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

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

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

20th August 2014 ILFORD PHOTO confirm no plans to discontinue XP2 SUPER Film following the recent announcement that Kodak Alaris is discontinuing KODAK PROFESSIONAL BW400CN Film.   ILFORD PHOTO can confirm that there are no plans to discontinue ILFORD XP2 SUPER. This product continues to be in free supply throughout the world from ILFORD PHOTO Distributors and Photographic Retailers, and is available in 35mm and 120 formats as well as a 35mm Single Use Camera. ILFORD XP2 SUPER is an ISO 400/27�...

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

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

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

Having shot a roll of black and white film it now needs to be processed to create the negatives. At this point your film is still light sensitive so should not be exposed to light. Processing your own film can be highly satisfying and cost effective. It is also easy to learn. The most common method for hand processing film is undertaken by using a Daylight Processing Tank. This piece of kit needs the film to be loaded on to a ‘spiral’ or ‘reel’, in the dark, and then enclosed in a light tight co...

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

General health and safety advice This section provides advice to our customers on the safe handling, use and storage of our photochemical solutions, best practice for waste disposal and specific advice to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding a child. If you are looking for information on the chemical safety of HARMAN photochemistry solutions, please refer to the Safety Data Sheets (known as SDS or MSDS) 24 HOUR OHES emergency line for advice on chemical incidents Safe working practices It is essen...

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

A black border often enhances a print and does not involve any sort of mounting or overlay. Ink or tape borders The easiest way to produce narrow black borders is to rule them with a pen directly onto your finished print: an India-ink pen gives the most solid line, but most permanent (all surface) spirit based markers are much less expensive and will do the job. For slightly wider black borders, narrow, self-adhesive strips are available from graphic arts suppliers. Supplied in dispensers, of various w...

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

What is the luminogram process? The Luminogram process is light, directed onto photo paper in the darkroom. About as basic as ‘photography’ can get. It has been with us for a long while. László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946) started using it in 1922, while Gottfried Jäger described it as "the result of pure light design; the rudimentary expression of an interaction of light and photosensitive material… a kind of self-representation of light." And yet it has always seemed to sit on the sideline...

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

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

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

All ILFORD Inspires content has a common goal: To inspire people to try traditional analogue black and white photography by showcasing the power and potential of this highly creative medium. New York Silver Stories Working with the talented team at Exploredinary, this series features four short documentaries telling the stories of silver gelatin darkroom printers in New York City. The Bronx Documentary Center - Turning Negatives into Positives Founded by Michael Kamber, the BDC is a non-profit aimed at ...

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

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

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

Starting Out As a relative newbie there is a lot I still don’t know or understand the history of photographic film types and the various process do’s & don’ts.  I’m OK with this and let me tell you why. There are countless books, articles and resources to help me learn as well as a very supportive film community.  It is important that I do my homework but it is also important I don’t let all this information overwhelm me. Learning For me the main and only way to learn is time behind t...

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

#alternateprocess Happy Friday everyone! Last week we set the theme #alternateprocess for #ilfordfridayfavourites and we've seen such variety of images. Sun prints, tin types, cyanotypes, wet plate, pinhole, palladium, hand coloured, tones in a variety of liquids, we've had them all. Here are our favourites five @mparry1234 - MULTIGRADE paper with leaves and an hour of sunlight. #ilfordfridayfavourites #alternateprocess @corrine_perry 'Melancholia #1' Hand Coloured Darkroom Photograph #al...

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....

Man of science I love alternative photographic techniques like dry plates and brushed on emulsions. I am a darkroom fanatic – always exploring new ways to mash up digital with traditional analog techniques. I love all kinds of print processes – cyanotypes, salts, van dykes to name a few. I shoot all formats right from 35mm half frames up to 8×10 large format. I am also an avid camera collector but prefer to be a user rather than an admirer of my cameras. I currently use a Nikon F3, Leica M-A, Hasse...

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...

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

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

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

Nolton Haven Technical info Film Used FP4+ Format 35mm Camera Nikon F2 Lens 20mm F3.5 AI. 25A red & 2stop ND filters. Exposure time 30seconds Other equipment Manfrotto tripod, Weston Lightmeter. Location Nolton Haven is a small narrow bay on the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.  It sits between the two much larger beaches of Druidstone and Newgale. Its characteristic feature are its two almost near symmetrical headlands.         Firstly, tell us the...

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...

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

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

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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

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

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

I 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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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...

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

Nagi I met Nagi on my weekly walk down Hollywood Blvd. Each Sunday I would take the Metro from Long Beach to Hollywood and Highland. Shooting and conversing with those I'd meet along the way. On this specific day, October 27th,2019 to be exact, I met Nagi on my way back to the Metro station. He was with his friend walking his bike along the stars. His ecstatic energy and rambunctious demeanor instantly sparked my attention. I originally stopped and asked him for a quick portrait along the Boulevard. Howeve...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We've been excited to see the images for today's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #panoramic theme. Again,  this was a really popular theme with so many great black and white film images shared.  Friday mornings, spent choosing our favourites are one of the highlights of our week!   @vphill The Oculus (New York City) Fujifilm TX-1 (xpan) / 30mm f5.6 / Ilford HP5+ #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #panoramic @andrearch71 From home in lockdown HP5+ and SilvestriCamera BicamIII 6x12 #ilfordphoto #...

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

We haven't been able to travel much lately but everywhere has local landmarks and places of interest. For this week's #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #sightseeing theme we asked you to share your shots of well known landmarks. Even if they are only well known locally to you! @uberpikey Shot on 8x10 HP4 (yes, you read that right) Moudy Hall at Texas Christian University last night. Developed in ascorbic acid, sodium carbonate, and IPA with cloves steeped in it.   @bsanfordjr Regions Field in...

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...

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

When the streets become unbearable I’m not so good with words, but that’s probably why I love photography. I can let the photos I make speak for themselves. The death of George Floyd, back in May of last year, hit me hard. So much so that I went out a did what I usually do when stress becomes unbearable, I make pictures. I grabbed my Nikon F and Nikon FE, grabbed some HP5 and FP4, and headed out to clear my mind, and see what I could create. While stopping at some familiar spots in downtown Colu...

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 ...

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...

We asked you to step outside of your comfort zone this week and get in front of the camera for once for our #ilfordphoto #fridayfavourites #meonfilm theme.  You are certainly a creative bunch! We've never seen so many photos of people that don't really show them:) The ones we've chosen are the ones that show you clearest! hannibal.bass ? Minolta Hi-Matic E?️ Kentmere 400 ? Hc-110 #ilfordphoto #kentmere400 #minoltahimatic #35mmfilm #fridayfavourites #meonfilm @lucindaklewis Self portraits with @I...

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

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

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...

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

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

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...

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

The Brief A simple theme, but one that we know will produce some beautiful images of our Mobberley landmarks and beautiful views. We want you to take a picture of Mobberley and share it with us. If you have a film camera lurking in the loft or, even better in everyday use then, we’ll even provide a free roll of film and develop it! Alternatively, you are welcome to use a digital camera or even your phone to capture your shot. Winning images will be printed and framed by www.harmanlab.com and dis...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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 ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

My love of black and white photography started back in college processing and printing images. The film of choice being FP4. and printing fibre based prints. In the beginning as a photographer most of my work was B/W. Spending much time in the dark room printing. Unfortunately time was something that was running out. As a professional you have the the funds but you don’t have the time. So I moved away from printing for a while and concentrated on shooting. Another-day-in-the-office One thing I learne...

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 ...

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...

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

My Relationship With Streetball I love street basketball. The competition, the intense arguments and the handshakes at the end where all signs of aggression dissipate. I love the environment in which these scenes take place. From the frayed nets, the cracked asphalt, to the uneven rims, there's something compelling about basketball courts that haven’t seen repair since the day they were laid. But the true beauty of streetball happens on the sidelines between games. Here, in the waiting, is the vibrance: ...

Always watchful As a woman, out and about taking photographs on my own, I try to take care not to put myself at any unnecessary risk. I’m always watchful of anyone taking the wrong kind of interest in me or my gear. I shouldn’t have to worry about things like that but sadly, that’s how life is. When I go out, I don’t have any expectations of what I’m going to shoot that day because I never know what, or who, will turn up. Blending In Through my passion for street photography, I am very inter...

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...

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

Introducing 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...

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

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...

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...

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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...

Our 72nd In Focus interview is with Brazilian lab technician and teacher Samanta Ortega. Samanta focuses on empowering and fueling the resurgence of film photography in Brazil from the inside out. SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND SHARE YOUR FAVORITE IMAGE/PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU. Invasão | ILFORD Delta 400 | Yashica Zoomate 76 There is so much I could say about this image, but no description I elaborate will ever do it justice. This was one of the frames in the first eve...

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

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

Meet Lindsey Campbell, the SHE manager at HARMAN Technology and our 17th featured guest in the 'Behind The Film' interview series. WHO ARE YOU? WHAT’S YOUR JOB TITLE HARMAN TECHNOLOGY AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED HERE? I’m Lindsey – the SHE (Safety, Health and Environment) Manager. I came to HARMAN in 2020, just before the pandemic hit, so have been here for four years. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR DAY TO DAY ROLE. It’s something of a cliché, but every day really is different. There are day-to-d...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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 ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our second Community Focus highlights Lakeside Darkroom, a London-based community interest company with a strong feminist ethos. Keep reading to explore their facilities and what they have to offer! Section 1 - Background Let’s start easy. Tell us A little about the darkroom, what it’s called and how it started. Lakeside Darkroom (LKSD) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) with a strong feminist ethos. Established in August 2022, its primary aim is to provide a safe, welcoming, and empowering space ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

We're staying in R&D for our latest 'Behind the Film' interview with Josie Cowap. Josie joined us in 2023 as a Laboratory Technician Apprentice and has recently passed her end point assessment, so is now fully qualified. Congratulations Josie! Tell us a little about your day to day role. I work in the research and development department, and my day to day my responsibilities include formulating all the components that go into film and paper into a package that I can then coat on our pilot coating ma...

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