Behind the Film - Josie Cowap Posted On 21st January 2026 To Magazine & Behind the Film

We're staying in R&D for our latest 'Behind the Film' interview with Josie Cowap. Josie joined us in 2023 as a Laboratory Technician Apprentice and has recently passed her end point assessment, so is now fully qualified. Congratulations Josie!

Tell us a little about your day to day role.

I work in the research and development department, and my day to day my responsibilities include formulating all the components that go into film and paper into a package that I can then coat on our pilot coating machine. I also perform any raw material and emulsion testing that is needed.

My favourite part of my role is preparing experimental formulations in my lab under safelight conditions.

Share a favourite photo that you shot on ILFORD / Kentmere film and tell us why it’s your favourite.

The Last Dinner Party, HP5+

My favourite photo is constantly changing as I learn more about my personal style and improve my skills but at this moment in time, my favourite photo has got to be this one that I took recently of the band ‘The Last Dinner Party’ on Ilford HP5 Plus pushed to 800 ISO.

I love how the lighting gives the picture an ethereal quality and I really enjoyed taking pictures of this band, it was an amazing performance.

Have you always shot film, or did you get infected with the bug when you started working here?

Taking photos has always been something I have loved as far back as I can remember. I even have some pictures of me as a toddler with a camera in my hand!

My passion for photography grew during my A level in art and design, I loved going out and taking photos of anything that interested me and converting them into black and white so that I could draw my images in grayscale.

Working at ILFORD and being introduced to the world of analogue photography (in particular black and white photography) has infected me with the bug for film and I barely pick up my digital camera now. Something about black and white film photography has really captured my interest. Now I am hooked for life!

What subjects do you like to photograph and how would you describe your photographic style?

I love to photograph concerts- one of my main hobbies is going to concerts of a range of different music styles and genres. I love capturing all the energy and emotion. There is no better feeling than when I get my scans back and I see that I managed to capture a certain moment exactly how I pictured it in my head!

I would describe my photographic style as dramatic and high contrast; I love texture and grain in my photos too and really try to think about composition.  I love when the lighting frames and emphasizes the subjects. The challenge of capturing moving subjects under pressure is quite exciting, especially when you usually just get the first 3 songs at a gig to take photos of the artist. It really puts you on the spot and you have to learn quickly.

I also love to take my cameras on holiday with me, every time I see gothic architecture I absolutely must take a photo.

York Minster, Kentmere 400

What mistakes have you made shooting film that you are not too embarrassed to share?

I have made countless mistakes especially when I started out! I have opened the back on my camera before rewinding a few times, got the film stuck inside my camera and had to give the lab here at Harman my camera with the snapped film in to develop! (Twice!)  And recently when changing a roll in my camera at a concert, I forgot to change the ISO settings on my camera, but the photos didn’t turn out too bad, just a little darker than I would’ve liked.

How many different film stocks have you shot? (Not just ours.)

I tend to rely on B&W Ilford films like HP5+ and Delta 400 for my concert photos however I do love to experiment, and I have also tried: XP2,  Delta 3200, FP4, Kentmere 400/ 200/100, Harman Red, Phoenix 1 and 2, Cinestill 800T, Kodak UltraMax 400 and recently I have been trying out some of my parents 10 year expired Kodacolour 200.

I would love to experiment with some Pan F, Ortho and SFX soon as these are films that I have never shot before.

Do you develop yourself or take advantage of the staff discount at Harmanlab?

I would absolutely love to set up my own dark room one day but for now I take full advantage of the Harman Lab discount, and I send them rolls every week! I am always so pleased with the results I get from them.

Have you ever printed your negatives in the darkroom?

When I started here as part of my induction, I was taught how to develop and print my own negatives- which I really enjoyed! The art of printing in the darkroom is something I would love to experiment with some more.

 I was so proud of my first darkroom print that I hung it up on the wall in my office and it’s still there now. It is just a photo of a dandelion, but it’s such a nice reminder of the way I felt taking my first ever film pictures and getting to experience this whole new side of photography.

What film camera(s) do you own and which is your favourite? (Please send us a picture of it if you can).

I own an Olympus OM-2n and an Olympus OM-10.

My Olympus OM-2n has always been my favourite, I love shooting it full manual and the sound of the shutter is amazing. It is so compact I can take it everywhere with me, it is always in my bag wherever I go.

Which is your favourites film in our range? Tell us why and share a shot taken with it.

My favourite film has got to be HP5- it’s a classic. It is so versatile and a film that I can always rely on to produce good results. I love to shoot it at 800 ISO, It just works so perfectly in low light and I love the contrast and grain that this gives my pictures.

The Last Dinner Party, HP5+