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HARMAN technology Limited, trading as ILFORD PHOTO, is a global market leader and the only manufacturer in the world to provide a full range of black & white film, darkroom paper, photochemistry and ancillary products. For over 137 years, generations of customers have demanded the very best. And this is why they continue to choose ILFORD. Operating from our manufacturing headquarters in Cheshire, UK. Our products are shipped around the globe and into the discerning hands of beginners, enthusiasts, stud...

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...

Hand colouring The idea of adding colour to a monochrome image by hand dates back to the beginning of photography. At this time it was the only way to get a colour photograph. Although colour photography using the three colour process was put forward just short of thirty years after the first photograph by Nicephore Niepce,  it was, in its early years, expensive and difficult to produce a colour image. Hand colouring became a practical way to give the impression of colour and everything from Daguerroty...

8th August 2016 HARMAN technology Ltd has been successful in the 60th year of the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2016 The company, based in Mobberley, Cheshire, achieved the Order of Distinction (25 consecutive Golds) award in the prestigious annual scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). The RoSPA Awards are celebrating 60 years of presenting highly-regarded and sought after accolades to businesses and organisations which have shown commitment to accid...

22nd December 2015 Storm over Vestrahorn, Iceland. Selenium and Thiourea toned silver gelatine ©Tim Rudman/National Trust   ‘Iceland, an Uneasy Calm’ is a series of photographs taken in Iceland over the last eight years by Tim Rudman who is acknowledged as one of the very finest landscape photographers working today. This stunning collection will be exhibited at the National Trust Fox Talbot Museum in Lacock, Britain’s birthplace of photography, from 9 January to 10 July 2016. Tim describ...

Tuesday 17th May 2016 “LOVE IT – FRAME IT” -  ILFORD LAB DIRECT LAUNCHES NEW BLACK AND WHITE PRINT FRAMING SERVICE Building on the success of its already popular black and white printing service which offers film processing, scans and real black and white silver gelatin prints in sizes up to 50” wide, ILFORD LAB DIRECT is thrilled to announce the launch of its new black and white print framing service. Neil Hibbs, Manager at ILFORD LAB DIRECT commented, “Our customers have been requestin...

30th January 2015 The results are in from the ILFORD PHOTO film survey and they are positive. At the end of 2014 we conducted a comprehensive international survey to help us better understand film users. Thousands of users from over 70 countries completed the survey for us and the results were inspiring. Our belief that support for traditional film is growing was confirmed by the 30% of respondents who were aged under 35, with 60% of them using film for less than 5 years. For many of those the...

18th February 2015 2015 will see HARMAN technology Limited complete 10 years of successful trading as ILFORD PHOTO. The company wishes to express a sincere thank you for all the support we have received in the last 10 years from around the world. Continued support from Distributors, Retailers and Stockists has ensured our loyal photographers, printers and labs have enjoyed continued access to ILFORD black and white products. Schools, Colleges and Universities who have maintained their darkrooms, an...

29th July 2015 HARMAN technology Ltd, of Mobberley, Cheshire is among the winners in the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2015.   The Order of Distinction (24 consecutive Golds) award has been received in the prestigious annual scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). As the UK’s family safety charity, RoSPA’s mission to save lives and reduce injuries covers all ages and stages of life. In support of this mission, the RoSPA Awards, which date b...

14th September 2015 HARMAN technology, manufacturers of the famous ILFORD Photo range of Monochrome Photographic products, have been purchased by Pemberstone Ventures Ltd for an undisclosed amount. Pemberstone, a UK based investment company have been tracking the performance of HARMAN technology for some time. Mark Anslow, CEO of Pemberstone Ventures comments: “We are very excited by the potential of the analogue photography movement and believe that HARMAN is uniquely placed to drive the resurgent film...

General FAQS Where can I find technical information about your products? We provide a comprehensive set of technical information to support all our products. Links to the technical information can be found on the product pages on the website. Advice for Airport X-ray scanners: Film & papers We are working with the DFT and Heathrow airport in the UK and will shortly be updating our information relating to the new CT type x-ray scanners being installed at major airports worldwide. Based on our init...

1st September 2014 HARMAN technology Ltd, of Mobberley, Cheshire is among the winners in the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2014. The Order of Distinction (23 consecutive Golds) award has been received in the prestigious annual scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). As the UK’s family safety charity, RoSPA’s mission to save lives and reduce injuries covers all ages and stages of life. In support of this mission, the RoSPA Awards, which date back 58 y...

19th November 2013 Buy fabulous real silver gelatin black and white framed wall art photographs from the new House of ILFORD on-line store House of ILFORD is a new and exciting addition to the services available from the well-established ILFORD LAB DIRECT photographic process and print service based at the HARMAN factory in Mobberley, England. HARMAN technology Limited is the company behind the famous and iconic ILFORD brand of black and white photographic products. The House of ILFORD is the pl...

Film and single use cameras How long after exposing can I leave my film before processing? For best results, we always advise processing soon after exposure although in practice most films can be left for several months. One exception is ILFORD PANF Plus, we would always advise processing this film as soon as possible and certainly within 3 months of the film being exposed. How do I account for film reciprocity during long exposures? This information can be found in the Film Reciprocity Failure Compensa...

Photographic Paper FAQ's Which paper product is best/suitable for photograms.  All of our ILFORD photographic papers will easily produce photograms, so the choice will depend on which surface finish you prefer and whether or not you want fibre or resin coated. Resin coated paper is lower cost, easy to process and dry flat and would be a good choice for starting out. Does reciprocity affect paper? Paper products are designed for much longer exposure times than film and are less sensitive to reciprocity...

Direct Positive Paper Why is my Direct Positive print white or too light despite giving it more exposure? If your print is white or too light then the exposure needs to be reduced. This is opposite to standard papers such as ILFORD MULTIGRADE. Why is my Direct Positive print black or too dark despite giving it less exposure? If your print is black or too dark then the exposure needs to be increased This is opposite to standard papers such as ILFORD MULTIGRADE. Is it normal for unexposed Direct Positi...

Chemistry Which is best fixer - HYPAM or RAPID fixer? Both fixers perform equally well, HYPAM will accept the addition of a hardener if required, whereas RAPID fixer will not work with hardeners. What’s the shelf life of ILFOSOL 3 film developer? Unopened, ILFOSOL 3 will last about 18 months. Once open, it should be used within three months. Remember to mix ILFOSOL 3 for immediate use ONLY. What is replenishment? Some processing chemicals can be replenished, this means that instead of discarding the...

Health & Safety FAQ's Using Photographic Chemicals whilst Pregnant or Breast Feeding This is covered in our health and safety section,  Where can I find you Health and Safety Data Sheets Please visit our health and safety section, where all our MSDS can be found What ventilation do I need in my darkroom?  Smells and fumes from darkroom chemicals and heat from enlargers and lamps are best eliminated by some sort of extract in the room OR by opening the room up between processes. If you ...

Photo lab FAQ's Which papers can I use on my Oce Lightjet or Durst Lambda or other digital printer. Our range of Galerie Digital Silver FB and RC papers are suitable for digital exposure full details of compatibility can be found in the technical information sheets Which ILFORD Chemicals can I use for my Roller transport film processor? ILFORD ILFOTEC RT Rapid, HYPAM Fixer, and ILFOTOL wetting agent are suitable. More information can be found in the relevant fact sheets Which ILFORD Chemicals can I ...

This guide focuses on the photo chemicals you can use for processing film. We also have a guide to processing film as well as some handy tips on loading a developing spiral. Choosing photo chemicals We have a range of photo chemicals designed to give different results with our films and papers. The choice of stop bath and fixer is limited but we have several film developers you can use. Film developers come in either liquid and powder concentrate form and have a range of attributes. Some developers giv...

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...

What are film developers? Film developers are a photographic chemical that turns your exposed film into working negatives as part of a processing workflow. (You will also need a stop bath and fixer - for more information on how to process your film or which chemistry to choose read our guides). We offer a broad range of film developers that are designed to exploit the different characteristics of our films. Developers are available in either powder and liquid concentrate form and have a range of charact...

Contact sheets are a great way to review and record your images. They allow you to view all the negatives on a roll of film before deciding which ones you want to print and how you may want to crop them. They also provide a permanent record of those negatives for filing purposes. How to make a contact sheet To make a contact sheet we recommend using ILFORD MULTIGRADE RC DELUXE Set the enlarger head to a height that gives a 40cm (16in) wide rectangle of light on the baseboard Put a MULTIGRADE fil...

When photographic material is exposed to light it begins to darken. The more light the material receives, the darker it becomes. This opens up a range of possibilities for making fun, creative and artistic images without a camera. Making a picture without a camera couldn’t be easier and is a fun activity to try with children. However, for many, exploring and experimenting with different effects of light on photographic /blog/the-luminogram-process/materials can become an art form by itself. Where to sta...

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...

ILFORD PHOTO technical downloads On this page we have collated all of our technical information in one place. Whether you are looking for technical data sheets, our film processing chart or information relating to contrast control for our MULTIGRADE Papers this is where you will find it. All relevant technical information can also be found at the bottom of each specific product page. Technical Data Sheets Here you will find links to all technical data sheets for our film, paper and chemical products. ...

Photographic prints are intended to be viewed and when looked after can remain in excellent condition for over a century. However, as they are paper-based they are prone to damage if mishandled. Caring for a print A print intended to have a long life should be processed by methods recommended for long-term stability. If necessary it can be retouched to eliminate blemishes. Prints that are going to be displayed should be mounted, framed and glazed to complement the image and protect it from deteriorat...

Retouching is normally done to remove blemishes from the negative or the final print. It can also be used to change the tone or remove unwanted detail.  As retouching can be difficult, care is required. Advice for retouching The most risky retouching techniques involve removing parts of the image, by bleaching, cutting, or scraping with the edge of a sharp knife. The addition of density is generally less risky, and can be done using dye, paint etc, or a suitable soft pencil. When retouching prints from o...

Mounting your Prints Even the most stunning print can look better when it has been properly mounted. Mounted prints are also better protected as they are kept flat with the image separated from the immediate surroundings by unobtrusive margins. There are no hard and fast rules about mounting prints; the most suitable results will depend on individual preference, the nature of the image, the intended use and other circumstances. It is recommended that only boards and other materials intended for the p...

Testing your Safelights Safelights are an essential component in any darkroom set up. We recommend testing them annually, as ageing can change the transmission characteristics of the filters. This can cause visible fogging of the print or, more likely, a subtle but noticeable drop in contrast. When setting up your safelights always read the instructions and don't exceed the recommended bulb wattage. Fitting a brighter bulb or mounting your safelight too close to your developing dishes,  may cause degra...

The ILFORD PHOTO Archival Sequence, or Optimum Permanence wash system is a method of processing fibre base papers for maximum longevity while reducing the amount of water and time used. Whilst standard fixing and washing recommendations will give excellent print permanence for all commercial needs. When optimum permanence is needed, perhaps for archival storage of prints, the following fixing and washing sequences at 18–24ºC/65–75ºF (including wash water) are recommended using ILFORD WASHAID. Fi...

Split grade printing The version of split grade printing described here is that taught to me by the ILFORD head printers, Mike Walden and Terry Offord, and is the simplest, fastest way to make good darkroom prints from pretty much any negative. (The exception is really underexposed negatives to print these you usually only need high contrast). This is a very powerful technique that can be used routinely with variable contrast (VC) papers, such as ILFORD MULTIGRADE. It makes use of the differing performa...

1992 - How I met Masterji Soon after leaving my staff photographer’s position on the local newspaper where I’d been employed for the previous 5 years and with the luxury of in-house film processing no longer a convenient option I began using my local city centre professional colour lab, in Coventry. During the accumulating hours I spent in that lab waiting for my 35mm films to process, watching small colour prints dropping from the conveyor belt from the end of the machine, I very watched a short In...

 A lifelong hobby One of my lifelong hobbies is photography. I have been taking photographs since I was about 10 years old when I was given an old Kodak folding pocket camera that had belonged to an uncle, Bertrand Perrett, who was a professional photographer and painter in England. I learned to develop and print black-and-white film at school when I was a teenager back in the 1970s. The Slower Pace When digital photography came along I moved to that medium, but recently I’ve come back to film aga...

I’m a passionate film photographer. There are plenty of us about and indeed plenty of reasons for choosing film as a medium. Many of these reasons are quoted ad nauseam by any and every film photographer. One of the biggest problems I have with digital photography is that it's given film photographers a soap box to waffle on about how much better film is… Yawn… I’m going to make some assumptions about the audience of this blog, and as such I’m not going to repeat all of the justifications usually ...

My name is Charles, I do film concert photography since September 2014. I chose analog over digital because I like to do things with my hands instead of using a computer. I mostly use HP5+ film (pushed to 1600 ISO) which I find very powerful in difficult light conditions, it’s a good compromise between precision, grain, and dynamic range. Concert photography is easy and difficult at the same time. It’s easy to take a picture of a charismatic singer on stage, but is this enough to have a great photo...

How I work I believe in self-learning, and I’m always up for something new to explore. I adhere to a strict code of conduct and don’t believe in photoshop, or do much if any post processing. It has to be an exceptional day for me to crop an image. I use Ilford’s Delta 400 for most of my work and use XP2 Super when I need my results fast. Changing times I was born in 1988, which meant that I got a first class ticket to experience the world converting from analogue to digital during m...

What are paper developers? Paper developers allow the latent exposed image to become visible to the naked eye and form part of a processing workflow along with a stop bath and fixer.  Read our guides, for more information on picking the right paper for you or which chemistry to choose  When shopping for photo chemicals always check the application. We produce a range of photo chemicals including stop baths, fixers, toners, wetting agents as well as paper and film developers. Film developers are speci...

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...

Choosing Photo Chemicals We have a range of photo chemicals for printing/processing all of our resin coated and fibre base papers in trays/dishes as well as in processing machines. If you are new to printing the choice could appear excessive yet each liquid or powder paper developer has its purpose or strengths. For an overview of the whole range and what they do we have pulled together an introductory overview. If you are a beginner* and wondering where to get started then read on. *While thi...

One of the best things about film photography is that the creative process doesn't end in the camera. Processing your images in a darkroom is not only great fun, but it also allows you to exercise complete creative control over the final look of your image. We cover some of the essentials needed to set up a darkroom in our beginner's guide and have also developed a series of short animations which cover essential darkroom equipment, darkroom safety tips as well as how an enlarger works. Below, we cov...

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HARMAN TECHNOLOGY LIMITED – PRIVACY NOTICE HARMAN technology Limited is committed to respecting the privacy of our customers and the users of our website ilfordphoto.com (the Website). This notice is to explain how we may use personal information we collect before, during and after your relationship with us. This notice also explains how we comply with the law on data protection and what your rights are. References to you, your and yourself in this privacy notice are to either you as an individual or...

HARMAN TECHNOLOGY LIMITED – WEBSITE TERMS OF USE IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE These website terms of use are the terms and conditions under which you may use our website ilfordphoto.com (the Website). Please read these terms carefully. As part of the registration process you will be required to confirm that you have read and understood these terms. If you refuse to accept these terms, you should not complete registration to this Website and should immediately cease ...

Welcome to the ILFORD PHOTO online store. Where you place an order via our website, these terms and conditions will apply to that order in addition to the general website terms of use and privacy policy. You should therefore read these terms carefully before you place your order as they explain your and our legal rights and also contain important information about our contract with you and how your order will be dealt with. If you have any questions, please contact us before you place your order by calli...

Lifelong love of black and white Growing up in the late fifties and sixties, one of my favourite movies was The Day the Earth Stood Still, a lot of which was shot at night in black and white. That early exposure to film noir inspired a lifelong love of black and white photography, especially at night. When I first started shooting pictures in 1967, though, the only option for night photography without a tripod was “pushing” 400 ASA film and using specialized developers. While what was essentially un...

The last six years I picked up my first camera about six years ago, and I haven't looked back since. Well, not on my choice of beginning Photography, but I have looked back on my choice of cameras. Over the past six years, I've achieved quite a bit, and I've enjoyed every moment of it - from my first exhibition to running my own photography gallery. However, I'd always felt that there was something that I was missing out on. Photography, for me, is an art form that allows you to be creative and passion...

Photography has always been part of my life Zero Image pinhole camera 4x5, Ilford FP4+ sheet film 4x5 When the digital age began, something happened to me. First, I mourned my photo hobby for about five years, then "gave up" and bought a digital SLR. A couple of years passed and I upgraded to a more advanced model, but soon realised that it gave me no pleasure at all. I was just so bored with my images. About this time I realised that film photography was not at all dead! I found the Lomography societ...

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 ...

The Start I had previously experimented with photography, but nothing too technical. To my astonishment, I managed to capture some really good images and the bride and groom loved them. Using the positive feedback I received from them, I kept hold of the camera and began to research techniques. I began with my pet dogs (many photographers favourite models), then moved on to young family members and babies, then to asking friends if they could travel to a location with me and let me shoot them. Taki...

My first time in Afghanistan For the last couple of years, I have been travelling and exploring the people and culture of the Middle East and Central Asia. Visiting these countries is always inspiring and fascinating to me. In 2016, I visited Afghanistan for the first time. At this time I switched from photographing both digital and analog to one hundred percent analog. The reason is simple. I love the handling, the manual process of film photography. It feels real and timeless. It is also practical, t...

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...

Jokulsarlon Two For our inaugural 'How I got this picture' post, we're talking to Dave Kirby about Jokulsarlon Two. One of the beautiful images in his Iceland series.   Jokulsarlon Two ©Dave Kirby Film Used – ILFORD FP4+ Format - 120 film in 6x6 format Camera - Bronica SQ-A Lens – 80mm PS Exposure time – 57s Other equipment – The cheapest, naffest tripod money could buy (now broken), 10 stop filter, hat!   Location Jokulsarlon, South Coast, Iceland....

HARMAN Lab - The new name for ILFORD Lab Direct We have updated the name of our award winning Lab service to HARMAN Lab. The new name reflects our desire to give more recognition to the "HARMAN*" brand, and presents opportunities to further broaden our lab service offerings in the future. We still offer the same high-quality film processing and real Black and White prints as we've always done. Using ILFORD Photo Papers and Chemistry throughout. Operating from our factory site in Mobberley, C...

On Reading — stealing from the best Nearly all of my photographs organize themselves into loosely defined, open-ended projects that are never finished but often stop at an interesting place for a portfolio, show, or hand-made book. People often ask; “Where do you get ideas for your projects?” British photographer and educator, David Hurn says; “Our advice to photographers is best expressed by Calvin Trilling: ‘The immature artist borrows; the mature artist steals.’ So steal from the best....

A family of photographers It’s difficult for me to imagine my family members without their cameras. I grew up in a family of photographers. This seemed so natural to me, that, as a child, I thought all my friends at school had photo labs at their grandparents’ house. For years, underneath my bed, sat my great grandfather’s wooden photographic chamber, along with its imposing tripod. Ilford FP4 Plus / Hasselblad 500CM / Sonnar 150mm Fujifilm Acros 100 / Hasselblad 500CM / Distagon 50mm &nbs...

  Earlier this year we agreed to take part in @EMULSIVEfilm community interviews and these are the results. Over to you #EMULSIVE Back in mid-May 2016, we invited you all to submit your questions to Ilford Photo for the second in a new series of community interviews here on #EMULSIVE. As with the first, the premise is simple: we collect questions from you, the film photography community, package them up and then work with the interview subject to get them answered and published. Well, we’...

Where the Hasselblad love started long, long time ago, I can still remember how— Hang on, let me start again… When I were a lad, mankind did something utterly astonishing: men walked on the moon. For a 13-year-old science geek, staying up till <mumble> o’clock in the morning to watch this historic event was possibly the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me. For a 13-year-old budding photographer, the cameras that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were wielding held a strong...

A black and white film community Since film is no longer the primary domain of professionals, it’s been adopted again in earnest by passionate individuals that produce legitimate work. In this age of instant gratification, infinite dynamic range, and auto-everything, it’s nice to rely on a predictable and high-quality medium. I shoot HP5+ almost exclusively. It’s everything I want in a black and white film. It’s flexible, widely available and fits right into my workflow. I’ve played both...

A little background I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela.  My chosen field of study was production engineering, but was I taking photography classes in the evenings and began working for a super cool magazine called Urbe, which is a bit like what Vice is in the UK now. I quickly became the chief photographer shooting all kinds of amazing and interesting people, and it was then that I knew that this is what I wanted to do with my life. Looking back it was quite an interesting time - I’d be learnin...

A former life . . . Before my life as a photographer I worked in Social Services for many years advocating and caring for adults with severe intellectual and psychical disabilities. It was an aim of mine after completing my photography studies to somehow incorporate my former work with my new creative profession. A film connection Shortly after going freelance I was contacted by a Diversional Therapist from a Sydney hospital who had a client with a Traumatic Brain Injury who, before a tragic accident som...

I’m Anil Mistry and I’m a photographer. I shoot a whole variety of work,  including headshots, documentary, portraits and personally initiated projects. Whatever interests me and helps me to improve my body of work. I’ve been asked to talk about an area of my photographic work that I have a real passion for. In my case, that's the capturing of street portraits. Why do I take street portraits? There’s two main reasons I do it, and I’ll try to go through them succinctly: It’s not easy ...

Sharing my skills I’ve recently started working as a lecturer on BTEC and HND photography courses at Swindon College. A job which I’m enjoying immensely.  Teaching was something I’d never considered before, until I started helping friends who were studying on the same BA Photography course as me.  I enjoyed helping them but most of all I enjoyed seeing them understand and use the skills that I’d shown them. I now teach mainly 16 – 20-year-olds, which is enormously satisfying. Watching thei...

#ilfordfridayfavourites #Halloween You shared a spooktacular amount of boo-tiful  black and white #spooky #Halloween images for this weeks #ilfordfridayfavourites. We parked our brooms, dug out the trick or treat candy and chose these scarily good shots as our favourites. Special congratulations to Ais Chuahiock who shot our favourite image "Catacombs of Paris"  @aisbaby My most Halloweeny shot.  Catacombs of Paris, with FP4 (+ very steady hand) #ilfordfridayfavourites #Halloween #believeinfil...

An appreciation of Ilford FP4 The greatest pleasures can be taken from the simplest of things. An appreciation of something old that gets passed by while everyone tries to keep up with the crowd or the relentless progression of technology.  For me Ilford’s FP4 is one of those little pleasures. The RAF I was a photographer in the Royal Air Force from 1986 -1995.  At my RAF unit we had little choice of film stock.  It was FP4 and HP5 for black and white. Being stationed at a headquarters unit mean...

Taking the plunge I'd had this roll of Ilford HP4 for a good few months and was hesitant to put it through a camera. The fact that it was so pristine in it's condition made me feel that whatever I used it for had to be significant. I had to wait for the right opportunity. As the weeks passed,  I began putting unnecessary pressure on myself to plan a shoot around this one film. It was sitting on a shelf, judging me. At this point I decided to stop procrastinating and just shoot the roll, regardless of w...

Thank You Thank you to everybody that took the time to enter our #ilfordxmas competition this year. We're really looking forward to getting the finished Christmas cards back from our printer. There were so many images to choose from, and they ranged from traditional Christmas scenes to some that were a little more unusual. You can see the winning image and those that made the final shortlist here

#ilfordxmas Thank you to everybody that took the time to enter our #ilfordxmas competition this year. We're really looking forward to getting the finished Christmas cards back from our printer. There were so many images to choose from, and they ranged from traditional Christmas scenes to some that were a little more unusual. Those shown below are the ones that made our final shortlist. @chardy Christmas prep is off to a good start now that we have an awesome Christmas tree hat. #ilfordhp5 #ilford...

#Cold This was definitely one of the most popular #ilfordfridayfavourites that we've run, making our job of choosing just a few of the images really tough. - We couldn't all agree on five so there's a couple more than usual!   @DrMarsRover The forest @ILFORDPhoto HP5+ | Bronica SQ-A#cold #ilfordfridayfavourites   @WellerMonica Cold day at Denbies vineyard, Dorking, Surrey #cold #ilfordfilm #ilfordfridayfavourites @alberttim2   @craig58 #ilfordfridayfavourites This is som...

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...

Going digital If we go back to 2002 a close photographic friend convinced me (against my better judgement) that film was a thing of the past, and that to hold my own in the professional photographic world I had to go digital. Eventually I succumbed to his argument and traded in my Leica film cameras (I had 4) and started on the dizzy road to digital photography. In those days some fifteen years ago I thought it would be just like changing film brands: OK it may take a bit of getting used to a different ...

It is my opinion that some photographers mistakenly regard ILFORD HP5 PLUS and its predecessors to be a somewhat cheaper, lower quality response to Kodak’s Tri-X. I hope to demonstrate in this review that this assumption simply isn’t the case. There’s much more to HP5 PLUS than meets the eye – something that regular shooters of this film will be more than aware of (you folks can leave now, nothing new here). For those of you who haven’t shot this film before, this review will give you my tak...

Nearly spring As we head towards spring we’re starting to see more outdoor shots as you brave the weather. Here are a few of our favourites from the last week @mrkurtin Elijah | Speed Graphic w/Petzval lens | Ilford Fp4 | Town Park | March 2017 @JoFarrellPhoto Woman with bound feet #china Shot on #HP5 @shoot_analog One of my most physically demanding shoots for both model & photographer. 4×5 Large Format @ILFORDPhoto FP4+ #shootanalog #ilford #4×5 @TagscanRob Restarted my darkroom agai...

Thank you What a fantastic year! We've seen film usage increase again, with more people than ever either picking up a film camera for the first time, or re-discovering their love for shooting film. We're really excited to see what next year brings. A huge thank you to everyone who shares #ilfordfilm images with us on our social media streams. We love seeing what you are shooting with our films and chatting to you on Twitter / Facebook and Instagram. We have lots of exciting plans for 2018, including ...

Farhya Tariq Tarey give us the lowdown on how he captured this striking portrait.     Technical info   Film Used  -  Ilford FP4+ Format -  4x5 Camera -  Wista Lens - 180mm Nikkor f5.6 Exposure time  - 1/125 Location  - Columbus, Ohio Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? This image is part of long term project. The project highlights the relationship between African & African Americans women and their sca...

A medium for the moment  I always travel with my 35mm SLR and a stack of Ilford HP5 and Ilford FP4 film. I definitely prefer the look and process of shooting film when traveling and photographing on the street and I find my small SLR with it’s 50mm lens is small and inconspicuous enough to capture intimate street portraits. Shooting everything on the same 50mm lens and film medium gives my work a consistent look and feel. I have always found shooting film slows down my process, it forces me to think mor...

Window Cleaners shot on ILFORD XP2S An unknown language When I started in photography I was always put off from film, by the balance (in my mind anyway), between the effort and time taken out of my workflow in developing, and the rolling cost. As well as my dependence and already intimate comprehension of digital systems. Film was an unknown language, and not one I was prepared to learn at the time. Expanding my understanding Recently however I have been looking for different ways to expand my und...

#calm We've had a lovely relaxing morning looking at your #ilfordphoto #calm images.  We believe that black & white film helps to enhance the sense of tranquility on an already serene shot. These are our favourites this week. @gatogatogato Taken with a Zenza Bronica. The slow and peaceful process of taking a photo all manually in a calm forest, then going home and developing the film is my perfect „calm experience“. #ilforddelta3200   @rohnerraphi #fridayfavourites what makes me ca...

ILFORD Photo UK student photographer of the year The increasing popularity of film photography in schools and colleges has seen a record number of darkroom prints submitted to the annual ILFORD PHOTO student photography competition. The high standard of entries from schools, colleges and universities across the country has made the selection of a winner a very difficult task. However, a unanimous winner has been chosen and the title of ‘ILFORD PHOTO UK Student Photographer of the Year 2017/18’ has b...

It's really inspiring to see how many of your are developing your own black and white films. Hopefully our recent YouTube video will encourage a few more of you to have a go! These were some of our favourites from the many submitted this week. @curtis_kularski  Nikon F portrait of F6. Delta 400 in ID-11. f/2.8, 50mm, 1/100   @oliverdegante Ilford HP5+ on Tmax Dev 1+4 8min #fridayfavourites #homedev #believeinfilm   @DBloomsday I #homedev almost all my photos, so let's show so...

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...

Tree #8 Technical info: Film Used: Ilford FP4 Format: 6x7 Camera: Mamiya 7ii Lens: 43mm Exposure time: 3 min Other equipment: Lee Filter holder, Lee 4 stop nd, Lee Red #25 filter, B&W 105mm Polarizer, Gitzo Tiopod, Acratech Ballhead. Location: Zion National Park Tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? A couple good friends of mine who know Zion quite well introduced me to this fantastic little tree last Fall. The tree is about 9 feet tall and high up on a ridge ...

The first time around... I enjoy photography especially black and white.. I've taken a wide variety of subjects and images over the years including sport, travel, documentary and landscape. I learnt with 35mm film cameras before moving to 645 medium format and then digital. For B&W I learnt to develop and print whilst at school and this has continued ever since with a darkroom constructed in my loft. This was decommissioned in 2007 when I started shooting digital and I eventually took a sabbatical from...

We're often asked what the differences are between our PLUS films and our DELTA Professional range and have given a brief reply in our post about Choosing your first ILFORD film. If you're interested in a more detailed explanation, the read on... HP5 PLUS    Uses our more traditional emulsion making methods. HP5+ has evolved over many years to become an extremely flexible and robust film. Has extremely good exposure latitude and is very tolerant of under/over exposure. ...

An Interest in Large Format Large format is an immensely rewarding and enjoyable way to make a photograph. It can also feel overwhelming when you’re just starting out, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. This article is for anyone with an interest in large format. I got into 4x5 because I wanted to challenge myself, and to try something new. Over the last two years it has become my favourite way to take a photograph. There’s something special about slowing down and being so deliberate with each...

We love #portrait week on #fridayfavourites. We're always guaranteed some characters and this time was no exception. These are this weeks favourites.   sharon.leibel Ilford Pan-F film Contax G1 #myprettyisrael #haifa  #ilfordpanf #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites  #israel   @JohnBrownlow From a portrait series I shot many years ago of burn survivors. Whole album is here: Crown Graphic 4x5, Ilford HP5+. I think an Optar 135mm or perhaps 203mm Ektar. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites ...

Underbank Old Road   Technical info   Film Used  Ilford HP5 Format  35mm Camera Rollei B35 Lens  40mm Triotar Exposure time   1 minute 30 sec at f11 Other equipment Manfrotto Art 055 tripod, Gossan Lunasix F light meter. Location. Underbank Old Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.     Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? I used to shoot a lot of Night photographs, in fact I wrote a book about it in 2001 (Nigh...

Another great week, with lots of images shared. We really enjoyed looking through them all and choosing this weeks #firdayfavourites @pjdejesus  Because I still wheelie like this Mamiya RB67, Mamiya Sekor 90mm F/3.8, #ilfordfp4 #fridayfavourites   @DBloomsday 8h8 hours ago Hootlet More I just like this photo #ilfordfp4 #ilfordfridayfavourites @berridAC Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, MA - taken in March the day after a big storm rolled through #hasselblad #mediumformat #ilfordfp4 #ilfor...

Our XP2 SUPER film is fantastic for scanning as it works with Digital Ice so we had high hopes for this weeks #ilfordxp2 #fridayfavourites. Did you know you can shoot XP2 SUPER at different speeds from 50 - 800 asa on the same roll and process as standard C41? moodymcmoodersn Inside the Octagon Tower of Ely Cathedral Canon AE1 Canon FD 50mm Prime Lens #Ely #catherdral #cambridgeshire #shadows #light #contrast #CanonAE1 #ilfordxp2 #35mmfilm #filmsnotdead #abstract #blackandwhitephotography #bnw #black...

The sun is shining and they days are getting longer which means better light and more time to shoot film. What better reason could we have for feeling #happy These are our favourites from the shots that you shared with us this week. @AlfathMSanjani Seeing the results of this shot make me #happy Nikon F3 - Ilford Delta 400 rated 1600 - Developed by myself #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites   @adiw1202‏ This seemingly innocent goat makes me #happy. Ilford Delta 400. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavour...

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...

Heading West Last September my family and I headed west. It had been a few years since we’d visited the West Country, we had come to love it when our family was young, and now that they were grown we decided to return to see if it still has a special place in our hearts. While my teenagers packed their essentials - clothes and iPhones, and my other half packed enough books to keep a large reading group going, I set about doing the important task of packing my camera equipment. My focus was on which...

HUNTING ISLAND XVI, 2018  Technical info Film Used    Ilford Delta 100   Format    4x5 Camera     Chamonix 045N-2 Lens     Fujinon SW-90 Exposure time   Approx.2 minutes Other equipment    Sand & shells, to taste. Location: Hunting Island, South Carolina, US.   Tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? This March, I was in Charleston, South Carolina, and had a day to burn. I started looking around for somewhere cool to check o...

We have really struggled this week to choose just 5 images as there were so many that we liked. We couldn't agree on a top five. So with a couple more than usual, here are this week's #ilfordphoto #forgotten #fridayfavourites.   @scottsphoto1218 #fridayfavourites #forgotten @ILFORDPhoto "Death Row" Old Idaho State Penitentiary. 35mm Ilford FP4.The men/women who resided here and were hung have long been forgotten. The facility itself looks as if society has completely wanted to forget what they h...

I was hoping for a few more weeks of summer as I have some #ilfordpanf loaded into a camera just waiting for some sunshine., but the weather has definitely turned more towards #ilfordhp5 and #ilforddelta400 over the last couple of weeks. We asked you to share you #autumn themed shots with us for last week's #fridayfavourites and these were our favourite ones. @timdobbsphoto "The Nights are drawing in ... Summer has gone" ... Leica M2 on ilford Delta 400 @ILFORDPhoto #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #au...

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...

Beginnings I came to analog photography late. I enjoy being able to feel the film and create with my hands, and the suspense of not knowing how the final shots look until you develop the film. Shooting film changes the style of how I work.  I take less pictures and think more. It is more immersive, I have more time to feel their characters, their experiences. I shoot all my projects in medium format film.  I do use digital, but only for commercial photography or for working on reports. Materials ag...

Pepperwood 1 - Clyde Butcher Technical info Pepperwood Redwood Forest #1 Avenue of the Giants State Park, California 8x10 inch Deardorf view camera 90 Snyder Super Angulon XL lens no filter Delta 400 film f/45 exposure: 10 minute  Printed on: ILFORD Multigrade fiber base Tell us the story behind this beautiful image Long before I became a photographer, the redwood forests of California left me in awe. The enormous size of the trees - and their feeling of eternity - captured my soul. In 196...

London Fashion Week Earlier this year I shot my fifth season of London Fashion Week. I’ve been trying to incorporate new and different styles into my fashion photojournalism work, in order to stand out and also to exercise my own creativity. I’ve been shooting at London Fashion Week for about as long as I’ve been photographing professionally. It’s a great environment, fantastic for networking opportunities, building a decent portfolio of industry standard work, and also for experimenting with new t...

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...

Terrain This project recently exhibited at the Golborne Gallery, London Road Trip All the photographs in this project were taken over a week-long period whilst traveling from Los Angeles to East Arizona, and back again. Something that really struck me when traveling through this part of the American West was how nature had relinquished control of the landscape. The towns were almost post-apocalyptic; half-burnt trash piles and concrete curbs were cracked by the hot sun. Whilst blade...

HARMAN technology Ltd, the manufacturer of ILFORD photographic film, darkroom paper and chemicals, has announced the ILFORD SIMPLICITY range of photo chemicals designed for convenient, easy-use film processing. The ILFORD SIMPLICITY range of film processing photo chemicals have been created for convenience and ease of use. These sachets are ideal for photographers who want to try processing their own film but have until now been apprehensive about the process and/or may not have required the larger volum...

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...

Thank you In 2018, we invited the global analogue film photography community to take part in our latest film users survey. The survey, which attracted 2100 participants when it was last conducted in 2014, grew to over 6,800 participants from 100 countries this time around.  This was largely due to the help received from the fantastic film community in sharing it far and wide on social media, blogs and forums, so thank you. While many of the results are in line with the growth seen since the re-emergenc...

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...

By this time next week we will already be into February, I'm not sure sure how that happened!  It's been fantastic to see so many of you sharing your images with us on social, so for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites we asked you you to share those that you've #shotthisyear @tmway84 Tires & Oil #FP4party Day 4 Camera: Nikon F5 & 28mm Film: #ilfordphoto #35mm FP4 125iso & #Kodak D76 1+1(10min) #believeinfilm #photography #filmphotography #fridayfavourites #shotthisyear   ...

Love has definitely been in the air this week and we know that you all #lovefilm as much as we do so we felt that this would be the perfect theme for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. @VRSeeker Coach Car Fuji GX617, Hand held ILFORD HP5+ at 800 #fridayfavourites #lovefilm #ilfordphoto #believeinfilm Film is much more rewarding, slowing down to shoot and developing makes the craft. #enjoyfilm #analog     @mattwilkinson81 I #lovefilm especially #ilfordphoto for its versatilit...

A beautiful and inspiring place Last year (2018) I was introduced to the Bale Mountains, a part of Ethiopia I had never seen before. Surprisingly, in the 8 years I have been traveling to Ethiopia, I have only recently begun discovering the many treasures this country holds. The Bale Mountains of southeastern Ethiopia is a truly beautiful and inspiring place with rich biodiversity and stunning geography. Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) sits about 400km from the capital of Addis Ababa. Within the park ar...

Towards the end of 2018 I was reviewing some of my Autumn film photography and feeling put off by the results. I've been working with film for some now in an effort to take advantage of the superior dynamic range. And, when shooting in strongly backlit scenes to move away from silhouettes and ambiguity and towards a more controlled journalistic style. Shades of Autumn I found that because of the diffused cloudy conditions in London I was struggling with my exposures and the overall look of my images. T...

We're all guilty of trying to squeeze every last frame we can out of a roll of film. For this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites we asked you to share those #firstshot frames that were extras. (You know the one's we mean where only half the frame is properly exposed) As usual, you didn't disappoint. @ntruj The one that got away. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #firstshot   francisco.valga “hello..” #lionelrichie #porche #ilfordphoto #fridayfavorites #firstshot #minolta  #ilfordfp4�...

ILFORD PHOTO’s annual student competition has once again unearthed some incredible talent from within the UK’s schools, colleges and universities.  In the competition’s 9th year students were tasked with creating a black & white image that encapsulates an inspiring line from a book, film, poem, quote or song. The image had to be shot on ILFORD or Kentmere film and printed by themselves in a darkroom. And the winner is... With over 630 prints received from 40 different colleges, this is the ...

Sharing the skills and the passion My name is Hank Webber and, together with my wife Marie, we own and operate Webbers Photography Within my family, I’m a third generation photographer. It all started with my Grandfather in the 1920’s who then passed the skills and passion to my Dad and his brother, my Uncle Joe. They, in turn, blessed me with the same passion; skills are ever evolving. Each of them believed that as they triggered their camera shutters, they were capturing a moment in time that woul...

I always say time is the most precious commodity there is. If you are doing something you love, it flies by faster than the speed of light. And if you are waiting for something, it can feel like centuries are passing by. If only there was a way to somehow stop it in it’s tracks and enjoy every second of it. In the beginning I used to be a digital photographer. It was all fun and games at the beginning. And it definitely did the job. It stopped time! I could keep track of my memories, look back ...

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 had just stepped out of the subway station when my cell phone rang. It was my father. “I saw on the news that there are protesters gathering in Manhattan over the grand jury decision. Be careful getting home.”  “OK, Dad. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll be careful.” I put my phone back in my pocket, reached for my cameras and felt the weight of them on my neck as I slipped their straps over my head. I adjusted my camera bag on my hip, turned the collar up on my old green army jacket, and took ...

Further Film Adventures in the Future History I've been shooting film almost as long as I've been shooting skateboarding - Delta 100 & XP2, mostly. I really got into it around 7 years ago, when I began documenting the skate scene in my hometown of Nottingham. Unknowingly I started a continuous body of work that still has no end in sight. And I was just looking for something to keep me busy when my digital kit had died! Capturing the Community I recently put on a new exhibition,�...

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...

On April 15th in London, and many other locations around the world, a series of protests and demonstrations took place as an act of rebellion against systems of pollution and excess, which are causing rapid changes in the climate of our planet. I was aware that this rebellion would be taking place having attended a march a few days previous. I was excited to continue shooting in this environment and did not yet realise the scope of their action to unfold, or how rewarding it would end up being photographica...

I was really looking forward to going through the images shared for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #texture theme . I love how black and white film can enhance the texture in certain shots and personally really enjoy shooting this type of image. @ClickErik One more for Uncle Ilford...35mm Pan-F+ in Rodinal 1:50 K2 filter, OM-1n @ILFORDPhoto #fridayfavourites #texture   @Peterfilmphoto Sydney Opera House #IlfordPhoto #IlfordHP5 #fridayfavourites #texture   @paulasm...

Turning your negatives into positives Reversal processing enables black and white transparencies to be produced directly from high quality films such as PAN F Plus, FP4 Plus and DELTA 100 PROFESSIONAL How it works It starts with the development of the negative image. This leaves the unused silver halide untouched, but it is not fixed, as it will be used later to form the positive image. After the negative image has been developed, it is totally bleached away using an acid bleach. This leaves the remainin...

Below are some of the common errors that can occur when processing black and white films. Many of these are actually common film processing problems that photographers encounter without being aware of what has caused them. Unfortunately some of these errors can result in the images being lost or partially ruined. By knowing what has caused the errors, you may hopefully prevent any repeat incidents. Film entirely blank - No visible images or edge signing A completely blank film with no images and no sig...

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...

Image title:Echos Technical info: Film used: ILFORD FP4+ 125 Format: 35mm Camera: Contax 167mt Lens: Zeiss 50mm 1.7 Exposure time: 1/500 Location: Ekbatan-Tehran-Iran   Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? As a photographer my eye is constantly searching  for a specific composition,moment and emotion. It was a cloudy day and the music was playing in the air. In that very second I felt a sudden hint of inspiration that lead me to capture...

Chris Cheetham has recently carried out a photographic project for the Empordàlia wine cooperative, situated in the beautiful, mountainous region of Catalonia. Capturing Wine Making Equipment on Ilford HP5 Film Rustic Detail The project was inspired when Chris was purchasing a bottle of wine from the wine cooperative “Empordàlia” and saw all of the old wine making equipment at the back of the room. He thought the intricate detail of the rustic machinery would make a great photographic project us...

Making the Most of Life Around Me I don’t really remember a period of my life when I wasn’t making photographs. My mother got me my first point and shoot camera when I was about five. It was an ‘Action Man Spy Camera’ that took small 110 roll film. I loved the idea of blending in with a camera, trying to document what was going on around me without actually disturbing anything. I still love that. Isaac Lismore Australia When I was a teenager, I developed a great appreciation of skateboarding...

We are delighted to announce a number of exciting new products  added to our range. ILFORD MULTIGRADE RC DELUXE ILFORD announced the world’s first variable contrast MULTIGRADE paper in 1940 and in 2019, as we celebrate our 140th anniversary, we are pleased to announce the 5th generation of our best-selling MULTIGRADE RC Papers. MULTIGRADE IV RC papers (4th generation) were launched 25 years ago and have been hugely successful becoming the ‘go to’ black & white RC papers for discerning studen...

We were really looking forward to seeing some of the faces behind the people that we chat to on social media with this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme of #filmselfie. It seems that you are a camera shy lot though and not as many as normal were happy to share:) Thank you to everyone that did, you can see out favourites below. analogue_reverend Round Things No. 5. Canon A-1; Ilford HP5 @ 1600; DDX. #canona1 #ilfordhp5 #ilfordphoto #bwphotography #analoguephotography #filmphotography #35mm #cir...

It can  be found in the most unusual of places and means something different to everyone, so we were expecting a range of shots for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme of #beauty. Thank you to everyone who shares, we really enjoy looking through your images every day and seeing how you choose to use our film. @JainNeej  @ILFORDPhoto #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #beauty Ilford Pan F 50 Plus with a Mamiya C330   @richard_pickup  Autumn light in the par 35mm Ilford HP5+ fi...

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...

The Photography Show 14-17 March There's not long to go until this years Photography Show at the NEC in Birmingham and it's going to be a great one. (If we do say so ourselves)! There is going to be a far greater analogue / film presence at the show this year as the organisers have agreed to the inclusion of a dedicated ‘Analogue Spotlight’ area which will include some pods for smaller brands and a spotlight speaker area for those brands to do demos. Come and see us! We will be there on stand B93 ...

In late 2019, we invited the global analogue film photography community to take part in our latest survey. This time we focused specifically on darkroom printing. The survey ran for 1 month and had an incredible 5,439 responses from 87 countries around the world.  A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to offer your insights and share the survey for us. Why darkroom printing? We have seen sustained and continuous growth in film for a number of years. However, darkroom printing has not yet cap...

ILFORD PHOTO / HARMAN TECHNOLOGY COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS STATEMENT As a global community we face a lot of uncertainty and disruption ahead. While photography is understandably not your number one priority right now, we want to reassure you that our factory currently remains operational. We will continue to manufacture and ship our products for as long as possible while we also look to safeguard the longer-term future of our business and the wider industry. This situation is rapidly evolving and we will con...

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...

As the Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc around the world, HARMAN is frequently reviewing its approach to the pandemic, incorporating the latest guidance issued by the UK Government into our actions. We stated last week that our principle concern remains the health and safety of our employees and this is still the case. We are also looking at how we can protect the business through this difficult time. As the situation escalates, we have had to take the difficult decision to temporarily cease produ...

We've all heard lots of stories about people stockpiling items recently, especially toilet rolls.  This inspired us to ask you to share pictures of your stockpiles with us for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme of #filmrollsnotloorolls Thank you to everybody that shared. We hope you'll be putting your stashes to good use during the lockdown. @paulasmithphoto Problem with hoarding? Me dear, nooo dear... there is more in the fridge. @ILFORDPhoto guess you can see what my fav brand is? #i...

We recently had the pleasure of turning the tables on one of the stalwarts of the film photography community when we asked Em if he'd be the first of our interviews in the 'Lockdown Sessions'.  We're so glad that he agreed. What made you set up Emulsive.org and what were your initial plans for it? My-first-roll...-Of-35mm-film-Fuji-Superia-X-TRA-400-by-EMULSIVE EMULSIVE started as an idea in early 2015. I thought I should put up a blog where I could post a few photos and blog about stuff that I'd lea...

For the second of our Lockdown Session interviews we cornered another well known face in the film community, Hamish Gill. (We're just glad he could fit us into his hectic schedule)! Section 1 - The Beginning Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? Image by Hamish Gill shot on HP5+ That’s a tricky question. The above image is the one that immediately came to mind. I don’t darkroom print myself, but I did print at a workshop at AG Photographic a few ...

Image Title: Weathering the Shallows Technical Info: Film: ILFORD MULTIGRADE IV RC Paper Format: 5x7 paper, trimmed to fit a standard 5x7 film holder Camera: Deardorff V5 5x7 field camera Lens: Fujinon W S 210mm f5.6 Exposure: ISO 6, f22, 15 seconds Filter: Polarizer Movements: Full front fall Location: McCraney Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada   TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THIS IMAGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SHOOT IT? Each August a few friends and I canoe-camp in ...

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...

Selfish process? It can sometimes feel that many steps in my photography process are selfish. Some of these I can take as positive, for example the way I now truly photograph for myself and not to please others. (Aside from client based assignments), as was the case when I was locked into the social media game at the start of my photography experimentation. Other times however it can feel that I’m not doing enough to use my photography somehow to produce some visceral change in the world, despite my curr...

When we held our first Lockdown Session with Emulsive, we asked him who he'd like to see us interview in future and he suggested the very lovely Aislinn. (AKA The Film Pusher). SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I have tons! But let me share my recent favourite, the one that I had printed and hung on my wall. It’s a pinhole image of the Natural History Museum in London. It means a lot to me, as the NHM is a favourite visit ...

We asked  for all things #silvergelatin for this week's#ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. We see so many inventive people out there making beautiful images both in and out of the darkroom and wanted to showcase some of them here. @Virgil_Roger Starting off early for this week's @ILFORDPhoto #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites ! Theme is #silvergelatin so I thought I'd share my latest darkroom collage :)One-off piece, this is a photo of the matted print as I have no digital version whatsoever. #believeinprint r...

An object of beauty I have just been asked to explain why I use film to make many of my images….. well the simple answer is ‘I like the process….I love the total engagement film gives me. Working out how many rolls to take, what size film to take, packing it all up and hoping I haven’t forgotten my light meter. I love the reaction when I give somebody a print at 12 inches square in an archival sleeve. It’s an object of beauty, its tangible, it’s exciting, its more than a digital print…...

So many of us shared your first times with us for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #myfirsttime theme. We saw first film shots, first darkroom prints, first home developments and first time using paper negatives. It was tough to choose our favourites but we managed eventually! @its_jackturner#myfirsttime not only developing #ilfordphoto HP5, but first time EVER shooting HP5 #fridayfavouritesCamera with flash: Zorki 4?:HP5 (+1) Earth globe asia-australia: Bratislava, Slovakia @marc1701G Her...

The future of photography The year 2020, it sounds very futuristic to me. So, what does that future look like for photographers? Well, no doubt technology will be getting more advanced than ever and we will see huge leaps in digital development this coming decade as the megapixel war continues. There will likely be be new initiatives and more collaborations with smartphone companies. Will the digital SLR camera start to disappear? Will mirrorless take over? Or will there be a new hybrid on the market...

We've been following Dan Rubin's photography for a while now so were really pleased when he agreed to take part in our Lockdown Sessions. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU?   Shinagawa Station, Tokyo, 2016. Ilford HP5+ @ 400, Leica M6, Summicron-M 50/2 (Scanned by Canadian Film Lab) This was my first full day in Tokyo, on my first visit to Japan in 2016. The memory of wandering through the station during rush hour...

Early Experiements Many, many years ago I experimented with uprating HP5, I was a student and it fitted the look I was after at the time. In those days, information was difficult to find and I relied on advice from friends. As a student, the mysteries of film and processing were fascinating and strange. I tried all sorts of things, but didn’t know what was really going on. I knew that uprating meant setting a higher speed (ASA in those days) on your light meter and then giving it a longer development tim...

We first met Ray nearly 2 years ago when he agreed to be part of our 'Legends of Skateboarding' ILFORD Inspires YouTube series. We were blown away by not only his talent as a musician, photographer and artist but also his genuine humility as a person. He was one of the first people that we reached out to, to take part in the Lockdown Sessions and we were so pleased when he agreed. Read on to find out how he has been spending his time. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON...

As we're heading towards the end of May, we thought it was the perfect time to ask you to share your #bestshotsofar for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. @Virgil_Roger I guess my #bestshotsofar was indeed taken on #ilfordfilm! #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites That's kentmere 400 pushed to 1600 :)   @thoobill My favourite FP4 Party photo. Also, my last time in the the city before the lockdown. Sydney. March 2020. FP4 EI500. Developed Ilfosol-3. Mamiya 6 + 75/3.5. #bestshotsofar #ilfor...

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...

Sometimes when you look at a picture it brings a specific song or lyric to mind even if it wasn't intentionally shot with that purpose. These are the images that we asked you to share with us this week for our #lyricsandfilm #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. beatrizburnay    Bird on the wire, Leonard Cohen  #lyricsandfilm #fridayfavourites #ilfordphoto #ilfordhp5   @Jebbo101  #ILFORDPhoto  #lyricsandfilm #lyricsandfilm  #fridayfavourites  #darkroomprint From my archives, my favorite tun...

This week for our 9th Lockdown Session we spoke to Ashley Carr, who you may remember was nominated by Hamish Gill in week two. Ashley is a well know member of the film community and is always happy to share his thoughts and experience. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? ©-Ashley-Carr-2016,-Nikon-F3,-PC-Nikkor-35mm-shift,-HP5-@-EI-200,-Ilfotec-HC It was very difficult to choose a single favourite image! I think this photo...

We all have a favourite place that we head to when we have the chance to escape for a while. For this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #escapewithfilm film theme we asked you to share images of yours. @thoobill  This is near Mudgee, central west New South Wales. A wine growing region with clear night skies. Our trip was postponed earlier this year. Can’t wait to go back. FP4 plus. Maxxum 5 + Rokkor MD 35/1.8. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #escapewithfilm #shootfilmbenice #believeinfilm  ...

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...

Is it really 10 weeks since we started this series? It feels so much shorter than that.  If you have an Instagram account we are sure that you will recognise our 10th interviewee Jahan Saber, if not by his name then by his tag @doyoudevelop.  Jahan was nominated to take part by Dan Rubin in week 6 and we're so glad that was happy to get involved. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? There are so many, so here’s a recent ...

As many places around the world are starting to ease the strictest of lockdown restrictions, for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites we asked you to share shots that show what #lockdown has meant to you. sacked_a_rail Cycling to work was always a good way to document what happened during the lockdown in my hometown Bolzano / Italy. This scene showed me how much we all suffer from social distancing. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #lockdown #ilforddelta100 #hiddenbeauty #filmporvida #sackedarail ...

Balance Like many photographers these days, I balance a busy day job alongside a family life. I try to be good a community member, share my thoughts and experiences and sometimes, perhaps, inspire one or two. In the background I have long held an aspiration to become a successful professional photographer, something i'm still working towards. Like all of us I suspect, finding something to focus on, photographically, can be a challenge when life is so busy. The majority of my casual photography currently...

Inherent bias Photography has long been used strategically as a tool and method of capturing and sharing slices of truth, small morsels of reality, inherently containing the bias of the photographer. By making decisions about what to shoot, how to shoot, what to edit, how to edit, and what to share with the viewer, photographers have historically held a unique position of being able to weaponize the art of photography by crafting and even manipulating truths. In the United States of America specifically, p...

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...

When we set you this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme of #nighttime we were expecting the majority of the images to be on our faster films, however, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of you choosing to shoot some of our slower speed films in low light conditions too. @JohnScarbro1 Junction Box. @ILFORDPhoto FP4+ Minolta 505si #believeinfilm #filmphotography #blackandwhitephotography #analogphotography #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #nighttime #ishootfilm charlotte_gilliatt My fav...

We've really enjoyed this series and finding our more about some of the members in our community.  Although we are moving out of Lockdown now we will be keeping it running, just in a slightly different format, so keep an eye out for the changes in the coming weeks. This week we spoke to Robbie Jeffers who was nominated a few weeks ago by Ray Barbee. SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? It’s difficult for me to narrow ...

We are all familiar with the more 'standard' films in our range such as our PLUS and DELTA PROFESSIONAL brands. However, some of our films are a little bit different from the  norm, and these #specialistfilm shots are what we asked you to share for today's  #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites.   samduncan156 A peach and a nectarine on Ilford Ortho. #ilfordortho #fridayfavourites #specialistfilm #parallaxshootsilfordortho80 #homedevelopedfilm #ilfotecddx #stilllife #mamiyarb67 #mediumformatfilm #bn...

My dream camera I was introduced into photography when I was just a teenager by my uncle Massimo —· AKA zio Max. That’s how I have acquired basic knowledge about film photography, and developed the skills that helped me to start a career as an independent —  and self-taught — filmmaker. Filmmaking and video production became my main occupation, while photography remained a deep passion, which kept coming back from time to time in my professional career. In the last few years I have been too...

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...

We have loved finding out more about photographers in our community over the last 3 months in our Lockdown Sessions and hope that you have too. As we move towards less restrictions here in the UK, we felt it was also time for a new focus (sorry).  So we are launching the new series 'In Focus' this week by interviewing professional portrait photographer Craig Fleming. Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I love this shot that I took it...

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...

We taking a closer look at Brett Hillyard this week who was nominated by Robbie Jeffers in our Lockdown Sessions back in week 12. BACKGROUND Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? One of my favorite images over the last couple weeks is from a portrait session I had with Jeff Yokoyama. He goes by“Yoki” and his retail store “YokiShop” is located in Newport Beach. His shop is filled with eclectic art and cool custom clothes that he designs in the bac...

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...

Earlier this year my go-to black and white film of choice had its priced hiked astronomically, making it an un-affordable option for my daily choice. I set about exploring some different options, which included revisiting HP5 (a film, I must confess heretically that I have never gelled with), pushing FP4 to 400, Foma 400 and 200 pushed, and - the film for this short piece - ILFORD’s XP2. I might not have even reached for a roll of XP2 had I not discovered the experiments of another analogue photogr...

There has been a great response and lots of fantastic images shared with us for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #shotonsheet theme. d_atk "Signs" shot on ILFORD HP5+ sheet film with a Polaroid 110A camera. The mean sign is not far from my home in Tonawanda, NY. The cool signs were taken in Alexandria, VA.#shotonsheet #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #shootfilmbenice #allthroughalens #sunny16podcast9h @satotheshooter Handmade 4x5 camera / Super-Angulon 65mm f8 / Ilford HP5 Plus #ilfordpho...

A rest day? Sunday the second of June (2019) was supposed to be one of the very few rest days I allow myself to have from photography. I find it very difficult to allow and forgive myself from taking a break from being out shooting, and after a very intensive few days I really did owe it to myself to spend a day indoors resting my eyes and mind. I managed this for the morning but when I discovered that there would be a gathering of Sikhs in Trafalgar Square I knew that this would be a much better use of...

Lina Bessonova is a passionate film photographer and darkroom printer. She shares her love of photography and printing on her popular YouTube channel as well as through workshops and lectures. One of her recent videos shows how easy setting up a darkroom can be in a small space. BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? This image is from my very first roll of 120 film (Delta 100). The other 11 frames are average beginner pictures which make one h...

One of our most popular films and available in 35mm, 120 and sheet film formats. We knew that setting a theme of #shotonfp4 for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites would result in lots of great images being shared. We didn't expect quite as many as we received though! blacknwhite_matter - Dandelion - Palmas, Aveyron, France.#pentax6x7 #mediumformat  #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #shotonfp4 #ilfordfp4   analog_photo_pag Mountain Contemplations. Shot on Ilford FP4+, using a Bronic...

We love Sandy's beautiful large format shots, they always seem to have hidden depths. We are excited that he agreed to take part in the In Focus / Lockdown Sessions series and become our 20th interviewee. BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? There’s a few I could post that I feel encapsulate the sort of feeling or thought process I have when I’m working on photos, but for me, so far? It’s this image. Photography means a lot of di...

Our DELTA Professional films have a different grain structure than our more traditional PLUS range giving them exceptional sharpness and a cleaner look when correctly exposed. This week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme focused on the middle film in this range with images #shotondelta400. @paulasmithphoto Devils Marbles, Australia. For this weeks #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme #shotondelta400 #believeinfilm #blackandwhitephotography thewarneraesthetic January 24th, 2020 Mamiya 7ii, Ilford...

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 ...

Better know by his Instagram handle @bostonemulsion and nominated by Tyley Bervy back in July. We've been looking forward to sharing the 21st interview in our In Focus (previously Lockdown Sessions) series.featuring Phil W. Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This is image was shot on HP5+. It’s an earlier image in my film journey but this day in particular was a turning point when things really started to click as I was developing a metho...

This week we shared our latest 'How to' video on YouTube which is all about our range of photographic darkroom papers. As we knew this was coming, we thought we'd tie in this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme of #rcprint. thepaulgarlick You can't put a price on a dodo #blackandwhite #monochrome #ilfordphoto #leedsfilmphoto #kentmere #kentmere400 #rcprint #ilfordmultigradedeluxe #sculpturelounge #sculptureloungestudios #gaildooley (?) #fridayfavorites #minoltadynax7 #holmfirth #dodo #ceramic ...

Infamous on Twitter for his enjoyment of biscuits as well as being a well known name in the film photography community, this week we talk to Sandeep Sumal for our 22nd interview in this series. Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This shot was taken in Covent Garden, London back in 2016.  I had just recently started my film photography hobby.  It was an art installation and it was there over the Christmas period.  My early photos were a r...

Rocking the tray! My journey with photography began as a child while spending wondrous hours with my father, a gifted portrait photographer, in his darkroom in the amber glow of the safe lights. It was astonishing to watch an image blossom to life in the developer, sometimes I even got to rock the tray! The magic of making a photograph had a life changing impact on me and when gifted a Brownie Hawkeye on my 7th birthday my destiny was etched in stone... I'd become a photographer! Later I was privileged ...

Made at our factory here in Mobberley, our Kentmere films are often a more economical option than our ILFORD film range and are great for those starting out in film as well as photographers wanting to experiment with different film stocks. You shared a huge variety of shots for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #kentmerefilm theme. @CamShaw74 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #kentmerefilm Austin Healey Sprite, taken at Event City in Manchester. Kentmere 400 pushed to 800 and developed in ILFORD D...

John Whitmore is a 'sometimes' event and  black and white documentary photographer, a Darkshed owner, darkroom printer, YouTuber and Sunny16 podcaster.  We're really pleased that he took some time out of his busy schedule to become the 24th 'In Focus'  interviewee. Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? In some respects photography could be explained as one massive scientific research project, capturing data to show the state of atoms and ho...

John Whitmore Photography

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...

It's been over 6 months since we launched our first Lockdown Session and in that time we've spoken to many fantastic photographers and darkroom printers. Continuing in that vein, we're thrilled to share this week's In Focus interview with Nashville based, music and portrait photographer Laura E Partain. Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you. This photograph is now about 5 years old and I’ve shot many, many images on Ilford films since. Howeve...

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...

We have known Keith for a long while and admire not just his photography, but his enthusiasm for all things film and darkroom and his willingness to share his knowledge and inspire others.  We're glad he agreed to take part in this series and become our 28th In Focus interview. We hope you enjoy finding out more about him. BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I shot this image in La Boqueria Barcelona with a fuji 645 camera. What makes it sp...

My Darkroom I have always liked the quote of the master printer Ansel Adams  “Photography is like music, the negative is the score and the print is its performance”. Every performance is different. That’s so true, the prints I do now I are often different from the ones I did a few years ago. Better technique, more experience perhaps, but more likely my mood and interpretation of the image has changed. Good advice When I was starting my photographic practice I used to buy my ILFORD materials...

Toby Van de Velde takes centre stage this week as the 29th interview in our In Focus series. He was nominated by John Whitmore back in September who described him as 'Constantly producing wonderful analogue images.' Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This is a tricky one to answer. Narrowing it down is nigh on impossible. This is a recent favourite from a couple of months ago, shot on Kentmere Pan 400, shot in my Billora Bell...

A chronic case of GAS To cut a long story short. In a previous life, i.e. before kids, I suffered a chronic case of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and ended up as the proud owner of a Richard Ritter 7x17” Ultra Large Format View Camera. As every GAS sufferer believes, buying your way out of limited talent is the only path to follow. The plan was to produce stunning panoramic negatives for Platinum/Palladium contact printing. The combination of huge negatives, old school contact printing and expensive em...

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 ...

Known for his fantastic images of urban and skate culture. (If you're not following him already then you should be). Rafael González is the 30th interview in our In Focus series. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I have so many photos I really like it’s so difficult to choose one specific but this one is one of my favourites I must say, I shot it during a skate session with my friends, nothing planned just cruising around th...

A bit of history I am now 51 years old and have been faithfully using ILFORD film since first being handed an ILFORD Sport 120 roll film camera from my father. He had used it during National Service in the army in the 1950s and I used it from age 8 onwards and which is what I learnt with. Throughout my professional photography career over the last 18 years, I have regularly used ILFORD film - HP5 Plus, FP4, Delta 100, 400 and 3200 and XP2 Super. Subsequent cameras have ranged from the ILFORD Sport to 35 mm...

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...

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...

Jupiter and Saturn Conjunction There was a lot of interest in this shot when it was shared, so we asked Andrew Orr to tell us a bit more about it. Technical info Film Used - Ilford HP5+   Format - 4x5 Camera - Chamonix F-2 Lens -  Rodenstock 210mm f5.6 at f/8 Exposure time - 2 hours Other equipment - Sirui Tripod, shutter release cable Location -  Arizona Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? I was inspired to take this photo after...

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...

My kids are a bit in awe of the week's In Focus interviewee and it takes a lot to impress them! Ryan Loco is perhaps best know for shooting fights, be that bare knuckle MMA  or WWE. More recently he has focused more on portrait photography and his images speak for themselves. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? This is difficult for me, as I have a hard time liking any photo I take. But, since I have to choose, I'll use recency ...

Even when you have a love of film and traditional darkroom practices, there’s always room for alternative photo process experimentation as ecological photo-artist Josie Purcell knows well. OVERVIEW I am a photographer, but trying to explain that I specialise in photographic processes that may not include a camera has led me to describing myself a photographic artist. My passion for photography began in secondary school. There was a darkroom in the art class, but it was never used; it acted like a bea...

A seemingly simple theme of #buildingsonfilm for our #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites this week, but one with lots of room for creativity. There were some really interesting shots shared, making our job of choosing just five(ish)  all the more difficult. photaubThe lone survivor of the Woolsey fire. Paramount Ranch ⛪️ Olympus OM-1 {35mm - Ilford HP5 Plus} #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #buildingsonfilm   @richardhall Shrewsbury Buttermarket (Nikon F4, Vivitar Series One 19-35mm, Ilford FP...

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...

My default Choice Colour photography has been my default choice for a long time. It is how my eyes see the world, it’s what catches my attention, and it’s what brought my back to film photography. My first roll in 2018 was a roll of Lomography 400 shot on a week long holiday in Madrid, Spain. The scans that came back from my local lab had me transfixed. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the vibrancy of the reds and yellows. They popped so brightly against the grey and brown of the city in winter. I w...

An Unexpected Love My love for Iceland was born unexpectedly, I absolutely didn’t see it coming and it washed over me like a tidal wave in a monsoon.  We were planning a holiday of a lifetime. Somewhere with beautiful scenery to photograph, that was the only stipulation. It was more of an exploring holiday rather than the usual beach holiday we were used to. Countries were thrown in the ring, I really wanted to go to Sweden and my husband threw in Iceland. It’s like I didn’t even know it existed ...

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...

Why Film? Since 2016 I’ve messed around with film casually alongside digital. Early 2020, COVID-19 forced me to return a year early from a mission trip in Colombia and completely restart my life from zero. I couldn’t afford a digital camera like the one I sold to go on the trip but, my good experiences with 35mm SLR cameras in the past led me to pick up an Olympus OM-10 for $40 and I haven’t shot digital since. Where it began As a photographer this was my first venture into making physical art....

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...

Urban Lives and the Natural World I've been living in some of the giant Asian metropolises for close to a decade now, and it has oriented my recent photography work towards exploring the distance between our urban lives and the natural world. One way I have found to express this has been through film double exposures where I try to blend portraits and plant textures. After 2 years of work on this, it became the Photosynthesis project. There's a little bit of history in this direction with work from grea...

One of the things that we're regularly told by the film and darkroom community is how you love hearing about the human side of our business. In this series of 'Behind the Film' interviews we're going to help you to find out a little more about the faces behind the film. Introduction Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name is James Cooper, and I am employed as a Scientist Grade 2 in the TQM/R&D department at HARMAN Technology. I Joined in Nove...

After a 25 year hiatus of shooting stills, I returned to pushing on with my personal photography in 2016 and more recently using film once again. Part of that process has involved a scanner which led me to revisit some of my 1980s images which had never before been published. 1987 In 1987 as a nineteen year old, I volunteered for an occupational therapy department in a Psychiatric Hospital, leading weekly ‘photo therapy’ workshops for a small group of patients. The aim was to encourage the group to ex...

A chance for those of you who prefer non-traditional methods of film development to share your images for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #alternatedev theme. @DavidNee6 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #alternatedev - "Gunner and Cade" on #fp4 developed in Caffenol CM. #pourthecoffeeandCwhatdevelops   @dmbloor Taken, developed and scanned yesterday for @ILFORDPhoto #fridayfavourites Camera #lomography Supersampler Film frames #ilfordphoto Harman Kentmere 100 at 800 ISO Alembic 2 h...

One of the things that we're enjoying about this series is that it lets us find out more about the photographers that you follow and are interested in. This week's interviewee Chris Garner, was nominated by Joseph Patrick, who in turn was nominated by Laura E Partain. Who's nomination came from Sandy Phimester. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? My favorite image I have made so far would have to be this image. I made it while I ...

We all enjoy shooting film. This week for our #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #funonfilm theme we asked you to share that joy and share shots of people having fun. Or, shots or prints that you had fun making. @CMFleming70 This is an “elfie”...     #panfplusHahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahah ahhh elfie....   This cool stop animation was created by @thedarkshed on #ilfordfp4 @joserenteria73 · There you go. My #darkroom #funoffilm #funonfilm #fridayfavourites @ILFORDPhot...

Remote Work In 2020, during the pandemic, the world has quickly switched to remote work, video conferencing and calls. People had obtained a digital image and, although it existed before, the clearest visual expression of it has incarnated in video calls. The man has an alter ego in video calls. Almost a mandatory virtual image-mask, which is broadcast to the world and could become another folder in the categories of August Sander. Endless distractions Our vision of people today is modified through...

'The way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light' or #filmbokeh was the theme for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites.  @BlkWhiteFilmPix Moved around to capture a bit of #filmbokeh at Shakespeare and Company in Paris on #ilfordphoto Delta 3200. Made the picture with a 35mm lens wide open at f1.4 #fridayfavourites     @AnonymousESQFL Replying to @ILFORDPhoto Shot on #ilfordphoto HP5+ using my Nikon FE and Nikkor 50mm f/2 K. #filmbokeh #fridayfavourites   ...

We've admired Tom Kirkendall's beautiful pinhole images and darkroom prints for a while and were thrilled when he agreed to take part in this series and allow us to find out a little more about him in this, our 38th In Focus interview. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? My favorite photo??? Now that is a difficult decision. In the words of Ansel Adams “It is the one I have not taken yet” But if I am pressed to make a decisio...

Another great week for #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites with plenty of great #ffheight images to choose from. Thank you to everyone who shared with us on Twitter and Instagram. These are our favourites this week my7views The Crane Houses in Cologne, by Hadi Teherani.(Taken with Olympus OM-1 on Ilford Delta 100.)#fridayfavourites #ffheight @dmbloor Looking (or locking) down. Near Etruria Industrial Museum in Stoke-on-Trent. Canon EOS 5 (that is film not D !) on #ilfordphoto #Delta400 for this week's #f...

The first roll It is January 31st, 2020. I’ve arrived in London to document the events surrounding the UK leaving the EU. Many groups were converging on Parliament Square for this historic day. My usual workflow was interrupted when fellow documentary photographer Simon King called me aside and handed me a Nikon FG, 55mm f/3.5, and a roll of Kentmere 400. This was the first roll of film I’d exposed in my life. Unaccustomed to the mechanical redundancies and psychological immediacy that film offers, ...

Taking Risks Through a series of what felt like small and inconsequential life choices I have found myself recently in positions where the logical course of action involved putting my health and even my life at risk, in service of making photographs. I, like many others I'm sure, want to be a great photographer. To me this means that I look with a respectful eye over my own body of work, and accept it for what it is: (hopefully) the absolute best I can accomplish. A retrospective This is something I r...

In week three of our behind the film series we're heading to our technical department to meet our Technical Service Manager Neil Hibbs. Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? Neil Hibbs – Technical and Lab Services manager Tell us a little about your day to day role. I manage a small team offering technical product support, both internally (to manufacturing and marketing functions) and externally to our worldwide customer base. I also set-up the Ha...

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 ...

This simple guide will show you how easy it is to erect your ILFORD Pop Up Darkroom. Before assembling ensure that you have sufficient floor space and height:- The external metal frame is approximately 2.2m tall  and the internal space is 1.3 x 1.3m. If you are choosing to attach a fan / air blower to the lower vent on your pop up darkroom then this will cause it to expand slightly. Open the storage case and remove the poles, groundsheet and pop up darkroom. Move the groundsheet out of the way f...

Raging rivers, the stormy sea or babbling brooks were all options for today's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #wateronfilm theme. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to share your shots with us. These are our favourites this week. @debrawilsonsays Durdle Door on a wet December day - Hasselblad 500C/M #IlfordDelta100 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites of #wateronfilm   karpfenland #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #wateronfilm #ilforddelta3200 #karpfenland #aischgrund #35mm #analog #meinfilmlab...

Perhaps best known for his engaging YouTube content and Instagram channel, this week we talked to Ribsy about his film photography SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? London South Bank on FP4 This is my favorite image shot on Ilford film (FP4). This shot was taken during a lovely Saturday afternoon on the South Bank in London, the week the final lockdown was eased. Immediately I think about the joy of walking around in the su...

A scene that screams colour Have you ever been out with your camera, loaded with your favourite black and white film stock and found a scene that screams to be shot it colour? Of course you have, we have all been there! Today I am going to introduce you to a new 150 year old process called Trichromy also known as the three colour process or more recently Trichromes (by Jasper Fforde). As with all early photographic techniques it's difficult to say who coined the process first as there were many people w...

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...

Get ahead of the class Here you'll find links to lots of helpful information that will help you get a head start in your film photography studies. We've collated links to blogs, product pages and shared some educational videos from our YouTube channel too. So, you've got your film camera and now you need some film. Many schools, colleges and universities will lend out cameras to their students and these generally take 35mm film but, there are other options available and the type of camera that you have wi...

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...

After sharing a few of his images in the past, we felt we wanted to know more about Nicolas de Bouville, so he became interview number 42 in this series. We have to confess to a bit of camera envy over his collection! Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? It’s so hard to pick one image only. If I think about one of the last series I did, I really like this picture of Alejandro. I’m used to photograph Alejandro in a very differe...

Cabin Fever Tired of COVID 'cabin fever'  I needed to get out shooting so I concocted  a mission to shoot a total of 36 acceptable shots in a 2 day time frame.  Day one would be 12 6x6's and the second would be 35mm for 24 shots... fingers crossed. I decided to shoot b&w film.  This would not have been my choice a few years ago but the plethora of  digital imagery has turned me off to the point where I'm re appreciating the disciplined 'analogue' mind set. I just flat out love and respect the w...

We hope that you are enjoying learning more about some of the film shooters that we have working here at HARMAN. This week's interviewee (our 5th) is our MarComms Manager Matt Parry. We think he has a bit of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) what do you think? Who are you? What is your job title at HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name is Matt Parry and I’ve been the Marketing Communications Manager at HARMAN technology since June 2016. Tell us a little about your day-to-day role. ...

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...

You had plenty of time to share images for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #sunseasand theme. We have to admit that we were hoping for more sun but as usual the British weather didn't comply. poloczanski_mikolaj On the beach #hasselbladxpan #xpan #monovisions #monovisionsawards #ilfordfilm #ilfordphoto #ilfordpanf50 #ilfordpanf #bnw #bnwphotography #bnw_captures #analog #analogfilm #analogcamera #panorama #panoramiccamera #alienfilm #24x65 #filmnotdead #enjoyfilm #shootfilm #myfavouritefilm ...

The beauty inside I am not someone that has been stared at and called beautiful by strangers. People do not look at me and see me as who I am. First glances always lead to a double take and a look of disgust, anger and confusion. When people see me, they don’t attempt to change their perspective and see the beauty inside of me. This kind of experience, existing in a world that doesn’t believe that you have the right to do so, shows up in a lot of my work. Most of my life I have been told that the world...

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...

SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I have many beautiful prints from an Ilford negative. One Ilford film that always interests me is the Ortho 80. Being less sensitive in the reds it renders reds as dark or sometimes black giving interesting results. This is a print of a light switch in my home. The light was casting an interesting shadow across the wall. The black area is a shadow from a picture frame. It’s so simple but I jus...

The star of this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #35mmpanf theme is the slowest film in our collection. Rated at ISO 50, PANF+ is a high contrast, super sharp black & white film with exceptionally fine grain. vaughnmphoto #35mmpanf @ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites canon iii, voigtlander 25mm/ pan f 50#ilfordphoto #longexposure #staybrokeshootfilm #grainisgood #bnw_captures #blackandwhite #35mm   @EJRFoto In Pieces Emily 2021 #FilmFriday #35mmPanF #1v #BelieveInFilm #fotografia #photo...

Light and Details Black and white photography is a huge component of my process. The timeless quality that is perceived through its tones is something that has drawn me to photography since I was a young kid. Photographing in monochrome not only simplifies the image but, I think helps draw the viewers eye around the images to things more important, like light and details often missed in the distraction of colour photographs. When I started out photographing, I was mostly documenting my close friends and...

We are lucky here that so many of our staff are passionate about our products not just because they are proud of the brand but also because they use them themselves. Just like our 6th Behind The Film interviewee Mari. Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? I’m Mari Slater-Parry, I’ve been a research scientist at HARMAN since October 2018. I was originally employed on a fixed term grant through the INNOVATE UK scheme, before becoming a permanent member...

The logical Course I think it is adequate to say that the pandemic provoked many changes for everyone. From the upheaval of our everyday lives to the anxiety over our health as well as that of our loved ones, we all quickly realized that things would not be the same. For us analog photographers that didn’t develop our own film there came another obstacle: how would we continue our craft when everything was folding around us? The logical course of action was to learn to process at home. After many YouT...

This week's interviewee, Wesley Verhoeve has been on our radar for a while so we were thrilled when he was nominated to take part in this series making him our 44th interview. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? It’s so hard to pick a favorite image but I will let recency prevail and select a recent top favourite image that made it into my photo book “Notice”. I photographed a giant leaf in a suburban backyard in beautifu...

I've tried to avoid putting this one out for a while but like ripping a plaster off I thought getting it out early may be best. There are still plenty of these interviews to come over the next few months as we speak to some of the film shooters on site but for now, I hope you enjoy our 7th Behind the Film interview. Who are you? What’s your job title at HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name’s Michelle Parr and my official title is ‘Digital Marketing Specialist’. I’ve worke...

With a choice of two films for today's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #35mmkentmere theme we hoped to have a lot of images to choose from and, we did! It's taken us a long while this morning to pick our favourites. @street_files Chicago, IL w/ Pentax K1000 + Kentmere 400.My submissions to #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #35mmkentmere @simon_diamond Some more Kentmere 400 shots from Copenhagen, Denmark. Pentax Spotmatic, Helios 44-4, broken light meter and sunny 16.#believeinfilm #ilfordphoto #friday...

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...

When an image that we share or re-gram gets a lot of interest, we like to get in touch with the photographer and find out a little more about the process that went into creating it. Le Lac du Brévent Technical info Film Used Ilford XP2 Format 135 35mm Camera       Olympus OM-10 Lens Zuikon 35mm f2.8 Exposure time I don’t really remember, I think it was something like f8 at 1/250 or 1/500 Location Lac du Brévent, Chamonix-Mon-Blanc, Savoie, Alpes, FRANCE   Firstly, tell us...

In our digital age, film photography can appear to be expensive and risky but it has challenged me to learn the process involved in taking a photo that captures my intent and tells a story, creating a real sense of achievement. Over the past year, my confidence in using the medium has grown which is driving me to experiment more. In a world where the media can manipulate colours to affect the audience’s perception, black and white film uses alternative techniques. For example, in colour, red often conn...

This week for our 46th In Focus interview we are talking to Clara Araujo. A fine art photographer from Brazil whose images explore the dualities and other aspects of the human psyche. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? It’s really hard to pick just one… but probably this self portrait: “The Birth Of Venus”, Body of Water series, 2020. ILFORD Hp5+ 400, Yashica Mat 124g. Just in case anyone doesn’t know who you are...

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...

Today in our 8th Behind the Film interview we talk to Mike Bain. One of our longer serving team members, Mike started in our tech team and now looks after North America. He has probably forgotten more about film photography and darkroom printing than some of us will ever learn! Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name is Mike Bain and I am the Harman technology rep for North America. I have been with the company for 33 years. Mexico City, Me...

Today I was in my cold ? studio again making more Chemical Landscapes. I love working with the #chemigram process and can’t wait to get these mounted and framed. #boffinphotography @ILFORDPhoto #oxfordshire #traditionalphotography pic.twitter.com/Z0ccrJxScx— Laura J Walker (Boffin) (@LBoffin) December 9, 2020

A well know part of the film photography community, especially on Twitter where she goes by @justgispy  We were thrilled when Margaret Fitzgerald agreed to be the subject of this week's In Focus interview. Section 1 Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I can't really say that any one photo I've taken over the years is my favourite, but this one is very memorable. Rolleiflex-TLR,-Ilford-HP5--Church-of-St.-Philibert,-Tournus,-Burgundy I...

Since we started sharing these Behind the Film interviews with you earlier this year, we have spoken to people from all different parts of our business. All are part of the team responsible for creating and manufacturing the products that you love. Today we talk to Matty, who works within our research and development department. Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name’s Matty, I’m a 4th year product development scientist apprentice and I’ve b...

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...

There are so many of Ari's images that we have admired over the past 12 months so asking him to take part in this series was an easy decision. We're just glad that he said yes! Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? As we age, time becomes more and more valuable. Every new second is a bigger portion of our future life than the one before. Time is the only thing we cannot buy more of, but we can freeze it with photography. A photog...

Connection Over a Century Hanna Heinilä (née Hermonen, 1890–1981) was born to a vicar’s family in the small town of Luvia on the west coast of what at the time was the Grand Duchy of Finland. She had her first camera in around 1906 when she was sixteen years old and began photographing without any formal education. She bought dry-plate glass negatives from the nearby towns and learned to develop them at home by herself. Nothing was known of Hanna’s extensive work as an early photography pion...

And suddenly, something that looked like a dandelion head floated into view, and I stood mesmerized as it hovered before me. When I peered inside, I realized that I could see a tiny winged creature within. I turned to my mother and said, “Look at that!” But all she could see was a dandelion head. Inhabitants Thirteen years ago I lost my father to Lung cancer, three years ago I lost my best friend to breast cancer. Besides cancer they both shared the same belief, that when we die, it’s lights out, th...

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 ...

It’s after 5 on a Sunday in December and I’m deep into the 11th frame of my camera and cup number 6 of a house blend of coffee. I’ve put off writing this piece for  long enough. I’m grateful to ILFORD for reaching out and as a long time user of HP5 Plus, this is a milestone that I’m excited to share with my children, family and friends. A thirst for life My name is James aka @dirtykics and I’ve toyed with cameras for the better part of my 20’s into my 30’s, until a difficult point in my ...

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...

A regular contributor to conversations on film and analogue photography and always happy to share her knowledge and support other photographers. This week's In Focus interview is with Paula Smith. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? One of my favourite images. This was taken in New Zealand on a crisp sunny winter’s day. The light was beautiful and I loved how it picked up the chicken wire on the jetty. It brings back great memo...

Hi, my name is Daniel. I am a family father, creative director, and amateur photographer, so you might say I make my living by telling stories and I feel fine when things get emotional ;-). I am based in Heroldsbach, Germany. That’s a small village which lies on the edge of the so-called Karpfenland, a natural landscape transformed by man for pond farming. Until 2013, this cultural landscape was utterly unknown to me. Today it has become my home. Yet one question nags on me: “Who shapes whom more:...

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...

We know that we love black and white film so asked you to show us a shot showing why you love it too for today's #ilfordphoto #friayfavourites #lovefilm theme. @jamestaylor403 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #lovefilm #HP5  just love the whole process: load, shoot, develop, print/scan. It's such a tactile, sensory and engaging process that I get something from it whatever the results. for this week's #ilfordphoto  #fridayfavourites #lovefilm theme.   @midtonegrey This is a phone pic, but he...

We hadn't seen much of Asa's work when she was nominated by Melanie King but we're so glad that she bought her to our attention. We hope that you enjoy her images and finding out more about them. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I use a large format monorail camera and shoot on Ilford HP5 Plus 5x4” sheet film. This photograph was shot in Italy during an artist residency at the British School at Rome in 2016. I went there to ...

Our 56th In Focus interview is with Brazilian experimental photographer Breno Barros. Nominated by Clara Araujo, Breno shoot underwater portraits on film searching for experiential processes that defy traditional photography boundaries. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you Multiple-exposure for the project “La boutique de l’âme” using Mamiya M645 and Ilford HP5+ My favourite image using Ilford film is due to an experimen...

I am Hannah, the newest member of the ILFORD Photo team. This week I got to choose #ILFORDPhoto #FridayFavourites. What a great start, as this week we are celebrating international women's week and our theme was #sheshootsilford. Thank you to everyone who has submitted this week, had so many amazing entries. @justgipsy #ilfordhoto #fridayfavourites #sheshootsilford All #HP5 1st, 2nd & 4th photos taken withMinolta XE-5, 3rd, film cannister pinhole. Still life, still life, architectural facade, still ...

In March 2020 we issued a statement in relation to instances of spots / mottle affecting a small percentage of 120 roll film negatives. The quality of our products and the satisfaction of our customers is paramount and something the ILFORD name has been built on for over 140 years. Our R&D team were tasked with resolving this issue and so we would like to update you as to what they have been up to. With your help we have been able to more accurately track and identify instances of spots / mottle o...

Dave's photograph received so much engagement and interest when we shared it to Instagram, we had to get in touch so that we could ask how he created this shot. - Technical info - Film Used ILFORD XP2 Super 120 Format 6x6 Medium format Camera Mamiya 6 Lens 55mm f4 Exposure time 4½ minutes Other equipment Benro Tripod Location New Brighton beach lighthouse, Merseyside.     Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? I ...

Film Photography is nothing without the community of passionate photographers and printers who are always willing to share their knowledge and experience. Without the lecturers and technicians who are passionate about teaching the next generation. And, without those pushing the boundaries and creating projects using film and traditional darkroom techniques. We want to reward this community spirit  ............ ILFORD Photo Analogue Community Grant We will be awarding up to £500 of our products to a d...

This week's #fridayfavourites theme was #grainlove. We love grain here, so we were extra excited to see everyone's images. Thank you to everyone who submitted. We found it extremely difficult to choose, as we had so many amazing entries. @adiw1202 Replying to @adiw1202 and @ILFORDPhoto More grain on Delta 3200 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #grainlove   barronorthrup Snow is in the forecast, for probably the last time this season. Here’s some film from the last time it snowed #ilfordphoto...

My Approach It was during a group exhibition that I discovered the practice of cyanotype. The Espace Liberté Gallery located in Crest in the south of France is a contemporary art space open to all graphic and plastic disciplines. The theme proposed by Au Jour le Jour was an ephemeris where 31 chosen artists (painters, illustrators, photographers, plastic artists) had to illustrate 12 randomly selected dates with their art. Two constraints were imposed: a maximum size of 20cm on each side and the same sell...

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...

We chose #madeinthedark as today's #fridayfavourites theme so we could shine a light on all of our talented darkroom printers, and give them a chance to show off their beautiful prints. @Vochoben Some more prints from the darkroom under the stairs on Ilford Multigrade RC Deluxe Pearl #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #madeinthedark #filmphotography   @McIntosh141 Inverness castle on infra red film. Printed on @ILFORDPhoto glossy fibre paper #fridayfavo...

Allysse Riordan is our 58th In Focus interview. An image maker, writer, sound artist, and microadventurer (not necessarily in that order). Allysse's work takes us on a journey in a particular space and time, noticing the small details of life, meeting strangers, exploring new landscapes, and delving into their inner world Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? It is difficult to choose one favourite image. They shift and change as ...

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...

Shawn Pridgen is our 59th In Focus interview. A documentary photographer who owns a small business that focuses on the racial equality, Shawn actively contributes his work to local nonprofits, activist organizations and corporate entities whose mission statements align with his own. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I haven't shot it yet.... Just in case anyone doesn’t know who you are or what you do can you give us the over...

This is a story about serendipity, generosity, community, and several rolls of Ilford FP4 film. It begins in April 2020, during our first Covid-19 lockdown when a request from a sibling for an old family photo led me to dig around in my messy 35mm archive. I discovered quite a few forgotten negatives and slides from my life during the 1970’s, when I was young and single. They had been randomly stored and dragged around in house moves whilst I focussed on marriage, motherhood and a career in Social Work. E...

“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...

My Graflex RB series B is an inspiring and challenging camera. It promises great results but doesn't give them easily. Graflex RB Series B A lesser-known Graflex Graflex is an American camera manufacturer well known for its 4x5” press cameras, such as the Graflex Speed Graphic. Those are large-format range-finder cameras that were popular in the 40s and 50s. This Graflex, on the other hand, is an earlier single-lens reflex camera and one from which Victor Hasselblad drew his inspiration. My Graflex ...

I have not ever owned a digital still photography camera; therefore, my entire life as a photographer centers on 25 years of loading & unloading film cameras, processing & developing film while embracing a love that taught me how to listen to the harmonious sounds of a darkroom. My volition to stay with film does not have anything to do with being against or disliking digital & everything to do with loving the process of film ever since I was a teenager. At the age of 44, this is a tangible pro...

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...

Spring is here, and summer is around the corner. What better time to share your #countrysideonfilm for this weeks #fridayfavourites. @j_harvell During a stormy day in the #highdesert @ILFORDPhoto #ilforddelta 100 taken with a Horseman 45FA. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #countrysideonfilm #stormyday   @simon_diamond So the theme for #fridayfavourites is #countrysideonfilm... I might have some more of those!? Pentax ME Super Takumar 40mm F2.8 @ILFORDPhoto Ortho 80 #believeinfilm   ...

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...

Cancelled Prom Began Cancelled Prom began as a way to shed light on High School Seniors who could not celebrate their Prom due to COVID-19 concerns in the summer of 2020. Much of the daily news focused on food shortages and the death toll but I was interested in the students and the people of my community. My younger cousin was also scheduled to attend Prom that year. Our family was disappointed that she was not going to be able to celebrate. Then I began to think about the people in my local community. I ...

Waves Of raw Emotion The pandemic hit me in the same sudden and devastating way as most people I knew. Without warning, the world as we knew it came to a screeching halt and there was nothing anyone could do about it. During the first few weeks my friends and I rode waves of raw emotion. We cooked extravagant dinners and drank way too much wine. We cried, laughed until we started crying again, and tried to make light of a dark situation that we were convinced would be over soon. And on it went, day after d...

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...

Jamal Martin My name is Jamal Martin, and I am a 24 year old documentary photographer/filmmaker based in Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana. I started shooting film and in the style of documenting when I came across the work of Andre Wagner. I had never seen this style of photography let alone a black man thriving while doing it. Instantly I was hooked and my journey began in the summer of 2020. Freeze In the Frame This set of images has to be one of my favourites from a roll. These images were shot ...

British Culture Archive If you go to the Refuge in Manchester, you’ll find an exhibition of photographs by the renowned photographer, Tish Murtha, and a selection of my work from East Manchester. This is the latest exhibition from the British Culture Archive, but there’s more than photographs on show. It’s a commentary that began forty years ago when Tish Murtha took photographs in Elswick, Newcastle. It was taken up twenty years later when I took these photographs in East Manchester and the story ca...

This weeks #fridayfavourites has turned out incredible, you all impress us more and more every week. Take a look at which photos were selected for #ilfordphoto #dodgeburn. We wanted to see prints that you spent so much time and dedication on creating. @justgipsy Replying to @ILFORDPhoto #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #dodgeburn Film Ilford #delta100 rated at 50asa. The highlights required considerable burning in, while dodging the shadow areas.   @jakebehindthescene Tangle Wood Book Swap Apr...

Thank you to everyone who submitted images for this weeks #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. You all have sent in such a mixture of #symmetry images. Symmetry is rare to come by everyday, but  also being able to capture on film is even better. Take a look who has been featured this week. Remember, if both halves are identical, then the image is symmetrical. @ashwin_ku1 Replying to @ILFORDPhoto #fridayfavourites #symmetry shot with HP5+ @ box speed   @billthoo Replying to @ILFORDPhoto XP2 + OM1...

These Dark Mountains I grew up in a small valley town surrounded by the Alps in North Italy. I have always wondered what it feels like to live and work up there in the mountains, in such a stunning but also dangerous and rough natural environment. Especially after moving to Berlin in 2015, my fascination for a life still tied to nature’s rhythm started to grow. The natural landscape which I left behind, and which used to be what I would call “home”, turned into something distant. I began to question ...

Small Fishing Village My Name is Austen Goldsmith I live on top of a hill on the outskirts of a small fishing Village in Cornwall. When a big storm approaches it means many things. It means I will have a bad nights sleep listening to the sound of the roof tiles rattling above my head. It also means that I will have a day off from my work as a fisherman. Most importantly it means I can pack a few rolls of film into my rucksack, figure out when the light will be best and what beach will have the best opportu...

Monika Danos is our 60th In Focus interview. When not taking care of daily life, her love for trees and gardens means that she can be found chasing shadows with her pinhole camera, or printing in the darkroom. Patterns and lines that are created by light and shadow influence her style of work. Photography and the cyanotype prints gives Monika the opportunity to share what she see's in nature and in her daily life. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us wh...

The theme for this weeks #fridayfavourites was #summershots. The sun has been shining, everyone is starting to go on holiday and break up from school, so we want you to share your photographs taken in the sunshine. @KennethWajda @ILFORDPhoto #believeinfilm #fridayfavourites #summershots #ilfordhp5 #rolleiflex #colorado @Matthewburt_ #ilfordphoto #summershots #fridayfavourites C: Kodak VR35 F: Ilford HP5plus iso 400 @lemonidasg Nothing feels more like summer, than jumping in the sea. @ILFORDPhoto...

How It Began When Covid-19 started, I had just made plans to follow the Bristol Roller Derby team around the UK to shoot their games. I suddenly had no focus for my photography and I wanted to make sure that I had a project to work on. I also wanted to do something with the LGBTQ+ community. In Bristol and had been photographing a friend during their transition. I thought, maybe as lockdown lifts people will want to get out and have their portraits taken. And that is how the idea for the project came about...

When I told my friend that I was going to write a piece explaining why I chose to shoot the Pride event in Salem, Massachusetts in black and white, she just laughed and told me to get on my soapbox. I'm not sure what a soap box is but if it helps me explain why I think that black and white film is incredibly important as a medium and not “old fashioned” as some think, then I'm on it. Bring me a soapbox! How it Started This started when I posted a photo on Instagram of a couple sharing a kiss at the ...

'Something Special' There is a unique rendering to photographs made with Multigrade enlarging papers. It's difficult to define, maybe it's the timeless mood or perhaps it's the mystical feeling, or even a haunting aura... it's certainly there for me I like this very much! Add to this, it's super economical and can be visually handled via darkroom safe-lights. No more fussing around in total darkness which often requires the use strong language! Humour aside, I find the physical involvement of handling the...

Introducing Hilary Freed, our 11th Behind the Film interview. Hilary is one of our newer team members who took over from Mike Bain as our Country Manager for the US and Canada. Who are you? What’s your job title at Harman Technology and how long have you worked here? My name is Hilary Freed, I’m the Country Manager for the US and Canada. I started with Harman just 6 months ago, replacing a man who was retiring after being with the company for 34 years.  I took that as a good sign! Tell us a little a...

This weeks #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme was #themefree. Take a look at the themes you chose to submit this week. @thetimelesslight ClaroQueSí #120film #mamiya #ilfordphoto #barriologan #fridayfavourites #themefree #ilfordhp5 #hp5plus #blackandwhitephotography #frames4fun #timeless   @Evv_pg This lighting only lasted for about 10 seconds. Just enough time to snap a shot on my Pentax MX with 35mm ilford #delta100 film.#ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #themefree   @j_harvell ...

The theme for this weeks #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites was #developedbyme. There is no better feeling than knowing you developed it yourself, truly a game changer. Have a look at this weeks submissions. @TassieFilm Replying to @ILFORDPhoto #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #developedbyme Leica IIIf (1952); Leitz 3.5cm Elmar f/3.5 (1939, un-coated); Ilford FP4 Plus 35mm black & white negative; Exp: 2-4 sec @ f/9; ID-11 1 + 3 20C/22m. #Tasmania #MountFieldNationalPark #Wilderness #Waterfall #blackandwhi...

We shared Craig Fleming's photograph 'Ursula' on our Instagram and the response was fantastic. We like to get in touch with the photographer and find out a little more about the process that went into creating it.   Technical information Image title Ursula Film used ILFORD FP4+ Camera Mamiya RZ67 Proll Exposure time 1/125th @ f5.6 Format 120 Lens 110mm f2.8 Other equipment Profoto B1/4ft x 6ft Softbox Location - Northern Quarter Manchester   Firstly, tell us the stor...

Community Grant Shortlist We received hundreds of applicants for the grant and choosing just 5 for you to vote on is always difficult. Once the new submission window closes at the end of February 2026 we will shortlist the projects here for your vote. Shortlist VOTING FORM WILL BE HERE The first award of 2025 went to Sebastian Machado Batenero fro his 'Ashed from the Riverbed' project. We ar in the process of shipping his prize and will cath up with him later in the year to see how the project is pro...

Part 1: We’re Going to Be Friends My story with Ilford SFX began as many stories do: an impulsive act. I saw it while standing in line at my favorite camera store. Small boxes stacked neatly in a bin. Pattern and repetition. White, black, and purple. Great marketing at work. In hyper-cut scenes that would make Edgar Wright jealous, ten boxes of 120 film were in two rows in front of the clerk. He peered across the counter at me. He looked at the two rows of film and raised his eyebrows as if he was get...

Introducing our 61st In Focus interview with Torz Dallison. Torz started shooting when she was a teenager, but it wasn't until she started developing and printing that she became hooked. Through her work, Torz explores life's traditions and connections which reflects on her own personal stories and events. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? The Robin - 2019 This is the central image to my project The Robin. I began the proje...

You've had a couple of weeks to share shots for today's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme of #pushedfilm.  And, there were far more images than usual for us to choose from because of this. It was unusual to see so many pushed shots on our DELTA films too.  Choosing just five was a tough job this week   @adiw1202 "Nap time" - HP5 pushed to 1600 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #pushedfilm   @kostamuksendee Oh, you want #pushedfilm I have once shot Delta400 at 12800 (EOS-1 matrix me...

For our 12th Behind The Film interview, we speak to Jonathan Osborn who is one of our scientists here at ILFORD. Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name is Jonathan Osborn and I am a Scientist at Harman.  I am currently in my 25th year working at ILFORD.  (Where did that time go!) Tell us a little about your day to day role. Predominantly I have worked on the photographic paper side as the lead scientist on the development of the fantastic new ...

We speak to Jim Mortram, who is this week's In Focus interview. Jim is an award-winning Social Documentary Photographer and the creator of these photo stories: Small Town Inertia. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This portrait with Carl, as always for me, was made with HP5 Plus pushed to 800. When I first met Carl & began collaborating with him on sharing his story he was in a bad place. We would talk often but it was mayb...

For many years I have been disillusioned with what direction my photography career was moving in. The overwhelming abundance of images from digital capture. The demise in a true art (in my mind anyway) of images being overcooked and very unnatural at times. However thankfully I got back my Mojo by selling every bit of digital kit I owned. It felt like a total weight of my shoulder. I needed this new direction and to learn a totally new discipline. Taking my work that extra step further I decided to go to ...

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...

Our 63rd In Focus interview is with our ILFORD Master printer, Andrew Sanderson. Andrew has been a professional photographer for over 35 years, and has established an international reputation as both practitioner and teacher of the photographic medium. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? Walk,walk,walk. HP5, Nikon F3. My favourite picture changes quite often. Usually it is the last print I made where everything came together ...

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...

The year 2000 The first time I photographed skateboarding was in the year 2000, following around a boy I liked with a disposable camera. My equipment and film stocks have gotten better over the last two decades, and my girlhood crush has been replaced by a deep passion for capturing the unique poses of skateboarders and their culture and community. Dancer suspended in space I don’t know the names of most of the tricks the skaters I photograph are attempting. I’m half-listening when someone tries to...

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...

Kentmere films now available in 120 format HARMAN technology Ltd are pleased to announce that from December 1st, 2022, Kentmere Pan 100 and Kentmere Pan 400 films will be available in 120 format. Kentmere Pan 100 is a medium speed, ISO 100 panchromatic black & white film with fine grain and good sharpness. It has a broad tonal range with ‘medium’ contrast and a wide,  forgiving exposure latitude. Compared to Kentmere PAN 400, this film is slower with finer grain, and a touch more contrast. ...

Shooting 35mm film Sprockets with Kentmere 400 and a medium format TLR Including sprockets in scans is nothing new but has increased in popularity recently. While the inclusion of sprockets showing the film name looks great, as the photographic emulsion covers the full 35mm width of the film in your cassette, it is actually possible to expose your image beyond the standard 24x36mm frame and cover the entire sprocket area with your image. I thought I’d give this a try with my TLR, so read on below to f...

"Wait, are you shooting film?" That's the usual question I get at an event I shoot. I started shooting sports at the same time that I even started taking photos at all. My plan was to be a documentary filmmaker, travel the world with a backpack and sleep on random couches and see how far $20 could get me. I was in an MMA gym filming and during breaks, I would randomly take a photo here and there, for no other reason than boredom. I wasn't ever going to be a photographer, who cares? Jake Paul - Cano...

Portrayal Of Musicians I’m not sure which came first, my love of photography or my love of music. Growing up in the Boston area, I was fortunate to be immersed in both. Whether it be standing in awe at the beauty of Alfred Steiglitz’s work on display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts or being immersed in the local music scene, spending time with the likes of Bonnie Raitt or Aerosmith, these two passions seemed to run in parallel for me. As time progressed my photography, and music connections led me...

Countless Day's Of Shooting It was more than 2 years ago, that I had the initial idea for this project. Now, after countless days of shooting film, often while on the water, and hours spent edition and choosing images ‘No Place Like Home’ is a book I can be proud of. Committing Entirely To The Wave "I felt that there was something that I needed to explore when I shot some of the first rolls of black & white HP5+ film at one of the local surfspots. Shooting everything on film, as opposed to di...

Abstract Concepts Often times, I come up with ethereal and abstract concepts for my artwork. However, I noticed that my techniques and skills in the darkroom did not match up to my artistic output. Which is such a shame. I wanted to do something about it. It is like having the urge to do a back flip but not having the progressed workouts to help you get there. My name is Zain Al Khalifa, I use film photography as a base for my artwork. I like darkroom printing and I wanted to share an experience with yo...

Our 65th In Focus interview is with film photographer and laboratorist Amanda Monasterio, who used multiple exposures in their work to represent feelings and temporality. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? My favorite image ever photographed with ILFORD is definitely this one and it's from my project called "Asterismos" (Asterisms). This project draw parallels between the imaginary of being and inhabiting a body. My ancestors, t...

How It Began Queering Rural Spaces began as I was personally starting to think about where my wife and I would settle down to start our family. A part of me missed living on a farm. However, I wasn’t sure I would feel safe being in an openly gay relationship in a rural area. So I began to look for and talk to people who were already living those experiences. For the past two years I have been meeting and photographing LGBTQIA+ farmers who live or work on a farm in rural areas of the United States. S...

Our 66th In Focus interview is with Danish photographer Lea Elm who is a writer living in England. Find out why analogue and instant camera's became an epiphany within Lea's work. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? World - Museum -Liverpool - 2019 - HP5+ It was hard to pick just one but I decided on this one taken in 2019 on my first, and so far only, trip to Liverpool. Rachel Brewster-Wright (of @LittleVintagePhotography)...

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...

There was a lot of interest in this shot when it was shared on our Instagram feed, so we asked Kim Mimnaugh & Jess Martineau to tell us a bit more about it. Image Title Water Goddess:Triple Exposure Technical Info Film Used ILFORD HP5+ Format 120 Camera Hasselblad 501 CM Lens 150mm Exposure time 3 exposures on one piece of film 1/60th at f8 Other equipment Studio stand, sekonic flash meter, black velvet for the background Speedotron location lighting kit, one strobe set at 400 WS with...

Discovering Analog Photography My name is Dora Lionstone, and I’m a visual artist based in Amsterdam. I have been passionate about photography for a while now, years before I switched from being a software developer to becoming a full-time artist. But it was only in 2017, at the beginning of my studies at the art academy, that I also discovered analog photography for my artistic process. Instead of completely turning to the analog world, I began to embrace it as one element of a hybrid approach. For exam...

The Young Family In a small town in Russia, a couple became the parents of a baby girl. The young family embarked on a journey, forced to address the couple's relationship, parenting, a new economic life, difficulty, and the struggle for survival. They decide to begin a new life. They sit in a library, explore an old globe to search for a better place to continue the dream from which they were created, seeking a place close to earth, mountains, water, and sky. ILFORD FP4+ The Dream I join their dream...

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...

'What are you doing?' After 25 years it still catches me off guard. Because my work happens in public spaces, the answer comes often and without pause. Men walking by the scene will change direction and make their way to within a meter of my tripod. While to me it is evidently clear, to the viewers it is understandably strange. For my portraits of girls in rural India, this is supremely true. To set the scene, we are using medium format gear mounted on a tripod, speaking with the children being photographe...

We are heading to R&D to speak to Calvin Carey, our 13th Behind the Film interview. Calvin is a Physicist here at HARMAN Technology. Find out more about what his role entails. Who are you? What’s your job title HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name is Calvin Carey, and I work as a Physicist here at HARMAN. I started in 2019. Tell us a little about your day to day role. My day-to-day work is hugely varied, depending on which projects in R&D (research and development) or m...

We speak to Lauz Cam, who is our 67th In Focus interviewee. Laura is a London-based self-taught photographer. Her love for film photography started through her budding interest in vintage cameras and has grown ever since. Laura intends to keep analog photography alive by capturing portraits of individuals in a nostalgic way. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I think my one of my favourite images is this self-portrait as it was ...

Bombay Beach In 2011 I was living in San Francisco,CA making my way through a graduate program in Photography. Working on my thesis afforded me the opportunity to venture around the state of California. I traveled a lot. I went to the top of the state, the far corners, all over really. On one trip, I drove down to the Salton Sea, an almost forgotten place south of Palm Springs and the Coachella valley. It was a fascinating adventure. I remember driving through Bombay Beach, one of the small remaining towns...

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...

For our 68th In Focus interview, we speak to landscape photographer Bill Brooks. Bill enjoys photographing the landscape. He is particularly interested in how it has been affected by those who have gone before us and how it impacts the lives of those who occupy it today. His work is influenced by painters and writers as well as other photographers. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? A recent favourite is Sullington Yew, from my ...

'The Uphill Battle', by photographer Joe Shapiro received a lot of attention when we shared his image over on our Instagram. So we decided to contact him to learn more about his process. Image Title The Uphill Battle Technical info Film Used ILFORD Delta 400 Format Medium Camera Pentax 67ii Lens SMC Pentax 67 1:2.8 90mm Exposure time 1/500 f5.6 (if I remember correctly) Other equipment My hands and eyes Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? To the ...

Join us while we chat with self-taught photographer Khoi Minh Nguyen, who is our 70th In Focus interviewee. Khoi tries to approach his photography as a still image in a movie and uses this medium to document life. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? Hasselblad 503cxi - ILFORD SFX 200 The image of my mother is my most proudest moment I had made last year. It felt like I was making work that I have been trying to make for a lon...

Our 69th In Focus interview is with poet, former university instructor and high school teacher Lorraine Healy. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? I took this image in January 2022. We had been having a lot of fog that was lasting longer than the usual early morning ‘til sunrise. I knew where I wanted to go. This place, Indian Slough, is some 70 minutes away from my house. I could tell when I got there that the sun was beginnin...

Introducing our 15th interviewee and one of Film Finishing's newest team members, Paul Cliff. Who are you? What’s your job title at HARMAN technology and how long have you worked here? My name is Paul Cliff and I have been with the company since February 2023. Tell us a little about your day to day role. I work on our 120 roll film spooling machines. I love everything about it. It’s been like taking control of a classic car, learning all its idiosyncrasies and intricacies; it’s an absolute mar...

By Early Afternoon In 1997, while on assignment in Thailand, someone told me that one of the Thai borders with Cambodia was open and letting some people pass by. As a freelance journalist, I realized the opportunity and as soon as I finished my assignment, investigated the possibility of going to Cambodia. I knew that the UN Peace-Keeping Forces were in Cambodia and the Pol Pot army had mostly surrendered. But that was about it. It took me about two days to decide and prepare myself to go to Cambodia. W...

«If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. » Henry Miller Community Of Male Bathers Lanterna “Beach” is a long-term project (2015-2022) that documents a community of male bathers in a town in Southern Italy, where I was born and raised, before leaving my country. The work explores the relationship between this peculiar community and the nature of the Pier where they sunbathe...

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...

It makes us so happy that you enjoy shooting ILFORD FP4+ as much as we, as you demonstrated for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme being #madewithfp4. @JeremyCalow. One of my favourite shots with FP4+ “The Crew” #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #madewithfp4   @kostamuksendee. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #madewithfp4. I feel nostalgic sharing these FP4+ photos of Helsinki summer. This is when we would enjoy bathing in the sun (but in shades of course), before diving into...

'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...

Brutal & Beautiful In June of 2022, I set out on a 3500 mile motorcycle trip with my close friend David Wright. We left from Los Angeles, CA with our end destination being Glacier National Park, searching for the space in-between life’s brutal & beautiful exploration of our short time upon this world. I personally have gone through life altering changes these past few years; death, a divorce, more death, the on going pandemic and having to confront life, loss and the overwhelming notion that time...

“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...

We asked you to share you having #funonfilm for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. These images were our favourite picks from those who submitted them on Twitter and on Instagram. @PhlStrchn. Taken while setting up to take a photograph in Perth a few months ago, someone wanted to have #funonfilm ?. I'm sharing the shot for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites . Film: #IlfordHP5. Camera: Mamiya C220 #ilfordphoto #believeinfilm #filmphotography   @MattAngleyPhoto. Shooting Th...

 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...

#ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites, theme is #smallonfilm 2023. A big appreciation goes out to all the photographers who have contributed this week. Whether it's product photography or the beauty of nature, here are some of your interpretations of capturing this week's theme.   @PhlStrchn. I took this shot of a sycamore seed sitting between the patterned paving outside the Fergusson Gallery, Perth. The seed cast a shadow, it doesn't contrast well, however it's my take on #smallonfilm for this week's...

We really enjoy theme free weeks like this one where we don't set you a theme for our #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites and instead ask you to share any image made with our products. @davejsherwood  A shot of The Shard and London Bridge for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #themefree. Shot on #delta3200, which I'll be using to document Castlerigg Stone Circle this coming week. filmphotokkg Ryota #darkroom #silvergelatin #analogmagazine #ilfordphoto #ilfordfp4 #leicafilmfriday #leicafilmfrien...

#framedfilm was this week's theme for #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. A huge thank you for your incredible contributions, your creativity knows no bounds!   @filmphotokkg. Misty morning road in Okayama, Japan. #ilfordphoto #ilfordhp5 #leica #leicam4 #shootitwithfilm #theanalogclub #noirfilm #photojournalinternational #blackandwhitephotography #35mmfilm #analogphotography #analogforever #photofilmy #ifyouleave #ishootfilms #reponsesphoto #spicollective #streetshots_globally #streetphotography #do...

Daniel Elbaz generously shares insights into his creative journey and how he conceived the idea of "12 Ways to...", for our 'How I Got This Picture' series. IMAGE TITLE 12 ways to … Technical Info Film Used ILFORD HP5+ Format 120 Camera Hasselblad 503cw Lens Planar 80mm Exposure Time 1/125s at f16 Other Equipment Elinchrom Studio flash Location Paris, FRANCE Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it? I have been passionate about black and white phot...

One Specific Speed Rating Us film photographers are used to the limitations of our medium. In fact, we often regard them as strengths, and not weaknesses. But even we can’t really take issue with the suggestion that as soon as we begin to expose a roll of film we are limited to one specific speed rating, making it more difficult to adapt to quickly changing light conditions. On digital: no problem. Just whack the ISO up to some implausibly high number, and keep shooting. Sadly we just can’t do that mid...

Allow us to introduce Mandyleft, our 73rd featured artist in our "In Focus" series. Mandyleft is a talented film photographer known for her deep passion for connecting with people, a quality that has immersed her in the vibrant film community. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE/PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU. I took this photo in a hotel in London. It was a very exciting weekend. I had just been to the theatre and then I had been shooting around the West End...

Portraits Of Strangers I’ve always been fascinated with people on the street and how they carry themselves. Their faces, body language, the clothes they wear - everyone’s walking around with their own unique story, and I can’t help but be curious. I've spent a lot of time working with non-actors in commercials and documentaries, which has been a crash course in connecting with people quickly. It’s not your typical "stand here, do this" directing. It's about getting real people to open up in front o...

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...

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who emerged from the shadows to participate in this week's eerily captivating #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme, #halloweenonfilm. The entries for this week were truly outstanding, making the task of narrowing them down exceptionally challenging. Please take a moment to have a look at some of our favourites. @PhotoGaet. A creepy misty night in the park. Shot on ILFORD Delta 100 Bronica SQ-A #ilfordphoto #fridayfavorites #delta100   @davejsherwood...

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...

Camera And Us Once I started shooting film, I decided to start creating some photography projects. My first photographic project was called: 'Camera and Us.' This project documented people on the street and which camera they used. I chose to use a film camera to capture all kinds of people with their cameras on the street. Once I approached them, I told them my photographic intentions. We would have a simple chat to make them feel comfortable and more importantly, for them to consent to be photographed. ...

Let the beauty of #autumnonilford unfold in every frame, showcasing the diverse and stunning perspectives captured by our global community for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. @peter_durst. For this weeks #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme of #autumnonilford my submission is: The Yukon River. Hasselblad 500CM, Zeiss Sonnar 150mm f4, PAN F. Whitehorse, The Yukon #believeinfilm   @PlantingCabbag1. Munich on HP5! #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #autumnonilford. (I'm @midtonegrey on ...

We are now heading to HARMAN Lab to speak to Charlie Hill , our 16th Behind the Film interview. Charlie works as a Photo Lab Technician here at HARMAN Technology. Find out more about what his role entails. WHO ARE YOU? WHAT’S YOUR JOB TITLE AT HARMAN TECHNOLOGY AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED HERE? My name is Charlie Hill, I have worked as a Photo Lab Technician since April 2023. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR DAY TO DAY ROLE. My day-to-day role revolves around Harman Lab where we offer B&W and colou...

The Nod The rope is thick and heavy, and coated with resin applied to heat it up and make it sticky. The cowboy wraps this bullrope around his right hand and ties himself in. A thin leather glove protects him from burning his hand if the rope slips. He settles himself on the back of the 1500 pound Brahman bucking bull named Spooky Lukey, and Spooky Lukey hasn’t been ridden yet this season, or last year for that matter. When he’s set, he gives The Nod. The Nod starts off one of the greatest sequences in...

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 ...

Stave Lake Historical Powerhouse One of the genres of photography that I seldom get to experience is that of industrial photography. However, there is one exception in my vicinity at the Stave Lake Historical Powerhouse - a national historic site of Canada, which started producing hydro-electric power in the early 20th century until a modern replacement in the year 2000 took over the job. Perhaps growing up on the prairie has instilled in me an affinity for industrial machinery and when I found a historica...

Pain or Peace There are some moments in a man's life that are truly capable of changing him in the depths of his being. Whether through pain or peace, sadness or joy. For a photographer like me, the feelings that arose in my heart over the years also became part of my photographic language. 13 Years Old On February 9, 2020, my younger brother, Pedro Henrique, passed away while battling cancer. He was only 13 years old. At first I felt that I had lost all my motivation as a photographer and as an individu...

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...

The Greatest Gift In 1984, at age of 10 my foster parents, to whom I was never close, gave me a camera. It is the greatest gift they gave to me. Since then, I have photographed the world to make sense of it and my place in it. Now, forty years later, I respect photography to the extent it should be respected. It has become an integrated part of who I am, it has shaped me into what I am and I have shaped it - we are one and I would arguably feel nothing in life without this powerful mechanism. I come from a...

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 ...

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 ...

The Outcome I am known as a black and white Photographer. I always prefer shooting in black and white. It helps me convey the concept of the image formed in my mind , through my photography. Another reason that always motivates me is the precedence of form over colour. However, sometimes I choose to shoot in colour to see the different outcome's. The outcome is usually that I should never shoot in colour because the type of light I shoot with isn't usually compatible for colour photography. My Favouri...

How I Shoot Early in my photography career I gravitated towards film images and medium format cameras. My go-to cameras are the Mamiya RZ67 and Hasselblad 500CM. I love the slow, more hands-on experience of shooting medium format and film. I trust my instincts and set up the shot with more thought and intent when shooting with film over digital. Each Image Is Important Working with models, the feedback I get is that they feel more connected and find it to be a wonderful collaborative experience. This...

A 10 Day Journey After getting home from Scotland in April of 2023, I was left with a good problem – I had way too many images that I loved. A month before, I had taken my Fuji TX1 panoramic camera, and a bag full of ILFORD Delta 400 and 3200, and walked from Milngavie to Loch Ness, a roughly 156 mile route using the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way. Nights were spent in tents, days were long and energizing, and photographic scenes seemed to be in no short supply at every bend in the trail. Disti...

Introducing our 75th In Focus interview and our analogue community grant winner, Federico Pestilli. Pestilli was born in Rome and became interested in documentary-style of photography, focusing on irony that unites people, places and symbols with each other. Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? Heritage - Arianna - Cocullo, Italy - Pentax 67, 135mm lens - HP5+ This is an image of Arianna, a snake handler from the town of Cocul...

Environmental Portraits I started my analogue black and white portraits of artists in spring 2021, the second year of the pandemic. I wanted to photograph actors in Berlin over a longer period of time. This was the right moment because theaters were closed and filming of movies had largely been stopped. I decided to shoot some kind of “environmental portraits” in public spaces. I wanted the location to be part of the portrait. In addition, local health restrictions back then allowed gatherings of exact...

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...

The Truth Is It is always with regret when I say that I never had a formal arts education. The truth is, growing up, I devalued the ability of taking a ‘decent’ picture along with whether I could kick a ball with my left foot (I can) or produce a winning back hand on the tennis court (I can’t). Photography was for holidays and special occasions and not much in between. In the days before social media and personal websites, a work colleague once asked me for printed copies of my photos after a trip to...

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Our brand new, worldwide, student competition 'Pride and Prejudice,' (A reflection on the world today),  is now open for entries. We can't wait to see how you interpret this challenging theme. PRIDE & PREJUDICE -  The brief Borrowing the title from Austen's classic novel, we want to see how you interpret its central themes of Pride and Prejudice and how it is reflected in the today's world. Morality, social standing, race, religion, sexuality - we want to see the world through your lens. We are loo...

Join us while we chat with freelance photographer Dominik Friess, who is our 76th In Focus interviewee. Dominik's main focus in photography is portraiture, as it is the form of photography that resonates with him the most because of the uniqueness and depth that each person carries within themselves. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I don't believe I have an 'all-time favorite' as such. I've taken many photos on ILFORD fil...

Use Of Elegant Black and White Since 2014, Angélique Boissière has been exploring film photography through medium format, which she likes for its square framing, and thus to get reacquainted with an art that calls to her from her teenage years. With a classical artistic background nurtured through her practice of dance and her affinity for Impressionist and Romantic imagery, the feminine nude came up as an obviousness, given the immutable place it takes in the western Art History. It is with the same aim...

Film: ILFORD Delta 100 - Camera: Minolta X-370s - Cemitério dos Prazeres, Lisbon. Hatching The story of my involvement with film photography is also a story of rebirth. I was first born and raised in Brazil, in an arid and hot region known by the motto “land of light”, but I was then born again under my current name, Laura, just a few months before moving to Lisbon, Portugal. As any transgender person should know, having your new identity accepted by previous family members, acquaintances, can be an...

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...

Thank you for such beautiful entries for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme which was #natureonilford. @Kirigir77434381 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #natureonilford. Speedgraphic, Ross xpress 6 1/2inch F4.5, F5.6, 1/30sec, Ilford FP4+, Tokyo pyro, TPfix, Kodak mobile film scanner.   @PlantingCabbag1. A particularly overgrown corner of the Botanic Gardens, Kolkata. Orthochromatic film makes greenery look even more magical and mysterious… #ilfordphoto Ortho 80 developed in ...

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...

The Dynamic There is something distinctly different about photographs of cities versus rural areas. The variations of negative space, the intensity of nature versus people, and the rhythm of light that exists in these places; all contribute to the dynamic of a photograph. Personal Goal Last March, I made a trip to Colorado and the Grand Canyon to visit two of my best friends. I went on this trip carrying more black and white film. My favourite ILFORD film is HP5+. It’s my personal goal to photograp...

Same as ours The reportage tells of a journey in the regions of Northern India, starting from the borders with Pakistan to the banks of the Ganges river, in Varanasi. The story traveled on trains, buses, planes and tuc tuc. The roads were all dusty and bumpy but the people met were all clear and sunny. The glances reveal details of everyday life: people working, eating, sleeping, children going to school. Their daily life is the same as ours, but at the same time very different. If you step off the well-tr...

What would happen if I dedicated myself entirely to film photography? More then a year ago I had this idea in my head. What would happen if I dedicated myself entirely to film photography? After 10 years of being a sidekick to my creative output, I felt the need to give more attention to my analogue passion and the desire to change my creative habits. To challenge myself. To no longer rely on the vague promise of the digital safety net of mass storage and a camera screen that promises instant judgement of ...

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...

Introducing Susie Jones, our 78th In Focus interviewee. Susie is an artist, songwriter and musician based in the Northwest of England, find out why analogue photography is her latest expression. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? Jumping straight in with the difficult questions here. I find it impossible to choose favourite images, it constantly changes. We see so much of ourselves and our current state in images and how we rela...

“You learned the Mr. Miyagi way” Hi, Carlos here, my story with film photography started in the mid 90’s. I learned from one of my neighbours, a former engineer that dropped his career to become a professional fashion photographer He had a nice studio, he was very technical and made me learn all the technicalities before I could even take photos. It was not much fun at first as I was a teenager eager to get out and just shoot photos. Well, my first assignment was to read The Zen in the Art of Archery...

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...

My Current Journey My 4x5 inch documentary photography in Iceland once again immersed me in the fascinating world of this unique country. But this time with a new perspective, coloured by memories of my previous trip there a decade ago. I had the opportunity to explore Iceland then, and the memories of that unforgettable time accompanied me on my current journey. An Explorer In a Foreign World Ten years ago I experienced Iceland with a sense of adventure and no expectations. As I explored the bre...

Winning The Competition I was in Oracabessa, Jamaica when I won this competition. My rollerskating community back in London was spreading the word far and wide about this vote at skate rinks and events, and amongst their family members and colleagues. I virtually reached out to nearly every person I’d ever met, asking them to help me win ILFORD'S Community Grant of £500 worth of film and equipment. That experience really showed me the power of community. Ever since then, I’ve been making this project ...

You may already be familiar with his work from his regular contributions to popular photography websites like 35mmc and Casual Photophile. We're excited to introduce our 79th In Focus interviewee, Sroyon Mukherjee. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? My favourite images tend to be of friends and family, but I’ll share an image that I like for its own sake (as opposed to purely personal or sentimental reasons). I...

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...

My K1000 I began taking photographs in the late 1980s as a teenager when my dad bought me a Pentax K1000. Both my dad and grandpa enjoyed photography, were big influences on me, and my dad wanted to share the excitement of photography. We enjoyed taking photographs, mainly of landscapes and of places that we visited, me with my K1000 and my dad with his Canon AE-1. When digital cameras became the standard in the early 2000s, we drifted away from film and instead became enamored with this quick and comparat...

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...

CELEBRATING 145 YEARS OF ILFORD HISTORY WITH 1950’S INSPIRED RETRO PACKAGING In 1879, ILFORD* embarked on a journey to pioneer black and white film production and 145 years later is still going strong, manufacturing black & white films, papers and chemicals from their site in Cheshire. To celebrate 145 years ILFORD Photo is launching a limited-edition range of 1950s & 60s inspired retro packaging for their popular HP5+ and FP4+ films in both 35mm and 120 formats. Retro design The retro d...

What is Reality? “Moon in the water, Flower in the mirror.” What is Reality? Whether what we are living now is the reflection of the reality or the reality itself? The age-old question has puzzled philosophers, scholars, and seekers of truth throughout the annals of time. Are we truly perceiving the world as it is, or are we merely encountering a reflection, a distortion of reality? To delve into the depths of this inquiry, we must embark on a journey through the corridors of history, traversing epochs...

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...

From hiking to darkroom printing, discover how Macy Lee created this unique print in our latest 'How I Got This Picture' interview. IMAGE TITLE Izzy at the Canyon  TECHNICAL INFO FILM USED ILFORD HP5+ FORMAT 120 CAMERA Hasselblad 500C LENS 60mm EXPOSURE TIME 5.6 F stop at 60th of a second LOCATION The Grand Canyon, South Kaibab Trail FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THIS IMAGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SHOOT IT? Izzy is one of my best friends, and this was during a long running trip we ha...

Slowing things back down Although it’s been 28 years since I first stepped into a darkroom, there’s been a significant gap in time since the last time I stepped into one. I grew up at a particular transition time, like the horse to automobile, typewriter to computer, I started my journey into photography just before the digital camera started making its way into the market and pushing film aside. Even though instant gratification has its place, I still kept that romantic notion of one day getting back ...

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 ...

My camera is a passport to a world of amazing discoveries My adventures began as a five year old. I started spending wondrous times with my dad in the quiet glow of his darkroom. I took great pride with my responsibility to gently rock the prints in the hypo tray. Ah, the sound of gurgling water and the warm orange glow from the safe lights. I was totally enthralled by seeing an image come alive in the developing tray...pure alchemy! It comes as no surprise when I say I frequently retreat to this magical z...

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 ...

So, from the official ILFORD Photo website: It’s wide exposure latitude makes it a great choice for beginners, those returning to film as well as the more experienced professional users. With wide exposure latitude, ILFORD says that you can meter HP5+ from 400 to 3200 ISO1. Great, it's like you have it all in one roll, which is exactly why I love this thing so much. It can handle sunny days and midnight shots, of course, depending on which ISO you tell your camera (or hand-held light meter) you have ...

Sergio Felipe García tells us how he captured this brilliant shot for a commissioned clothing brand in this 'How I Got This Picture interview'. Image Title Cenizas de un verano” (“Ashes of a Summer” in english) TECHNICAL INFO FILM USED ILFORD HP5+ FORMAT 35mm CAMERA Hanimex Amphibian LENS 35mm f2.8 EXPOSURE TIME 1/125s at f11 LOCATION El Médano, Tenerife FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THIS IMAGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SHOOT IT? The photo series “Ashes of a Summer” emerged ...

  Wilber (@ccs_wilber) wheelies down a hill in Medellin. BikeLife The first time I learned about Bikelife was at Parque Nacional, Bogotá’s most emblematic park. It was a Sunday and there must have been at least a hundred of them. They almost all fit the same profile: very young, baggy clothes, no helmet. A disproportionate number sported ‘El 7’, a kind of neo-mullet that’s popularity in Colombia predates the current mullet resurgence in the rest of the world. 12-o’clock wheelies...

On the Language of Photographs A photograph is so much more than just a photograph; it holds an entire language within it. Each photograph captures a unique world that exists only in that moment, preserving the memories of the people in it, and the experiences of the photographer pressing the shutter. Today, I want to reflect on my own work and how my favourite images have defined me as an artist. What messages do they share with the world? How have the tools I’ve used to create them shaped their unique ...

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...

This week we interviewed Berlin based, portrait photographer Jakob Stolz for our 'In Focus' series. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? To me this is my most personal photograph I've ever taken. It's my grandfather Kurt who passed away last year at the age of 87. All his life he lived in Duisburg, Germany and worked as a carpenter. I started photographing him 7 years ago and continued so to the very end. These photos are very clo...

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...

Happy Accidents For most people in the film community, double exposures are accidents. Happy accidents, sometimes, for sure, but accidents nonetheless. Of course, some people do film swaps, I've done a few and embraced the chaos of the results, but I never got an image out of a film swap that I truly loved. And yet there's something eminently compelling about double exposures. ILFORD FP4+ Photosynthesis Five years ago I started a project entitled Photosynthesis that used double exposures as a way to ...

In this 'Behind The Film' interview, we head back to R&D to speak to Kieran Collings who joined the company in 2023. WHO ARE YOU? WHAT’S YOUR JOB TITLE HARMAN TECHNOLOGY AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED HERE? Hi my name is Kieran Collings, I am a Scientist II in the Research & Development department. I joined in August 2023 straight from University. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR DAY TO DAY ROLE. I work in the early development team, specifically on sensitising dyes that are needed for the films to b...

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? ...

We're thrilled to announce our ILFORD Photo USA Student film photography contest. With both darkroom printing and scanned film categories (along with a fantastic teacher prize), and some amazing prizes to be won from both us, ILFORD Photo, and  our amazing sponsors, Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation, UsedPhotoPro, Peak Design, Negative Supply LLC, The Darkroom, Photogenic Supply Co and SISSILU, there are plenty of reasons to get involved and start shooting! Contest Dates: The contest is now open for...

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, ...

All the way from Los Angeles, our 83rd 'In Focus' interview is with music and surrealism photographer, Laura Moreau. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? This photograph features my friend Samira, taken on ILFORD SFX200 with my Mamiya 645. I was in the ocean, hoping to capture the glimmers, as I have an obsession with them. Suddenly, a massive wave came out of nowhere, and I still can’t believe I managed to jump and take the sho...

Discover how Zach Nichols created this stunning long exposure shot in our 'How I Got This Picture' interview. We have noticed, if it's not a double exposure, your next favourite has to be nighttime long exposures. IMAGE TITLE Fire Tower Starlapse TECHNICAL INFO FILM USED ILFORD HP5+ FORMAT 4x5 CAMERA Chamonix LENS Nikon 90mm f/4.5 Nikkor-SW EXPOSURE TIME 45 – 50 minutes OTHER EQUIPMENT 1 Can of Atmosphere LOCATION Just outside Hot Springs, South Dakota. FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY...

Pushing The Limits Hello, my name is Jaylon Cooper, but I go by “Quality Lenz”. I am a photographer from St. Simons Island, located off the coast of Georgia, but based in Atlanta, Ga. I moved to Atlanta to attend college at Georgia State University. I started doing photography in 2019, when I was given a camera by a relative. In 2021, my passion began to fade, so I took a step back to study renaissance painters. Those are the ones I call, “The first photographers”. After seeing the way these artist...

 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, ...

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...

Film Photographers survey 2024 At the end of 2024 we asked you to complete and share our film photographers survey. We wanted to understand what's important to you, the film community, irrespective of which film brands you shoot. We hoped that the results would provide us with an invaluable insight into the behaviours, expectations, and preferences of film photographers around the world. The results Over 14000 of you from more than 110 different countries completed the survey. We saw film shooters of ...

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...

Our latest ‘How I Got This Picture’ interview features Anders Elmshøj. When we shared his contact sheet on Instagram, it racked up over 9,000 likes! Curious how he created it? Find out more in the full interview. IMAGE TITLE Louise “Contact Sheet" TECHNICAL INFO FILM USED ILFORD DELTA 3200 PROFESSIONAL FORMAT 35mm CAMERA Leica M7 LENS Voigtlander 35mm Ultron II F2 EXPOSURE TIME F4.5 1/250 LOCATION Copenhagen FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THIS IMAGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SHOOT ...

The Essence Of My Home Hello everyone! Today, I want to open the doors of my soul and share the essence of my home: Las Negras and Cabo de Gata. A piece of land that not only saw me born and grow, but also shaped me as a person and as a photographer. Through my lens, I want to show you the magic that emanates from every corner of this paradise in southern Spain, but I also want to reveal the wounds and contradictions that afflict it. I am a native of Las Negras, a small village in the heart of Cabo de Gata...

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, ...

#dp100in120 is this week’s #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites spotlight. Check out our top picks shot on ILFORD Delta 100 in 120 format, all captured on this beautifully fine-grained film.   @peterdurst.bsky.social‬. All Coolers with be Fuji GS645W Ilford Delta 100 Whitehorse, YT #fridayfavourites #dp100in120.   @kyle.conwaydarkroom.com‬. Some recent work out in the desert. I've noticed more dying saguaro in the last few years with the increased heat we've been getting. ? Pentax 6x...

HARMAN technology announces a brand-new, ISO 200, Black and White film in the Kentmere range HARMAN technology Ltd, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of analogue photographic films, darkroom papers, and photo chemicals, has today announced the launch Kentmere PAN 200 a brand new, high contrast, black & white film. Kentmere PAN 200 Kentmere PAN 200 is an ISO 200 black & white film, with enhanced contrast, pleasing, well controlled grain and good sharpness making it suitable for most s...

Everything Shifted I first came to photography as a teenager, experimenting casually with digital cameras. But it wasn’t until after my PhD in cinema studies focused on representations of family in American television, that I returned to it with real intent. Living in Bordeaux at the time, I had occasionally photographed concerts, mostly as a hobby. Then, during the first COVID lockdown, everything shifted. With time slowing down, I picked up my partner’s analog camera and began shooting in the garden,...

We're thrilled to announce that 'Natural World' the ILFORD Photo 2025/26 student photographic competition is now open for entries. Natural World -  The brief The Natural World includes all living and non-living things that exist in nature, not made or caused by humans. Plants, animals, humans, soil, water to name just a few. From global warming and over consumption to pollution and preservation, capture the story of our planet through your lens. Show us the Natural World as you see it. Our planet has...

The product focus for #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme was #dp400in35mm. We wanted to see your masterpeices shot on ILFORD Delta 400 Professional in 35mm! @timdobbsphoto. "Royal Enfield" .. Leica M2, 35mm on ilford Delta 400 for #fridayfavourites #dp400in35mm.   @serolfitnas. Canon T70, Delta 400 #fridayfavourites #dp400in35mm.   ‪@behindthebluemotel.com‬. Oh boy, if we're doing #dp400in35mm for #fridayfavourites this week where do I even start?   @papashitty...

HARMAN technology is excited to announce the winners of our USA ILFORD Photo Student Film Photo Contest for 2025. This film photography contest for US students was the first of its kind and produced a large selection of entries making their tough work for the judges to choose the winners. The contest included a category for B&W darkroom prints, that were physically mailed in, alongside a category for scanned B&W negatives with prizes for both High School and College students. One member of the j...

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...

Best known as grainydays on YouTube, our next In Focus interview features Jason Kummerfeldt, who has been shooting film for seven years and shares his journey through photography, from the bad to the good. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? This image is one of my all time favorites and one of my own few pieces I have hanging up in my cramped no-wall-space apartment: I shot it on my Mamiya 7 on ILFORD XP2 if I remember co...

This week's #fridayfavourites seems to have come around quickly! We're not setting themes at the moment so any image shot on our products is eligible. Just ensure that you tag us @ilfordphoto and use #fridayfavourites along with telling us which of our films or papers you used. ‪@mikuldo.bsky.social‬  Wartka street. Gdańsk. Hasselblad xpan II+45/4; Ilford xp2super #ilfordphoto @ilfordphoto.bsky.social#fridayfavourites #ilfordxp2 #visitgdansk #Hasselbladxpan #xpan #analogpanorama #panophotos #shoot...

A Place I Have Longed To Visit I am waiting for a bus, destination Portree, Isle of Skye. The midpoint, a bus shelter at Kyle of Lochalsh. It is the pit stop to one of the most beautiful journeys you can make by road and rail in the UK. This is the trip from Inverness to the Isle of Skye.  Though I have been to Kyle before, it is my first time to the Isle of Skye. A place I have longed to visit, and on this occasion, I had more than a desire, I had a purpose. I'm about to spend the next 2 days shooting a ...

Catching Up Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, is a run of the mill small Mexican city—which is to say that it’s pretty cool. There’s a cathedral, a vibrant market, lots of great street food, and a strong sense of community. I lived in Pinotepa for six months a few years ago while I was working on a project and absolutely fell in love with the place. I returned this past December to catch up with old friends and make content for my analog photography YouTube channel. My First Weekend Back I didn’t have a...

We're not setting themes at the moment so any image shot on our products is eligible. Just ensure that you tag us @ilfordphoto and use #fridayfavourites along with telling us which of our films or papers you used.   ‪@chriszueger.bsky.social‬. Follow Back So far I am impressed by Kentmere 200. #fridayfavourites #ilford #kentmere #film #photography #believeinfilm #filmisnotdead #35mm #blackandwhite.   ‪@schneider-dan.bsky.social‬. Had a wonderful morning in Glacier NP last wee...

Up next in our Community Focus series: we're in London with Rapid Eye, founded out of love for printing in 1996! Find out more below. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND LET’S START EASY. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE DARKROOM, WHAT IT’S CALLED AND HOW IT STARTED. Rapid Eye started in 1996 by Lee Williams, born out of a love for printing. I was printing myself with a small team for a few clients but I also loved hosting other printers and photographers. Eventually a small community started to form and we let out som...

Our next In Focus interview features Justin Lockey. As well as being  the lead guitarist of the indie rock band Editors, Justin is also a photographer, writer, director and producer. When he’s not doing any one of those things he’s asleep, or messing around with cameras, or reading about lenses and optical formulas. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I took this in Venice last year, I was playing around with a rolleiflex ...

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...

I love Friday mornings when I can spend a while looking through all the fantastic images that you make and share on our products for Friday favourites. The only thing that would make it better is to see more of you getting involved! Take Part It couldn't be easier to take part. Simply create your image using our ILFORD Photo or Kentmere range of films and darkroom papers and share it on any of our social channels.  (We are @ilfordphoto on Instagram, Bluesky, X, Threads and Facebook). Make sure you use ...

Today is the last 'live' Friday Favourites for a couple of weeks due to holidays but that doesn't mean that we want you to stop sharing images and using #fridayfavourites. It will just give us more fantastic shots to look through next time. @mikuldo.bsky.social‬ A misty midday walk. Hasselblad xpan II+45/4; Ilford xp2super #ilfordphoto @ilfordphoto.com @ilfordphoto.bsky.social#fridayfavourites #ilfordxp2 #Hasselbladxpan #xpan #analogpanorama #panophotos #shootonfilm #beliveinfilm #bnwphotography #an...

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...

For our 88th In Focus interview we're chatting to Peggy Marsh. A photographer and camera lover, Peggy founded CameraGoCamera back in 2015, initially to keep a track of her own expanding camera collection... Section 1 - Background Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you? This is hard for me as I never think anything I do is good enough. I am in a constant state of self-deprecation and can be overly critical of my images and projects. I chose the image belo...

It’s #FridayFavourites time again and we’ve got a new set of awesome images to share with you from the film community. We love seeing your shots each week, please keep sharing them with us. ‪Peter Durst‬ She loves you big river more than me Rolleiflex MX-EVS @ilfordphoto.com FP4+ The Yukon River #believeinfilm   @iandaisley Barmouth Bridge, 2025. Mum had a caravan just up the coast at Tal-y-Bont and we’d visit every year. Fond memories. Ilford PANF, RB67 Pro SD, 127mm F/3.5 L len...

 These are portraits from this series. This is “Burnt Orange” —- a B&W photo project on evolving identities and third culture experiences through the lens of portraiture. In my experience being able to connect and share so much of intimacy through photography, I first share that with my friends and the people I meet along my many journeys. These are portraits from this series. Portraiture as a mirror I didn’t really understand the art of portraiture before thsi project. What it means to giv...

The biggest weekend TRNSMT is arguably the biggest weekend of the year for music in Scotland, and yet this was my first time shooting the festival. I was very excited to be shooting it, especially for bands like Fontaines D.C., Confidence Man, VLURE, and Wet Leg. Ordinarily I’ll be shooting individual gigs, photographing one artist, on one stage, over the space of maybe an hour. So while my subject was essentially the same this weekend, it was a very different workflow, with a lot more performances to s...

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 ...

It's been a couple of weeks since we set you the friday favourites theme of #fallfilm and what a beautful selection of images you shared for us to choose from. We're back to normal next week, with no particular theme so just tag #fridayfavourites and tell us which product you used to get involved. (We may be more drawn to spooky images though, with Halloween being around the corner). @greg-juhasz.bsky.social‬ · Never to return The fairy tree of Silver Lake, has since been destroyed. Ilford FP4+, M...

Our final #fridayfavourites of October and as ususal you've shared a fantastic array of images made with our ILFORD and Kentmere films. Please continue to share your shots with us and tagging #fridayfavourites, we love seeing how creative yo are with our products. belichtungen • it’s pumpkin season —— ? #canona1 + canon lens fd 50mm f1.4 ?️ #kentmerepan400? #filmspeedlab ——#belichtungen #filmphotography #35mm #filmphoto #staybrokeshootfilm #analogphotography #shotonfilm #ishootfilm #35mm...

Interview number 9 in our Community Focus series takes us to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where we chatted with Analog Club Amsterdam. Tell us A little about the darkroom, what it’s called and how it started. Well as we are situated in Amsterdam the darkroom is known as Analog Club Amsterdam open doka. Doka is a dutch abbreviation for Darkroom. And ACA Doka is a collaboration with MK24 which is an art institute in Amsterdam. MK24 has different analog courses and analog printing is one of the courses. ...

It’s #FridayFavourites time,  and once again, we’ve been arguing (in the best way) over which shots to choose! The theme free weeks always bring out the biggest variety of shots as you'd expect, but we’d still like to see even more of you getting involved. ‪@incidencematrix.bsky.social‬ Shelter Olympus 35RC Olympus E. Zuiko 42mm f/2.8 lensIlford XP2 Super 400 film (C-41 process) flic.kr/p/2rDvcwa #FilmPhotography #Photography ?️ ? #BelieveInFilm #FilmIsNotDead #CO #Ilford #XP2 #FridayFavo...

Hey, my name is David, better known as @Twostopsover, and ILFORD asked me to share a bit about my 3D printed dual format camera. Who am I? A quick intro about myself: I’m a cinematographer working in the commercial space, and in 2017 I rediscovered analog photography and fell head over heels in love with it. I think what excites me so much about shooting film is the process, and even more so, how much room there is to experiment. I mean, with which digital camera can you swap out the entire sensor wit...

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...

This week, we invited you to share any images captured with our products using #fridayfavourites, or to join in with this week’s #shotinthedark theme, letting you know we'd give a little extra love to the themed entries. The incredible response showed us just how much you’ve missed our themed weeks, so you can expect plenty more coming your way in future! @kellachrome.bsky.social‬ Cornwall Corner Store, Bellingham, WA ? Crown Graphic ?️ Ilford HP5+ 4x5 Sheet Film #fridayfavourites #shotintheda...

Wow! what a fantastic week for entries. Please keep this up. It was such a great way to spend our morning looking through all of the posts that you have shared and tagged with #fridayfavourites. stargazinqly•One of the first darkroom prints i made in paris ?taken in 上野 juin, 2024 #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #ilfordhp5 #ilfordmultigrade #darkroomprint #darkroomphotography #35mm   romanpolenin Japan - Scenes from Hiroshima prefecture. - Film: ilford FP4+ - Dev: @kommuna_filmlab #ilf...

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 ...

Happy new year to all of you. We're looking forward to seeing more of  your fantastic images made with our ILFORD and Kentmere products over the next twelve months. You can share at any point using #fridayfavourites and we will have a few special themes throughout the year as well. Next week Don't forget that next week, we're looking for your favourite image from last year last taken with our films. Share with us using the usual #fridayfavourites tag along with #2025fave leicalove1966 Lake Ontari...

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...

On a busy day, whilst trying to find somewhere more peaceful away from crowds, Jerzy Jarczewski took a short break and was drawn to capture this beautiful image looking towards Becco di Mezzodi. Technical info Film Used: ILFORD FP4 PLUS 125 Format: 35mm Camera: Nikon FM2n Lens: Voigtlander Ultron 40mm/2 Exposure time:   1/125 Other equipment: Irix Edge GND8  filter Location Near Rifugio Croda da Lago on southern side of  Lago Federa in Dolomites Firstly, tell us the story behind this ima...

A big Inspiration A big inspiration for me is Jill Furmanovsky. I’d been at ILFORD for maybe 3 months when I went to a music photography exhibition at Manchester central library. It featured some of her work. Seeing her contact sheet of Joy Division shot on ILFORD HP5 PLUS was what made me start shooting gigs. It was a band I loved on a product I was now helping to make. Capturing emotion and atmosphere I started taking the odd picture on a little point and shoot at gigs I was going to. Then I finall...

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...

It’s been more than half a decade since I wrote about shooting ILFORD films in the winter when my solution to the pervasive grey, the grey clouds, grey streets, grey people, was to push film to its limits. I regularly carried high speed emulsions: Delta 3200 which I would expose up to 12800, HP5+ up to 3200, all in an effort to cut through the reality that there was simply not enough light in the conditions I was trying to make images. The strategy was one of technical compensation, fighting the darknes...

It's been a crazy few weeks here in Mobberley and there's no sign of things getting quieter. (Watch this space)! So, it's great to take some time out on a Friday morning to go through the images that you have shared for this week's #fridayfavourites. Next week #panfshots We're having a themed week next week and asking for you to share you #panfshots with us. We can't wait to see those smooth and contrasty images:) For now, here are this week's #fridayfavourites. stephan.morais.foto Ocean Beach, Sa...

By Popular Demand We are thrilled to announce the launch of ILFORD PAN F PLUS ISO 50 in 4x5” and 8x10” sheet film formats, expanding access to one of the world’s most iconic black & white films for large format photographers. Renowned for its ultra-fine grain, exceptional sharpness, rich contrast, and beautiful tonal range, ILFORD PAN F PLUS has long been a favourite among photographers shooting landscapes, studio photography, portraits, and fashion. While the film has been available for decades...