6 Things I Have Learned Through Film Photography

It has been a really long time since I have gone out and shot with the Fuji GSWiii. Also known as the Texas Leica, this is a big bold camera that can initially seem frightening! Another reason to take it out for a walk, which brings me to my first thing I have learned about film:

It has blown open a door to new photographic learning and opportunities. It can be quite a daunting proposition to move into. Due to all the technical elements involved with metering, lighting, developing as well as scanning. The list could go on.

However by diving into the traditional processes involved I have learned how things have influenced and led to how we photograph today as well as understand the technical side of things.

Having a reasonable degree of understanding has made me a more thoughtful photographer and I am looking forward to seeing where it will take me next.

Creativity is a word that is often banded about in the photographic world. Whether you are a hobbyist, amateur or professional photographer know the importance of keeping on your feet and film photography encourages you to do that.

Take this Fuji 6x9 Professional Camera. I am quite new to rangefinders and it has certainly slowed my process down even further because I have to make sure that the focus is spot on before I know for sure to push the shutter.

I have made countless mistakes. Which got me thinking, is it any different to shooting with digital. Would I have benefited from just shooting digital? I’m not so sure about this. With digital you always know that you can get extremely lazy without even realising it. It’s like scrolling through your phone aimlessly and before you know it so much time has passed. Film has the capability to empower you with greater discipline and consequently giving you the opportunity to become a more mindful and visually observant photographer

As with any aspect of life, there are moments which you could capture and preserve. Film photography has given me a tangible way of recording my photographic learning and process, as well as wonderful memories. I love cataloging and seeing how my photography has been changing without having to turn on a computer or phone. I can show and share the work physically with friends and photographers. It creates even more opportunities for discussion and learning. I can’t wait to see where this takes me next.

I have explored new places and ventured down new roads that I never knew existed. In this video I am in one of the most popular tourist destinations in London but these narrow Victorian pathways are hardly busy. I have a much greater appreciation for all the wonderful opportunities to shoot so many different things within a stone's throw. London has to be one of the greatest cities on the planet, if not the greatest. There is so much to do, so much to explore, paths that havent been found, history which hasn't been explored. Think of it whether it is abstract or real you could find it, engage with it or learn it all in London. If you are watching, listening or reading this, from abroad, come to London! I could go on and on

Perhaps the biggest thing I have learned is the importance of sharing my knowledge and experience here with you on YouTube or on my blog. In a time of great extremes, I have found learning from others on this platform as well as sharing the little that I have learned humbling, but also deeply rewarding. I’m no creative writer. However, I hope that you have gained and learned through my work. That is, it has helped you to become an even better photographer. I am always thinking about what else you might want to learn and film photography has certainly kept me grounded to keep improving and sharing!

I think I’ll take my Texan Leica for some more walks, there are lots more frames to fill in these 8 shots. What should I shoot next?

How To Keep Your Film Safe In Extreme Temperatures

For the first time temperatures are expected to hit over 40C in the UK, thats 104 degree Fahrenheit for my US friends! In this video, I’ll be going over how to look after your film and how you can look after yourself!

Kodak, Ilford and Fuji recommend storing black and white, as well as, colour negative film under 20 degrees Celsius or 68 degrees fahrenheit.

With regards to slide film stocks, the recommendation varies slightly, with Fuji recommending storage at or below 15 degrees centigrade or 59 degrees fahrenheit.

Kodak recommends storing Ektachrome at or below 13 degrees centigrade or 55 degrees fahrenheit.

Common belief is that film slide stocks are much harder to shoot as well as being far more delicate than other film varieties.

All film stocks, however, should be protected from strong light, and be stored in a cool, dry place for the best results. But does this really matter?

In my last video I shot an expired and currently unavailable black and white Kodak Portra 400.

Which was stored in a loft for 18 years and the pictures came out!

Information online ranges from one extreme to the other. ‘Deep freeze your film’ to ‘none of this really matters as I kept my film for months in a roasting car and it was fine!’

You might find that shooting film that has been stored in high temperatures will lead to colour shifts. This is probably going to be far more prevalent in slide film stocks as you can see from this expired Velvia that I shot a while back.

With all this information in mind, do you really need to store the film in a fridge or freezer with the incoming 40 degrees centigrade weather? It all depends on whether the film is super important or when you might be planning on developing it.

Here are some things to think about: Film today is already quite expensive. This will probably not be the first time temperatures will hit such records in the UK

With this in mind is it worth risking the possibility of your film going bad? I think probably not.

There is a good reason for why film companies publish information about how to store your film. In these times its best to stick with trusted advice. With that in mind, I will be keeping my film in the fridge!

You might think this is an amazing opportunity to get out and enjoy the sun but unless you have been living in extremely hot countries for a long period of time your body is not acclimatised for what will be coming over the next few days!

Here are some pointers to keep you safe:

- Avoid being in the sun from 11-3pm, this is when UV is at its highest!

- Keep hydrated and check up on anyone who might be vulnerable like your grandad and grandma! Check in over the phone!

- Stay cool indoors: Close all the curtains in your rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler. Depending on your home at times it might be cooler outdoors than indoors.

- Got a pet or young child? Don't ever leave them closed in car!

If absolutely must have to go out:

- Walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and wear a wide-brimmed hat,

- Avoid any strenuous activity!

- Take a bottle of water with you

- Always check the latest weather forecast and temperature warnings

Do you have any experience of shooting or storing film in extreme temperatures above 40 degrees centigrade or 100 degrees Fahrenheit? Whether you live in Arizona, Texas or in the Sahara desert, I would love to hear your top tips on keeping film safe! Do let me know in the comments below.

This is the first time the UK will be hit by 40 degrees centigrade weather and unlike countries that experience this on a regular basis our road and rail infrastructure has not been built to tolerate these extreme conditions.

I'm not sure what kind of impact this will have on them or even our electricity networks. Just practice good caution, stay indoors where possible and watch a few more of my drops! Stay safe and see you soon!

What happens if you shoot an 18 year old Kodak Portra 400 BW stored in a loft?

20 year old Kodak Portra Black and White film - what could go wrong?

This roll had been kept in the loft for over 20 years and honestly with all that I have read about expired rolls and my brief experience with Velvia 50 I was not expecting anything to turn out! This particular roll expired in October 2004 packed up and left in the dense heat of a loft. As you will see from the images to come that to my complete surprise it has done quite well.

This roll was pushed 1.5 stops in development which probably aided the image rendition. Portra 400BW was the successor to the BW400CN.  This newer generation of film tabular grain emulsions (or more commonly known as T-grain) was a chromogenic black and white negative. It’s advantage was that it could be easily processed  in C-41 chemistry! Another comparative advantage was this film could be shot from as low as 50 ISO and pushed up to 1600 ISO. 

This wider latitude would increase its versatility allowing photographers to be able to use this in a wide range of varied light conditions. As with other faster film stocks such as Kodak TMax or Tri-X I was expecting to see slightly less or smoother grain being a portrait B&W film stock. What are your thoughts on this? I loaded it on to the little brick Canon QL17 and shot away with it wherever and whenever I got an opportunity to do so. The film was shot over a short period of time at different locations! 

It was a bright sunny day with a few clouds when I took this picture of the countryside. The film has rendered well, although the clouds look a bit washed out they are just about visible.It needs to be taken in to account that the Canon’s old and heavily used lens probably had a significant part to play in the image capture. With bright white surfaces it also performed relatively well, yes those are penguins in frame. Native English ones. With more textures in frame the film performed at its best outside. Here are some native English pink flamingos. 

Every shot I adjusted the aperture and shutter speeds to give the film the best chance to perform indoors as well as outdoors. Unsurprisingly indoors with very little light it struggled although somehow managed to give a haze of an image. You can see from the shot that it performed better with light and my favorite is the shot of this very dramatic looking corridor. 

You might be thinking, dude, this is Portra film stock so where are the portraits! Fear not! In all honesty I really had extremely low expectations of anything turning up on this film so consequently I did get nonchalant with it. Anyway here are some shots I took with Fadhillah, you can check out the full shoot in my previous drops with Kodak Gold, Ektachrome and Provia 100F. 

One of the advantages of the Canon is that you can really get close to your subject so this came in handy to see the comparisons with narrow and wide shots on this film stock. With these shots there were some very tall trees surrounding us with direct sunlight intermittently falling through. You can see in this case the film has rendered well although the shadows are little bit on the darker end. In comparison to these shots where there was less vegetation restricting the direct sunlight there images have been slightly more overexposed. Now this could also be down to the Canon lens which is susceptible to perform less well in brightly lit conditions! This image came out super! This area was far more covered so the light was heavily restricted, the composition and look here is on point! 

This image of Evie was taken with a modelling lamp on which has clearly helped but still the film struggled with the conditions. The one in the corridor with natural light falling through the window fared slightly better on the white dress but struggled with the shadows. This shot of Evie in bright afternoon light fared the best with the contrasts in the light and shadows. She is well lit and with her shadow as well as the window panes adds detail and depth to this image. Outside the film also performed well in lower light afternoon conditions and images came out well exposed albeit the Canon lens probably adding its own influence on the captures. 

I have read quite a bit of literature on film stocks and how to preserve them carefully, particularly over decades. The prevailing consensus is that you must put them in a fridge or perhaps even a freezer for long term storage. Temperature and humidity control is the most important key to minimizing the change that occurs in film. For example, storing any film in the dark under 10C with a relative humidity of 30-50% will see the film preserve its image quality almost entirely for more than 20 years. If you keep the film below 25C with a relative humidity of 30-50% will see the film preserve its image quality for somewhere between 10-20 years. Ofcourse knowing that this film had been stored in absolute opposite conditions to the recommended methods. 

Overall, I am super delighted to have captured as many shots as I did and even more pleased the roll eventually served its purpose!

Love shooting film?  I would love to hear your thoughts on expired film stocks, what have you shot with? What kind of results did you get with it? Let me know in the comments below! 

The summer is coming into full swing and I would love to connect or collaborate with you if you’re in London! Give me a shout! 

Right, I’m off to my next shoot, catch you on the next video or workshop! See you soon!

What Slide Film Should I Stick With?

Today you will be exploring Kodak E100 against Fuji Provia 100F. I shot both these films with my wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS 6by45 camera. I shot with the 75mm f2.8 lens outside using natural light.

I am comparing these film stocks to see the differences in color, saturation. In terms of pricing in the UK Kodak E100 comes in at £18 a roll whereas Fuji Provia 100F comes in at £10 a roll.

There's a significant difference in price so this will be useful for you to consider the next time you will be shooting with color slide film!

I wanted to try Provia 100F because I know Fujichrome film stocks tend to be more on the warmer side and less contrasty. I have heard Ektachrome can be more contrasty and have more of a blue tinge to the results.

If you haven't checked out my previous video with these film stocks in a studio condition be sure to check that out at the end of this video to get a comparison.

Metering for these films can be a bit tricky. I was using my Sekonic L-308X. As these film stocks tend to have a dynamic range of about 3-4 stops you need to make sure that you meter correctly otherwise the images won’t come out well. This was especially more important when shooting outdoors without guaranteed consistency of light.

In practical terms outdoors this would mean taking several meter readings one for the highlights and one for the shadows. Remember for film photography it's super important to make sure the shadows are metered in particular because you will not be able to raise or correct these in post as you would with digital cameras. Every shot was taken on the same shutter speed, aperture and I even tried to keep framing and posing as identical and humanly possible throughout the shoot.

As mentioned before, changing light intensity would be something I would have to carefully consider. As always I was trying to get the most consistent results possible. We got a little more creative with the shots as the shoot progressed!

When shooting color negative films, I always get a separate contact sheet with my film negatives so I can see the images in color or black and white. For slide film this is not necessary as you can see the images in their full glory! Ektachrome and Provia are 100 ISO daylight balanced films.

They deliver extremely fine grain as well as, whiter, brighter whites, and an improved tone scale. Both films claim to produce exceptional results for advertising, fashion, editorial, architecture, nature/wildlife, and other commercial applications. As well as this they are specifically designed for exposure with daylight or electronic flash.

My favorite image shot on Provia 100F was with Fadhillah lying on the floor with one hand on her head. The green color of the grass has been captured with remarkable accuracy along with with skin tones and textures of her shirt. The runner up on Provia would be with her holding her hands above her head extending her left leg out.

My favourite shot on Ektachrome was the one taken from directly above with the scarf on the floor and Fadhillah looking directly down the barrel of the camera lens. The eyes have rendered razor sharp. The runner up shot would be of her slightly perched up while seated. The pose and setup of the shot is on pointe!

Overall I think that Provia has rendered more accurate skins tones and textures whilst it really struggled in the shadows. Ektachrome faired better in the shadows on the other hand although less forgiving with more light available. In fairness it was difficult to make comparisons as the light fluctuated quite a bit throughout the shoot. As always it is a work in progress therefore gotta keep shooting with this!

One of the reasons for shooting in a natural light setting was to help you to save time and money before you jumped into the world of slide film photography. Now that you have seen this setup I hope you are encouraged to push yourself and dive into shooting these film stocks too. Be sure to check out my studio shoot with these film stocks as it will give you a wider understanding of the differences in outcomes.

The summer is going to be coming into full swing and I would love to connect or collaborate with you if you’re in London! Shoot me a comment and let's set up something!

Kodak Gold 120 is it up to the Flash Test?

The last time I shot this film outdoors I got some fabulous results with natural light. It got me thinking how this film would handle indoors with natural light and then outdoors with my Profoto lighting kit.

Big shout out to Evie for reaching out for this shoot. There was no way I was going to miss an opportunity to shoot in Mansion! Let’s see how the shoot went down!

All images were shot at box speed, with the same shutter speed, aperture and this time shot different setups and frames. As mentioned before, changing light intensity would be something I would have to carefully consider.

As always I was trying to get the most consistent results possible. We got a little more creative with the shots as the shoot progressed! The word out there is that Kodak Gold generally tends to gravitate towards warmer tones with slightly more granular images in comparison with Portra 160.

It goes without saying that metering for these films is essential unless you have a bottomless pit of money! I was using my Sekonic L-308X. Kodak Gold has a slightly wider dynamic range but generally you don't want to go to far from about 3-4 stops to be on the safe side.

This is certainly more important when shooting outdoors without guaranteed consistency of light. The shot of Evie and Sammi with the natural light coming in through the window showed the capabilities of Kodak Gold in low light conditions. You can see from the first image that there is a green overcast on the far left with a darker one in the shadows to the right of the window.

Even so, the warm colours with shadows gives a real classic look and feel. As the light poured through the window a little more intensely this afternoon it hit on those light pinks on Sammie’s dress and softened the whiteness of Evie’s dress. It’s got almost a Bridgerton-esq feel to it and this shot is certainly a keeper!

Next we stepped and got to use this beautiful garden golden chair/hammock! I set up the Profoto B2’s to the left of the frame and had Evie sit on the suspended chair with Sammie standing to her left. After a few manual adjustments of the lighting and working through some poses I ended up freezing this look and was amazed by the outcome.

I love the richness of color from the grass in the foreground to the trees in the background but without a doubt the pose and colors from the dresses and chair/hammock this image is a real stand out!

We drifted out to the garden area and shot this with natural light. The balance of colour is consistent although the brilliantly white dress isn't as well captured, I wonder if that’s because of the scanner or some other reason. Chip in your thoughts in the comments below!

The afternoon light was drifting away and so was my time in this shoot so rather hurriedly we shot these two with the profoto lights to make sure the image would definitely come out.

A little overexposed, which can certainly be fixed in Lightroom, it almost looks as if Evie has been superimposed onto a background. A fill light would certainly have complimented this image, a note for next time!

A quick change into the pink dress and a couple of shots with Evie sat outside in the garden patio. The lesson here is that having an external light source certainly guarantees the image will come out as long as it is well metered!

By this point I do think that Kodak Gold would really have struggled to get anything and I wasn’t going to risk it especially with an opportunity to shoot in such an environment does not happen everyday!

My brief experience with this film stock is making me wonder if Kodak Gold may just be cheaper and equally well performing as Portra 160. Do you really need to spend almost 25% more for incremental sharpness? Tell me what you think in the comments below.

The summer is going to be coming into full swing and I would love to connect or collaborate with you if you’re in London! Shoot me a comment and let's set up something!

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera or either of these slide film stocks?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with either of these film stocks? which are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

Be sure to check out my shoot with Fadhillah on Kodak Gold too, see you there!

You can grab a copy of the book here

Support my work here and get your hands on my prints

Why You Need To Shoot Provia With Flash Outdoors

I shot these on Provia 100F, as a continuation of the shoot I did with Evie at the Mansion. Stick around and I’ll show you how I got these amazing shots.

I shot both with my trusted Bronica Zenza ETRS with the 75mm f2.8 lens. As I shot with and without flash, each shot was carefully metered, with apertures and shutter speeds adjusted accordingly.

Let’s dive right in, the garden was perfectly manicured with this beautiful chair/bowl style golden hammock which was not going to be left out this shoot.Luckily Evie's friend Sammie had turned up and I wasn’t going to pass up on an opportunity to take some duo shots!

I setup a beauty dish with a single Profoto light angled 45 degree angle and then took some time choreographing the shot. In these situations having some knowledge and experience with light shaping tools certainly helps. An assistant would be an additional benefit but alas this was not the case today.

You can almost feel the detail in the images. This is the real benefit of shooting with slower films, the extremely fine detail and clarity of the image is unrivalled. The lights and shadows are perfectly balanced, one criticism could be the flowers have been heavily darkened. However it fits in with the mood and atmosphere of the image itself. In a sense of suspense and waiting, the darker rendition of the vegetation certainly adds to the textured drama of these shots.

Question for you, if you were in my place, how would you have shot this scene with Evie and Sammie or Evie alone? How would you have created this shot differently? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you Sammie for jumping in a few of these shots! Sammie disappeared off to sort out a few things and Evie and I continued working in the garden as the light started to diminish more rapidly.

I wanted to get in a couple of more sets while we still had some time left. I wanted to see how this film would perform under lower natural light conditions. These two image images show that the images come out with a much cooler palette and tones. The isn't that burst of energy or color that you may get with off camera flash.

The natural light was disappearing too quickly and I reverted back to using the beauty dish and profoto light. In these images you can see that perhaps the touch of light was too strong and I could certainly bring that down a little in lightroom.

Purely for demonstration purposes it has done its thing. For me the light is quite overpowering, if there was a little light on mansion in the background then perhaps it would add a little more depth to the image.Or perhaps even in the foreground, there needs to be something going on just to add to the story and texture of the image itself.

Apart from the technical elements, clarity and detail, you can see, what really makes this image is the composition, pose, textures provided by the foreground and background create much more to the narrative of this image.

You have seen a couple of different setups here all using a single light source throughout. How would you have done things differently? What type of light would you have used? Would you have added in a second light? If so, where? What was missing that could have made these images be even more impactful? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Seeing it in film strip itself is another thing all together. The runner up shot for me was Evie resting he arms on her right knee wearing the pink dress near the end. With or without flash, be mindful of the foreground and background. What are you using to separate your subject and what narrative are you creating with your image.

I am loving shooting with slide film, its not just the detail and depth but also seeing your image in your hand. It's something else altogether. Get out and shoot some!

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera or with Provia or any other slide film stocks?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with Provia? What are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

You can grab a copy of the book here

Kodak Ektachrome doesn't do Low Light, right?

Time to shoot some more Ektachrome, how will it fare indoors with and without off camera flash? I was about to find out in a whistlestop mansion shoot with Evie. I shot both with my trusted Bronica Zenza ETRS with the 75mm f2.8 lens. As I shot with and without flash, each shot was carefully metered, with apertures and shutter speeds adjusted accordingly.

How would you perform under time and pressure to get the shot? It’s a sure fire recipe for making errors but certainly one that will help you sharpen your skills and abilities for future challenges.

The first setup was in this tiny room with a bookshelf, it took a few minutes to figure out the best possible perspective. Setting up the Profoto lights and then working with Evie to make a broad enough light was falling on her.

The challenge was trying to find an angle from which to shoot. Ideally I would have liked to get her own landscape orientation but space simply wouldn't allow it. Nonetheless you can see from the images that the metering was on point, the shadow tailing off. Perhaps having a fill light on the right hand side or perhaps even a reflector would help add greater depth.

For slide films you need to make sure you carefully meter the highlights and the shadows. Simply metering on one point of the subject could leave you at the mercy of luck. Bringing light out of the shadows in post from film is notoriously challenging. With portraits take an average reading so that you are not at the mercy of luck in development!

Someone had knocked on the door so Evie disappeared down to answer.

In the meantime, I thought through the next shot. The stair well provided an opportunity but the question was how was I going to illuminate it?

Evie came back up and as she was coming up the stairs I took notice on how the natural light was falling on her. I directed her to rest her arms on the corner bend on one of the steps and took this wonderful shot, the lights and shadows just perfectly balanced.

As a comparison, I decided to see how this image would look if the shadows were illuminated. After some creative balancing of the Profoto Beauty dish I took this shot. A completely new look within the same position. Which one do you think stands out better?

Time was against us so we headed to the dining room. This time I consciously chose to shoot Ektachrome using only the natural light coming through the large bay windows. This was always going to be a risk and certainly a challenge. I opened the aperture to the widest I could, f2.8.

No surprises here except for the fact the images are perfect for the representation of the scene. The light and shadows create a dramatic and moody atmosphere. Certainly detail is lost but it doesn't always have to be tack sharp; the images create a somber emotion in itself.

Overall it is true that in very low light conditions you will struggle to capture finer details and information may be lost in the shadows permanently. However, consider what the purpose of your shoot is. If you are trying to create mood and drama, fine details may not be important.

As such don't hesitate to shoot slow speed films such as Ektachrome. Shooting with an off camera flash on the hand has its benefits too, don’t forget the slower film can capture detail and depth with far greater richness than faster films such as Portra 400 or Fuji Pro 400H.

That combined with seeing the image on the positive adds to the beauty of it all, its quite hard to explain unless of course you do it for yourself!

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera or with Ektachrome or any other slide film stocks?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with Ektachrome? What are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

Why You Should Shoot Fuji Pro 400H (while it is still cheaper and available!)

Fujicolor Pro 400H Professional is now a discontinued film stock that is still widely available and still more affordable than its rival Kodak Portra 400. It is a professional daylight color negative film which has been redeveloped and enhanced to its current iteration.

The fourth color- sensitive layer in addition to the conventional three RGB-sensitive layers. Ironically the rising cost of this fourth layer is why Fuji discontinued this film in 2021. With its higher ISO speed rating of 400, PRO 400H provides reliable reproduction of neutral grays with sharply improved consistency over a wide exposure range from under- to over- exposures.

Fujifilm is synonymous with excellence and reliability and this film stock produces brilliant skin tones with smooth highlights to the shadows. You can almost feel the details found in fabrics as well as other textures.

If you’re looking for highly saturated colors and fine grain then this is a colour negative film that you should definitely checkout! This film is ideal for a variety of different settings from portrait and wedding photography to commercial and fashion work.

Prior to the digital era, color negative film was the go to film stock. It’s ease of use and easily processing with C41 chemistry made it the staple for any beginner or professional photographer. Current available Colour negative films can range in ISO rating from as slow as the bonkers FPP ISO 1.6 through to as fast as CineStill 800t or Portra 800.

Fujicolor Pro was a line of professional color negative films from the Japanese company Fujifilm introduced in 2004 for weddings, portraits, fashion and commercial photography.

It originally comprised four emulsions: Pro 160S, Pro 160C, Pro 400H and Pro 800Z. Pro 160C, Pro 400H and Pro800 Z have all been discontinued. Its main competitor was Kodak Portra.These films offer greater exposure latitude, i.e. if you’re not good at getting the exposure spot on it you need not worry as sometimes even being up to 4 stops off and you should be ok!

As it is a fine grain, sharp film for daylight or electronic flash. It's well worth shooting portraits as well as general landscape or candid images. If you enjoy developing at home/ in your own lab, you can use the universally available C41 chemistry or its equivalent Fujifilm Process CN-16C.

This film made for daylight / natural light as well as electronic flash shooting, it is much wider exposure latitude gives you greater flexibility. What I really love about this film stock is its ability to render skin tones so well as well as giving very accurate color saturation in fabric and objects.

If you’re a fan of using flash there is likely to be an effect on color balance, due to a number of factors. With film there isn't the luxury of seeing an instant image so metering become especially important.

Shooting shutter speeds slower than 1/60 second? Once again colour balance may be impacted so you’ll need to take a meter reading again. The other thing to consider will be what type of shutter your camera has. Leaf shutter cameras will hold well but its always best to err on the side of precaution and stick it on a tripod and use a shutter release cable.

This film is surprisingly widely available on Medium Format and to a lesser extent on 35mm. Initially when Fuji had announced its discontinuation the price did go up quite a bit. However, it seems to have made its way back to its original price point of £50 for a box of 5 rolls. Compared with Portra 400 which is coming in at £72 a box it’s quite a saving for a comparably professional film.

As stocks over time will decrease, will you need to store your film in a fridge? it depends. Temperature and humidity control is the most important key to minimizing the change that occurs in film.

Overall this film is great for anyone looking to jump from 35mm to Medium Format as it has a much more forgiving exposure latitude. Shoot with it while it is still available and cheaper than the alternative Kodak Portra 400.

Love shooting film? I would love to hear your thoughts on Fuji Pro400H, have you shot with it? What kind of results did you get with it? Let me know in the comments below! Right, I’m off to my next shoot, catch you on the next video on the right here! See you soon!

What is Film Grain?

The grain! It’s all about the grain! How many times have you heard film photography sing this chorus?

How often do you look at a picture and zoom in to see the detail? Ofcourse, in the grander scheme of things, it's not the most important thing in the world but it’s significant enough to get you thinking about the importance of details.

Take a look at this image, it's full of medium format detail. It looks tack sharp but take a closer look and you'll see the sharpness falling off around the hair, the hands, and shoulders.

For any portrait shot, the eyes are the most important focus, as the detail really shows the best. Of course to get the most incredible detail you would have to shoot with a Large Format camera such as a 4x5 or even an 8x10 but for most hobbyist photographers it is a very expensive venture! Medium Format is the next best thing followed by 35mm.

This is not to knock the smaller formats, medium format and 35mm are great yet there is no comparison with large format as it is significantly larger.

I often hear film photographers talking about grain. But what is it? If you took a magnifying loupe to your negative and you could see the image becoming fuzzier with all the dots, zoom in any further all you will see is an ocean of dots. All images are just a combination of dots or grain put together to form an image and if you can understand their relationship you will better understand grains ability to hold detail.

In art getting detail in everything is not always everything. Take for example, artists working with paint or oil, their work is not necessarily fine because detail can be rendered in different ways. With film photography detail can be used to impose texture as if you can feel being in the image or place within the image itself.

Therefore, detail and grain are linked to each other very closely just as detail, depth and negative size are too. Now there is another factor to consider in this relationship. This is of the silver halide particles which are critical to film emulsions. Faster films such as Portra 400 or Fuji Pro400H start off with larger silver halide particles than does slower film such as Portra 160 or say CineStill 50D.

Why does this matter, you may ask? Large Format film such as 8x10 is 50 times larger than a 35mm negative. Medium Format film can range from two to six times larger. Regardless, proportionality means that there will be considerably more silver halide crystals in medium and large format film.

When the film is exposed to light and then in development, the particles turn to black metallic silver. It’s important to note that it turns to black and not gray. There will be a greater proportion of black metallic silver wherever the light has fallen on the film with fewer where less light has fallen. That's why when you look at a negative it is a reversed version of what you captured on camera.

For those of you with enlargers at home and are printing your image on to photographic paper, the process begins all over again. Where less light fell on the negative, the enlarger light will pass through and will heavily impact the photographic paper creating a larger area of blackened particles. Those darker areas will be recreated larger on print.

You can see this in action in your daily newspaper, if you are analogue in all aspects in your life! The detail of the images being created by the lack of density with which all the blackened particles are joined together. In large white areas will have few particles: in dense black areas, for example, a person's hair, there will be a greater density of particles joined together.

What does this all mean? Does this mean you should stop shooting 35mm? Absolutely not! Large Format is still a very expensive venture. Here’s how you get the maximum quality from your 35mm camera. Instead of using faster films such as Portra 800 or Cinestill 800T use films which are much slower such as CineStill 50D or Portra 160, if shooting black and white shoot with Fuji Acros 100. The silver halide particles in slower films are smaller and can capture significantly more detail.

What are you thoughts on grain and details in film photography? Do you love it or avoid it like the plague? I would love to hear your thoughts this!

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Kodak Gold 200 Film

Pre March 2022 this film was only available in 35mm format. With the resurgence of film photographers Kodak released it in Medium format too. Thank you, Kodak!

Kodak Gold 200 is a low-speed color negative film that offers an incredible combination of color saturation, fine grain, and high sharpness. It is designed for general picture-taking situations in daylight or with electronic flash.

Due to its wide exposure latitude—you can shoot this from two stops underexposed to three stops overexposed. If you’re looking for saturated colors, fine grain and high sharpness then this is your new go to Kodak color negative film!

In their press release Kodak recommended this film for advanced amateurs who are looking to upgrade from 35mm to medium format photography! Prior to the digital era, Color negative film was the go to film stock. It’s ease of use and easily processing with C41 chemistry made it the staple for any beginner or professional photographer.

Current available Colour negative films can range in ISO rating from as slow as the bonkers FPP ISO 1.6 through to as fast as CineStill 800t or Portra 800. These films offer greater exposure latitude, ie if you’re not good at getting the exposure spot on it you need not worry as even sometimes even being up to 4 stops off and you should be ok!

As it is a fine grain, sharp film that for daylight or electronic flash. It's well worth shooting portraits as well as general landscape or candid images.

If you enjoy developing at home/ in your own lab, you can use the universally available C41 chemistry. Although Kodak recommends Kodak Flexicolor Chemicals, there are so many alternatives available that it's really down to what you are more comfortable with using.

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.

I shot this film in beautiful Regents Park, London on yet another overcast day. I would be intrigued to see how it would perform in summery and autumnal conditions to see how the colours of nature would render. A studio portrait shoot will also definitely be in order to see how it fares with different skin tones!

Be sure to ask your lab to provide you with a separate contact sheet with your film negatives. This way it gives you an opportunity to view your images in hand should you need to review them at a later date!

Next time I would like to see how this film performs in a studio or outside with strobe lighting. A pack of 5 Portra 160s will cost you about £60 whereas a pack of Gold will come in around £46.

From an initial viewpoint the colours come our more saturated on this film however a more methodical side by side comparison with Portra 160 will give clarity of the similarities and differences between these film stocks.

The standout shot on black and white was with Fadhillah looking in to the distance and with her hands in her pockets. The lowered angle from which I shot this creates a little more added drama with the slight breeze through her hair! The more you are pushing yourself to create using different techniques and mediums will develop not only your portfolio but also your understanding to work

Overall this film is great for anyone looking to jump from 35mm to Medium Format. The wider exposure latitude is more forgiving on the images taken and perhaps more importantly on the weight of your purse or wallet. Who knows, you may capture an image which may take you down a new path of creativity so get out exploring!

Love shooting film? I would love to hear your thoughts on Kodak Gold, have you shot with it? What kind of results did you get with it? Let me know in the comments below!

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My Workflow With Film In Studio

Welcome back to another video! Today you will be exploring Portra 160, Fuji NS 160 and some wonderful Fuji Neopan Acros II. All these films were shot with my wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS 6by45 camera. I shot with the 75mm f2.8 lens on location in a studio in London, England.

Every shot was carefully metered, often this needed to be changed as we switched looks and setups as you can see from the video. In this video, there are no like for like comparisons but different setups which aim to make the best of my knowledge on these film stocks. In the first set I was using Kodak Portra 160 using a one light setup capturing generally cooler tones. The latter images, involved the introduction of an Arri constant light to give a much warmer and classic look with the outfit Evie came prepared with.

As you can see from the shots generally the colours are different and as mentioned the Fuji generally has greater saturation and what appears to be a warmer tone. However this is not always the case. To add further warmth to the image, an Arri light was used in the shots with the Fuji NS 160 as well as the Acros II. It would be interesting to have compared the film stocks without this too, perhaps for another time!

Make sure that when you are shooting in studio you use a dedicated light meter. The main reason being these are more sensitive film stocks so you dont want to overexpose them. Carefully metering the shadows in particular and paying attention to where the light is falling will be critical too. Be mindful in control how and where the light is falling the best you can. An additional side benefit of being more conscious of this will slow you process down and help you to compose and frame well.

My favourite shot from the film stocks was the one with Evie looking just slightly over her shoulder in the direction of the camera while slightly perched on the wall. Also the image with her arms folded and hair coming down either side on Portra 160. The other shots were great too, like the one with her messy across her face as well the power stance near the end.

Another very enjoyable studio shoot with Portra 160, Fuji NS 160, as well as, some black and white Fuji Acros II on medium format. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera in studio?

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with either of these film stocks? which are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

On that note I’ll see you on the next drop, in the meantime check this one out!

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How Do Portra And Fuji 160 Compare On Medium Format

I shot both Portra 160 against Fuji 160 with my wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS 6by45 camera. I shot with the 75mm f2.8 lens on location in Central London.

Making comparisons with this camera is relatively straightforward because it has an interchangeable back. All you have to do is pop the dark slide back in, unhook it from the camera and voila you can transfer your other back and shoot away to your heart's content. This gave me the ability to make as close to a fair comparison as possible between the film stocks.

Portra 160 is one of the most, if not, the most popular portrait and fashion film stock. With its very fine grain, high saturation and low contrast it captures life like images of subjects, models, family whoever they may be - especially in medium format.

Fujicolor Pro was a line of professional color negative films from the Japanese company Fujifilm introduced in 2004 for weddings, portraits, fashion and commercial photography. It originally comprised four emulsions: Pro 160S, Pro 160C, Pro 400H and Pro 800Z. Pro 160C, Pro 400H and Pro800 Z have all been discontinued. Its main competitor was Kodak Portra.

I am comparing these film stocks to see the differences in colour, saturation. In terms of pricing in the UK both film stocks retail from about £14-15 a roll upwards so not much happening on that front but this may help you when considering your next colour negative film shoot!

From my experience with both 400 film stocks, I know that the Fuji Colour films tend to be more saturated in colour whereas Portra tends to have a cooler palette. The differences between the film stock arose due to the geography of their respective countries. The original film stocks were developed with the local population in mind and as such this has affected how skintones from different countries are rendered.

Every shot was taken on the same shutter speed, aperture and I even tried to keep framing and posing as identical and humanly possible throughout the shoot. Perhaps you could argue changing light between shots but the time taken to swap film backs was negligible. I was really trying to get the most consistent results possible.

As you can see from the shots generally the colors are different and as mentioned the Fuji generally has greater saturation and what appears to be a warmer tone. However this is not always the case. Take this shot of Charlotte standing, the warmer tones were from the Portra and the Fuji gave much cooler saturation. Both film stocks have fine film grain and unless you are really zooming in far you’re not going to see the grain.

Make sure that when you are shooting with it you use a dedicated light meter. Two main reasons, one you have paid £15 a roll for it and you better get your money's worth and secondly you need to be careful particularly in lower light conditions and carefully meter for the shadows. This will have an impact on the rendition of your image and particularly when shooting with film you need to make sure that the shadows are carefully highlighted so if you need to you can bring that back in post!

My favourite shot from the film stocks was the one with Charlotte looking just slightly over her shoulder in the direction of the camera while slightly perched on the wall. Also the image of her learning into the camera was pretty cool. The other shots were great too, like the one with her messy across her face as well the power stance near the end.

This was a fun afternoon out shooting with Portra 160 and Fuji 160 on medium format. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera?

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with either of these film stocks? which are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

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I shot E100 vs Provia 100F this is what I found

I cannot explain how amazing Ektachrome E100 and Provia 100F look when developed. There’s something very captivating about it!

I shot both these films with my wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS 6by45 camera. I shot with the 75mm f2.8 lens on location in a studio.

I am comparing these film stocks to see the differences in colour, saturation. In terms of pricing in the UK Kodak E100 comes in at £18 a roll whereas Fuji Provia 100F comes in at £10 a roll. There's a significant difference in price so this will be useful for you to consider the next time you will be shooting with colour slide film!

I wanted to try Provia 100F because I know Fujichrome film stocks tend to be more on the warmer side and less contrasty. I have heard Ektachrome can be more contrasty and have more of a blue tinge to the results. So let’s find out how I got along.

Metering for these films can be a bit tricky. I was using my Sekonic L-308X. As these film stocks tend to have a dynamic range of about 3-4 stops you need to make sure that you meter correctly otherwise the images won’t come out well. In practical terms in the studio this would mean taking at least two meter readings one for the highlights and one for the shadows. For film photography it's super important to make sure the shadows are metered in particular because you will not be able to raise or correct these in post as you would with digital cameras.

Every shot was taken on the same shutter speed, aperture and I even tried to keep framing and posing as identical and humanly possible throughout the shoot. Using the studio strobe lights helps when switching the film backs unlike in a natural light setting. I was really trying to get the most consistent results possible. At the end of the shoot I decided to play a little and get some different shots on each one.

I always get a separate contact sheet with my film negatives so I can see the images in colour or black and white. The beauty of slide film is that it is a colour positive film so you can see all the radiance of the images in front of you. Ektachrome and Provia are 100 ISO daylight balanced films. They deliver extremely fine grain as well as, whiter, brighter whites, and an improved tone scale. Both films claim to produce exceptional results for advertising, fashion, editorial, architecture, nature/wildlife, and other commercial applications. As well as this they are specifically designed for exposure with daylight or electronic flash.

I think the runner up would be the shot of her looking up, Provia has really highlighted the blue in her eyes but also a very true red represented in the chair and carpet too. You may be aware that I do like my black and white photography and just for fun I wondered how these images would look in black and white. They did not disappoint. The clarity and detail in both these images is incredible. The image of Natasha standing and rest her head slightly on her left hand also was great.

Overall the reds came out more pronounced, along with a warmer tone to the images throughout with the Ektachrome whereas the Provia came out with more cooler tones in studio conditions. Next time I would like to see how these films perform again in the studio or outside with strobe lighting without a plain white backdrop setup.

One of the reasons for shooting in a studio setting was to help you to save time and money before you jumped into the world of slide film photography. Now that you have seen this setup I hope you are encouraged to push yourself and dive into shooting these film stocks too.

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar 6by45 camera or either of these slide film stocks?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with either of these film stocks? which are your likes and dislikes about them? What do you recommend I shoot next with it?

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A Guide to the Canonet QL17 GIII

Recently, I have been enjoying shooting with rangefinders, so decided to give this camera a whirl while out in Central London. I wanted to shoot in a variety of different settings and shoot fast to get an idea of what would be possible to create with this camera. Of course the natural choice of film for such conditions is none other than Ilford HP5.

Didn’t quite nail every composition as you can see in the video. It was great shooting in different settings and scenarios. London does allow for so much variation.

A must on film is taking shots in the London Underground. The lights, metal and plethora of people going up and down the escalators gives another opportunity to see how the lens will manage in these very low light conditions.

With these street shots I decided to shoot from the hip so to speak. Getting very close to subjects and shooting. This was a challenge to see how quickly it would be possible to focus along with a general feeling of pot luck perhaps. From these selection of images, I think they convey a good sense of what it is like to be on a busy day in London.

Also shot some narrow alleyways in London, at first I wasn’t sure that the shadows would come out at all but of course I was underestimating Ilford Hp5, even found some Parisian style streets that I never knew existed!

The best shot from my whistle stop shoot with the Canonet and Ilford Hp5 Plus has to be this one I caught of a man on his phone with a man bag in hand. It’s the details, the way he is carrying the bag, the classic watch, glasses, hat and the way he is clearly thinking about something being said over the phone, caught by the concern of his almost clenched left hand. I remember quickly framing this shot as he was about to pass and even more pleased to have caught him almost still with the motion blur of pedestrians in the background.

The runner up shot was the Marcos Mantara LM500. It's a classic British Sports car, I think this one is from the late 1990s. The company went bankrupt in 2002 but it was nice to see this classic car still out on the street. Nice little capture too!

Do you know how Canon came about? Here’s a little bit of trivia for you. Back in the day, Nikon Cameras were very hard to get a hold of in Europe or North America. The main reason for this? Nikon decided that its market was only in Japan.

Canon on the other hand decided to go global, as such, reaching out to a much larger market and reducing its costs in mass production and consequently its retail price. Canon then proliferate however Nikon continued to be regarded as the premium camera for a considerable time to come.

Overall, I was really pleased with most of the shots I took. Considering that there was no functioning light meter or any light metering from my part, these images came out well! You can pick up a Canonet between £75-250 depending on age and wear. If you like to carry something vintage, light and ‘compact’ then this might be what you’re looking for. It’s a great little camera without the bank busting cost of a Leica.

Have you shot with the Canonet QL17 or similar Rangefinder cameras such as Leica? Would you pay £100-250 to shoot with this camera?

Which one was your favourite picture from this video? What do you recommend shooting with or how to use this film for projects! Let me know in the comments below, thank you!

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This Is Why Everyone Raves About Portra 160 On Yashica Mat 124g And Nikon FA

In this shoot I mixed it up and was shooting with the Yashica Mat 124G and the Nikon FA with some wonderful Portra 160. Now in rarity we get bright blue skies in London, England. I finally had the chance to check it out on both Medium Format and 35mm and it was not going to disappoint!

Both these cameras I have shot outdoors with natural light but not in these conditions before. Previously I had shot with the Yashica and Portra 160 in very cloudy and wet weather and got some modest results and I hadn't shot Portra 160 on 35mm before so I was quite excited about this.

What I enjoy about using the Yashica Mat 124G is the viewfinder on top, you can just pop it open and there’s this little magnifying glass inside so you can go super into detail framing the shot.

One of the great things about shooting with this camera is it forces you to move, move into new angles and positions which you would not consider when using a regular 6x45, 6x7 or if you’re going full out on a 6x9 medium format camera.

The Yashica comes with a f2.8 viewing lens, but the taking lens is f3.5, which is pretty much the same as a Rolleiflex Camera. As I mentioned before, the image in the waist level viewfinder is so beautiful to look at, you want the world to look like that, especially when captured on film.

This camera is really built for natural light portrait photography and I wanted to capture something chilled and relaxed outside in this post industrial setting. So it was a no-brainer shooting with some Portra 160 because of the tonality but also perfect for the urban landscape and weather conditions we had on the day.

We started off one side of the bridge and slowly made our way to the other side grabbing the opportunity to change things up and outfits too. What I love about shooting outdoors is the almost limitless options on how to use the environment around you to create some unique shots.

The camera comes with its own onboard light meter which is a dream to use and saves you fumbling around with an external handheld one. That said I still would recommend shooting with a dedicated light meter such as the Sekonic L858D.

Which brings me on to this wonderful Kodak Portra 160. I like getting my film developed right away and as it requires C41 processing it can be a little bit of a money saver too

In my previous shoots I have often used Kodak Portra 800, this is mainly down to the very variable weather conditions outdoors but also the wider exposure latitude is much more forgiving. The bright sunny conditions provided the perfect opportunity to shoot Portra 160 as long as I kept remembering to meter on the camera.

My favourite shot from the Yashica Mat 124G was the one with Paula sitting in front of the turquoise door and the one with her standing in front of the tree which gave a real vintage vibe especially with what she is wearing and the context of the background. The other shots were great too, like this one in front of the red garage door, the colours have rendered really well here and this one of her standing in front of the green hedge.

Both Medium Format and 35mm performed beautifully on the day. It’s really down to you how you want to shoot this film. If you are shooting fashion or beauty then you really ought to be shooting in Medium Format as this will give you that added detail. Ofcourse, if you’re shooting casually then go with the 35mm for a greater range of frames!

This was a super day out shooting with Portra 160 on medium format and got to shoot some on 35mm which I hadn’t done before. I want to thank Molly aka Eclectachrome for helping filming the video on location and Paula for being our wonderful model on the day.

Thank you for watching all my videos, do go ahead and comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts on this shoot, the images, how you have shot with Portra 160 which are you likes and dislikes? What do you recommend I shoot next with it? On that note I’ll see you on the next drop, in the meantime check this one out!

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The Reason Why Shooting Ilford Pan F Outdoors Is Perfect

The reason why shooting Ilford Pan F outdoors is perfect for shooting on the Yashica Mat 124G is because it suits subjects ranging from architecture and still-life to portraiture as well as fashion. It offers slow speed, high contrast, black & white film offering exceptionally fine grain, sharpness and detail.

How often have you tried to point your TLR up to shoot? It’s not very practical to do so unless you have a tripod and a very steady hand. For the casual person in public they’ll probably be curious why someone is pointing a black box upwards looking through it as if it were a periscope from a submarine. I think this picture came out pretty well, the sharp dark lines in between the bright glass contrasts well and gives an illusion of the building disappearing into the sky. 

In contrast, no pun intended, this picture taken of the Shard a little further away is a more common shot you may have seen of the same building. Have any of you been to the top of the building? Must have a pretty epic view up there forsure! 

Ilford Pan F comes in 35mm and Medium Format. It is rated at ISO 50, and is known for its high contrast, super sharp black & white film with very fine grain. Ideally you need to shoot this film studio or on a natural bright sunny day. 

Naturally, I did the opposite of what was recommended on the film box. It was another dull cold wintery day in Central London and I had a roll which I needed to use up. In hindsight, this was a mini win, namely because the high contrast of the film was the best way to communicate the physical environment and feel at the time. 

Daido Moriyama says that, ‘make sure that you really look at things, the objects, whether food or other goods, in all their variety’. You’re probably thinking, obviously! Sometimes however it's the simplest piece of advice that can get you going again. Moriyama also suggests for anyone heading out to the street to ‘put aside ‘concepts’ and/or ‘themes’. 

Ultimately, get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot. It might be that once you have gone somewhere and got a feel of the place, you’ll be able to look back at your photos and reassess. It may be that an image stands out and you may want to go back and explore that a little further with your camera. 

This is one of my favourite images from this walk. I love the dark intense contrast on the edges of the frame with the light illuminating through. It almost feels like going back a 100 years and imagining what street life may have been like with market vendors out on the street and people involved in the hustle and bustle of daily life. 

This tiny Rotherhithe watch house was established as a base for constables of St Mary's Parish in 1821.  You can see that the rectangular stone plaque above the door confirms both the function and the date of the building.  

Everytime I walk in London I find something new. This watchhouse, as well as being a base for monitoring the streets at night, was in a very useful position on the edge of the churchyard, or guarding against body snatchers.  

Body snatching was a very lucrative and commonplace back in the 1800s in London. It was of course totally illegal, because fresh bodies were always in demand by anatomists at Guys & St Thomas’s Hospital for dissection and teaching purposes. 

Until 1832, the only other corpses legally available to hospitals were those condemned to death and dissection in the courts or the unclaimed bodies of people who had died in hospitals and poor houses.The hospital which is literally around the corner is still very much in operation today! However the Watchhouse closed down back in 1836 after the Metropolitan Police was formed in 1829. 

The fine tonal grain gives the images taken on Ilford Pan F that classic feeling and look. Would be quite cool to shoot some actors in a Peaky Blinders look somewhere along here.  

I know that Ilford Pan F is rated 50 ISO however I was really impressed by how well it handled in extremely low light conditions. Take this picture, taken inside with little to no natural light coming through. I guess one of the advantages of having a TLR or any Medium Format camera with a leaf shutter is that you can really bring that shutter speed down. As such, with a steady hand, or even with the camera resting on the surface you’ll be able to capture something delicate in the most light challenging situations. 

Have you shot with the Yashica Mat 124G or similar Medium Format cameras such as the Mamiya? Which one was your favourite picture from this video? What do you recommend shooting with or how to use this film for projects! Let me know in the comments below, thank you!

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Shooting 35mm In A Medium Format Camera

A trip down some desolate urban landscapes with my Fuji GSWiii and Nikon L35AF2. The plan was to test out some 35mm Ilford HP5 Plus on the Fuji GSWiii and for some fun on the side shooting Ilford XP2 Super on the Nikon compact camera. 

There are a few little nuances that I cover in loading the 35mm on the Fuji GSWiii. With that aside, I was able to take 16 shots in total. It may have been possible to get another shot or two if I had loaded the film in a dark bag or dark room. As you will see in the video I will take your step-by-step how to load the film onto the camera. 

The weather was bright and sunny when the cloud broke. However it was extremely windy in places making the wind chill factor drop the temperature a few degrees further. Great location to shoot from however, particularly with Ilford HP5 Plus or Ilford XP2 Super. 

Loading the Nikon L35AF2 is very straightforward although there are a few little steps you need to take before you can take the film out when the roll is fully shot. As it is an old automated camera it is susceptible to stop working. This can be quite problematic especially if you don’t have a dark bag or dark room to work. Keep this in mind as it is not unusual for vintage compact cameras to start malfunctioning at some point and the cost of repair makes it redundant to remedy this issue. 

I hope you found the video helpful, particularly when coming to new locations, setting up and framing compositions. Have you shot with the Fuji GSWiii or Nikon L35AF2 or similar Medium Format or Compact  cameras such as the Mamiya? Which one was your favourite picture from this video? What do you recommend shooting with or how to use this film for projects! Let me know in the comments below, thank you!

Check out my last video on Medium Format Portraits here, see you there! 

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The Key To Taking Great Portraits On The Bronica Zenza ETRS Is

Posing is an active affair, it is much more than just getting your subject to stand or sit somewhere. As a photographer, building a rapport with your subject or client is just the start. You must be highly observant, see how they move, watch the light and shadows, the head at various angles and critically be confident in telling your subject to ‘hold it’ when the look is perfect! 

Getting the recommended settings input before you start shooting will give you the best chance of getting the desired outcomes you want.  Automatic light metering systems on vintage cameras often work on the ‘average’ principle. That is certainly the case with cameras such as the Pentax ME Super. This means that the scene you are shooting will be made of equal proportions of light and shadow. It will have taken into account the extreme highlights and shadows calculating an average reading. For most cases this is a win, because there is no such thing as perfect exposure. 

Using a dedicated light meter such as the Sekonic L858D allows you to take an average light meter reading or even a spot one. For shooting portraits, spot metering is ideal because it allows you to decide exactly which area of the subject should be exposed for. 

The ultra close up portraits are a great example of how to get rid of negative space and really push yourself to create something new in each shot. Every shot was carefully choreographed to give a different look and feel and I think this selection really shows this well.  

Two things are important. First, detail is valuable only if it helps add the impression you are trying to get across. If it doesn’t it will just send mixed messages and become lost. For example, shooting in a studio with a plain backdrop will in most cases lead to a great shot however when you have spent time setting up a whole set your image may not come out as well. 

Secondly, you must have mastery over the camera you are using. In particular, you know how to manually control settings in your camera and the film you are using is capable of capturing what you are looking for. 

The characteristics of films make them react somewhat differently in low light conditions, as opposed to bright light. The most important thing to focus on is the shutter speed, lens aperture and type of film being used. Knowing these will determine what you will be able to produce or not. Here’s a little project for you. Shoot a subject at every single exposure combination your camera’s lens and shutter will allow. Through this process you will learn so much more than worrying about busting the bank to pay for another lens that will give you a negligible increase in performance. 

Very rarely will you find one exposure perfectly right for every corner of your picture area, but quite often you will find the most extraordinary exposure right for a certain part of your subject. Take the final photo for example, I know this is not in focus but I think it's a great shot with the taxi in the backdrop, the wet reflective floor and the lines with Rebecca moving.

Have you shot with the Bronica Zenza ETRS or similar Medium Format cameras such as the Mamiya? Which one was your favourite picture from this video? What do you recommend shooting with or how to use this film for projects! Let me know in the comments below, thank you!

Check out my last video on CineStill 800T here, see you there! 

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I loaded a roll of Cinestill 800T on my Nikon FA and this happened…

I loaded a roll of CineStill 800t on my Nikon FA and this happened right in front of my eyes while I was enjoying my hot chocolate. 

This man came bolting across the window, I didn't quite catch why he was running away so quickly, then another guy bolted by shouting out aloud, telling people on the street to stop him. I thought I had missed the opportunity to capture something but the security guard came back around, clearly full of adrenaline, however, he had been successful in capturing the shoplifter and from the looks of it got the two bottles of whisky back in his possession. 

This film is rated ISO 800 and is a tungsten balanced colour negative film based on the gold standard motion picture technology used by the best cinematographers around the world. It is specifically designed for difficult low light tungsten situations, this flexible film is suitable for use in different lighting situations to achieve a variety of looks.

It goes without saying that… check your camera settings before you start shooting as this will give you the best chance of getting the desired outcomes you want. 

If this is your first time shooting, I would recommend setting your ISO to 800 and check the light conditions that you are in. Use your light meter to take an accurate measurement that you want to be coming out correctly, or photographically put, exposed for. 

If you’re reading this as a seasoned film photographer this goes without saying, however, I know often we can get caught up in the moment and forget the basics which can lead to disappointments. There’s no need to make schoolboy errors! 

Using a phone pocket light meter, in my experience, has been useful for general casual shooting, it has not been the most accurate.  For the best results I use a dedicated handheld light meter, the Sekonic L858D. 

The weather is changing! Therefore, it is another great opportunity to shoot in different climatic and weather conditions. Use the unsettled weather to take advantage of the elements. I love the reflections coming off the pavement in the foreground. Think about your local weather patterns, what could you use to create something special?  

Always take stock from those who have walked this path before. Joel Meyerowitz encourages everyone to own the street. Public places are shared places and you have to be confident in what you are doing. By embracing the day you will capture the beauty of everything that surrounds you. 

How are you going to capture vibrant colours using CineStill 800T? 

Understanding some basic elements of the film will help you to plan what you will capture. The T in Cinestill 800T refers to tungsten or tungsten balanced. Most films are daylight balanced (for example CineStill 50D- check out my last video on that next!) This means the colours we capture are similar to what we see with our eyes. 

Tungsten light however (measured at 3200K) is warm yellow-orange colour light rather than daylight which is measured at 5500K which should appear white. This would be the middle point between warm light and blue light.  

At the start and end of each day daylight is more of a blue light hence it is called blue hour. Cinestill 800T is repackaged Kodak Vision3 500T motion picture film (movie film). As with Cinestill the T in 500T relates to the fact that it is tungsten balanced. With this information in mind, before we go out to shoot, we need to have in mind what will help bring out the best in this film format. Now, where will we find this in abundance? I wonder… 

The beauty of shooting with 36 frames is that you can get 36 different shots! You can fire these off within a few seconds, depending on what camera you are using. A key element of great photography is planning and taking the time to think about what you want to capture. Being aware of what you are going to shoot, where you are going, what you may expect will allow you to prepare for capturing the perfect moment. 

We are all cipating ie taking things as they happen or come. However with a little bit of planning you can anticipate and future project what may happen and then capture the perfect shot. 

Are you a beginner film photographer? 

The main formats are 35mm, Medium Format and Large Format. 

35mm you will get the smallest frame and the large format will be considerably larger in film size. If you are looking to shoot as a hobby, start off by shooting with a cheap film camera which you can pick up for as little as £20 on ebay. 

Don’t splurge thousands of pounds buying equipment which will at some point stop working as in most cases parts will be hard to source. Unless you have a bottomless pit to draw on (get yourself a Leica!) then remember that any vintage camera with a good lens will get you the same results as the most expensive camera on the market. 

On a side note film stocks are also getting more expensive, even though popularity is increasing for this medium of photography. Pricing can range from as little as £5 a roll through £20 for a single roll of CineStill 800T on 35mm. With that in mind, adjust your entry so you enjoy the medium more than anything else! 

Always try something new with your photography. You don't have to stick to 800 ISO, why not play around by pushing or pulling the film. Or even mess about with it in post. If you are a hobbyist what do you have to lose by trying this film out in different situations and scenarios? 

You may have already shot with this film so let me know what your thoughts are about it, how have you got on with it in 35mm or medium format? 

What do you recommend shooting with or how to use this film for projects! Check out my last video on CineStill 50D here, see you there! 

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Cinestill 50D On Square Format

I shot CineStill 50D on a 6x6 Yashica Mat 124G. I love the results because of the amount of real estate that you get on the square negative, in particular. 

I know that this is not a common practice, particularly among people who are shooting fashion on film. I'm curious how many of you have shot it on 6x6. Or in your opinion, do you think it would be better to shoot it on 6x4.5 or 6x7 or even 6x9? 

Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below. And the other question that I've got is, obviously in this shoot, I've been using Cinestill 50D, but would you, if you are going into Lightroom afterwards, would you convert the negative from colour into black and white or would you go and do some post-processing with film? 

I'm curious how many people are purists and just stick to the negative as it comes out, or how many of us actually go away and change the images completely. So, let me know what your thoughts are. I'd love to hear from you and I look forward to seeing you in the next video.

You can grab a copy of the book here