Search results for: 'perfect ever and'

People often ask me why I love street photography so much, my answer is always “you never know what you are going to come across, depending on where you are and sometimes that can be from minute to minute”  let me explain… Photography is my passion I am very lucky that after a career spanning 28 years as a professional advertising photographer I now feed my soul teaching my passion which is street photography in some of Europe’s most exciting cities, often in areas people wouldn’t norma...

"I have yet to see — much less produce — a colour photograph that fulfils my concepts of the objectives of art." Ansel Adams. The Tetons and Snake River (1942) Photograph by Ansel AdamsPhotograph by Ansel Adam© The Ansel Adams Publishings. Collection Center for Creative Photography Rights Trust Some of the greatest and most iconic photographs ever taken have been in black & white. Masters such as Ansel Adams, Cartier Bresson, Sir Don McCullin, Mary Ellen Mark and Sebastiao Salgado to name j...

Whether you are new to film photography or picking it up again after a number of years, it is very easy to get started and a rewarding activity regardless of your level of expertise. Introduction to film photography To get you started we've created a series of animations that will introduce you to the world of film photography. These short 60 second animated videos cover a range of topics and terminologies to quickly get you up to speed. From f-stop to film types, these videos are the perfect entry point...

Starting Photography What should I choose as my first film? Please see our guide to choosing your first film.  What should I choose as my first Paper? Please read our guide to picking your perfect paper  What chemicals should I use for starting out with film processing? There is a lot of useful information in our learning zone  What advice can you give for setting up a new darkroom? There is a great short animation about this, along with other information in our learning zone   Pinho...

ILFORD PHOTO offer the biggest range of black & white films on the market today. While this is perfect for experienced film photographers who love having a choice, we appreciate that it can be a bit confusing for people new to film photography. If you are looking to try film photography for the first time and are wondering where to start, then you have come to the right place. We should start by pointing out that there is no ‘wrong’ choice when it comes to ILFORD films. They are all fantastic,...

Processing your own film can speed up your workflow and give you quicker access to your negatives. It is also typically more cost effective and best of all there is nothing like the sense of satisfaction you will gain by taking control over the full end-to-end process of your photography. While trying it for the first time might be a daunting prospect, fear not. Below is our guide on what equipment, chemistry and method would be suitable for anyone new to processing films. For more detail, you can downlo...

Why print? When you can get excellent prints from your black & white negatives by sending them off to commercial processing laboratories, why make your own? For many photographers, making a photographic print is as much a part of the process as shooting the image itself. For a start, it is a creative process that is both enjoyable and fulfilling and, much like the role of a post processing tools such as Photoshop or Lightroom in any digital workflow, (although much more fun) a darkroom provides film...

Silver halide has been used in photographic film and paper for over 150 years and remains a vital ingredient found in all high-quality products. Silver halide crystals in gelatin form part of an emulsion which is used to coat the paper or film. On exposure to light (i.e. in a camera or darkroom), the crystals react turning into silver and forming the image. Silver halide prints There are many ways to produce black & white prints with options varying in quality. Traditional black & white silver ha...

Filters have long been a popular accessory for photographers and offer a number of different functions or effects. In both analogue and digital photography it is possible to recreate some of these in the darkroom or digital darkroom. However there has always been a benefit to getting it right in camera. In black & white photography, colour filters in particular are useful as they can control how the colours in a scene are reproduced as greys. Normal black & white films are sensitive to all wavele...

I always loved celluloid pictures. Maybe I was drawn in as a baby, while the 8mm camera whirred (and the handheld light blinded). Maybe it was being so thankful to my big brother for lending me a 35mm rangefinder and showing me how to use it at age 10. Might have been the Minolta-16 he gave me (as a graduation present?). What a sweet little 16 that is, and I’ve still got it. Can you get those cartridges now? I envied his Pentax Spotmatic as I shot 8mm motion pictures on the point and shoot family camera,...

ILFORD PHOTO offer an extensive range of black & white photographic paper. A photographer's choice of paper is a subjective decision based on personal tastes and preferences. It can also be impacted by the type of images you shoot and the final look you want to achieve. Papers all have different characteristics and purposes and so this guide will walk you through the terminology and choices available to help you pick the perfect paper for your darkroom printing. Base: Resin coated versus Fibre base...

Introduction I’ve been a photographer for 35 years since I was 11 in fact when I first loaded my Zenith 11 with film and set off for a walk into the wilds of South Yorkshire. 20 years later I turned professional and as soon as digital became a viable option I traded in my Nikon F90x and Mamiya 645 pro for a Nikon digital kit. Digital was for me always a triumph of convenience over real quality in those early years and not much else. It wasn’t until Canon brought out the 5D series that I found myself ...

Zone focusing is arguably one of the quickest and most effective methods of focusing your camera. With a little forethought, practice and pre-visualisation of your shot, it's a method that can reduce problems like shutter lag. Ensure your images are sharp every time. And help you take photos more surreptitiously. It doesn't rely on automation and, in most cases can be put into practice before you've brought the camera to your eye. I believe it's a core skill and a method that everyone who takes photograp...

At the time I got back into film again I happened to be taking an evening course in portrait photography at a local college. The usual mix of Canon & Nikon shooters with a mirrorless Sony thrown in for good measure. As usual, we were chatting about our weekend shoots and (obviously) latest purchases. When I said that I had bought a Nikon FE and some film (it was Ilford Delta 100) you could have heard a pin drop. So while we shot our various lighting setups with our D610s, D800s, Canons etc I would o...

Tranquility Alan Brock searches for a sense of calm in his images. He shares how he achieves it below Technical info Film Used: Delta 100 Format: 4x5 Camera: Intrepid 4x5 II Lens: Nikkor 180mm f/5.6. Shot at f/45 Exposure time: 40s Other equipment: Gitzo 1545T Tripod Location:  Parksville Lake Tennessee     Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? I like to search for a sense of calm in my images.  In a lot of ways this fits my...

Images with feeling The most attractive element of analogue is its delicacy. The analogue process has remained so ingrained into my practice, I can't imagine working in any other way. Seeking images which stir a feeling within and seeing that image through each stage of the process to finally create a hand-made darkroom print. The print may not be perfect, I do not tirelessly work on test strips creating a technically perfect image, I never leave the confines of the darkroom to inspect the print once it...

An experiment in chemical possibilities When I took up a camera after a few years’ hiatus in 1990, I was surprised to discover that I could no longer get a black & white film developed through the nearest camera shop, never mind through the local pharmacy.  If memory serves, I was told it would cost $40 for a single film. Naturally, I returned to processing my own film just I had done when I first took up a camera in the early 1970s. The world had moved on, and colour film was the default medium f...

We knew there'd be some great shots with this week's #fridayfavourites #summer on black & white film. It was really interesting seeing what #summer means to you and how this varied in different locations. These are our #fridayfavourites from this week. adibmufty ‪Campfire.. ‬‪?: Leica M6‬ ‪?: Ilford FP4‬ @scottsphoto1218 #fridayfavourites #summer Snow has finally started to melt off the high country which means more hiking trails are available, the rivers are great for rafting a...

Crumble We always enjoy finding out the stories behind some of the images that you share with us and we couldn't resist asking David Allen about this image. Technical Info Film Used: Ilford HP5 PLUS Format: 120 (6x7) Camera: Mamiya RB 67 Pro-S Lens: 90mm/3.8 Mamiya Sekor Exposure time: 1/100 Other equipment: Changing bag with an extra 120 spool. Location: Top—Philadelphia, PA | Bottom—Bradley Beach, NJ Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to s...

Opportunities Now and again in life opportunities arises that you just have to take. You know, the ones that if you think about for too long will be missed, so you have to jump in with your best foot forward, or in this case with your best film forward.  This happened to me last year as I was casually talking to someone about my work they mentioned that they had access to an old building that had recently been vacated and was to be sold at auction. The building had been untouched for years, and they sai...

We're all continually striving to improve and to take that one perfect shot. For this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites we asked you to choose your #favouriteshot from those that you have taken over the last 12 months. @carusb It’s pretty hard to choose my #ilfordphoto #favouriteshot for my first #fridayfavourites but I think it has to be Loch Etive in the rain (yet to see it in good light!)...   ©Michael Leupold - WAWEL - CRACOW - POLAND -Camera & Lens - Canon AE-1 program, FD 50...

Of course, we see in color - but vision is just one part of how we sense the environment and moments. In the mountains I see tremendous peaks, I feel and hear the storms, freeze, and feel emotions from success, failure and intense personal experiences. All that black + white can convey more intensively - for me this is not a reduction over colour photography, but an amplification of impressions.  This is the translation of a short text I wrote a few years back for the German Schwarzweiss Magazine. Si...

There was this one scene I wanted to capture.  I stumbled upon it walking up Old Man Coniston in the Lake District just before reaching the peak.  Out of nowhere (unless you’ve studied an OS map) a body of water appears when approaching from the east. As we reached the water’s edge, the sun was bursting through the clouds for the first time in days. The light was fantastic, catching 2 large boulders protruding from the perfectly flat, reflective water with the hill layers mirrored on the surface. ...

My love for film is strong, but it wasn’t my first photography love. When I first started out as a landscape photographer my focus was on digital infrared. I was drawn to the unique view that it captures. Last month my two photography loves came together when I was given some SFX200 Extended Red film by ILFORD. When I shoot film I use a different set of skills to when I shoot infrared.  One of the most important elements of shooting infrared digital is the quality of the light - the distribution and o...

Mindtraveller Technical info Film Used: ILFORD HP5+ (pushed to 3200) Format: 120, shot as 6x7 Camera : Mamiya RB67 Pro SD Lens: Sekor 50mm f4.5 Exposure time: 20 minutes Other equipment: Tripod Location: Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, Canada Tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? In the Canadian Arctic, we are gifted with the otherwise-evasive Aurora Borealis on almost a nightly basis.  On many nights, the spectacle is nothing more than a faint gre...

Spirit of the mountain Spirit of the Mountains ©Darnell Wu Technical info： Film Used：ILFORD HP5 PLUS 400 Format：4 x 10 inch Camera ：CHAMONIX 4*10 N2 Lens ：SINARON S 72° f=300mm Exposure time：1/2S Other equipment：COKIN red filter with SEKONIC 508 light meter with tripod. Location：Minya Konka, Yaha nek, Sichuan Range Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? I was still in the first year of high school when I shot this and needed to ask for...

For some years, I have been visiting Central Asia. The region with its unique culture and people is always interesting to me. In spring 2018 I went to Kandahar, Afghanistan and from there to Mazar-i-Sharif and continued to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. During the trip, I got sick and it was not very enjoyable. In autumn 2018 I decided to go again and was excited to do it without sickness. Child During the Work The plan was to fly to Dushanbe and from there to continue to the Afghan border in Vanj and...

I don’t know about you, but I have a “box of shame”. It’s where I keep all the photographic odds and ends of kit that I never use, but can’t bring myself to throw away. Well I’ve always felt it would come in handy one day, and it seems that day has come! This story really gets going when I decided I wanted to do something fun with my Konica Pop*, an 80’s classic point and click camera I picked up in a charity shop a few years ago. Odds and Ends By utilising some of these long-neglected items...

In the summer of 2017 my friends, novice climbers, asked me to climb Elbrus with them. This is the highest mountain peak in Russia and Europe. The idea sounded great, especially because I have loved mountains since my childhood. But my campaign plan immediately included a large-format camera, with which I have been travelling for many years (mostly, of course, by car with a camera in the trunk). For a while I wondered if I should take a big camera with me too. Would it be better to take a Hasselblad? But...

In the midst of ever more sophisticated technology we live with the illusion of saving time by doing things with more speed, and increasingly relying on computers: programmes work out difficult problems, they plan for us, think for us. Files, servers and systems store information for us, including photographs - hundreds of millions of photographs. A Slow Practice Samburu warriors, Kenya Rob Fraser is drawn to photograph people whose lives are shaped by traditional practices rooted in specific lands...

A belated happy new year to you all.  We let you settle back in to the year and gave you some time to get out and about with your cameras before setting our first #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites them of the year which was #shotin2020. Thank you to everybody that shared with us., both for this them and in general on our social channels. We really do enjoy seeing what you create with our products. @TimGander Salisbury Plain - Jan 2020. #IlfordDelta400, Ilfotec DD-X #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #shoti...

A mix of Art and Science As I write this, the UK and many other parts of the world are currently in lockdown thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus. This pandemic has meant the unprecedented closure of schools and the daunting prospect of home schooling our children – in my case 10-year old twins. Now, I’m not sure about other parents but I’m almost at the point where I can no longer blag my way through their homework. Rather than own up to this humiliating fact, I suggested I get them involved in a l...

If you've ever held any interest in skateboarding then we're sure that you'll recognise Joe Brook, our third victim interviewee for the Lockdown Sessions.  Joe also featured in one of our 1st ILFORD Inspires videos. (You can find the link in his bio below). SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This is my favorite photo of 2019. I was on a skate trip with the Spitfire team and we were warming up at a skate park. A local t...

Introduction I often see echoed this absurd idea that somehow film photography is more “pure.” Anyone who has ever been a part of a film photography Facebook group has surely come across a post along the lines of “how much editing in post do you think is OK with film?” And, without fail, there will be at least one response from the analog bourgeois which goes something like “if you’re going to edit *that* much, you might as well shoot digital. Why are you even shooting film?!” Sadly, we of...

Guy's Instagram caught our eye, with it's mix of 'camera porn', black and white film shots, and classic cars. We knew he was busy preparing for the launch of his clothing label, Ratino, later this year as well as publishing his quarterly car journal The Road Rat, so we were really pleased when he agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to take part. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I think this shot of Chris playing...

Shooting Infrared film Infrared photography has always been a unique and niche art form, allowing a photographer to capture images seemingly from another dimension. I say niche because capturing that "perfect" image requires a different approach to pre-visualizing your scene, an understanding of the limitations of infrared and the ability to adjust your settings effectively for changing conditions.  For these reasons many photographers are reluctant to give IR film a try. This article will not only demo...

I don't think it will be long before we need to change the title of this series! We really hope that you are enjoying finding out more about some of the members of our community. This week, for our 11th interview, we have Simon King. He is probably best know for is street photography and teaches short course on it at UAL. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I really find it difficult choosing favourites, so I have to give a bi...

How I got this picture Fanal, Madeira Technical info Film Used: Ilford HP5+   Format:  120 Camera: Rolleiflex 3,5E Lens: 75mm F3,5 Exposure time:   1/125s Other equipment: none (I could roam around freely and look for compositions) Location: Fanal, Madeira Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? Ever since I saw an image of the Laurisilva forest in Fanal on the island of Madeira, I knew that I wanted to explore this place for myself. It is o...

In our 14th and possibly final Lockdown Session (before we move to a new format), we are bringing you Kit Young who was nominated by Ashley Carr back in week 9. We've followed Kit for a while on Instagram. He's a fantastic darkroom printer and is always happy to share how get gets to the finished prints from his negatives. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? There are a lot, so I’ll pick this relatively recent print o...

Music. bonding and booze Clitheroe is a small market town in Lancashire, famous for its witches, good food and drink. And, (maybe) having the smallest Norman keep in England. Each September, it hosts the Ribble Valley Scooter Rally - a gathering with music, vintage clothing stalls, and a ‘ride-in’ of several hundred scooter enthusiasts. Previously known as the Ribble Valley Mod-Weekender, the event is a melting pot of different sub-cultures; Mods, Skinheads, Scooterboys, and every other conceivable spl...

Summer of Photograms My end goal with my photography, at least for as long as I can remember, was to make darkroom prints. I love the thought processes in darkroom printing, the excitement when I manage to find the combination of burning, dodging and other printing techniques that turns my imagined image into a print that I can share. Preferring the tactile nature of darkroom craft, I never cottoned on to digital photo processing or printing. Then in the spring of 2019 I developed a long term illness th...

When we saw that Kit Young had chosen Tyler as his nomination it definitely made us smile. We've shared several of Tyler's IG images in the past and enjoy browsing his feed when we get the chance. Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? Picking only one is an impossible choice! A favourite of mine is a contact print made from an 8x10 negative using FP4+, Ilford MGFB Glossy paper and selenium toned. I used my Chamonix 810V field camera and the ex...

For interview number 18 in our Lockdown Sessions / In Focus series we are delighted to introduce you to Shima Rastin, a passionate film photographer from Iran. BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? © Shima Rastin, Ilford FP4, Hasselblad 501C, Lavasan, Iran If we have not confronted the Covid-19 pandemic, and this question was asked before this era, it was probably a hard choice to make. Although, now that I experienced such an idiosyncrat...

Image title : Tombstone Technical info Film Used         FP4+ @ 125                 Format 4x5 Camera            Chamonix 45F-2           Lens Rodenstock Sironar-N 150mm f5.6 Exposure time   ⅛ sec Other equipment Feisol CT3442 Tripod legs, Acratech Ultimate ball head, Pentax digital spot meter Location Big Elbow Pass in Kananaskis Country in Southern Alberta, Canada Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot ...

It's week 25 in our In Focus interview series and this time we set our questions to Arkadiy Shlein who was nominated by Lina Bessonova back in August. Arkadiy is a Russian large format photographer and analog printer with a classical style. BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I’ve got so many favourite photographs that I don’t have a single one hanging at home (yes, couldn’t decide :). This is one of them. I photographed this beech gla...

The passion My passion for cycling has fuelled this project, Riding the Boards surveys cycle velodromes across the United Kingdom, these spaces are a hallowed ground for cyclists. Memories Competitively the race depends on a good start, it can be won or lost at the first corner. However the curves on the circuit; the corners, the banking, the lines, are the vital parts in the making of a velodrome track. The projects main interest became the view of the first corner, from the start line. Framing the ...

An Englishman in New York As an Englishman in New York, I have always been in awe of the city I now call home. You could be uptown at a swanky Park Ave dinner party one moment and in a raucous Lower East Side dive bar sinking $3 PBR lagers the next. It is just so easy to get around this magical island - a major part of its charm and thrill. The stereotypes of New York’s profound energy, diversity and unrelenting drive are all true. This has provided daily inspiration me to pick up my Contax and go shoot ...

As well as being a photographer and darkroom printer, our 27th 'In Focus' interviewee Max Bedov also custom makes darkroom equipment based on his years of experience. Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This frame was taken in Provence on Ilford film Delta400 exposed as 640. Generally I am not keen on an astrophotography but this particular shot is very memorable to me for a several  reasons. 2016 -Alpa SWA 6x9 -DELTA 400 -Provence - MG...

It’s weird, if not taboo to tell someone that I learnt to shoot digital before learning how to shoot film. I guess this may be the case for many of us in the digital era of photography. My journey into photography is what I like to call a beautiful accident or a series of fortunate events. When a photographer cancelled last minute for a charity event organised by a close friend of mine in 2017 I found myself stepping in to fill the spot. I knew absolutely nothing about photography, how to use a DSLR or ev...

Team photographer in quarantine I started shooting film when I was 14, that's more than half of my life! Since then it’s always the same excitement to finally see prints and scans. Somehow I never seriously dived into analogue indoor sports photography until corona. For the past four years I’ve been the team photographer of the HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and they asked me to join them for the final tournament to finish the first basketball division in Germany. Ten teams, one hotel, quarantine till ...

We asked you to share shots for this week'd #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites that show what #december means to you.  Are you celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year or something else? Is it about family & friends, food & drink? Crisp winter walks or BBQ's on the beach?  @r_endymion Snowman Nikon F4, Nikkor 85/1.8 AFD, Ilford Pan 50F+ expired 2015 EI 80 Diafine   @AS0151· December is perfect for quiet seaside walks with bracing cold winds. S...

This image was one of the most popular that we shared on our Instagram feed last year so we reached out to @35.raw the photographer behind it to find out more. TECHNICAL INFO Film Used: Ilford DELTA Professional 100   Format:  120 Camera: Mamiya RB67 Lens: 50mm Aperture: F32 Other equipment: Red Filter Location: San Francisco Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? One of the first stops we always do when going to the Bay Area is the Golde...

Nominated originally by Keith Moss back in November of last year. David Collyer is the 31st interview in this series.  A documentary photographer who chooses to shoot around themes or projects. David's is probably best known for one of his recent projects All in a Day's Work which received international recognition. Section 1 - Background SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? Blimey! That’s like being asked to choose your favourite child and then expl...

A slice of London Isle of Dogs is the name of my second self published zine under Ducksale Press, a zine publishing project my friend James Moreton and I started a couple years ago. Isle of Dogs is also a slice of London: overdeveloped, underfunded, home to locals who were born on the island (“islanders”) and immigrants alike. But because the Thames makes a distinctive U shape around it, the Island stands out on a map or when viewed from a plane. I've recently learnt that German bombers, despite a Lond...

Despite the numerous challenges of 2020, we are delighted to share some exciting product news. We start 2021 with the launch of the brand new and improved ILFORD MULTIGRADE RC PORTFOLIO darkroom paper. Utilising our 5th generation MULTIGRADE emulsion, this new formulation offers important advancements in product quality and performance that we are now pleased to introduce into our premium RC paper, MULTIGRADE RC PORTFOLIO. These new papers have a slightly warmer base tint and image colour than their p...

I'm fairly sure that this week's interviewee doesn't need an introduction. Walter Rothwell is a multi award winning photographer and co founder of Street Photography International Collective. His website and Instagram feed are filled with striking street and documentary images from around the world. Section 1 Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This image is from a documentary I made in a leprosy hospital in Bangladesh. I was 19 when I start...

We're heading back to October last year when Arkadiy Shlein nominated Oleg Kasko to take part in this series after following his Instagram feed. Oleg is a photographer and passionate darkroom printer and advocate from the Ukraine. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I like this one because when you look at the photo you see a boat surrounded by white like milk, water. Although in fact it was taken at night. I decided I would leav...

The last days of Summer As the last days of summer drew to a close I worried about the stock of low ISO films I'd accumulated. As much as I’ve enjoyed my film only ventures over the last year I do worry about the availability of light in London where I do the vast majority of my shooting. Due to limited storage space I can only commit to shooting so many rolls at once, and with the long, bright days diminishing I needed to make sure I had room for as many 400 speed films for pushing (HP5+ & Delta 400...

Nashville born Joseph Patrick or Photojojo was nominated by Laura E Partain back in October of 2020. Known for his creative shot choices and great use of light, we're excited to find out more about him. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This is one of my favorite shots. Here it was a combination of a few things coming together perfectly to create an image that perfectly aligned with my vision. The model is a friend I met the ye...

The sun is shining and then it's snowing! A typical start to Spring here in the UK.  For today's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites we asked you to show us your Spring using #springinbandw. @henrikemtkj  Spring pictures for #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #springinbandw #ilfordhp5   @bsanfordjr Bradford pear in bloom on Delta 100. #fridayfavourites #springinbandw #ilfordphoto   @pbconstant HP5+, Nikon F100,105mm Micro-Nikkor /2.8  #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #springinbandw &n...

Number 37 in this series, which started a year ago as the Lockdown Sessions, sees us finding out more about Michael Watson. Nominated by Ryan Loco, Michael is a photographer based out of Des Moines who primarily shoots musicians and pro wrestlers. Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? Favorite is tough, I’ve shot most of the important moments or biggest opportunities of my life on HP5 for over 10 years. There are portraits of my parents that are really ...

The idea came to me after searching for companies to have a photobook made. I wanted something of the highest quality. Something that had the physical feel of Photographs: Annie Leibovtiz 1970-1990, or Helmut Newton Portraits. Two beautifully printed books that happened to be sitting in the community darkroom I own. After searching the internet for hours and looking at reviews and products of various companies, I was no further along to making a selection than when I started. My mind wandered as I stared at...

In this blog article, Kit Young provides insight into his latest book, Where the Rain Clouds Gather (OD Books) , which was made entirely from scanning hand-made silver gelatin prints. The Concept At times the past year has raced past in a haze. Streets have emptied and we have retreated to our cocoons. Cooped up. Waiting for the storm raging outside to subside. The images in Where the Rain Clouds Gather, my second publication, appear as if from a dream state. Moments in time, brought to life in the dark...

Earlier this year in our interview with Walter Rothwell, he nominated Kris to take part in this series. We're so glad that he did. Enjoy! Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? One of my recent favourite images is this portrait of 3 young men taken on the streets of Birmingham UK. It was one of the first outings in the city post-lockdown and I wanted to really get back into a stride with my personal photography on the streets. With ...

Interview number four in our Behind the Film series is with International Sales Manager and relative film newbie Alex Hancock. Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? I am Alex Hancock and my role is International Account Manager. I've been with HARMAN for 3 years now. Tell us a little about your day to day role. My role is to support our international partners who manage the brand and sales in countries around the world. I work directly with all of thei...

During lockdown I rekindled my love of making photograms. It happened naturally after a summer of making cyanotypes. I was also making emulsions out of plants. My garden became a temporary darkroom. With a photogram - you expose your paper to light (sunlight for photograms), with an object on top, and the area underneath the object remains unexposed, so you end up with white paper in that area, like a shadow but in negative. Cyanotype   A lonely weed The local darkroom re-opened for half-day s...

There were so many people asking how this has been captured when we shared it on our Instagram feed so, we caught up with the photographer Guido Macorini and asked him. Image title: Amariana Technical info Film Used  IFORD Delta 100 Format 120 Camera    Rolleicord III K3b Lens Schneider Xenar 75mm Exposure time 1/4s Other equipment Tripod, orange filter, spot light meter Location: Verzegnis Lake,  in the north eastern Italian Alps. Firstly, tell us the story behind ...

I like to press the shutter and I take a lot of black and white photos simply because I like it. These black and whites I take on Ilford materials. My favorite negative is xp2 super, I also use Delta 100 and 3200, but rarely. Why ILFORD XP2 Super? I am a hydro engineer by profession - I traveled a lot, spent a lot of time away from home, so carrying a tank, chemicals, thermometer, bottles, containers, etc. with me was a bit troublesome. Never I needed to organize my home dark-room. But actually, now I sta...

My better half When my friend, who knows little about cameras, presented me with the 35mm Olympus Pen FT, it was a total surprise. Quite literally as a gift, but moreover, the camera’s function was what was most surprising. When I picked up the Pen FT for the first time, I observed how light the compact camera was. I immediately put my eye to the viewfinder and was confused. I silently thought to myself, “This is so weird…” I had never encountered a viewfinder that wasn’t horizontal. I had to lea...

Crombie McNeill has been shooting film for longer than some of us have been around, and his story is fascinating which makes him the perfect interviewee for our 45th In Focus interview. Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? Shot way back in the early 70's. By happen chance I discovered this fishing dory beached on Newfoundland's Eastern coast. I very much like this shot, and even more so because I was on my very first major assignment. Twenty thre...

One of the aspects that took me perhaps the longest to understand about black and white film photography - but, which turned out to have the most impact on my visual style – is that exposure is simply not real in any meaningful way. “Correct” exposure is incredibly subjective, especially true for high contrast lighting conditions where either the shadows or highlights can be exposed for in order to achieve a dramatic scene. I think there is a greater expectation for colour film to be a representati...

A dark legacy To say that this project got away from me would be accurate. It morphed and changed as I shot more film, but the more film I shot, the more it changed. It wasn’t until the end that I could feel it becoming cohesive. I started out with a relatively easy goal. Take some basic street photos of Salem, Massachusetts and document how much it comes to life during Halloween. Salem is best known for the witch trials that took place in 1692. Many people were wrongly accused of being witches an...

Melanie King was first introduced to us by Lucy Ridges, and since then we have heard her name mentioned from several different people. It was fantastic to be able to learn a little more about her when she agreed to take part in this series. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? My favourite image is Ancient Light, Emiliano Cardone Observatory, Casalattico, 2018. This photograph was produced when my collective, Lumen Studios, ran an...

We had no idea when we originally started this series in April 2020 with Em from Emulsive that it would still be going strong 50 interviews later. This week's interviewee Debra Wilson was already on our radar before being nominated by Margaret Fitzgerald last month. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I chose this image of Another Place on Crosby beach.  I don’t often get to the sea so although the setting is not typical for m...

A regular contributor to the film and analogue community and always helpful and encouraging to other photographers out there. This week's In Focus interview is with "photographer” Morag Perkins who, "just takes pictures". Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I’ve chosen this one because it’s represents a process that has been very special to me recently. Over the last 2 or 3 years I’ve found a way to use photography to ...

We first met Lucy Ridges a few years ago virtually via social media and then in person at The Photography Show and have always admired her work. Her #MyFilmStory video gave us a bit more of a view into who she is and why she shoots film and this In Focus interview builds on that. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This is one of my favourite shots from my most recent project, Water’s Edge, released earlier this year. It’s an...

We have been privileged to be able to follow Rita's journey as she started out shooting film and moved through the formats from 35mm to medium format and found her own unique style. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you This image is entitled “SANCTUARY”. I came across this couple while double dutching with a friend at Grant Park in Atlanta, GA. I was frozen by their apparent love for each other. It was pure and could be fel...

Our 57th In Focus interview is with Simon Smars from Stockholm who is a professional fine art photographer. Simon works exclusively with limited edition handmade black and white silver gelatin fiber prints, using traditional darkroom techniques. He creates a mixture of minimalistic scapes paired with a melancholic somber, with scenes often stripped to its bare essence. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD Film and tell us what it means to you? C I G (1: f.13 · 10-sto...

My name is Jason Avery and I am an analogue landscape photographer based in East Anglia England. I have been working with film for a few years now, learning my craft as an artist. One of the many reasons why I decided to choose film instead of digital as a medium for my work was the darkroom experience. I have heard the quote “The darkroom is a magical place” over and over again and I can safely say that that is totally true. I have been hooked since the moment I developed my first print in my tiny dark...

“Were it not for the shadows, there would be no beauty.”- In Praise of Shadows- Junichiro Tanizaki. Blackbird A universe at our feet If there is anything the pandemic has taught us, it is perhaps, that everything we need, can be found right where we are. There is something to be said for focusing down on the small things, the seasonal changes, the birds calling, the nature all around us and the people within our local communities. When we take the time to focus down, we can find a whole universe c...

Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name is Hannah Gross and I am one of the newest members of the team at HARMAN Technology. I started working here two months ago, and my job title is ‘Digital Marketing Assistant’. HP5 + Tell us a little about your day to day role. As I have been here for such a small amount of time, I am still learning and getting used to my day to day role. I work within a small team, mainly helping and assisting where n...

Six Weeks Ago It started six weeks ago. A Sinar Norma 4x5 Large Format Camera off eBay arrives and my paper negative journey begins. I had spent the previous weeks poring over the in-depth forums and articles on large format photography, now it was time to put it into practice. My first shoot was on ILFORD MGRC paper. I hastily sat a teddy bear on a table, pointed 2 x 400 watt Elinchrom strobes and a 400 watt continuous light and fired. So 1200 watts in total at 1/30 of a second, that should do it. Flas...

Distractions To A Minimum Whether I’m taking pictures of friends, my dogs, travel, a model, or a movie star, my goal is to make the process as simple as possible, and to keep my distractions to a minimum. While on set of a campaign shoot a few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with the talent, and he asked me how I got into photography. A question I’ve been asked before but never really gave serious thought to. Andrew Garfield. Vanity Fair - Oscars - Beverly Hills. First Meaningful Interacti...

Introduction My name is Marjolein Martinot, and I’m a Dutch photographer, based in France. The prime focus of my photography is on everyday life: my immediate surroundings - family and friends, and the places & things that touch me. My work consists of personal (longterm) photo-projects, as well as commissions (portraiture, family, lifestyle and documentary). 'White Horses, 2020'. 'Girl on Slide', from Riverland. My Photographic Approach I’m quite sensitive to moods, with a tendency towar...

We are now in the midst of summer, so it is the perfect time to share your #slowfilm shots in this weeks #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites.   @ceasar614 Replying to @ILFORDPhoto ILFORD Delta 400. 15 sec shot with a Holga 120N. A little movement at the end to add effect. #slowfilm #fridayfavourite #ilforddelta400   @Virgil_Roger Replying to @ILFORDPhoto I guess the slowest film you fine people make is #ilfordphoto #panf+ which I do love. Here's @CharlesPietri shooting his hasselblad in L...

4th of July weekend It all started with a single roll of 120 ILFORD HP5+ film and a Rolleiflex 3.5F over the Independence Day weekend which fell on a Monday this year. It was the Friday of that long holiday weekend and I loaded the roll of film in the Rolleiflex and took the camera for a ride to McIntosh Lake in Longmont Colorado (USA) in the hopes of finding worthwhile photo subjects. My goal was to find street portraits and storytelling photographs. What it became over the next ten weeks is the Longmo...

Some of the reasons that make me want to come back every year Barcelona has undoubtedly become one of my favorite destinations to visit during spring. Its perfect Mediterranean weather, the skate sessions with my friends at some of the best skate spots in the world, the long walks around the city photographing its streets and architecture, the launches of new exhibitions in different galleries, its gastronomy, and of course, the concerts and festivals that take place during that time, such as the Primavera...

Perhaps best known for his role in the Netflix show The last Kingdom, we talked to James Northcote about his film photography for our 64th In Focus interview this week. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This is a shot I took during the final season of the Last Kingdom. After Season 2 I started tying a point and shoot on the inside of my costume so that I’d always have a camera with me wherever I was. It didn’t matter if I w...

Whether intentional using filters, (or a smear of vaseline), or by accident, soft focus images all have a certain 'feel' to them. It was this that we asked you to share for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #softfocus theme. It was a popular theme with a lot of entries which we've enjoyed looking through this morning. A huge thank you to everyone who shared their images. Our favourites are below. @LaurensWillis Perhaps a pinhole image for #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #softfocus ? Zero 45 w...

We thought it would be a great chance to chat with Ben Hawkins & Liza Kanaeva-Hunsicker about their book 'Shooting Film'. This book is a beginner-friendly book which introduces curious individuals to the world of analogue photography. A little bit about yourself Liza: My name is Liza Kanaeva-Hunsicker, I was born and raised in Moscow, got my Bachelor’s degree in California and have been living and working in NYC for the past 11 years. I’m a multidisciplinary artist working primarily in photography...

Wednesday Afternoon I remember the message on Instagram from Clare one wet Wednesday afternoon whilst I was halfway through my maternity leave… “Julie & I are getting married on Sunday, any chance you’re free?!” I was absolutely thrilled to get to shoot Clare & Julie’s wedding day and knew they’d make it absolutely their own. They had just 4 guests (their two best friends and their two sisters) and it was such a special and beautifully intimate day. The Most Loving Ceremonies Alth...

Yosemite National Park Let me take you back to the beginning of 2022, where my year started with an exciting adventure. I had the opportunity to take a trip to California, and my destination was Yosemite National Park. As a film photographer, I knew this was a location that held great significance. It was home to the Ansel Adams gallery and had a reputation for being an iconic spot to capture some breathtaking photographs. I had seen some of Ansel's prints online, but nothing could compare to seeing the or...

Fascinated By Portraiture Ever since I´m shooting photos I am fascinated by portraiture. There is something special to photograph a person. It´s always a very intimate moment and you have to build a relationship to each person that is in front of the camera. After shooting 35mm for a while I wanted to try something new. Inspired by Nick Brandt and his wildlife portraits in "Across the Ravaged Land", I found out that he uses a Pentax 67 including a 105 2.4 lens for his absolutely outstanding work. Long st...

Introducing our 71st In Focus interviewee, Malik Rainey. Malik specialises in editorial and social documentary photography. However, Malik only became hooked on film when his friend Teo traded him his Pentax P30T for his bike. Section 1 - Background Share your favorite image/print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you. This image is an all-timer for me! I always find myself returning to this image because it’s perfect, from the little girl smiling directly at me to the boys playing baske...

'Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of volumes brought together in light'. Le Corbusier, 1920 Concrete Photography Brutalism as a style has received bad press. When we first hear the term, we all feel a logical rejection. The handbooks go on to explain that it comes from the French term béton brut, although the inventors of the term undoubtedly played on confusion, leaving an after-taste of je m’en fous, of bloody-mindedness, not giving a damn, in short. As a movement, as an a...

What it’s like to be a penguin Possession Island is a rock in the Southern Indian ocean, about the size of the Scottish Isle of Rùm. It harbours a small French research station (a couple dozen people year round), and half a million seabirds. We have been monitoring King penguin populations there for the past decades: fascinating birds, King penguins. They may look clumsy on shore, but each of these little characters has been scouring through the wildest seas in the world, year in and year out, weatherin...

Laura Cogan grants us an exclusive glimpse into her creative process and the techniques that brought forth this beautiful masterpiece. Image Title Isolated Church Technical Info Film Used ILFORD DELTA 100 Format Medium Camera Hasselblad 500cm Lens Hasselblad 180mm Exposure time f4 at 1/500 Other equipment Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 tripod and Sekonic flashmate L-308S lightmeter Location Snæfellsnes, West Iceland - the church is called Breiðabólsstaðarkirkja Firstly, tell us the story behi...

“I’ll just fix it in the darkroom.” is the motto I’ve lived by for decades. I Was Too Deep Into Analog Studying photojournalism in the late 80s, I was taught to print well but never learned advanced printing techniques because we were being prepared for quick turn-around journalism assignments. Commercially available digital photography was in its infancy, so it wasn’t on my radar, and even when it became standard, I was too deep into analog to have any interest. I shot for a local paper for se...

 A History on the Road In May of 2023, I loaded up the car and I headed off to the North Cascades. The freeway had just reopened after a long, icy winter. I was desperate to break out of my work routine and follow my creative pursuits. Growing up in the American Southwest I spent my childhood in the back of my father’s pick up on our family’s retreats. Being from a blue-collar middle class family, we were never going anywhere fancy. We made pilgrimages to Arkansas in my youth where abandoned and di...

Fading From View My project “Extinct" aims to highlight our quickly vanishing natural world. Just as photographs can fade over time, so many species on our planet are also permanently fading from view. The delicate chemical process of film photography I have chosen highlights the fragility of the medium as well as the state of existence of the species portrayed. Compositions bare the mark of their making. The edges of the frames are vanishing. Imperfections are left on view. As analogue photography is...

My First Child I got pregnant with my first child in early 2020. Our 12 week scan took place three days before the announcement of the first lockdown in the UK. I spent the majority of that pregnancy in isolation, with no face to face appointments with any health professionals and barely any contact with friends and family beyond WhatsApp or the occasional video call. This New Chapter To make matters worse, I fell at home at around 30 weeks pregnant and broke my left wrist. I spent the best part of 1...

Sharing Our Experience One Day At A Time Boys is an arts project that has run for the past 3 years in Damien John Kelly House (DJK), a recovery community for men based in Liverpool 15. Offering a program of support based in the arts, sport and culture. We celebrate our community, explore individuality whilst documenting our personal growth and shared experience. Applying recovery values of willingness, honesty, and open mindedness within a creative setting. Marrying up the transferable benefits and lessons...

Find out how film made Sebastian Fehse a better photographer and how he creates these masterpieces in 'How I Got This Picture' blog. TECHNICAL INFO FILM USED ILFORD HP5 Plus 400 FORMAT 35mm CAMERA Nikon F3/T LENS Nikkor Zoom 70 – 200mm f4 EXPOSURE TIME 1/500 at f8 OTHER EQUIPMENT None LOCATION Alpe di Siusi, Italy FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THIS IMAGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SHOOT IT? I have been to this place and especially the Dolomites already 2 times. So, I knew what ...

The Love Affair I didn’t even really like racing when we planned our trip to the Monaco Grand Prix. Not racing, not Formula 1, not any of it. But I did have a very long ongoing love affair with the south of France and any opportunity to spend time along the Mediterranean was a go for me. Something Was Unlocked As my husband Mark and I were planning this trip to celebrate a milestone birthday, something happened to me in the lead-up; something was unlocked. It’s Mark who has the life-long love of ...

Asphalt Kingdom When I was 15 I picked up my mum’s old and now scarcely used Soligor TM (a cheap 35mm SLR). Having seen a few friends shoot colour film on disposables, I remember thinking “I like how it looks but do they even make film anymore?”. I spoke to my step-dad about where I might find some of this film and he quickly pointed me in the direction of ILFORD, a film manufacturer who’s film he’d stood by for many-a-year (something I’m intent on standing by too). A google search and three cl...

Inheritance The thing nobody really tells you about when it comes to inheriting a legacy is the weight of it, and what follows the inevitable acceptance of it. My late grandfather Hendrikus Goris was an avid film photographer in his early 20’s - much like myself. I recently had the privilege of scanning and archiving some incredible images from his earlier years, 30+ rolls of film documenting family life with some rather editorial styled portraits sprinkled in. Most of them were shot on ILFORD film in ...

'HOME' Winner announced For the 2023/24 ILFORD Photo student photography competition we set the theme of 'Home'. We asked students to show us what home meant to them. That could be a person, place, object, or hobby that embodied the feeling of 'home'. As always, they rose to the challenge and entries started coming in within weeks of the competition being launched. By the closing date of 31st January 2024 we had received hundreds of entries from students based all over the world showing us their version...

We speak to Ki Price, who is this week's In Focus interview. Ki is a specialist photographer renowned for capturing celebrities, portraits, and fashion. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE/PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU. Tess Parks My favourite image that I have taken is of singer, Tess Parks. I contacted her on Instagram and said, ‘can we do a shoot if you are ever in London?’ She replied and said, ‘I’m in London at the moment.’ I decided to shoot ...

Oh, crap! What have I done? Let’s see.  I committed to do a solo photography show, with twenty-seven images.  All twenty-seven are 4x5 black and white negatives, so they need to be darkroom printed.  And those will be 20x24 prints.  Yeah, and I need to have them matted and framed.  The icing on the cake?  I have just under three months to do this. Yep, this is going to be an interesting project.  But let’s back up to the beginning. The Event It was April 2023, three years after the pand...

Is a Photograph a Photograph if it Was Not Made with a Camera, Lens, or Negative? The ethereal color palette and expressionistic qualities of the work I have been making with ILFORD's photographic paper seemingly resemble the representations of light and color as seen in many landscape paintings (think J.M.W. Turner, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole); however, the work in my on-going project, I Thought You Left / I Wish You Were Here, are lumen prints—a form of camera-less photography where objects or a neg...

Perhaps best known for working at The Darkroom Lab, this week we talked to Trev Lee about his film photography. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? ILFORD FP4+ One of my all time favorite shots on ILFORD film was captured on FP4 Plus 125 with a Nikon FM3A and Ultron 40mm. It is a shot I have taken before on HP5+ a couple months prior - I love the texture of the tree which is framed by the squiggly lines of a a bicycle rack bu...

Finding Your Niche I never expected to be doing what I do today. For some reason, it never crossed my mind that I could photograph people for a living. I struggled a lot through university. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy my classes, but I truly had the hardest time finding my niche until the last year or two. I knew I loved working with film. Digital was nice, but too sterile for my taste, and I felt that I could never achieve the look I was aiming for. 35mm was a step in the right direction. It provide...

FILM AND DOCUMENTARY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY Only in 2022, I bought my first film camera - a Minolta X700. Right from the first film I was absolutely in love with shooting analog. Working as a documentary family photographer I am drawn to the honest and unfiltered truth of family life. For me, analog photography and documentary family photography converge, weaving elements of rawness and unadulterated truth. There are no hundreds of images, meticulously sifted through for the best; no embellishment through hour...

I Instantly Fell In Love My photography journey began while I was studying graphic design. My course tutor handed me a camera & a roll of ILFORD HP5+, and sent me out, with no real brief, to ‘take some pictures’. Armed with a macro lens I roamed around the cities’ botanical gardens and became lost in a close-up world of symmetrical patterns, found in the plant life. When I returned, with my roll of film, to the photography department darkroom, I instantly fell in love with the process and the res...

I’m sure a lot of us are well aware of the amazing, historic spectacle UFC 300 turned out to be, but this road trip was much more than just that one night… Denver, Colorado I began the drive to Denver, CO from Austin, TX on March 20th, 2024. I had dates with 2 world-class and world-renowned MMA gyms with some of the best male and female mixed martial artists on the planet, High Altitude Martial Arts and Factory X Muay Thai. On the drive to Denver, I had the idea of doing a portrait series on film of a...

The struggle for life Black-and-white photography captures so much emotion, and nothing is more emotive than the struggle for life.  This insight led to the project GRAPPLERS ON FILM, where I use a number of vintage film cameras to capture the struggles of ordinary people training in the grappling arts of Judo, Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu. Zenza Bronica - ILFORD XP2 Submission For those not involved in the grappling forms of martial arts, the goal is to get a hold of your opponent and then force them to...

This week in our In Focus interview, we speak with Michèl Passin, a Leipzig-based photographer and videographer specializing in portraiture and documentary work. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? This picture was taken for my project “18:09”. It was shot with a Mamiya 645 1000s on FP4+. After developing and scanning I was blown away how everything turned out. Everything came out the way I planned it. For me it’s just pe...

For this week’s #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites, we chose #autumnthroughilford as the perfect theme. With the leaves falling and the nights growing colder and darker, it’s the perfect time to switch up the film we’re shooting. @Kirigir77434381. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #autumnthroughilford. Hasselblad 500C/M, Distagon 60mmF3.5, Ilford FP4PLUS   @peter_durst. Schwatka Lake Fuji GS645W. Kentmere Pan 400 @ 1600 The Yukon #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #autumnthroughilford.   ...

It was the perfect film to learn with I’ve always loved shooting portraits, and the first medium format film I used was ILFORD HP5+, shooting portraits in high school with the Rolleiflex TLR that I still use today. It was the perfect film to learn with — forgiving and rewarding. When I started directing music videos in my 20s, I brought that Rollei to set to take press photos between set ups. Around the same time, I was working as Ava DuVernay’s director’s assistant on the Netflix series When They ...

Originally from the south of France, nostalgic documentarian Larry Niehues joins us as our 81st In Focus interviewee. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? Shot on HP5+ in Bentonia, MS 2022. I love the composition, subjects and the fact that it is located at one of the last juke joint still operating in America, Blue Front Cafe. JUST IN CASE ANYONE DOESN’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU DO, CAN YOU GIVE US THE ...

Back in August 2000 Last time I have attended a night concert was back in August 2000, Bon Jovi playing at the old Wembley Arena. Great times, really great; but as with all good times, that concert was the last one for me. Life got in the way, and what with this and that, I stopped going to such events. Still have the stub from the BJ's gig, though. With Some Reluctance But life has a funny sense of going round in circles and so I got to experience again the thrills of a night concert. My daughter (1...

The lessons I’ve learnt I would like to start this blog by stating that I consider myself a relatively inexperienced photographer. I’ve been taking film photos for around eight years and have only ever done so as a hobby. However, something I have spent many of those eight years doing is experimenting with double exposures. In this blog I’d like to share some of the lessons I’ve learnt in that time. If you have any questions I could talk about double exposure for hours and go into a huge amount o...

In our latest 'How I Got This Picture' interview with Ross McDaniel, find out what led him to try something different to capture Arches National Park. Image Title Monolith TECHNICAL INFO FILM USED Kentmere Pan 400 FORMAT 35mm CAMERA Nikon F5 LENS Laowa 15mm F4 EXPOSURE TIME 30 minutes at f/4 Other Equipment Tripod, Remote shutter release LOCATION Balanced Rock, Arches National Park, Utah, United States, Earth FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THIS IMAGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SHOOT IT? ...

Say Hello Few people feel comfortable striking up a conversation with a person they haven’t previously met. I refrain from using the word “stranger” because the way I see it, we’re all fellow humans, potential acquaintances, possible friends. And who says they’re any stranger than I am? After all, I’m the one going up to people I meet in public asking to make their portrait. A camera in hand really is a magical device that allows us to meet almost anyone, anywhere. To approach them. Say hello. ...

A Revelation Just south of Sydney sitting on one of Australia’s most pristine coastlines you’ll find the regional city of Wollongong. Nestled within this city of surfers, coal miners and steelworkers you’ll find a group of students creating big things in a small darkroom. ‘Mez, I’ve been thinking a lot… I want to be a fine art black and white film photographer.’ These words from one of my TAFE NSW students, Sara, were delivered with a shakiness in her voice, utter passion in her heart, ...

 El Parque Nacional I met Andrés and his buddies at Bogotá's most iconic park, el Parque Nacional. I was filming a video for my YouTube channel (Through the Glass) about the 800 or so displaced Embera indigenous people who were occupying the park. Andrés and crew were skating the park's entrance steps and sharing their boards with a group of Embera children. The Proposal The guys asked me where I was from and we got talking about the analog photography YouTube channel I was launching. I proposed ...

 'PRIDE & PREJUDICE' Winner announced For the 2024/25 ILFORD Photo student photography competition we set the theme of 'Pride & Prejudice'. Borrowing the title from Austen's classic novel, we wanted to see how you interpreted its central themes of Pride and Prejudice and how it is reflected in the today's world. Could be morality, social standing, race, religion, or sexuality that embodied the 'Pride & Prejudice' through your lens. As always, they rose to the challenge and entries started c...

This week, for our 84th In Focus interview, we speak with Austrian photographer and writer Birgit Buchart, who made the move to New York City in 2018. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? In my early 20s, I spent a lot of time on the road with musicians, shooting a lot of concerts and festivals. And while they appreciated the documentation of the shows, I never truly loved the photos. To me it was not very interesting to photograp...

The Main Topics My name is Maria Guțu I am a Moldovan born and  based photographer, focusing on long term documentary projects.  In 2022 I finished my studies at the Docdocdoc School of Modern Photography, Saint Petersburg, earlier, in 2020 I graduated in cinematography at the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts from Chisinau, Moldova where I have been studying for 4 years. The main topics in my work are remote places, youth, the notion of the home and the relation between humans and the environment...

Our next Community Focus interview takes us to Berlin, where we had the opportunity to chat with Queer Analog Darkroom. They've created an inclusive space for individuals who face barriers to accessing knowledge about analog photography due to discrimination and marginalization, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to learn and create. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND LET’S START EASY. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE DARKROOM, WHAT IT’S CALLED AND HOW IT STARTED. Queer Analog Darkroom (QAD) - is a self-organized, ...

A strong start to April with some fantastic images shared for our Friday favourites #aprilondp100 theme.  Our DELTA Professional 100 film  is perfect for these sunny spring days. ‪@genewilsonphoto.site‬ A few from my portfolio for @ilfordphoto.com's #fridayfavourites theme of ILFORD Delta 100.#aprilondp100 #believeinfilm ?️   apiedragriffin ? MAMIYA RB67 ?️ ILFORD DELTA100 #BlackAndWhite #IlfordFilm #MamiyaRB67#LandscapePhotography #FilmPhotography #AnalogPhotography #FilmIsNotDead...

Next up, for our 85th In Focus interview, we spoke with freelance event and project manager, Ali Monk. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? This has probably been my favourite image I have taken since it was shot back in 2021. I had been spending the day with one of my favourite people in Brighton. Lockdown was over and we could spend time with loved ones again doing all the things we hadn’t been able to do for a while. My frien...

A Room in Barcelona by Tiffany Roubert: Capturing Intimacy on ILFORD Delta 3200 There’s something about film photography that forces you to be present. The tangible process, the limitations, the patience required, each frame becomes deliberate, considered. A little while ago, I shot a project called A Room in Barcelona, entirely on film. More precisely, entirely on ILFORD Delta 3200. The premise was simple: create intimacy with a total stranger in a confined space. No grand backdrops, no elaborate set de...

Dialogues With Nostalgia My work in photography is deeply connected to light and emotion. Black and white analog photography allows me to explore these elements with a unique sensitivity, where each image results from a constant search to capture the ephemeral and the timeless. I shoot with ILFORD Delta 400 and ILFORD HP5+ films, using cameras such as the Mamiya RZ67 Pro II, Nikon F100, and Nikon F6, because their grain and tonal range offer a texture that dialogues with nostalgia, memory, and melancholy, ...

Connected Shooting film is an act of patience, a commitment to slowing down in a world that moves too fast. With digital photography, you can take hundreds, thousands, of images in a matter of minutes. There’s no real cost to over-shooting, no pressure to be deliberate. But film demands something different. Each frame is finite, precious. You select before you shoot, considering light, composition, and emotion in a way that feels more meditative, more connected. The Beauty of Imperfection There’s an...

Our next Community Focus interview features Mori Darkroom, a Brussels based darkroom that opened its doors in 2021 after successfully crowdfunding the completion of the space you see today. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND LET’S START EASY. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE DARKROOM, WHAT IT’S CALLED AND HOW IT STARTED. The darkroom is called Mori Darkroom because it’s connected to our lab, Mori Film Lab. We opened the lab and shop in December 2020, and the darkroom followed in September 2021. After a successful cr...

Chasing Light There’s something raw about walking the streets with a camera in hand, chasing light and shadows. No filters, no gimmicks: just the world as it is, stripped down to its bones. That’s what black and white does. It pulls the noise away, leaving behind the soul of the moment. It Vanishes In Your Hand I’ve been hooked on that feeling for years. The kind you get when the sun hits the pavement just right, or when someone’s face tells a whole story in a single glance. For this work, I gr...

The excitement is electric It's a typical Wednesday morning in the tattoo shop I work at. I am trying to stay out of the way but with all three tattoo artists at The Black Veil in Salem, Massachusetts needing the printer behind the desk at the same time, and with me being (also) behind the desk, it's hard to all fit. "I'll just wait over here until you guys are done" I say, and I scoot out of the way to a bigger spot where the floor of the shop opens up into the sitting area. We do the same dance every mor...

Push it to the limits A brand new film is a wonderful prospect in the current analogue photography marketplace, and I am always eager to discover what a modern emulsion, concocted in this decade, can bring to my documentary photography workflow. When Kentmere 200 was announced, I knew I had to time my first efforts carefully in order to have something more than street snaps and mundanity to show for it, to really push it to the limits of what I demand from the film stocks I have become used to. Versatil...

A Timeless Story This editorial came from a desire to tell a timeless story. Through mood and atmosphere, using the expressive tools of analog photography, I wanted to create a visual world that felt both intimate and slightly surreal.  One where the character and setting merged to suggest a narrative without spelling it out. Working with ILFORD FP4 Plus allowed me to craft this vision with precision and texture, embracing the constraints and beauty of natural light and medium format film. Each Frame M...

For the 7th interview in our Community Focus series we're heading to Oslo to chat to  Cyan Darkroom. Let’s start easy. Tell us a little about the darkroom, what it’s called and how it started. Cyan darkroom is part of Cyan studio that is a co-op community photostudio and workspace. The studio was opened in 1998 and has always had a darkroom attached.  In 2020 we got hold of a separate space where we built a much larger darkroom, hoping that the timing was right to attract enough new users. After a...

Let’s start easy. Tell us A little about the darkroom, what it’s called and how it started. The darkroom is a central part of the activities of SAIM (The Shoreditch Academy of Image Making). SAIM was established in 2020 as an independent photography school by its two founders Ian Jackson and Adrian Mott. Both with long careers as commercial photographers plus extensive experiences as postgraduate University teachers. As a private London school SAIM’s unique offer is a permanent darkroom and studio ...

Whilst on a road trip from Lake Isabell to San Francisco, Eugene Nikiforov came across this beautiful scene and chose to capture it on ILFORD SFX 200 film. Learn more about his technique in our latest 'How I got this picture post below. Image Title:  Central Valley, California Technical info Film Used :  Ilford SFX 200    Format: 6x17 Camera: Linhof Technorama 617s III Lens : Schneider Apo-Symmar L 180mm f/5.6 Exposure time: 2 seconds   Other equipment : R72 Infrared Filter Location: W...

We're now 10 interviews into this series and its been fantastic to hear about so many community darkrooms and the work that they do. This time we're heading to Turkey to speak to Fotohane Darkroom. Let’s start easy. Tell us A little about the darkroom, what it’s called and how it started. The project is called Fotohane Darkroom. It’s a mobile and analog photography workshop based in Mardin, in southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border. We work mainly with Syrian, Iraqi, and Turkish Kurdish child...

A black and white journey into the depths When I leave home for a day of diving, I always feel a mix of excitement and detachment. A moment alone at dawn, when everyone is still asleep, becomes a kind of quiet ritual: methodically packing my gear, performing last checks, loading film and setting off towards a world apart. My photography was born from a simple desire: to share those moments — their quiet magic, and the subtle mix of lightness and oppression that comes with the depths. Swallowed by ...

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 ma...

Let’s start easy. Tell us A little about the darkroom, what it’s called and how it started. Negative Development  is a community darkroom in Manchester. The project took shape after I began searching for a community space, and when none could be found, the idea became to create one. The first studio was a small unit in Pollard Yard, Ancoats, with two enlargers and a focus on one to one workshops. From there, the darkroom has grown through regular use and our loyal community. We now work from a more c...

How it all began “So what’s your next project?”, my friend David asked me over lunch one day in the spring of 2024. Unprepared for the question, my focus still on my second book, Fragments, which had just been published, my answer was quick and nochalant. “I think I’m going to dig out my 4x5 and shoot some street portraits of total strangers”. I surprised even myself with the answer. It was as if I was sitting in his chair and hearing that response for the first time. I can remember the conv...

One year ago I was chosen as a winner of the Ilford Community Grant for my project “ePhemeral”. As a dance photographer this was a gift for me, because it gave me the chance of contacting great dancers of different styles and movement dynamics to work with. For me it also meant a vot of confidence in the value of photographing movement, life, and fleeting moments through the analogue medium. And last but not least, it gave me the chance of exploring a new technique, Film Swap. Keep on reading and disc...