Shoot It Right With Ilford FP4 Plus

Ilford FP4 is an ISO 125 film which was released originally in 1968, almost 10 years before Kodak Tri-X first hit the shelves. On their website, Ilford FP4 Plus is shown to be a medium speed, all purpose black and white film with very fine grain, and outstanding sharpness. Ilford would go on to say that it has superb exposure latitude, and below its 125 ISO. This makes it very capable for photographing most subjects in areas, and varied lighting conditions.

Can you shoot Ilford FP4 at box speed? 

You definitely can shoot this film at box speed. When you first use it for a shoot, you'll find the film will give you really pleasing results, particularly in its grain, and especially if you are using strong lighting conditions. 

What are some reasons for shooting with this film? 

You can shoot with it in any situation. That's one of the greatest things about this film. You could use it indoors, outdoors. You could shoot portraits, landscapes. You could shoot architecture, you could shoot macro. Whatever it is that you want to shoot, you can get out and shoot with this film. So, it's a great film to have nipped in your bag somewhere. You can whip it out, and use it in any situation. Wherever you might be.

Picture this. You're at a friend's party or perhaps even at a wedding reception, and definitely have a role of this in your back pocket or in your bag. Its wide latitude of exposure will allow you to shoot in variable lighting conditions. Just don't forget to process it accordingly, or get your favourite film processor to do it for you.

It is a significantly cheaper alternative to using Neopan Acros to, or even using Kodak black and white film. It's a little bit more basic, but actually the results that you're going to get from it are going to be very, very similar to what you would get with Neopan Acros or with Kodak T-MAX or Tri-X, for example. So, if that's an important factor for you, then you should definitely shoot with this film.

It's fantastic in strong light, particularly harsh sunlight. So, if you're going to be somewhere where it's going to be like that, then make sure that you've got a role in this. It also has a really good tolerance to bad exposure. So if you don't have a light metre with you or you don't have one, you're guessing, you'll probably get some good results regardless of how you end up shooting with it. Obviously within its parameters.

You're on a budget. We've already talked about the fact that it's cheaper than using Neopan Acros or Kodak. But also, you can buy this in bulk, and that will significantly reduce the costs of shooting with this film. So, if you are planning on shooting black and white, and you want something which is consistent and gives you a great result, then buy in bulk. Roll up your own film at home, and that will save you a lot of money too.

There's probably two main reasons why you probably don't want to shoot with Ilford FP4. First one is that it's contrast is a little bit of a disappointment. So, if you like having that in your images, then you probably don't want to shoot with this film. The grain structure is good, but the contrast is a little bit off. Secondly, if you are based outside the UK, North America, Australasia, wherever it might be, then it might be more expensive for you to get a hold of this film. And so, cost effectively, it may not be the best option for you. But at the end of the day, you should know your own style, and if this is the right one for you, you should definitely check it out.

What can you take away?

It's definitely worth you getting a role and checking it out. Its medium speed will allow you to shoot in a large variety of situations. Whether that's in the studio, whether that's outside on the street, or even shooting landscapes, you're going to get some fabulous results due to its wide exposure latitude. With that in mind, definitely take the time to work with this film, especially if you like the grain on it, and you like images with a little bit more controlled contrast in it. Certainly, definitely worth trying in lots of different scenarios. Take it for a walk wherever you might be, and see what you get.

I absolutely loved shooting this film and would love to hear your thoughts on Ilford FP4. Have you shot with it? What kind of results did you get with it? Let me know in the comments below? 

Do go ahead and subscribe and turn on the bell icon so you'll know exactly when the next video of this series of videos is gonna drop and I look forward to seeing you in a workshop with me very, very soon.

Start Shooting with Ilford FP4 here

Ilford Ortho 80 on Zeiss Ikon Nettar

A little unknown gem by the masters of Black and White film, Ilford Ortho is an orthochromatic, black and white film, which offers fine grain and sharpness. Pre 2019, was only available in four by five large format, however, with the resurrection of medium format and 35 millimetre shooters, Ilford released this in these formats as well. Ilford, you legends! Ilford recommends using it in landscapes, so naturally I started with shooting it in the urban jungle. 

What is orthochromatic film? [I hear you cry!] 

This film is made with silver halide crystals, which are naturally blue sensitive. They first came out back in 1873 and were used in 30 films and movies. This is the reason why skies in the early photographs are almost white being blue, as it overexposed quite easily. The orthochromatic film cannot see red lights as well, so anything red will turn black. This also means that if you process the film at home, it can be handled with deep red safelight. 

As it is a low grain, a high detail film, it needs a lot of light. Ideally suited for landscape photography as Ilford had recommended himself. It's well-worth shooting portraits with this as well I think. If you enjoy developing at home or in your own lab, the blue and green sensitivity of this emulsion enables the film to be handled in deep red, safelight conditions as I mentioned earlier. This will naturally make the processing of this film a lot easier. 

Can you shoot Ilford Ortho 80 at box speed? 

Absolutely, Ilford Ortho 80 is DX coded for ISO 80 for daylight / natural light shooting. I do love working with Black and white film and you will find working this film very satisfying too. It can produce very sharp, detailed images with almost no grain in sight.

You can use this film for portraits or landscapes, take your pick! I was shooting this film in some overcast conditions which gave a wonderful natural soft box. Ideally however I would have preferred a little bit stronger light as I did struggle with the very low light conditions in some images. 

Five reasons you should shoot with this film. 

1. You enjoy shooting sharp images with no grain. 

2. You're creative, and love shooting black and white. In particular, you want your reds and oranges in frame to come out, pitch black. Think of all the oranges and reds that could come out black in your style of photography. 

3. You love working with shadows and contrast, particularly with skies. 

4. You love or travel somewhere, you have wonderful light and colours available to you in your local environment. 

5. You're creative and you just want to keep exploring and deepening your own photographic journey. 

Why you should not shoot with Ilford Ortho 80? 

It is an ISO 80 film, which makes it one of the slowest films available on a very limited film market in the first place. If you live somewhere like the Mediterranean then this should not be a problem for you. But for those of you who live in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, it won't give you the flexibility you may achieve with a ISO 200 or 400 film in your varied climatic and weather conditions. 

You also need to take into account that your oranges or reds are going to come out very black too. As an orthochromatic black and white film, it is less sensitive to red than to green and blue. And as such, you need to be aware that probably this is not going to be ideal for portraits, but it will likely give you some unique looks for landscapes and flowers. 

What can you take away about Ilford Ortho 8O? 

I shot this film in the street down the East End and would be intrigued to see how this would perform in autumnal conditions. To see how the colours of the leaves would be rendered in black and white, as well as shooting it in a studio portrait shoot, to see how it fairs with skin tones.

Shooting very blue walls, in some of these images you've seen the whites came out absolutely electric. It'll be interesting to see whether this could add a new element to work with. Furthermore, how would fair with the bright blue sky? With that in mind I wonder how a sunset would also come out too? The oranges would certainly come out quite black. So theoretically it could create some very dramatic images. Shooting in tungsten light, now that would be something else. 

Overall, this film pushes you as a photographer to think about details, which is excellent. The more you're pushing yourself to create using different techniques and mediums will develop not only your portfolio, but also your understanding of working in different conditions and with different materials. Who knows? You may capture an image which may take you down a new path of creativity. So just get out and explore.

Try Ilford Ortho 80 out on 35mm

Try Ilford Ortho 80 out on Medium Format