Classic Car And Portraits Shoot

Alright mate, do you fancy shooting with a classic car sometime? 

I just finished up a shoot in Central London with my group as this gentleman asked what I was up to. We got talking and it turns out that Wayne had an incredible original Ford Escort parked up at home. We exchanged numbers and arranged a time to set up a shoot. 

On the day, I had lined up another shoot with Maria. As always a dream to work. As we were shooting some riders on Ducati’s turned up. We headed over as they had parked up for a break, got chatting and before we knew it, had maria posing with the bikes! 

Changed up locations and finished of the shoot with these wonderful images taken on film. 

Wayne texted me to say he was almost there as the workshop came to a close. We darted over and there was the incredible Ford Escort. Maria prepared her outfit and started looking at how to light up the car from different angles and positions. 

We worked our way around the car using an Profoto Off Camera flash. I shot on BW and Colour films. Overall, really grateful to Wayne reaching out and bringing in his car for us to shoot with. Would love to set up another shoot soon and see what else can capture with this beauty!

All film images were taken on the wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS Medium Format Camera with 75mm lens.  

You can learn more about my wider photographic work by subscribing to my YouTube Channel. See you there!

Shooting Portraits with Carla in Bath

The perfect chemistry for a shoot involves; great planning, choosing the right subject or model and of course the location to match.

Bath is certainly one of my most favourite places to shoot. An old Roman era city, today most of the buildings are made from oolitic limestone giving them the classic feel.

It's a beautifully warm summer day and we headed out from London early to head to the city. We would be shooting a summer look in the morning, early afternoon. Stopping for a quick lunch and then shooting some vintage 60s before finishing up with some wonderful late afternoon bohemian styled set.

The light was strong and the heat intense by early afternoon and we found some respite in this covered arch by the River Avon. I love how the light is falling through casting a shadow and reflecting back off the floor. Carla’s outfit choice is spot on and we took very many wonderful images both on film and digital.

Lunch came at the peak of the heat as we settled for a well earned rest. The heat wasn’t going to subside much so we ended up shooting in narrow path ways in this old quarter of the city. The vintage 60s look put together by Carla was on point. Here we used some off camera flash to add a little more light to the image as there was a strong shadow cast over here.

We had scouted out a few locations in advance and found this wonderful spot with cobblestones and oolitic limestone columns for out last set in the late afternoon. Carla flipped in to this wonderful bohemian style dress with a crown to match. I particularly enjoyed how the images came out on black and white. Although the steal for the day were final few portraits taken with a golden reflected adding the final piece of magic to these image taken on Kodak Portra.

All film images were taken on the wonderful Bronica Zenza ETRS Medium Format Camera with 75mm lens.

You can learn more about my wider photographic work by subscribing to my YouTube Channel. See you there!

Every Street Fashion Shoot I Am Improving With My Rangefinder

After a first set of good results with my Fuji GSWiii, from the shoot with Anna, I organised a group shoot with Luise back in Central London.

I hadn’t seen these togs for quite some time so it was a great opportunity to catch up and enjoy some photography together.

I chose to shoot some Ektachrome and Kodak Gold in today's outing and we started off outside Bank.

When I turned up, I found a commercial shoot going on which looked pretty intense and another tog with her makeup artist taking shots on the steps.

Luckily the commercial group were wrapping up and they were on their way out. Perfect time for us to swoop in and start taking shots!

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 was confident that Ektachrome would perform well today given the lighting conditions. There would not be a need for off camera flash today.

How to Shoot with Rangefinders in Bright Sunny Conditions

First shot, super overexposed, unfortunately something to carefully consider for next time. In the broad strong sunlight perhaps underexposing by a stop or two may help to resolve this issue.

The second shot performed better although there appears to be a blue tinny cast to the image. I’m not exactly sure why this is. If you know or have a hypothesis I would love to hear it in the comments below.

The sunlight was exceptionally strong today and at times difficult to keep your eyes open without some sunnies on.

In this shot, I asked Luise to close her eyes and imagine something longingly while resting on the stairs.

The whites have come out brilliantly white and probably has been compounded by the whitish reflection off the stairs too.

Key takeaway here is to avoid bright white clothing in bright sunny daylight conditions!

A momentary shade and this image was captured spot on. I like the way Luise is looking down the barrel of the camera but also how arms and legs are creating triangular shapes which adds to the compositional balance of this image!

It’s also good to see the highlights not being blown out and the colours in this frame have come out remarkably accurately!

How to Posing Tall Subjects and why your positioning and lens choice matters

A quick side note here, be careful when posing tall subjects. Shooting from a low angle will accentuate the profile of your subject whereas shooting from a higher angle will exaggerate the torso and shorten the legs.

If your focus is on the head and chest of the subject then shooting from above would be recommended but for full length shots this should be avoided. This is mainly because your shot will compress the subject’s profile creating unflattering results.

To get the best results, use an appropriate lens which flatters the subject. In my case, I was working with a fixed 65mm lens, which is equivalent to a 28mm lens on a 35mm camera.

That is a relatively wide angle lens. Perfect for street photography but one to carefully use if shooting portraits.

Ultimately, a great pose is captured in camera with the combination of the right camera angle, body position, and focal length!

Got Luise to lay back for the next shot and you can see immediately the sun was back out in full force. Slide film scanning is proving to be quite a challenge, but with practice this will improve further.

We finished off at the steps with this shot. A reflector or an translucent umbrella would have helped reduce the amount of light falling on Luise but I like the pose again as is, the use of triangles but also the columns in the background accentuating the height or sense of scale in the image.

We decided to move away from the stairs and took some on this bench. This image has come out almost tack sharp and the image looks fantastic on this slide.

Working with large rangefinders can be tricky, however, you may have noticed the image has been a bit cropped off at the bottom.

To avoid such errors with these cameras give yourself a little bit more space within the frame in your visor. The more you shoot with this camera or similar ones, the more skilled you will become. It’s all about continually mastering your craft!

A follow up shot with Luise sat down looking into the distance. Again the colour reproduction here is absolutely spot on with the general tones of the outfit and setting creating a fitting vibe.

We changed it up a little again trying to get some more shade going down into the underground however, it was a little tricky here and whilst the colour reproduction was good I was working on f5.6 with shutter speed of 1/30sec which has added a little motion blur to the image.

The final shot was taken with Luise resting her arm on the railing, a slight miscalculation of the distance has given this image a bit of a defocused look.

I found Kodak Gold 120 to be very reliable

I switched up to shoot some Kodak Gold, colour negative film, which tends to be a little more forgiving. Be sure to check out my previous videos on Kodak Gold.

I have found it to be very reliable and brought some along as a substitute just in case I had completely blown the first set on Ektachrome

Luise was a superstar and switched up her outfits in no time. We got to shoot with her in this bold yellow outfit which was spot on!

I really like this image of Luise standing in the middle of the road. Don’t be deceived by the white lines, that is the bike lane in this extremely narrow road.

It was a case of darting in and out to shoot here but we got the shot! Don’t do this unless you have someone watching your back! Thank you Marcus!

Next time, I would move in much closer because the focus of the image is Luise and not the surroundings.

Moved back to the tiny sidewalk and took this full body portrait. Kodak Gold does have a tendency to leave this warmer tone, which in this case added to a late afternoon feel.

With time pressing, I took these two quick shots again focusing on full body composition and then moving in for a closer shot before finishing off with a relaxed pose on the wall.

How to setup your rangefinder to get the best images every time

Overall, this was the second time out shooting fashion with my Fuji GSWiii. Biggest learning from this shoot was that I needed to carefully consider the settings in strong sunlight.

Even with light metering you will need to carefully consider the type of film you are shooting with. Moving into a little more shaded location would perhaps have resulted in more reliable outcomes on this slide film.

I am sure you have lots of your own photos, how often do you spend reviewing them? You have seen that I make lots of mistakes too but the key here is to go back and reflect on your work.

By doing this, you will be able to make those incremental improvements.

With time, your images will become even better, so when you come back to look at your first photographic work, you’ll look back to see how far you have come!

If you are new to shooting with the Fuji GSWiii or similar cameras then it takes some practice to get your distances spot on too. It can be a little tricky using the rangefinder to focus accurately.

Try not to put too much pressure on yourself with time limitations. This is so you can be more considerate with your actual distances between you and your subject. Therefore making sure you get the sharpest image possible every time.

This particular Fuji comes with a fixed 65mm lens and if you enjoy shooting street photography it could be a fun companion with its 28mm, 35mm camera equivalent lens. I’m curious how an actual Leica would feel like shooting with, perhaps one day!

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

I think in future shoots I’m going to try and get in more closer shots to see how the image reproduces.

Overall, once again I feel the closer I was shooting to Luise, the richer the details in each of the frames. Next time, avoid bare sunlight too!

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

Want to stay in the loop with what I am up to and my work? Keep coming back to ahsanabbas.com/journal

For more videos subscribe and turn on the notifications for your weekly video drop!

Why Your Fears Are Stopping You From Becoming The Photographer You Were Born to Be

F

E

A

R

What are your fears related to photography? Post 1 in the comments section below.

Use Props to Create Incredible Photographs

In the previous blog post I discussed the importance of communication with your model so you can capture the best images possible for your portfolio. 

Planning in advance is important from your position to. Knowing what the model will be wearing from top to bottom will give you the opportunity to create in advance. Take for example this picture. Emma is holding this Eastern Umbrella which I found in a market. Knowing she was jumping in this striped outfit I noticed the similarities in colour and put the two together. 

I like these sets of images because there's a blend of so many different cultures and environments. A mixture of the brutalist architecture of the Barbican Estate combined with Eastern elegance through a western dance movement and outfit. 

Photography is a joyful activity and as such should be treated in a complimentary way. Have a look around at home what little props you might be able to add to your shoot. It doesn’t need to be big, something small and light to carry will come in handy diversifying the images you take. Have a scrummage around, see what you find and get shooting! 

You can learn more about my wider photographic work by subscribing to my YouTube Channel. See you there!

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! 

Want to stay in the loop with what I am up to and my work? Then keep checking up on my journal here so you’ll never miss a moment!

An African In Greenland

This book had me gripped from start to finish. I came across this book after finishing reading ‘Afropean’ by Johnny Pitts, in which he cites this book as an inspiration for his work. 

I have left a link to my video review on Afropean below- you absolutely must read it. 

This true story has been written by Tete-Michel Kpomassie starting from his native homeland in Togo, West Africa. 

He came across a book on Greenland in a Missionary Bookshop and was utterly awed by a place in complete contrast to his own. 

Completely mesmerized by it, he set his intention on getting there by any means possible. 

The journey occurs over a number of years starting from the country’s independence on April 27, 1960 through several countries across West Africa. 

He finally reaches France before staying for a short while with a connection he had made while working in consular services. 

I won’t go into too much detail here but I’m not sure if it is still possible to simply turn up at someone's door without any notice. 

I digress, the journey takes him across to Germany and in to Denmark before he finally sets off for Greenland. He would be the first African in Greenland and the natives were in awe of his visit to them. His travels takes him around treacherously cold and inhospitable regions of Greenland with his basic film camera. 

He shares some of his black and white images, I presume taken on a Zeiss Ikon Nettar with Medium Format Film. The images give us an insight in to the challenges of living in such conditions combined with his descriptions of daily life give a rich experience to any reader who has not ventured in to such far flung places. 

I am grateful to Johnny for having cited this book. The book takes you through highs and lows, the perils of journeying with small and little means. Ultimately the book is really about resilience, fortitude and Tete’s unflinching desire to reach his dream. Regardless of your circumstances with grit, hard work and determination you too can reach your goals and dreams. This book has been a renewal of inspiration for me as I hope it will be for you too. 

You can learn about how to become a better photographer, learn film photography and much more on my YouTube Channel! See you there!

5 Steps For Exposure Testing

In this video I will show you how to do your own exposure testing with Kodak Gold 200, Provia 100F and Kodak Ektachrome. This will act as a guide for you whether you are shooting Medium Format or 35mm. 

5 reasons why you should exposure test your film: 

1. If you’re a beginner film photographer this will help you understand the fundamental basis of exposure 

2. If you want to get better scans and images 

3. You will find the best exposure that YOU like the most at the settings you like best

4. You may be an experienced photographer so you may want to test out some rolls and compare to previous images you have shot at different exposures. Making those little tweaks will help you to get the desired look! 

5. How you use your light meter will affect what settings you input and therefore the results. Try and keep the processes consistent to get the most accurate results possible

Pre Shoot: Five things that you will need to take with you when shooting a test roll

1. Your desired film camera [you can also do this on digital too!] 

2. Your chosen film on 35mm or Medium Format

3. A light meter 

4. A pen

5. A little notebook paper or notepad on your phone

On a side note, consider the location you will be shooting as well as whether you are shooting landscapes or portraits. 

Knowing as much about your location will give you a more detailed idea about the reason why the film may perform the way it does later! 

Exposure Testing on Kodak Gold

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Kodak Gold 200, f/5.6, 1/500sec

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Kodak Gold 200, f/5.6, 1/125sec

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Kodak Gold 200, f/5.6, 1/8sec

I shot these images on the Fuji GSWiii which is a 6x9 medium format camera. The conditions were overcast at the time I was shooting with Lia in these London streets. 

You can see that Kodak Gold performs quite well at higher shutter speeds with a low aperture set to f5.6. 

However as the shutter speed drops below a sixtieth of a second the tonality begins to fray quite noticeably!  

Don’t Forget to Do This During The Shoot

You are at your shoot, before you take out your camera, take out your notebook/phone notepad. Write down a description of the location you are in and describe the light for your reference. 

Depending on what camera you are using, write down the number of frames you have to shoot with. In my case I was shooting on Fuji GSWiii which gives eight extremely large negatives. 

My light meter was calculated for me to shoot a f5.6 at 125sec so I set that as the midpoint base line. I then adjusted the shutter speeds to either side of that position and shot away. 

When you are doing your own exposure test, use the light meter to set your mid point baseline and depending on what camera you are using adjust either the shutter speed or aperture. Ofcourse, if you are using digital you have the additional choice to adjust the ISO if you wish! 

Exposure Testing on Provia 100F

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Fuji Provia 100F, f/5.6, 1/250sec

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Fuji Provia 100F, f/5.6, 1/125sec

On Provia 100F we were in a bit more of a shaded position with tall buildings on either side. The film pushes towards the shadows at 500sec and 250sec. The sweet spot in these conditions seems to be at or between 125th and 60th of a second. I should really get these printed off to see which one looks best in print to make a final judgment. 

Important Things To Consider After the Shoot 

If you are not developing or scanning the film yourself make sure to tell your lab to scan as is. Otherwise they will calibrate the scans for each frame and you won’t know how the film actually performs at different settings. 

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Fuji Provia 100F, f/5.6, 1/60sec

After the scanning your film negatives or positives

Look carefully at your negatives. Each frame needs to be reviewed carefully and you may want to use a magnifying eye loupe to get that extra closeup. 

Regardless of whether you are exposure testing or not you are looking for three key things in film negatives:

1. You have well-balanced range of tonalities from the highlights to the shadows;

2. There is a good level and structure of grain; and

3. Thirdly, there is an absence of damage and defects.

For the purposes of exposure testing pay attention to the first two. 

As a rule of thumb, you should print your photos. This will help you to see how the images look physically in comparison to on screen. 

Your images will look different on your phone or on your computer. Each time the colors will render differently. 

Side note: This rule applies in both digital and analog. There have been many times when I have shot on both mediums and found the color and contrast looks different in print compared to on screen. 

Ultimately doing this will help you understand what your image really looks like and help you choose more accurately your perfect ‘image’ or ‘look’ 

Exposure Testing on Kodak Ektachrome 

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Kodak Ektachrome E100, f/5.6, 1/125sec

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Kodak Ektachrome E100, f/5.6, 1/60sec

Camera: Fuji GSWiii, Kodak Ektachrome E100, f/5.6, 1/30sec

With Kodak Ektachrome the shadows are even more prominent than the Provia albeit I have changed locations so its not a like for like comparison. However once again performs quite well at 125th and 60th of second. The push towards the highlights at a 60th of a second adds a but more of a dreamy look, however, printing these two off to see them comparatively would be the best thing to do! 

This Is How You Can Setup Your Exposure Testing

In this video, I have shown you how to set up your own exposure test for film photography. You can cross apply this for digital photography too, just remember to print your images off. 

I have learned how slide and negative films perform in low light conditions with a wide aperture setting and faster shutter speeds. 

Having said that the results may be different if shooting in sunny sixteen which is not common here in the UK but if an opportunity presents itself I may take it up!

If you want to see more detailed images hit my journal at ahsanabbas.com  

Let me know if you have any questions about exposure testing in the comments below, punch the subscribe button and watch my last drop right here. 

6 Things I Have Learned Through Film Photography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How To Keep Your Film Safe In Extreme Temperatures

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are some pointers to keep you safe:

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

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

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

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

If absolutely must have to go out:

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

- Avoid any strenuous activity!

- Take a bottle of water with you

- Always check the latest weather forecast and temperature warnings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Slide Film Should I Stick With?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kodak Gold 120 is it up to the Flash Test?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can grab a copy of the book here

Support my work here and get your hands on my prints

Why You Need To Shoot Provia With Flash Outdoors

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can grab a copy of the book here

Kodak Ektachrome doesn't do Low Light, right?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Film Grain?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more Subscribe and turn on the notifications for your weekly video drop!

Support my work here and get your hands on my prints

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!

For more Subscribe and turn on the notifications for your weekly video drop!

Support my work here and get your hands on my prints