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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...
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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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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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The Grand Canyon at Plateau Point
Technical info
Film Used: ILFORD FP4+
Format: 4x5
Camera: Wista 45DX
Lens: Rodenstock: 90mm f/4.5
Exposure time: 1/60th
Other equipment: Red filter
Location:
Plateau Point, Grand Canyon National Park
Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it?
One weekend at the last minute I decided to do a full moon hike to Plateau Point in the Grand Canyon. My plan was to hike down around ...
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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...
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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...
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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
...
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I am a wedding and portrait photographer. The following portrait is of Roshni, a jewelry designer. Her designs are handcrafted and have a vintage feel to them. So, when the opportunity came to shoot her I wanted to create something classic and real. One look at her and I was convinced about black and white being the choice of film.
Film used: HP5 PLUS
Format : 4X5 sheet film
Camera: Wista Field 4X5 Large Format
Lens: Schneider S...
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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...
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The Outlaw Project shooting portraits with a large format camera
The Outlaw Project, was inspired by Edward Sheriff Curtis, the 19th Century photographer, known for his portraits of native Americans, shot with a large format camera.
In 2011, Peter acquired a giant copy camera, made by Sidney R. Littlejohn Co., in the East end of London circa 1926. The camera, though having been used heavily in the newspaper industry for copying documents, was generally in working condition. With its inner mechanical str...
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Violin
Technical info
Film Used: ILFORD HP5 plus 400
Format 120 (6*6)
Camera Hasselblad 503CW
Lens: Planar 80mm f/2,8 CF lens and Makro Planar T* CF 120mm f/4
Exposure time Double exposure (f/5,6 1/30s)
Location: Petrozavodsk (Russia)
Tell us the story behind Violin. What inspired you to shoot it?
I have been working with the Karelian State Philharmonic for many years. The Philharmonic invites world famous musicians for concerts and festivals, and I shoot portraits of those musicians fo...
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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.
...
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Spirit of the mountain
Spirit of the Mountains ©Darnell Wu
Technical info:
Film Used:ILFORD HP5 PLUS 400
Format:4 x 10 inch
Camera :CHAMONIX 4*10 N2
Lens :SINARON S 72° f=300mm
Exposure time:1/2S
Other equipment:COKIN red filter with SEKONIC 508 light meter with tripod.
Location:Minya Konka, Yaha nek, Sichuan Range
Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it?
I was still in the first year of high school when I shot this and needed to ask for...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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…...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Interview 23 is with Michael Weitzman. A film photographer, darkroom teacher and alternate and experimental process enthusiast. Michael was nominated back in June by Brett Hillyard.
BACKGROUND
SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU?
Northern Line. This photograph shouldn’t have happened, but I wanted to shoot in extreme conditions. It was 5 or 10 below zero with 15 - 20 MPH wind off the Missouri River in Great Falls Montana dead of winter. I came up to ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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We thought that this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #shallowdof was a tough theme, but you proved us wrong by sharing bucketloads of beautiful images with us. Thank you to everybody that shared, I just wish we could choose them all.
@oliverdegante @ILFORDPhoto #shallowdof #fridayfavourites #ilfordphoto #hp5 #believeinfilm
@chrislanaway Wide open with my @Intrepidcamera and @ILFORDPhoto HP5 #shallowdof #ilfordhp5 #fridayfavourites
@panchromaholic Lovely Kentmere PAN1...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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We've really been looking forward to sharing this week's In Focus interview with you. We've been long time followers of Tyler's work and were thrilled when he agreed to take part in this series. As described by Allie Evans 'He makes you feel like the impossible is always possible'.
Section 1 - Background
Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you?
I shared this image because it is one that without Ilford I would have never made, I fell in love with black and w...
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I'm fairly sure that this week's interviewee doesn't need an introduction. Walter Rothwell is a multi award winning photographer and co founder of Street Photography International Collective. His website and Instagram feed are filled with striking street and documentary images from around the world.
Section 1 Background
Share your favourite image / print shot on ILFORD film and tell us what it means to you?
This image is from a documentary I made in a leprosy hospital in Bangladesh. I was 19 when I start...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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'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
...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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After the fantastic response to this image when we shared it on our Instagram. We contacted Mustapha and asked him to tell us about it and answer some of the questions about how he had created it.
Patricio Reyes Benavente Mendiola, aka "Pineapple"
Technical Info:
Film Used:
Ilford Delta Pro 100, Medium Format 120 Black & White film
Camera:
Yashica Mat 124 G, Lens: Twin Lens 80mm
Exposure Time:
1/125 @ f8
Other Equipment:
Tripod, Light Meter, Cable release, Sync cable, V-flat, Strobe Light, ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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A birthday request
When my teenage daughter asked visit Eastern State Penitentiary on her birthday in January 2020 for the third time I knew I had to take something different with me to capture the historic prison. Built in the early 1800's and operational until 1971, Eastern State takes up a whole city block in Philadelphia, PA. After over two decades of neglect, the prison opened as a museum in the 90's.
Eastern State Penitentiary's Gothic castle style architecture instills feelings of awe, power,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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...
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As a child I fell in love with the magic of the darkroom and of making Gelatin Silver prints. Watching a print develop fascinated me. In high school I had access to a darkroom working with 620 film (2.25 X 3.25 inch roll film.) and, consequently, I studied photography at Rochester Institute of Technology, School of Photography & Syracuse University School of Journalism. Studying with art-photographer Minor White opened my eyes to using photography as an art form. Minor helped me see beyond the objective...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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'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...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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)...
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Look back on all the fantastic photography created in January for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites, with the theme being #madeinjanuary.
@helloimedden @ILFORDPhoto In January I shot a lot of #HP5 #fridayfavorites #madeinjanuary #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites
@tedayreAt the edge of the Yorkshire Dales…#IlfordXP2 at EI800 on the #NikonFM2 dev & scan by @comethroughlab ?…#35mm, #35mmFilm, #35mmc, #FilmPhotography, #AnaloguePhotography, #AnalogueWonderland, #ComeThroughLab, #...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Gosia Janik gives us the lowdown on how she captured this striking portrait.
Image Title
Xu Jing
Technical Info
Film Used
ILFORD HP5+
Format
Medium format 6x5
Camera
Mamiya 645 AFD
Lens
Mamiya 80mm f2.8
Exposure time
1/60
Location
Home/studio in Madrid
Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it?
I often work with “new faces” - models that are sent to me by agencies to shoot a session for building or renovating their portfolio.
Xu was sent to me by...
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Fascinated By Portraiture
Ever since I´m shooting photos I am fascinated by portraiture. There is something special to photograph a person. It´s always a very intimate moment and you have to build a relationship to each person that is in front of the camera. After shooting 35mm for a while I wanted to try something new. Inspired by Nick Brandt and his wildlife portraits in "Across the Ravaged Land", I found out that he uses a Pentax 67 including a 105 2.4 lens for his absolutely outstanding work. Long st...
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Queer Representation
I made the first photograph for The Queering of Photography in 2015. I had recently begun my doctoral studies and there I was, in the Royal College of Art studios, trying to make a start with an academic project on queer representation. My friend Ruth had agreed to sit for me and together we set up the studio. Once I placed a piece of masking tape on the floor, Ruth positioned themselves just behind, ready for the first frame. I had brought with me a handful of printouts from photobook...
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'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...
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We loved seeing your take on #depthoffield for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites. You have all captured such beautiful images, making it incredibly hard to choose from.
@sbills15. Hasselblad 500CM and 120CFi lens with 56MM extension tube. ILFORD Delta 400 was the film I used. Printed on ILFORD MG FB Classic 11x14 paper. Aperture set at F/8 #depthoffield #lfordphoto #fridayfavourites #hasselbald500CM @Hasselblad
@paidwithstrawberries. Olympus OM101 • ILFORD Delta 3200. ...
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This week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme is #panfonfilm. ILFORD PANF+ proudly claims its position as the slowest-speed film in our plus range; its high contrast, smooth tonality, and fine detail make it a favourite with many portrait and landscape photographers.
@sbills15. I I happened to see this scene walking around campus at work. Love these results I got using PanF Plus in my Hasselblad 500CM. I added a 16MM extension tube onto my 120MM CFi lens to get a bit closer. #panfonfilm #fridayfavour...
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“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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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With its liberating high speed, and wide tonal range, DELTA 3200 is ideal for fast action and low light photography so we were excited to see what images you chose to share for today's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #ilforddelta3200pulled theme.
@simon_diamond A summer shot for #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #ilforddelta3200pulledLeica R4S Elmarit 28mm F2.8 Delta 3200 (pulled 1 stop to 1600) #believeinfilm #photography
@sbills15 Dad after his run. Hasselblad 500CM, 120MM CFi Macro lens and...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Is a Photograph a Photograph if it Was Not Made with a Camera, Lens, or Negative?
The ethereal color palette and expressionistic qualities of the work I have been making with ILFORD's photographic paper seemingly resemble the representations of light and color as seen in many landscape paintings (think J.M.W. Turner, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole); however, the work in my on-going project, I Thought You Left / I Wish You Were Here, are lumen prints—a form of camera-less photography where objects or a neg...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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The best thing about our theme free Friday favourites weeks are that we get to see so many different genres of film photography all made with our products. This week was no exception. Check out our favorite images below!
@PanamStyle PanF+ #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites
@Jeandron Basking in the sun, outside of the historic Stockport Market Hall. (Intrepid 4x5 mk3, Fujinon 90mm 5.6, f45 1/15 sec, Ilford HP5+, red filter) #filmphotography #largeformat #film #Analog #blackandwhite #ilfordphoto #monochro...
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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 ...
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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...
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Discover how Justin Olsen captured these stunning shots during his hike up the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point in this "How I Got This Picture" interview.
Image Title
Vista From 4 Mile Trail
TECHNICAL INFO
FILM USED
ILFORD DELTA 400
FORMAT
35mm
CAMERA
Rollei 35 (made in Germany in the 1960s)
LENS
Fixed 40mm Carl Zeiss
EXPOSURE TIME
It was an in and out stormy day. Many different exposers.
LOCATION
Four Mile Trail, Yosemite National Park. California.
FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THI...
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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...
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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...
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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. ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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"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...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Self-portraiture as Catharsis
My photography is a form of therapy, a personal, emotional and sometimes turbulent struggle with the complexity of emotions. I feel my life and art have become intertwined and to bury this mental state deep within would only allow it to thrive but through my use of photography, I am offered a sense of catharsis.
My self-depictions manifest within the same four walls, my bedroom. The room I believe is the keeper of my trapped and repressed emotions. This often heavily constr...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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DELTA Professional films
What a fantastic week for black and white film images. Thank you for sharing all of your shots on #Deltafilm with us.
DELTA PROFESSIONAL films use the latest Core-Shell™ film emulsion technology which give them the advantage of a lower grain to speed ratio. This means that you get less grain at the equivalent speed when compared to PLUS films presenting a slightly cleaner, sharper look. We've really enjoyed choosing our favourites this week.
@julianoserraweb Cushion-Kombi,...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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It's been a while since we had a new #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites as we've been on holiday. We hope that you all had a great summer too and managed to shoot plenty of film. For this week we asked you to share your shots on #ilfordxp2 film and these are our favourites.
analogue_reverend Shoot testing out a garage sale camera find (Canon FT) and some expired film (Ilford XP2). They both held up well! #canonft #ilfordxp2 #ilfordphoto #bwportrait #expiredfilm #filmcamera #analoguephotography #analoguevi...
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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Thank you to everybody that shared shots with us for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #shotonHP5. So many amazing images to choose from and it is clear you all love HP5 as much as we do! The versatility of it shows in how and what you have captured! We even have a couple of Holga shots and a bit of darkroom toning going on!
Jason Connelly @jconnellyphotos Camera: Holga, Ilford Warmtone FB Paper, Selenium 1:5
Andrew Bartram @Warboyssnapper #shotonhp5 #fridayfavourites @I...
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So many beautiful shots to choose from for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #myfavouritefilm theme. It seems you all have your favourites and after looking at some of the images that you shared with us, we can see why.
@RyanHK_ I think HP5+ is my all-time favorite... No other film has its latitude or versatility. I've shot it as low as ISO50 & up to ISO3200. #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #myfavouritefilm
ps_alpine_photo Trevor Hunt on Chatyn-Tau (4412m) SE couloir (1800m, 4...
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We love spending time in the darkroom, and it's always surprising how quickly time can pass when there are no other distractions. For today's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites we asked you to share your results from this time well spent for our theme #printedwithpassion.
@justgipsy #ilfordphoto #printedwithpassion #fridayfavourites Darkroom prints #Delta100 rated @ 50, selenium toned, part of a sunflower series
©Chris Hudson #printedwithpassion This was shot on a digital camera and then Li...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
...
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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...
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Three Exciting New Products
We are pleased to announce the launch of 3 exciting new products. Two of these products support our goal of encouraging and enabling film photographers to take the next step in their analogue journey and experience the creativity and magic of darkroom printing. The third is the perfect holiday season gift for film enthusiasts.
ILFORD Pop-Up Darkroom – Coming Q4 2021
The ILFORD Pop-Up Darkroom is the perfect solution for film photographers who want to print their negatives an...
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Today's #handsonfilm must have been a tough #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme as we saw far fewer images than we usually do. However the ones that you shared with us were great.
z.allaire Ilford XP-2 Hasselblad 500 C/M #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #handsonfilm #ilfordxp2 #120film #hasselblad #hasselblad500cm #analogueportraits #blackandwhite
@timdobbsphoto "Hand print" .. Minolta X700 on ilford FP4+ for #handsonfilm #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #believeinfilm
@steve_...
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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...
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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...
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With this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites theme being #nightfilm we were expecting out faster films to feature and we weren't wrong. However, you also shot with some of our slowest too!
@debrawilsonsays Singapore at night. Ilford FP4 Rollei 35LED and tripod #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #nightfilm #shootfilmbenice
z.allaire #chanukah #chabad #ilfordphoto #ilfordxp2 #120film #hasselblad #hasselblad500cm #fridayfavourites #nightfilm #blackandwhite #analoguephotography #argentique
...
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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...
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We were looking forward to seeing your shots for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #filmdrama theme. Black and white film really lends itself to adding atmosphere to already dramatic shots.
grainy_waves Storm Franklin Only one brave guy out and one idiot shooting medium format on the hasselblad . Not another soul to be seen Hasselblad 500 cm . 500 mm , ILFORD HP5 pushed to 1600 Developed in DDX 13 mins
@PlymouthDarkro1 Just enough drama in the sky for a nice balance. Its all Iford...
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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...
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“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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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A huge thank you to everyone who shared an image for this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites, with the theme being #themefree. This theme was popular with many entries, which we enjoyed looking through. Our favourites are below.
@konduplenka#themefree #fridayfavourites #ilfordphoto
@mattweddis Up close and personal with Kirk. This is the first digitised image from the large format photos we took to document @thisiskirkjenkins and his latest mural. Taking a close up portra...
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Why pinhole photography?
This is a question I’m often asked, by fellow photographers and complete strangers alike. Using a beautiful wooden Ondu camera, I began exploring the world of slow photography about five years ago. The moment I saw my first developed negatives I knew I’d found a glimpse of photographic heaven. This started my obsession with this ancient form of imaging. As you’ll see, my love of this medium has many facets – the creative possibilities, the look and even the image making pro...
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«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...
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When I Was A Teenager
Mine is a common story with photography in that my dad gave me his 35mm camera when I was a teenager. I shot his Minolta until I dropped it a few too many times and the light leaks became punitive. Soon after, I stumbled into the darkroom just as casually after I found my dad’s enlarger in the back of a closet and my friend, Joel, taught me the basics of printing in a few hours (I didn’t realize how difficult that would be). I didn’t have or know about filters and had no techniq...
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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...
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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.
@MikoPoloczanski. An oak tree somewhere in the forest. 4x Hasselbladxpan II +45/4; f11/250; Ilford xp2 super; #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #oak #hasselbladxpan #polskapanoramiczna #themefree #bnwphotography #analogphotography #panoramiccamera.
@podvodoy. this week's #ilfordphoto #...
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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...
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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...
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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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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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It’s Friday again, which means a brand-new #FridayFavourites and a fresh collection of images to enjoy! We love seeing all the photos and prints you share that have been made using our products—it’s so inspiring. Every post not only celebrates your own creativity but also sparks new ideas for others. Please keep sharing, and remember to use #fridayfavourites.
@Kirigir77434381#ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites Mamiya press super23, Kentmere pan200, Tokyo pyro, TPfix
davidezappettini F...
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We've been looking forward to seeing your images for this week's #2025fave #fridayfavourites. There was a great selection of different styles and subjects shared and a wide range of our films and formats. These are our favourites this week.
doc_voronov Another successful experiment, this time on film ?️ #filmphotographer #ilfordxp2 #doubleexposurephotography #fridayfavourites#2025fave
Paula Smith My favourite from 2025 using @ilfordphoto.com film. This (I think) is going to be the ...
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Although there doesn't seem to be a lot of love in the air this week. (Apart from your love of film). There were still plenty of shots shared with us for this weeks #fridayfavourites.
matilda jay well 2?minolta cle/zeiss c sonnar 50mm f1.5?️ilford delta 3200/ilfosol 3/pull 1 southbank centre #filmphotography #architecture #fridayfavourites #b&w
Andy Karlson Even in its decrepitude, the 1950 Buick Roadmaster was love on wheels. #fridayfavouriteslove Rolleiflex Automat...
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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...
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Here we are again. Is it just us, or is this year passing by far too quickly in a whirl of shoot, develop print? Although there are far worse ways to spend your time! You have spoiled us again this week with a fantastic selection of images made with our products. These are the ones we've selected for today's #fridayfavourites.
obadvw•The gentleman’s ritual Captured on ILFORD FP4+ with Mamiya RZ67 Developed on ID11 Studio: @thehue.sa #fridayfavourites #fineartportrait #filmisnotdead #ilfordfp...