I have a question about how filters work with film cameras

yazoobelle · Jan 11, 2015

When I was 15, the youth director at my church was a photographer. Every year he too pictures for an annual beach trip. I had a black swimsuit that I wore then. He had gotten some new filters and he asked to take pictures of me in a swimming pool with my black swimsuit on so he could test his filters and keep the swimsuit from looking like a "black hole". He used to stand there an inch from my breast while he snapped away supposedly reading light and such. Now that I'm older, im thinking this was all complete bs. Can anyone tell me if that is true or was he was likely taking advantage of me? This would have been film photography.

The_Traveler · Jan 11, 2015

Filters change the resulting color or shades on the film; they do not allow the lens to see through cloth.

Designer · Jan 11, 2015

He was just using you.

The filter might have been a polarizer, which would have cut the glare from reflecting surfaces such as the water in this case.

Getting a meter reading doesn't require releasing the shutter.

beachrat · Jan 11, 2015

I have no way of knowing what he was up to,but what you described made me a little queasy.

Rick58 · Jan 11, 2015

If he was taking photo's of you in the pool, it could have been a polarizer which woud control glare of the water. An inch away from your breast in a black suit...well, maybe a search warrant for his bedroom walls may be in order

You beat me to it Designer...LOL

beachrat · Jan 11, 2015

There probably wasn't even any film in the camera.

yazoobelle · Jan 11, 2015

The_Traveler said:
Filters change the resulting color or shades on the film; they do not allow the lens to see through cloth.

I never thought it was allowing him to see thru the swimsuit, but just I don't think the reason/excuses he gave me allowing him to be invasive were true. Would you need to be an inch from someone's breast to be able to get a picture of a black swimsuit from looking like a "black hole" in pictures as he called it?

yazoobelle · Jan 11, 2015

beachrat said:
There probably wasn't even any film in the camera.

I sure hope not cause it sickens me to think that he still has them doing lord knows what with them.

beachrat · Jan 11, 2015

There are a lot less pervy ways to test equipment than to thrust it into a 15 year old girls chest.
It's kind of creepy.

yazoobelle · Jan 11, 2015

Designer said:
He was just using you.

The filter might have been a polarizer, which would have cut the glare from reflecting surfaces such as the water in this case.

Getting a meter reading doesn't require releasing the shutter.

Thanks for the info. I remember always thinking, why does this have to be right here at my breast why not my side/hip?

The_Traveler · Jan 11, 2015

I think you might exercise a bit of perspective here. Some number of years ago, a man might have taken pictures of your clothed body from relatively close up. He may have been close because he wanted to get a reading of the light on your dark bathing suit.
You know nothing more than that and you are worrying about it.

Considering the number of bad things that could have happened to you in your life, it seems way overboard to me that this bothers you now, after years.

If this continues to occupy your mind, I suggest you go to either your minister or a therapist to work out why a truly trivial and only possible happening is bothering you.

limr · Jan 11, 2015

Spoken like a man who never had to experience the feeling of violation and humiliation that even a "trivial" incident can cause.

The_Traveler · Jan 11, 2015

limr said:
Spoken like a man who never had to experience the feeling of violation and humiliation that even a "trivial" incident can cause.

TBH, LIMR, you don't know anything about me or my experiences so why don't you give your advice and response and stay away from deciding what you know about me.

limr · Jan 11, 2015

And yet it was okay for you to completely dismiss a woman's feelings about sexual harassment that happened to her at 15. Have you been a 15-year-old girl? Do you know what it feels like to have a grown man invade your space for his own salacious desires? Then how can you tell her to just get over it when you don't even know anything about her other than she she wanted some questions answered that might help her understand better what had happened?

curtyoungblood · Jan 11, 2015

For what it's worth, if I had new equipment that, and I wanted to test how it affected black material, I would probably use a similar technique. Getting close to the material, to fill the frame with it would give you a better meter reading, and taking close up photos of it would help you see the detail better.