Creating Colour Portraits on Polaroid SX-70

How to avoid making mistakes with Polaroid SX-70 indoors: https://youtu.be/JqtAMxPkjiE

New to Polaroid SX-70? In this video I will take you through shooting portraits in an urban location in London.

The film is quite straightforward to load up as you can see in the video. I like the way it pops out with a message, this one read: ‘Welcome to paradise.’

What I really like about film is that you take a shot and, unlike with digital, you get instant feedback. Digital can be quite distracting to the creative process as you can constantly review the image.

With film, you have to accept it for what it is. It forces you to create and trust your instincts. The 10-15min development time for the SX-70 film is handy in forcing you to work on your next shot too.

When shooting outdoors and you have strong light, avoid shooting with it and find a little shade. This will help you to carefully focus your frame but also not risk getting overexposure on the film as well.

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

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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5 Top Tips On Shooting Polaroid SX-70 in Strong Light

Common Mistakes Shooting with Polaroid SX-70 in a studio: https://youtu.be/JqtAMxPkjiE

Make a splash, use a flash, how convenient and appropriate is that when you are in a studio! Except when it’s sunny and bright outside and you live in England!

Right after we set everything up in the studio, I decided to look out the window very quickly.

The clouds had clear and there was just this gorgeous afternoon light, and I decided, right, that's it.

I wasn’t going to miss the rare opportunity to shoot outside. We went right out the gate, straight downstairs, and then started shooting.

Below are my top tips on how to shoot late afternoon with direct sunlight. How to make sure that every time you shoot in these conditions, you get a great shot every single time.

Don’t shoot directly with the sun coming onto your subject. Make sure that you are away from that direct harsh light, particularly with a Polaroid SX-70.

Find a place where there isn't direct harsh sunlight coming through. For example you may find a narrow alleyway or anywhere there are surrounding walls that you can use.

This way you’ll get some softer light, more spread out around your subject. This is particularly important when you're shooting with a Polaroid SX-70 from my experience.

Furthermore you’ll be able to focus better in those conditions as well as getting sharper and well lit images.

If you are going shoot with the direct sunlight coming onto the subject because you feel like that's going to create that drama and element that you're looking for, then just be careful about where those shadows are falling in the frame that you're taking.

Shadows late afternoon in the Northern Hemisphere just go nuts. So just be mindful of where you're standing and that your shadow is not in frame. Otherwise you might create something, which you don't want to have in your picture.

However, I think it's pretty cool playing with long shadows. If you carefully work with your subject then you can create quite a dramatic look, down to your personal preference. Just be aware that with that strong light coming onto the subject, you're going have those accentuated shadows as well.

Get really close to your subject. This is one of the most important aspects of shooting with the Polaroid SX-70.

Get as close as possible to them and you'll be able to frame them better. The quality of the images will also come out much better.

If you are taking from further away, be prepared to lose some definition in your subject. It might be a little bit more difficult for the Polaroid to capture what you're trying to capture. If you are taking a portrait for example, it might come out slightly blurry depending on your manual dexterity. With that in mind, just get as close as possible to your subject.

Keep moving, move your feet, get into new positions, new angles, every time you're taking a different shot.

With only eight shots on the Polaroid SX-70. Use each frame wisely. Don't just stand there each time with the camera, shooting the subject directly in front of you every single time.

Get creative with your positioning, move your feet to get that shot that you're looking for.

Try something different, try different angle. Every time you do that, you will find something new. Who knows? You might create some magic in that process. Something that you weren't expecting and that might come about or be the most memorable shot from the shoot that you've been doing.

Conclusion

Get creative with it, play with your positioning, move your feet as often as possible.

I absolutely love, love, love this camera. It's such a fun camera to shoot with. Strongly recommended.

If you don't have your own one, I highly recommend you getting one. It's got so much history behind it, I love it. I just love its designed, the way it operates, the feel of it. I've I've got so much joy out of shooting with this camera.

I hope that you found these tips useful for you, for when you do go out and shoot.

I've got a series of videos that I've already posted on this. Be sure that you go back and check out the other ones that I have posted.

Through the videos you'll be able to pick up something new and that will save you the time and money from making the mistakes that I've made along the way.

Let me know which photos were your favourite out of this set. Check out the other videos and I will catch you on another one very, very soon.

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 Frame Amazing Portraits on Bronica Zenza ETRS

How to shoot Kodak Portra 400 in the morning: https://youtu.be/I6M_i4YA_G0

Framing and capturing amazing portraits on Kodak Portra 400 Fashion & Portraits in late afternoon with Bronica Zenza ETRS. If you haven't gone back and watched the first, second and third one, go back and watch those because it will show you how to use Kodak Portra 400 in early morning, mid morning and early afternoon circumstances.

This final set is from a late afternoon set that we did, right at the end we thought, oh, we have got to get another session in and this set is having a bit more of a bohemian theme. We decided to again, change up the location zone a bit, walk down, bit further away to see what we could capture in the environment to match the theme that we were shooting in and I can tell you now, some of the images are absolutely stunning.

It was a brilliant day shooting and I hope you can take away some real key pointers on how to shoot this beautiful film in different circumstances. Also, go ahead and tell me which one is your favourite image! Which one stood out for you? Which was the absolute best shot for you and tell me why you liked it?

If you have any questions about Kodak Portra 400, or the Bronica ETRS, which I shot with, or any other types of film cameras, do get in touch, tell me what you wanna learn more about. Do go ahead and subscribe and turn the bell icon on so you get the next video. I hope to see you in a workshop with me very soon.

Which one was your favourite picture? Make sure you let me know, and oh, I've got a little bonus video coming up. See you in the next one!

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How to create great portraits in cloudy weather on Polaroid SX-70

Polaroid SX-70 with Black and White SX-70 film in cloudy weather conditions. In this video you’ll see how to create great portraits in challenging light conditions.

The Polaroid SX-70 is fast becoming one of my favourite cameras to shoot with. In this video I will be shooting Black and White SX-70 film outside along this lovely canal, and our wonderful model Elena.

‘Shoot, wait, appreciate’, the dark slide message reads. I think this is one of the fun aspects of shooting Polaroids in general.

One of the quirks with Polaroid SX-70 film is that it is very sensitive to light. As such, it is very important to find a way to get these right in to the dark as soon as you have taken a shot. In this video I've got a dark slight tongue on the edge of the camera. So when the film comes out, it will be protected by the light, and that way it gives it a few more seconds to develop in the darkness, so the exposure is not so overexposed, supposedly anyway, so let's see what happens.

We keep moving on our feet, looking for new opportunities to shoot outdoors. With the typically variable British weather on the back of our minds at all times, the clouds started to gather and before we knew it we were running for cover. We took the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a coffee and review the images we had managed to capture!

Thankfully we did manage to get out and shoot with the Polaroid again, after it absolutely hammered [rained!] it down, it was just soaking wet outside. So it wasn't practical to go out and shoot with this camera, but we did manage to get some more snaps afterwards, and here they are.

As you can see, they came out really really well! We did a really good session this afternoon and the light was just right. I was a bit worried about the fact that we've got ISO 160 film and it was really, really overcast. Generally, if it starts overcast, you want to be shooting 400 ISO film. So maybe 600 Polaroid film would have been better, with a filter on it. Perhaps. Who knows? But I'm really impressed with the fact that we did manage to get the quality of the image that we've got, with such terrible light conditions.

My recommendation to you is don't hesitate, go out there, especially in England, it's going to be cloudy. It's going to be rainy, but in the gaps in between, get out and shoot, try to find yourself a space where there's lots and lots of light available to you and use that and move around, move around as often as you can find new spaces, new ways to pose your model, to be able to capture just that right image at that right time. I hope you've really enjoyed this video guys. And you've taken out a lot from it. Go ahead and watch the next in this series just here. And you will keep on learning new ways, new methods of shooting with Polaroid SX-70 in some really different situations and different circumstances. And every single time you can pick up something new, will save you a lot of time and a lot of money from shooting with the Polaroid SX-70.

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!♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

Capturing Stunning Vintage Portraits on Kodak Portra 400

Capturing Stunning Vintage Portraits on Kodak Portra 400 with Bronica Zenza ETRS fashion and portraits third video in a series of videos that I'm dropping on how to shoot this wonderful film stock. If you're interested in shooting portraits in fashion on a bright summer's day, then this is the perfect set for you.

If you haven't seen the first two videos, strongly recommend you go back and see those because they will show you what kind of images you could get in the early morning to mid morning. Check that out and then come back here and watch this video here.

In this video, we're gonna look at an early afternoon shoot and we changed it up, so we changed our location and we changed the theme to a more vintage 60's, 70's look.

We decided to walk around and see what we could capture in the streets. Enjoy the images that are gonna be coming up. Go ahead and tell me which one's your favourite images, which one really stood out for you in the comments section below!

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

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How to create film noir portraits indoors on Polaroid SX-70

Polaroid SX-70 with Mint Flash Bar 2 on Black and White SX-70 film. In this video you’ll see how to capture moody classic film noir style portraits.

This is going be the Polaroid reveal video, and our reactions to it. I wonder how different our reactions are going to be!
Shooting with black and white SX-70 film on the amazing Polaroid SX-70. First frame we're going to use a half power flash, and see how that goes up. We're going to do a couple of those. You don't know if sometimes it does go off or not due to the age of these cameras!

Next shot looking through the mirror. See how we work through different sets and how to position and use the environment to create moody film noir style portraits.

How will the images come out? Watch and find out!

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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How to use Holga 120WPC Pinhole Camera

In this video I will be unboxing the Holga 120 WPC Pinhole Camera and running a roll of Ilford Delta 100 through it. You’ll learn what you get in the box and how to start shooting with this incredibly simple to use pinhole camera in very little time.

What is a Holga 120 WPC Pinhole Camera?

The instructions manual is about 6 pages long. If you are confident with your analogue film photography skills you can skip this, however it will only take a few minutes to read and may save you from making any little mistakes!

The Holga 120 WPC comes with a 6x12 mask and a 6x9 mask. The 6x12 mask will allow 6 full sized medium format images to be taken and on the 6x9 in total 8.

Gently remove the silver hooks to open up the back of the camera. On the back of the camera, you've got a few instructions, the exposure guide. It outlines your exposure settings working with 100 ISO film. For fine weather, hold the shutter down for seven to nine seconds, overcast 10 to 12 seconds, and then for morning and dusk settings, up to 13 seconds.

I strongly recommend that you go and get the light meter, you can download it onto your phone and then adjust it using that. But I also believe that there must be some instructions on here about setting exposure times. Nope, there's only the exposure table, which is here, which is the same as what you get on the back here.

How to take your first shot with the Holga 120 WPC

Once you have loaded your film into the camera and firmly closed it shut. Mount your camera to a tripod and take off the plastic pinhole cover.

The shutter release button is located next to the pinhole. To release the shutter simply push the/depress the shutter and light will pour on to your film. Once the shutter button is depressed just hold it down for however long you want to expose the shot for.

I strongly recommend using a cable release for this as manually depressing the shutter will lead to camera shake and may affect the quality of your final image. Essentially screw the cable release in the shutter release button and then you can just hold the cable release down for however long you want and then let go.

In this video I use Ilford Delta 100 professional film, so this should give us a good range of images. If you expose it correctly. Place the film in to the left hand side of the camera and pull the paper across to the right. Carefully make sure the film is secured on to the right spool by rotating the dial at the top right hand side of the camera. Once done close the gates on either side. Make sure these are securely locked. Once done rotate the dial on the top right hand side of the camera. As the film moves along you get some arrows first, some star, sun signs, and then there you go until you get number ‘1’ in the red gate at the back of the camera. Be careful not to overshoot this!

Shooting the first frame

Before you start shooting, make sure that you light meter for the space that you're gonna be shooting. The Holga camera comes with its own set of parameters, it recommends that in fine weather, you want to be holding it for seven to nine seconds. On this F135 aperture,double check and see what settings the light meter suggests. Better to use the most accurate measurements if you have the ability to do so.

In the first frame the white building gave a reading of one second. The blue building in the background, for about two seconds, so a two-second exposure for this to probably have, maybe to be on the safe side, maybe three seconds perhaps.

Once you have your light meter readings get your camera aligned for your shot. At the top of there are three points, which helps you to frame your shot carefully.

The camera also has a useful level bubble to make sure you have the camera aligned completely level. Once you have framed your shot and levelled, take the lens cap off and take your shot!

In the video you will be able to see how I frame up each shot and shoot with the corresponding results.

Conclusion

When shooting with any pinhole film camera there are a number of fundamental things you must use to capture the right shot each time.

• Tripod

• A light meter

• Appropriate film for the day

• A cable release

When shooting with the camera, remember to skip the frames. Start with Frame 1 and then skip to 3 for your second frame and then 5 for the third frame and so forth in odd numbers. This applies to both 6x9 and 6x12 formats on the Holga 120 WPC. Failure to pay attention to this fine detail will result in multiple overlapping exposures leaving behind half of your negative in post processing blank!

Polaroid SX-70 with Mint Flash Bar 2

Polaroid SX-70 with Mint Flash Bar 2 on Black and White SX-70 film. First time shooting with the SX-70 Polaroid camera, and the Mint Flashbar, which is an additional unit you can get, so you can expose your images well in low-light conditions.

I put myself into a studio, and decided to give it a whirl on some black and white SX-70 film. When using the Mint bar to the far right because this is SX-70 film. And then, keep your contrast in the middle, and then it should be fine. So just focus, and then shoot.

Once you have taken your shot, quickly put your polaroid in away from any light. It usually akes 10-15 minutes to develop. Do this as quickly as possible, otherwise it will get overexposed.

As we progress through the shoot you’ll notice the variation in outcomes from the Polaroid SX-70 in very low light conditions. I used the The Mint Flash Bar 2 to overcome this challenge. The use of this flash unit yielded mixed results as you can see from the images.

I hope you enjoyed that studio session with Sophie. Shooting with the Polaroid SX-70 and the Mint flashbar on predominantly black and white film. And you can see the differences between the images in some places where it was underexposed and other places were overexposed.

The key, or just keep on trialling. See how it works, what scenarios you can put yourself in to see the differences that you can get in the images that you take. So definitely go out guys, recommend it.

Get yourselves one of these cameras and have a play. See what you can capture. I'm sure you'll be able to create some wonderful, wonderful images for you to keep in the future.

Do go ahead and subscribe and turn the bell icon on for the channel, so that you do not miss the next edition on the Polaroid SX-70 that will be dropping very soon. And if you always have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear it from you guys.

Maybe you've seen some of the images in there and thought, "actually, I know what the answer to that question is, I know how to resolve that, how to light that better." I'd love to hear from you guys. So go ahead, make sure you comment in the comment section below. And I look forward to shooting with you again very, very soon.

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!

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!

Polaroid SX-70 with Colour SX-70 film | Studio Portrait Shoot

First time shooting with the Polaroid SX-70. We're going to go and shoot in a studio. So, let's head on over!

Polaroid SX 70 first came out in 1972 and is a folding single lens reflex Land camera which was produced by the Polaroid Corporation from 1972 to 1981. I had my Polaroid Land Camera Alpha One restored and couldn’t wait to shoot with it!

Once a shot has been taken it can take somewhere between 10-15 minutes to develop and you must ideally put it away in the dark to develop. You’ll see in the video how I shot with it and every time putting the polaroid away carefully before framing up the next shot.

Polaroid SX-70 clearly struggles in low light conditions. If you're gonna shoot this at night, or if you're gonna shoot this in a studio, make sure that you pop out a tripod, or even put it on a level surface if you don't have one. By doing this one tweak you're going get the images to come out better.

Ofcourse with Polaroid nothing is guaranteed but that’s not really the point here! It can be a little bit variable, and I strongly recommend you go out and just shoot. I think that part of this process is going out, shooting, and learning about the camera that you're using, and trying to capture those images that you're trying to capture.

I really hope you enjoyed this video. I'm going to be firing out a few more of these Polaroid SX-70 videos in the near future.

Go ahead and subscribe, and turn the bell icon on, you'll get that notification right away. And guys, if you've got any questions about the SX-70, or film cameras, or photography in general, go ahead and pop it in the comments section below. I love hearing from you guys.

In previous videos, I've seen people comment about what they're shooting with, or cameras they've used, and how they've developed their own film, and so forth. I love hearing from you guys, and I really look forward to working with you very, very soon.

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!

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Nikon Lite Touch with Ilford XP2 Super

Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED AF Review with Ilford XP2 Super

The Nikon 120 ED AF, it packs a punch for its compact size.

How much does the Nikon Lite Touch weigh?

I decided to do my own weight test for the camera. It’s label says ‘Lite.Touch’ so there was only one way to show this from an empirical point of view!

Popping it my scales it came in a featherweight 250g. The camera was weighed with it's film inside as well as its battery (Duracell CR123) as well.

The images you can see in the video are from a recent visit to the coast and were taken with Ilford XP2 Super. It’s a 400 ISO BW film which requires C41 processing.

Overall quite light, something that you can really chuck into your handbag or your man bag, whatever it is, or even to your pocket. And it should be pretty good to go.

How compact is the Nikon Lite Touch?

Getting my tape measure out to measure its width, a little bit unusual but important to give a greater idea of scale from a perspective point of view.

The Nikon Lite Touch comes in at about 11 centimetres wide. If you look at the pen in comparison as well as the 35 millimetre roll, you can see that it is a pretty compact piece kit. From above again, pretty narrow.

It is not as narrow as other compact film cameras, but is still up there. Overall, very easy for you to be able to pop this into your man bag, your hand bag, pop it into your pocket, and you'd be good to go.

What are some pros of the Nikon Lite Touch?

First of all, it's lightweight and very easy to take with you when on the go or in a rush. It's really easy to load like any other film camera or compact camera. The advantage of a compact film camera is that loading film is an absolute breeze with its automatic loading mechanism.

It's got an automatic zoom function, which works from the back of the camera. And you can go ahead and press the zoom in and the zoom back. If you are interested in using that, I probably would refrain from using it as much as possible. But if that's your sort of thing then you can go ahead and use it. You've also got a number of different functions.

On the top of the camera, you've got the flash priority mode, which automatically pops up every time the camera is opened. It might just be my camera but it won’t sit if manually pushed down. However, it can be switched off manually by pressing the flash button.

There are inbuilt options of swtiching to portrait mode or having a landscape mode. Another cool feature is being able to change the date and the time that you're taking the photos. Once manually set, they will get manually printed onto the film itself when you get them developed.

The Panorama function at the back of the camera is another creative feature. Simply slide the button and it will start taking your images in panorama mode. I'll discuss this feature further down the blog.

The camera has been labelled ‘Lite Touch’ and the shutter release button is very, very light touch from the top. When very lightly depressed it will take the shot, which in some ways is great and other ways not. Certainly it is a promise to its word. What else is there to say, besides the fact that it is a beautiful champagne gold colour?

This camera is great for something casual. It is very easy and cheap to pick up online. You can go onto somewhere like eBay and probably pick up one of these for about £40-50 mark. Maybe a bit more than that. A ‘newer’ less used model is probably going to cost a little bit more for its premium.

Highly recommend it. Really great little, nifty little camera, pop it in your camera bag, put it in your pocket, whatever, and you're good to go.

What are some cons of the Nikon Lite Touch?

It is made out of plastic and it's not like the old Nikon cameras, which you could just literally pick up and throw against a wall and nothing would happen to them. The plastic body, if dropped will most likely crack or worse break it. It’s not worth your time and money getting it fixed so look after it carefully!

When opening the camera up to shoot, it takes about two seconds for it to become ready to shoot. Two seconds is a lifetime, especially if you're trying to capture the moment in particular. So bear that in mind, if you are going to be out somewhere, having fun, having a good time with someone or having a good time with some family, friends, whatever it might be. You want to make sure that your camera is actually ready to shoot rather than being in a closed mode. And it gives you that a bit more flexibility when you're shooting as well.

The Panorama mode is a little bit misleading because whilst it might do that in the camera, all it's doing is cropping the top and the bottom of your frame completely off. Ultimately losing negative space, which could have more information in. Why would you do that? I don't know, unless you're really, really lazy, then definitely use the panorama mode because it will help you to just make sure those images are in that beautiful wide angle look. However, I would prefer to just get a little bit more information and then if I wanted to, I can crop it later in post. And that way I've utilised a full body of the frame itself when taking the shot.

Who is the Nikon Lite Touch for?

Anyone who just wants to shoot some film, wants to have fun with it, doesn't want to have to think about ISO's. If you like keeping it simple, want to enjoy the medium of film, bring back the old times, trying to get an experience of what it was like to shoot with film in the past. It's a great camera to take to a party, social event, somewhere where people are gathering.

Certainly capable of taking beautiful candid pictures with this camera particularly when shot with ISO400 film. It's very reliable, very durable. As long as of course you don't throw it about. You're gonna keep this camera for quite a while to come. Cheap to get. You will have a tonne of fun with this compact camera. Strongly recommend it, go out there, shoot compact, and you won't look back.

Go ahead and like as well as punch the subscribe button on my YouTube Channel. Get in touch. Write down any comments that you have about the video, something that you want to see that I haven't covered, or you're interested in, you're not sure about the film, or you're not sure about the particular camera. Or whether to shoot 35 mil, or medium format, or large format, or whatever it might be. It might be a digital camera question. Punch it in. Let me know. I will try and produce a video on it.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, go out there, enjoy the summer and enjoy shooting with your camera, whatever camera you've got!

Journal RSS

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.

Bronica Zenza ETRS With CineStill 800T

It was absolutely roasting on the day I had organised a series of workshops across London. To catch some cool air we stopped over in this cafe. Almost immediately I knew I had to get some shots on some CineStill 800T in here. So many tungsten lights! We reserved up a little spot while we waited for our cold drinks to arrive.

Armed with my Bronica Zenza ETRS I loaded up the roll and got shooting.

Why did the images come out blasted in orange? Well, if you haven’t checked out my previous video on this check it out here:

Essentially if the ‘remjet’ layer hasn’t been removed properly from the Kodak T rolls and then is processed in C41 chemicals you get this result. CineStill reimbursed everyone after it turned out the entire batch had turned out this way. Whilst I was disappointed not to see the actual results from this film I am really pleased with the shots nonetheless!

The Bronica’s waist level finder is an absolute dream to shoot with. Combined with the fact you have only fifteen shots per roll you are forced to carefully think about what you’re going to shoot and you have to move to reassess the best possible options. Using an eye level finder is a very different experience. You will have to slow down and eradicate the ‘spray and pray’ option which digital offers widely.

A little bit disappointed with the later images. Always remember to carry your light meter with you and definitely check the light meter reading if you’re changing your setting. You can use a simple phone light meter or a more expensive option such as the Sekonic light meters.

Get out there! Shoot and make mistakes, that’s the beauty of photography whether digital or analog. Learn to slow down your process, reflect on what your taking. Get in touch with your questions and comments. Would love to hear what you would like to learn more about or anything that you think I may have missed!

Yashica Mat 124G & Fuji 160 Walk In The Park

Word has it that Nietzsche used to walk up to 8 hours a day with a paper and pen. Where do you think all the notebooks went? We can sort of hazard a guess to what he may have been ruminating about…When’s the last time you got up for a spontaneous walk in the park?

When word had got to me about the Fuji Pro 400H being discontinued I was quite upset however alas Analogue Wonderland came to the rescue with a new batch of Fuji NS 160. With little hesitation I order my first few rolls and waited for the right time to explore this new film!

My first thoughts were; a) how different this film stock would be compared to the Fuji Pro 400H? and b) how it would compare to Kodak Portra 160? But that aside I decided to go for a first walk with this as is see what it could do!

The sun was so strong and bright as I walked in to the park with my Yashica Mat 124G and my roll of 120film. I sat down opposite the cafe area and started loading up the roll with the sun warming my back. I didn’t have to work too hard for the first shot as this man came and sat down opposite me. I popped opened the viewfinder and framed up the first snap.

The great thing about my Yashica is it’s onboard lightmeter. Simply dial in your ISO and the light meter correctly adjusts for the conditions. Now, this may not always be the case for old film photography equipment but with good care, or perhaps a service you can recondition these wonderful cameras and get going on your analog photography journey!

The thing about Fuji Pro 400H is its ability to really make colours come out strong in every frame. Choosing a good location therefore is super important so that you can maximise the real estate on each picture you take. Of course, I didn’t know how the Fuji NS 160 would compare but I hazard a guess that the colour rendition would be up there.

Bearing in mind the film stock I would strongly recommend shooting with it where you have strong colours available. Perhaps you may be using this film for shooting portraits, in which case it will be perform exceptionally well with people of different tonalities. (I have yet to try it with Fuji NS 160 but looking forward to an opportunity as and when it may arise!)

The blue, green and brown settled well for the second image with the dog walker in the middle of the frame. The line of trees disappears in to the distance drawing you in to the image. Late mornings are great time to explore, there are not too many people about but just enough to create some interesting compositions! It would be interesting to see how the film would fare in late summer afternoon settings too!

I waited for the morning walkers to cut across the deep green grass and large blue sky before taking the third image. This was more a ‘scientific’ shot, getting an image with large swathes of two colours and how they would perform.

As I was walking along, so many opportunities to take candid street style shots appeared. I initially framed this image to take of the person sitting on the bench as they walked in front on me with their yellow jacket. However the the shadow created by the light hitting the tree felt like the tributaries of a river on the floor and I just couldn’t resist but take that image.

Crossing over back in to the other side of the park over the railway line I saw the light falling down and thought this could make a rustic image. I think someone framed within it would look even better but probably would need a reflector or secondary light for the subject.

Loved this disused train station, got me working thinking about how train stations were used when they first came in to existence. No platforms, I wonder how safe it was just to board straight from the rail itself?

Overall, really pleased with how these images came out. I definitely I am looking forward to exploring this film stock more in different conditions. Certainly would be good to see how it fares under different light conditions, landscapes and portraits too!

Fuji GSWiii & Fuji Pro400H At Home

Common photographic thinking tells us that we should use the right camera for the right job. So what do you do when you are bored out your mind and are in the middle of a pandemic?

It is a question that many of us have thought about in the wake of being limited by geography. The pandemic has hit us all in very different ways, generally for photographers specialising in the landscape or portrait photography beyond their immediate realm or home.

In a moment of absolute genius or sheer desperation, I thought why not experiment using the Texas Leica, officially known as the Fuji GSWiii to shoot some flowers indoors. For the measure, throw in some recently discontinued Fuji Pro400H. What could possibly go wrong?

It is impossible to know how the images would eventually come out and that’s the beauty of medium format film photography in itself. There’s no cheeky look at the view screen, no immediate feedback, so you can carry on in your own merry way. Having said that, there are many ways to mitigate any disastrous consequences; using a light meter and carefully composing the shot are just to name a few.

Eight minutes and eight frames later the shoot was done. So fast, you exclaim! No, alas the development would take many more weeks before I finally got to see the beautiful 6x9 negatives in their full glory.

In my excitement to get going, I initially put the roll on the wrong spool before realising the errors of my ways. On a side note, the little spool release buttons are great. Makes the whole job of putting the 120 rolls in a breeze.

The first shot, out of focus and misaligned. I immediately realised my mistake and measured the distance between the subject and the camera, changed the settings on the lens, reframed and shot again.

A little better for the second shot although the flowers laying across the table have been cut off. The viewfinder in the Fuji GSWiii is helpful but in my short time of using it can be a bit off. Always frame your image and then take a step back just to make sure your getting everything you want inside the frame.

The tulips came out quite well, the colours in particular came out strong. I was pleased with the next few shots. Although the idea of shooting the flowers from below the table and mirror, is something I probably will not be doing again any time soon.

The very last image was taken on a larger table and is my favourite image out of this set. The colours are all well balanced and the framing is just right for me.

What did you think of the selfie?