Street Fashion Shoot With My Fuji GSWiii

I have just had my Fuji GSWiii sit at home waiting for that perfect chance to shoot some landscape images on film. Knowing myself, I figured I would have to create an opportunity! 

With only 8 frames to each roll of film, the 6 by 9 film size is incredible to view, especially on colour positive film.  I parked my trusted Bronica Zenza ETRS and decided to get out and use this camera more this summer. 

This particular GSWiii comes with a 65mm lens which I believe is equivalent to a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera. 

First shoot opportunity came from a shoot setup with Anna. She was in the country and we set up a shoot in Central London late one afternoon. 

I threw in a whole bunch of medium format rolls into my bag and over the next few hours we shot natural light as well as with my wonderful profoto umbrella and profoto A1. 

Shooting Fuji Provia 100F in Natural Light

We started off by shooting on the colour positive film Provia 100F. It was a late afternoon shoot, hence why I brought along my off camera flash. These images were all taken using natural light. 

I really like this image of Anna in her chequered jacket and blue jeans looking over in the distance. 

The colours came out natural to the eye which I was really surprised to see considering the relatively low level light available at the time. 

The details are captured in this frame with Anna resting one leg down while resting her head gently against her left hand. 

The details in the jeans combined with the reds and yellows in the fore and background add more energy to the image. 

The highlights are perhaps a little overexposed but something that can be managed in a future shoot in camera or in post production! 

Going in a bit closer, once again the colour and detail of the 6 by 9 negative has really come out super well. 

This image of her holding the rose, combined with the red seat and red lipstick draw in the line of sight making it a compositionally attractive image to view. 

This combined with how her arms make an almost symmetrical look on either side in reflection to the legs.

I took another image of her standing up with the rose and framed this one up. I think these more close up portrait shots could be the way to go! 

Ending this set I took this shot which is a little out of focus but I really like the effect and emotion coming through the image and this is definitely one of my favourite shots from the Provia batch! 

Kodak Ektachrome in Natural Light

Well, If I was going to shoot some Provia, I was going to have to shoot some Ektachrome to see the differences in colour. 

Unlike the Bronica unfortunately you don't have the luxury of swapping film backs to capture identical images but I tried my best to keep the frames similar in nature throughout. 

Starting off with this shot, the colours are a bit more subdued but nevertheless deliver outstanding colour rendition. 

Part of the ability to shoot well with subjects comes down to how well you both come prepared to shoot. Certainly Anna, turned up with the perfect outfits for a befitting urban location shoot.

As before I took a combination of closer shots combined with wider shots to see the differences between the images. The consistent theme throughout is the more subdued colour rendition. 

I think, in part, maybe there were clouds passing through in comparison to the stronger light experienced when shooting the Provia roll. 

Nevertheless, you can see the film doesn’t perform as strongly in the shadows. Overall, pleased with this batch of images and my personal favourite was this shot of Anna with her arms crossed holding her jacket. 

Shooting Kodak Gold 200

Kodak Gold has made a comeback to medium format and it has been great to see so many photographers getting out and shooting this film. 

Carrying on with the same outfit and vibe, I decided to shoot some in a different location to catch a bit more of the afternoon sunset. 

This time a combination of natural light which has come out with much warmer tones and then brought in the umbrella and profoto to capture these shots with a little bit more controlled light. 

The colour is better balanced particularly with the wonderful warm sunset light radiating off the back of the Victorian buildings. Bit of a New York vibe, no?

Shooting Kodak Portra 800 with Flash

It was twilight and having these tall buildings surrounding us didnt help too much with the light either. It is somewhat fitting that for a camera that I have not shot much with I was reminded to take out some of that Portra 800 that had been knocking about in my film stash from quite a way back. 

I wasn’t going to waste this roll on the hope the images would come out by shooting this pushed 1 stop, let alone 3 stops. All these images were taken having metered using my Sekonic L-308X with the umbrella and profoto a1. 

Shot with this brick backdrop first, trying to capture some variation in styles from Anna. I like the one with Anna sat on the curb out of this mini set. We moved on to take a few with this black backdrop which I think has colourwise come out much stronger. 

When I first saw this on the film strip it looked as if the image had been taken with a greenscreen backdrop applied. 

In hindsight, I was beginning to think how different these images would look had they been shot on Portra 160 or Portra 400. Personally, I don't think it would be very different. What do you think? 

Important Considerations Shooting with Fuji GSWiii

If you are looking to shoot with this wonderful rangefinder camera here are my thoughts on some things you should consider before shooting away. 

First, if you are shooting portraits you have got to make sure you measure the distances between yourself and the subject accurately. 

If you have wonderful 20:20 vision then you might be thinking, wait why can't you just use the rangefinder optics? 

This can be a bit tricky for me and I suspect probably for many others that may have particular eye conditions. 

Easiest way to get around this is to measure the distances. Honestly this will save you a lot of lost frames. 

This particular Fuji comes with a fixed 65mm and if you enjoy shooting street photography could be a fun companion with its 28mm 35mm camera equivalent lens. 

Although primarily known for landscape photography, the  Fuji GSWiii has the potential to give photographers new creative opportunities in portrait photography.  

It got me thinking, are modern digital cameras up to the level of old school medium format cameras? 

I’m not sure, but it could be a fun experiment! Do you have experience with this? Let me know in the comments below. 

Overall, I feel the closer I was shooting to Anna, the richer the details in each of the frames. Images with natural light use of off camera flash came out super well. 

With more shoots I will slowly find my preference, Let’s see where this takes me next! 

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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!

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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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Acing Blur Right In Film Photography

When Oskar Barnack publicly introduced his first Leica camera, in 1925, at the Leipzig Springfair in Germany, it was the culmination of many years of refinement since he joined Lietz in 1911.

Barnack was a design engineer by profession and was originally working on a movie camera when ran into a problem. Emulsion speeds of films were unreliable and accurate metering was all but impossible. Barnack took it upon himself to build a small device intended to test small batches of movie film.

The film complete with its iconic sprocket holes, formed the beating heart around which Barnack designed the system which revolutionised photography - it is without a doubt that he was the creator of miniature 35mm was known for decades. 

These sets of images were taken on a Yashica Mat 124G with a roll of the wonderful Kodak Tri-X 400. I know you’re probably hopping out of your seat at the minute thinking well why did you start off by talking about the 35mm camera! Well its kind of ironic that Barnack’s system was developed out of cinematography and just shows how this innovation has moved and developed over time! 

I digress, this picture was taken in Central London, using a shutter speed of ten seconds. The film has recorded the motion of the skaters jumping over obstacles conveniently placed for them to practice their skills and tricks. The skaters blurred, of course, producing a soft and gentle abstract pattern which contrasts greatly with the crisp detail of the obstacles, and which suggests the neverending and timeless flow of movement. 

It is not an effect that could have been produced by using a high shutter speed to freeze the skaters: in any case. In any case, if you did what to do that you would have had to use flash in these extremely low light conditions. With the obstacles crisp there would have been a powerful focus of attention on the foreground and background and consequently all character and depth in the image would have been lost.  

In this picture there's a strong feeling of the passage of time. Blur is very powerful - especially when designed into an image or photograph. When it happens such as through camera shake it is nothing more than an obvious mistake or lack of knowledge. Therefore for blur to work effectively it has to be planned. And you can make effective use of it by showing it in the main subject or in supporting elements of the picture - such as the background - and for a variety of reasons. 

Some fun ways to explore a purposeful blur might be trying to shoot cars or motorbikes on the move. Or perhaps even at home with your children, nephews or nieces while they are running circuits around you in their ever boundless energy. Can someone please tell me how I can get that back again! Blur can very much enhance your photography but has to be used appropriately for every subject to maximise its effect.

The human eye is not like the eye of a camera lens. When you are watching a fast object moving your eyes are able to focus on the object and blur away the less important information in the background. Unfortunately, the camera lens if used with a fast shutter speed will most likely capture everything in sharp and vivid detail. 

The problem with this is that your image will look dead static. Consequently it won't look natural to the subconscious mind and your rational mind will most likely dismiss the image. You can get around this issue by using a technique known as 'panning'. 

As soon as a moving subject such as a motorbike or car - is clearly framed in the viewfinder you must swing the camera to follow the subject, and press the shutter while still moving. As a result the photo will show the subject against a background which blurs in horizontal lines - and the effect is a very convincing impression of motion in the image. Don't forget, for panning to be successful, you must keep the subject in the same spot in the viewfinder during the move, and to fire the camera shutter smoothly, carrying on swinging till the shot is well and truly finished. 

If you dont pan correctly or at all the background will come out sharp and the subject you wanted in focus blurred. The motorbike, car or your nephew running will attract far less attention. Ultimately, photography is another means of communication between you and the viewer. 

The use of blur in photography not only shows motion but through it the passage of time. As any object that is moving is still taking time to move. As a result you can see the difference between each second in time which goes against the grain of Henri-Cariters Bresson’s instruction to find one split second in which to take the shot. 

Cartier Bresson's 'decisive moment' refers more to the arrangement of his subject than to the timing. Time and its passing can be suggested in one shot -  such as these skaters- but there's no need to stop at one. Perhaps shooting with a 35mm camera you will be able to capture a set of images which makes this a more practical way of shooting blurred images.

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Blue Hour Night Shoot With Kodak Portra 800

In the first image, I'm looking up towards my subject. I've positioned her leaning slightly against the handrail with her left hand and knee leaning towards the camera. This gives the impression of the importance of the subject, as well as creating a little drama with the large building in the background. When coming out to shoot with Portra 800, be sure to communicate to your model or subject how you want them to dress and style themselves so they fit in with the environment perfectly. Another way you can create variety in images is by getting your subject to move.

In this case, I got the model to move towards me. And that way you can capture something a little bit more different and give you a greater range in your portfolio that you are building. When you're out on the shoot, make sure that you know your equipment really, really well. In this case, you can see the focus come out absolutely brilliantly. I think the key thing with this is knowing how to use your equipment and knowing how to use it well.

I wasn't sure how this image was going to turn out. There was very low light here and I resorted to using off-camera flash modelling lamps to get some light on the model. This image has not been edited in post and has come out quite well, despite a slight muddy texture which fits in quite well with the feel of the shoot.

There was a slight blur in the image here, as the light was rapidly reducing. The Yashica Mat 124G only goes down to F3.5, so perhaps with a tripod and shutter release cable, this could be resolved. Even with Porta 800, it would be challenging to capture everything perfectly, and particularly on model-based shoots, time is very limited. Being prepared, but also being aware that sometimes you'll have to take risks when shooting film, will help disappointment afterwards.

Twilight had set in by the time I got around to shooting the next few images. In this unedited image, there is a strong yellow cast set by the modelling lamp. I think it works quite well with the red door in the background, the blue jeans and the white top. Think carefully about your colour palette in advance. Attention to minor details can pay dividends in outcomes.

In this set of images, you may have noticed a variety of different shots, from full body through to narrow top body shots. This was my first shoot with the Yashica Mat 124G under low light conditions with a model. Through shooting different setups, I've learned how to create some cool fashion-style shots with this twin reflex camera.

What was your favourite shot from this selection? Let me know in the comments below. How have you been getting on with Porta 800? Still not sure how to nail Porta 800? Then check the video below!

Why You Shoot Film In Winter Wonderland

Kodak Ektar in Autumnal London

If I were only to give you one piece of advice it would be…

Imagine the autumn sunlight, the rich colours of the leaves and the movement of time as it moves through to the winter. A time to start reflecting on the year and letting go of what has been so you can grow in newer ways. 

Shooting with film is in essence a slowing of time and appreciating that which is around you. Autumn is a perfect time to shoot and of course choosing the perfect film to go with it too. None is better than Kodak Ektar 100 whose vibrant colours capture the best of this time of year. The emulsion captures the colours in their full glory from the blues of the skies to the yellows on the leaves. Be in no doubt that you will capture some wonderfully crisp images. 

Combined with the square format on the Yashica Mat 124G I had a play with this exploring a little garden in Hampstead, England. On reflection this was an appropriate choice to shoot with this film and now I can see why film photographers talk about shooting this film in landscapes. It clearly captures the colours and tones with razor sharpness. The images come out super saturated and you may be left wondering how when its not even slide film! 

Just a side step word of caution here. If it is your first time shooting with any film camera be prepared for things to go wrong. When shooting for the first time with this Yashica I accidentally pressed the shutter too early or hadn’t quite adjusted the frame correctly. You may want to spend a little more time than I did and get to know your camera. This is especially more important when you may have bought this online and it may have had many owners before who perhaps didn't quite look after it in the same way you may do. 

Being an ISO 100 film, I would advise using a light meter when you go to shoot with this film. Regardless of whether you are shooting with 35mm or 120mm you will want to make sure that you have the best of each frame. The tonality of the images will blow you away and you may regret shooting without a solid light meter such as the Sekonic L35. 

Perhaps one of the downside to this stock is that it has a narrow exposure latitude which means that you will need lots of light to be able to capture the images to its best on this film. I am yet to try using this film in a studio however you may find this a fun experiment if you have a good grasp of lighting your subject evenly. On some of the images I have taken here you can see that it does struggle with shadows on occasions. That said, one shoot is not a tangible metric to judge any film stock by! 

If I were only to give you one piece of advice it would be: shoot it in lots of light. You may want to experiment with this film in different conditions before you settle working on a project with it. Remember that if you are struggling for ideas, pick a roll whether it is Ektar or any other film stock and get out and shoot without thought to see what you gravitate towards and capture. Then double down and keep at it, the rest will figure itself out. 

Bronica 75mm f2.8 Lens Review With Portra 400

The 75mm f2.8 lens that often comes as standard with the wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS Medium Format Camera so let’s get into the details of this little beauty.

This lens is 75mm which is equivalent to 45mm on a 35mm camera. With that in mind you should be able to have a vision in your mind of how this compares generally with a 50mm 35mm or any digital camera with a similar lens. The difference is that you’ll be shooting in medium format so you’ll be capturing much more detail.

In this video, you will learn about how to use this lens and get started shooting with it along with some pros and cons of the equipment. Enjoy!

Choosing the favourite image can be tricky too, no? Which one was your favourite from the shoot?

FPP RetroChrome on Nikon FA

Creating with Kodak Portra 160 on Nikon FA

How to shoot Portra 800 on 35mm: https://youtu.be/a9s6h3XRtLE 

Shooting Kodak Portra 160 in typically very poor English weather, is a bit of a risk! At one moment we had a drizzle. Next minute, it was like no I'm not going to rain. Then it rained. Then it was dry again and cloudy. Then it drizzled. In England we're just going to get that kind of weather. You just have to accept it for what it is. 

I'm super pleased with the outcome with the Kodak Portra 160 considering the challenges it was well worth it in the end. Massive shout out to Luke & Lucas in particular who came out with some killer outfits and made the BTS video in the background. 

Get out there and shoot whatever the situation is gonna be. Get out there, enjoy it. Here are some more videos for you to check out! I'll see you In the next one.

Any questions about 35mm or Medium Format film, shoot a message in the comments! 

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How to shoot Kodak Gold 35mm on Zeiss Ikon Nettar

Have you seen the pictures on a Hasselblad Xpan? The landscape format is ridiculous. It's amazing. Have you seen the price? It's nuts! It’ll cost you more than £4k online and no, I haven’t got that kind of money. So I thought to myself, how am I gonna get that sort of look on a budget?

I came across 35mm to 120mm adapters which you pop into any medium format camera. You can grab some from Analogue Wonderland. I decided to go out with my Ikon Zeiss Nettar with some Kodak Gold and had a play. Check out the results in the video here. 

Not sure how the large orange halation came about in the centre of the negative. I think it's to do with the lens and maybe perhaps there's too much exposure in the centre, than on the sides of the film. I'm not sure how to reduce that effect. 

I think it looks cool, but it'd be interesting to see how it looks without it. I've tried in post  to reduce it down and so forth, but not much luck. If you know how to get rid of that effect, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you because I think if I can solve this, then there will be some absolutely amazing pictures that you can take on 35mm

As you can see from some of the images that I've taken with this the first time, there's been occasional areas where there's been a double exposure or the reel's not been moved along fully. I was moving this dial about one and a half turns, stroke two turns each time, to see what I could get. Clearly a very subjective way of trying to figure out how far the film had moved along the back. Next time, I'm going to do a little bit more experimentation, figure out this dial. Once I've got that nailed, I think there's some real potential, some wonderful shots with this. 

Some of the images have been cut off from below, and I think that's to do with the fact that I was looking through the visor here, and forgetting that it's got a medium format backing. 

Next time, by lowering my perspective a little bit from where I am so as to not shoot from eye length and a bit more from the hip will probably be about the right sweet spot. Perhaps to get around it, would be to get a film strip and stick it on the back of your camera here. This allows for some visualisation . Again, it is shooting by trial and error, but once you've done it a few times, I think, again, the potential is looking good. 

Thank you to Analogue Wonderland for actually making and producing these things. Definitely, if you've got a medium format camera, throw in some 35 millimetre in, and you'll see what kind of images you can get. 

I think, if you love photography, you're always exploring new ways of shooting and trying to figure out how you can create something different and unique. These 35mm to 120 adapters will help you to do that, and you can tuck them into any medium format camera that you've got at home. 

Does it match up to Hasselblad Xpan? I think it's a work in progress. If I can nail the centre part of the frame, get rid of that halation that exists there, then I think, yes. It's a really cheap landscape alternative, but at the same time, I think having that halation, there actually creates a very different dynamic to it, which is a lot of fun. 

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 going to drop and I look forward to seeing you in a workshop with me very, very soon.

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How To Shoot Timeless Portraits On Ilford HP5 Plus

How to shoot Vintage Portraits on Kodak Portra 400: https://youtu.be/xCLmt-Z279A

Ilford HP5 Plus 400 with Bronica Zenza ETRS fashion and portraits! You didn't think I was gonna do a whole day shooting, and not shoot some black and white?

I shot some Ilford HP5 Plus out on this wonderful summer's day, not typical that you would choose this sort of film for such a bright sunny day, but I wanted to see how it'd perform. And I can tell you now, some of these images are absolutely brilliant! There is something about just pure black and white film. Enjoy these images that are coming up. They are very, very special! Do let me know which one was your favorite and why in the comments below!

A massive thank you to all the brilliant photographers I have worked with and who came out on this wonderful shoot! It was a fabulous day, we took some amazing, amazing pictures. If it wasn't for them running around, helping each other out, holding up this, holding up that, getting into the right positions, learning from each other, then some of these shots would not have even been possible.

If you have yet to shoot on a workshop with me come along and you will learn so much by working together, sharing, and contributing.

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.

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Pentax Ilford HP5 5 best ways to shoot in bad weather

Shooting 35mm Nikon FA with Ilford HP5 Plus in the rain: https://youtu.be/jZalyJvSRhg

Where are you going? How are you going to get there? Which route are you going to take? What are the alternative options of getting there?

If one form of transport doesn't work, think about where you could divert and go through different routes, which might interest you. Use Google, go onto the maps, check them out, see what the places are like before you can even get there.

If you have a visual idea of where you're going to be working, you will focus on photography. Keep it light, small backpack waterproof with you, a waterproof for your camera. If you can't afford one of those, grab a plastic bag, chuck it into your bag. The last thing that you need when walking through rain or through bad weather is a heavy rucksack, which is getting heavier with the rain falling on it. Focus on keeping things as minimal and as light as possible.

Embrace the weather. It's going to rain in England. It's going to be windy, stay safe, but make sure that you have planned for the eventuality. Go through it. This way you will be prepared for that magic moment where someone might walk by in a certain way. Someone might do something in a certain way and you'll be ready with your camera to take that shot.

Always be aware of your surroundings, regardless of what is going on, focus on your goal. The amazing thing is that these clouds are going to act like a giant softbox. So you're going to get something lovely, even light if it's a subject or whatever it might be. Focus on using that as an advantage for you also take as a backup, a light metre that can be on your phone, or you can use a dedicated light metre. such as a Sekonic light metre. Both those options are going to really allow you to shoot really well, don't be afraid of the elements. Get out there, use that beautiful giant softbox that you're going to have for you as a backup, always get prepared, take a light metre with you on your phone, or a Sekonic light metre for example, you will get that shot for sure. Take loads and loads of film with you. You wanna have the option so that when you arrive at your destination, you might find that the weather might be a bit more variable.

The sun may have come out. It means that you can then change it up. Maybe you want to initially shoot with black and white, but now you decide colour might be a better option for you therefore have lots of rolls with you, chuck them in a freezer bag. Take them with you as they are light to carry. It gives you that little bit of flexibility when you're out there on the fly shooting.

If the conditions are cloudy and they're overcast, my recommendation is to shoot with Ilford HP5 Plus as it has amazing latitude. If you're not sure about what this is, then you can just check out my video here .

Ilford HP5 Plus will give you results in good lighting conditions, as well as terrible lighting conditions. Alternatively, you can use other 400 ISO film, whether it's colour or black and white, you should be able to get some good shots in that.

When you're shooting outside, think carefully about the theme that you're going to be shooting before you start going out to shoot. You should have done that in your prep work, your planning work so that when you are out there, you can focus on that and find the film that fits your goals.

What is it that you want to capture in that particular environment? What is that message that you want to communicate through images? Make sure that you're prepared and have lots of roll with you so that when you arrive on site with a focus on getting that shot in the best possible way possible.

You'll notice that I didn't talk much about the settings on your camera. What position needs to be in manual mode and the aperture settings. It's not important. Focus on your planning before you head out. Know your camera, go out and make sure that you understand how it works and what works best for you before you go out and shoot. That's fundamentally important in your planning phase.

Plan, plan, plan! When you do that, you're going to walk away knowing that you've done the best that you can to capture the best images in the circumstances that you had in bad lighting conditions you can do really well, as long as you have planned it out, and you have an idea in your mind of what you want to achieve.

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 going to drop and I look forward to seeing you in a workshop with me very, very soon.

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Kodak Portra 400 Fashion & Portraits EP2

Kodak Portra 400 with Bronica Zenza ETRS fashion and portraits second video out of a series of videos that I'm posting on this particular shoot that we did on a summer's day. In this video, we're going to look at how Kodak Portra 400 performs mid morning through to lunch, in the different locations we shot in.

My recommendation to all of you; if you're doing portrait shoots, going out and shooting... make sure that you keep changing where you are! Keep changing your position, your angles, find new spots, and use the environment to your best ability. Using the all tools that you have at your disposal.

I wanted to see how this film would do in broad daylight, but also how it manages in strong sunlight and shadows. You'll see from the images, the different styles, how this emulsion works, and how best to push it if you're gonna use this film.

Go ahead, watch the video, see the images, tell me which images that you like! Which one stood out for you? Let me know in the comments!

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Kodak Portra 400 Fashion & Portraits EP1

Kodak Portra 400 with Bronica Zenza ETRS fashion and portraits. We went out and shot some brilliant portraits and fashion with this film and camera.

The focus being on the Kodak Portra 400. It was my first time shooting with it and getting some portraits, so I was really excited to get the images back and see what we created. I'll share them with you in this video.

This is the first set out of a number of different sets that are going to come out on this particular shoot that we did across the whole day.

Watching the video through you will learn about Kodak Portra 400, how it shoots in sunny 16 conditions and how it changes throughout the course of the day.

Go ahead, watch the video, see the images, tell me which images that you like! Which one stood out for you? Let me know in the comments!

Go ahead and subscribe too! Turn the bell icon, so you get the next video drop, which we're coming very, very soon. Enjoy the video everyone!♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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How to get the best results with Kodak Portra 800

We'll be looking at where it performs best, pros and cons of Kodak Portra 800, and how you can use the film to get the best results.

Kodak Portra 800 is great for commercial photographers. It's a fast film, ISO 800, which means that it's ideal for all or no light conditions such as in the evenings or indoors. It's not to be confused with or compared with CineStill 800T, which is a very different film stock. Portra 800 is very similar to Portra 400 but with notably more grain and slightly more contrast. It has warm tones, very good exposure latitude, and while its grain is more noticeable, it's very pleasant looking.

Its higher ISO also makes it ideal for lower light shooting. The emulsion colour response isn't the greatest in tungsten or in dusk light. Its a bit too "green-y", "cyan-ish". On the other hand, it is the perfect emulsion for indoor situations` which are well lit. As you can see from this image. I guess that is to say that it's very sensitive to colour temperature shifts. So if you're organised and sort out your filters and your lenses, then you can overcome this issue if you're well prepared. It may seem too grainy for some, but it's no better or worse than 400 speed film pushed one stop. But from my experience of shooting both 35 and 120 formats, I feel that the 35 millimetre version lacks the sharpness of the 120 Portra 800. And obviously that's got a lot to do with the format that you're going to be shooting, however you might be able to still get better results using Portra 400 and pushing it one stop. Having said that, would it be cheaper to shoot Portra 400 and push it one stop? Let me know your thoughts.

As with other portrait films, it scans nicely. However, as a typical colour native film, the colours might come out a bit muddy, especially if you are underexposing your film. So make sure you take the time to expose the film properly before you start shooting.

How do you use this film to get the best results each time?

You've got to make sure that you're exposing the film properly. There are several ways you can do this.

The first way is to use a dedicated light metre such as this Sekonic that I have here. They're really simple to use, will save you time, money and most importantly, get you a correctly exposed image every single time. The second way you can do this is by using applications on your phone with the Android and iPhone. On the iPhone, you can download two applications, a pocket light metre. And here you can plug in your ISO setting on the far right hand side and then you can go ahead and take a shot and see how it comes out and then auto adjust it, so you can get the correct exposure settings. It will automatically do it for you as well.

The other way you can use the iPhone is by using something called Viewfinder. Now this one you can go into the settings and manually set it so you can put in your ISO, your aperture, whatever you want to use. You can also go ahead and click on the side and then you can choose film emulsion. So it will emulate what the image is going to look like if you're using a particular film stop, which I find particularly useful, but it's not always very accurate. If you choose to shoot this at day time, you can reduce the graininess by using an ND filter. But like I said before, try your best to get the exposure spot-on, particularly at nighttime, where images will come out that little bit more tinted green. We are at the conclusion.

What more is there to say about this wonderful film emulsion?

I think there are four key points to take away from this video. Number one, flexibility. I like the flexibility of this film. It performs well in a broad range of conditions. However, when it comes to dedicated night shooting, I would probably still take a tripod with me. If you're going to shoot landscapes, this will become even more important.

Number two, portraits. When it comes to portraits this film absolutely smashes the competition. It would seem to me that given its name is "Portra", that its original purpose was for taking portraits. The skin tones are second to none. If you're shooting portraits in the evening outdoors, I would highly recommend taking a tripod with you. However, if you have an external light source available or off-camera flash available, then you should be able to just go straight and shoot. Number three, low light.

As previously mentioned, it's absolutely fabulous in low light. In 35 millimetre it's great, but in medium format, it just goes up a notch. Minimal grain with excellent saturation. If you love shooting neon lights at night, or you're looking to get some candid street snaps without those sinister halations then look no further.

Finally it's unmatched. Unlike Kodak Ektar 100, Portra 800 has greater versatility with an ISO speed that helps that little bit more, when the sun goes down. Especially if you don't like lugging around a tripod, like me. Although the grain is much more noticeable, the colour rendering is exquisite, giving each image a much more atmospheric look.

Thank you for watching this video guys. I hope you've got the main takeaway point is that you've got to expose this Portra 800 film properly, and if you do that, you're gonna get fabulous images every single time. I hope this video has been really helpful for you. And please do add any comments or questions that you might have about this film stock. And please do go ahead and subscribe to the channel. And I look forward to seeing you in the next video.

Fuji GSWiii Simplified with Fuji Pro 400H

I will be using my Fuji GSW690iii 6x9 medium format camera in this video. 

This camera is also known Texas Leica. It is big camera, you will see as I walk along this beautiful riverside on this overcast this afternoon. 

On occasions there is a break in the cloud as the blue sky seeps through. I wonder if this would have an affect on the Fuji Pro400H. 

This colour film stock which has sadly been discontinued will give l about eight shots on a 6x9 frame.

The first few shots were take of these lovely swans down, and then I swung around, and took another shot looking in the opposite direction.  

I ran out of shot pretty quickly so I rolled up another roll of Fuji Pro 400H into this camera, looking forward to seeing what else I would capture next. 

Fuji medium format film comes with a little sticker, so you just lift this part up, and then just swing it around the other side you’ll be able to quickly seal your film once exposed. I think they use a little bit less glue than the other film-producing companies and works a treat without you have to lick it seal the film. 

With the film safe keeping for later, I loaded up  the second roll. You’ll see the direction in which film needs to be rolled on the Fuji GSW690iii. Release the pins on either side and then load up your film. Carefully drag the film across until the arrow and close the film back. Always take your rubbish home with you wherever you are.

I hope you have enjoyed watching the video and seeing the images you can create even in less than perfect situations. 

The more you shoot, the better you'll get over time. I encourage you to get yourself a film camera if you don't already have one. 

If you're still on the ropes about getting one of these Fuji GSW3s, I strongly recommend it. The negative size, it's absolutely enormous. And you'll get a lot, a lot of fun out of it as well.

Nikon FA with Ilford HP5+ Photo Walk

Nikon FA was my first ever 35mm film camera. I had been on the fence for quite sometime so when an opportunity presented itself I jumped on board.

It had been quite some time due to our rolling lockdowns since I had an opportunity to get out and shoot with Lucas. We were both chomping at the bit for some time so at our first opportunity we headed out to East London for some film fun!

We started off outside the ExCel Centre with the aim of heading eastward before turning back here. The walk took us through parts decaying through to the ultra modern (and of course, deserted). Nikon FA was my first ever 35mm film camera. I had been on the fence for quite some time so when an opportunity presented itself I jumped on board.

It had been quite some time due to our rolling lockdowns since I had an opportunity to get out and shoot with Lucas. We were both chomping at the bit for some time so at our first opportunity we headed out to East London for some film fun!

We started off outside the ExCel Centre with the aim of heading eastward before turning back here. The walk took us through parts decaying through to the ultra modern (and of course, deserted).The weather was extremely cold, you could feel the windchill working its way through if I stood around or decided to take a break for too long. The overcast weather also helped the film choice. Ilford HP5+ has a wide latitude so you could easily shoot it at any range from 200-800 ISO without much problem. A good idea is to figure out how much grain you want in your image before you get going.

The first few images of an abandoned building which was bought by Newham Council back in 2015. It sits on prime land, opposite the huge ExCel International Exhibition Centre directly across the River Thames. To its east lies London City Airport and to the West the Financial Capital of the World, Canary Wharf. Unsurprisingly, no decision has been made with regards to those abandoned buildings. Although, how long are they going to ponder on it?

The sky is clear, the sun is out as we continue our walk along the River Thames. Just behind the conference centre is plonked a ‘mobile mini’ which makes no sense either. Anyway, a good snap! As we were coming out of lockdown I could help but think why flights were still going out of London City Airport?

A little further along and more abandoned buildings, brand new ones this time. Empty offices with residential complex above. We arrived just at the right time, the light and shadows with the buildings seemingly converging at the end. One of my favourite shots was the reflection of Canary Wharf behind us in the distance, the clouds and the sun at its full brightness.

We took a break for a bit and started to plot out the rest of the walk. A few clouds rolled in and I remember looking up the flight schedule so Lucas could grab a shot on his Canon 35mm. Luck would have it that as we had walked further along we saw a plane taxiing in the distance (not on the rosta!) and he was able to grab a few shots!

We reached the end of the line to find a water pumping station. We hadn’t been walking along the Thames afterall! It was the end of the Gallions Point Marina. The sun was getting lower at this point and we decided to hustle a bit to a spot Lucas had found on the River Thames. The decaying boat would make a perfect subject for a long exposure shot. Which Lucas had prepared very well for with his 10 stop Lee Filter! We worked our way around to North Woolwich through the Royal Victoria Garden, in much more of a hurry due to light starting to go.

We found our way out to a bridge directly underneath the flight path of City Airport after walking along a dead-end footpath. Perfect opportunity to capture the East London Skyline but this time with Lucas’s ND filter. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the right thread to hook it up so decided to take a risk and take the shot with the ND Filter handheld. The first shot needed better focus as you can see in the video, however, the second attempt was far better. I really like that shot, definitely will need to find some time to have a play with these filters in the future!

Scurrying our way past the Tate & Lyle factory as pedestrians stopped and asked us for directions to the nearest tube station. We made our final stop at the Thames Barrier which has been in operation for over 40 years now. Little is known about how crucial this system is in preventing wide scale flooding in London. The question remains whether it can withstand the future rising challenges the Thames will pose.

The light was almost lost now as I burned off my final few shots checking how well the HP5+ can handle these conditions. A tripod would probably have been useful at this point but otherwise a very fruitful and productive day out shooting film!

Massive thanks to IG @analog_square who is always a dream to work with on any shoot for all the little videos along the way.

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