced. When 35 mm film is enlarged, it often has grain and blur due to great difference in size between the negative and the resulting image. Since the medium format negative is larger, there is less difference in size between the two, and the resulting image has a smoother gradation and does not show as much grain as a similar enlargement of a smaller negative. Since most professional photographers take images with the intention of enlarging them, medium format is the better film choice.
Getting Film Digitized
Even though medium format film carries a distinct advantage over 35 mm film, it does have a disadvantage in today's market. The disadvantage is that medium format film is not a digital medium. The old negatives you have in a shoebox in your closet are difficult to share with friends because they are not digital. Professional photographers who use medium format film need a way to digitize the images in order to display them in a digital portfolio or on a website.
Medium format film can be scanned using specialized scanners designed to carefully handle these negatives and create a positive scanned image. The process begins with a careful cleaning of the negative to remove any stray dust or lint. Unmounted negatives are then placed into a glass film adapter that holds the image steady during scanning. Negatives that are mounted are loaded into a mounted film carrier. These negatives are scanned using high-resolution scanning equipment designed specifically for negatives. A typical flatbed scanner cannot accomplish this task and create a quality digital image as a result. Dust and scratch removal technology is essential to creating a clean digital image from a medium format negative.
Because medium format film is larger than 35 mm film, the scanned digital image will be more clear and crisp than the image that would be created by scanning a 35 mm negative. When larger film is combined with a high-resolution scanning equipped to handle medium format negatives, the resulting images are professional and perfect for creating a digital portfolio or simply preserving memories for a lifetime.
The answer is: Both. You need a network to help you identify the right job, and you have to create it yourself, each day, with steady effort. You also need a top quality resume, and this author suggests you work with a professional resume writer to get the best one possible.
Why a career network? Think of the successful people you know. Most likely they are well connected in their field. For example, take former President Clinton, certainly a man with a strong resume. Throughout his life Bill Clinton was always a superb networker. When he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, whenever he met someone new, Clinton took wrote down the names of people he met, always including details about person that he could refer to later.
Clinton said, "I'm going into politics and plan to run for governor of Arkansas, and I'm keeping track of everyone I meet."
This hasn't changed since the 1960s: Networking will work for you, too. As a professional resume writer, I always urge my clients that networking is key, just as crucial as the resume. On your professional resume you will probably emphasize strong communication skills. Put those skills to work as you get your job search going.
A professional resume helps you put your best foot forward. You'll also need to prepare for job interviews. But just as crucial is social networking. Spend your time searching for jobs on websites and in newspapers and you miss 70 percent of available opportunities.
Most jobs are available to networkers if you uncover them. Why? Studies show repeatedly that it is because people do the hiring and people are less comfortable with strangers. Get an introduction to a company and you will start out the job search process with a greater comfort level than you could by entering the process as a total stranger.
You will learn of jobs before thousands of others learn about them, if you are networking well. Networking, then, is simply the best way to find a job. Even a professional resume writer knows that. Logically, then, it's worth taking the time to learn how to network and how to take advantage of your networking.
From that first phone call to having a cup of coffee with friends to brainstorming about the direction of your career to emailing former colleagues you haven't kept in touch with, there are many networking approaches that can accelerate your job search.
"It's the old-boy network," used to be an excuse, sometimes a reasonable one, for not getting the job. Today, great job-hunting means joining the network.
How do you network effectively? Don't just tell yourself that you'll do a better job of keeping in touch with friends, former colleagues, school alumni, and former teammates or that you will be more disciplined about handing out your business card at gatherings. No. It won't work. To advance your job search, you need to actively cultivate and expand the circle of people you regularly keep in touch with. That means a plan.
Put it in writing. Write it down and follow it. The words on the page will give you better direction than the vague ideas in your head.
Organize your activities. You likely have acquaintances that can lead you to professional contacts and interviews, or just other people to help identify more contacts. Keep track of these individuals using a written routine and calendar. Include names, phone numbers, email addresses, and-critically-descriptions of how you plan to keep in touch.
Schedule meetings or calls. You may be comfortable calling some friends several times a week, while others you might contact weekly by phone or email or even less often. Be consistent.
Update. After each phone call, jot down any notions and prospects generated during the call.
As a professional resume writer I want you to use your resume well, but if you don't network the resume may collect dust.
Both Esteban & Paul Freiberger are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Esteban has sinced written about articles on various topics from Photography, Affiliate Programs and Games. Britepix offers you negative scanning of your original 35mm negatives.. Esteban's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.
Paul Freiberger has sinced written about articles on various topics from Photography, Cover Letter. Paul Freiberger is President of Shimmering Resumes, a resume writing and career counseling service based in San Mateo, California. His website can be found at