Botanical Photography

These instructions a for a Pentax K 1000 camera body.

Lift the knob on the right side (face view) of the camera to open the film compartment. This may require a little force.

Click this image to see a completely labeled diagram
of a typical 35 mm camera (Top View).

Insert the film according to the manufacturers specifications. This varies but is usually obvious.

Make sure that the film is properly engaged by the winding spindle and its sprockets.

Close the film compartment and advance the film twice by clicking the shutter button and rotating the film advance lever.

Both are located on the top right side of the camera.

The first few frames are ruined by exposure to light during the loading process, and the procedure above gets them out of the way. This also insures that the film is attached to the advance mechanism.

Gently turn the rewind knob clockwise to tighten the film inside its cassette.

This knob should rotate counterclockwise as you advance the film. This shows you that the film is actually advancing. If it does not turn, the film has slipped off its sprockets, and it needs to be reattached.

There is nothing worse than shooting lots of carefully constructed photos only to find that the film was not advancing! Most rolls of 36 exposures will give 37 or even 38 frames. However, if you get to 40 or more, the film has not advanced!

There is usually a small window near the shutter button. It is read when an unexposed frame is ready and black when the frame has already been exposed. It is impossible to make double exposures with simple cameras.