Today’s chosen film is Ilford FP4 in 120 format (also known as medium format). I chose this particular film to coincide with this month’s #FP4Party, where film photographers shoot, process and share results using that film on Twitter.
I started shooting on medium format cameras again, especially on the Yashica 635 I’m currently borrowing until the summer. I was initially nervous about using it first, however I got used to the functions such as the viewfinder and manual settings.
For the #FP4Party I decided to shoot on four of my film cameras, including the Yashica. It was my first time shooting a roll of FP4 on that camera, and I had to make sure the aperture and shutter were on 1/125 and f5.6 or f4. As I had no light meter, I had to rely on estimations, manual focusing and a viewfinder. I was worried my negatives would come out blank, which did happen on my Holga 120n. The good news was the results from the Yashica came out quite good and I was surprised with them!!
I haven’t shot FP4 for a while and when I do, I would do a spot of street photography to get into the swing of things. For the month’s challenge, I only stayed local and went around back streets; shot anything that was interesting or caught my attention. Also I carried another camera with me, my Olympus Mju 1, loaded with a roll of FP4.
Since the FP4 is a low ISO of 125, a very rare film speed, it would be great to use in bright conditions for capturing shadows and tone. I could consider a push process possibly a stop or two, although would it still maintain the same smooth grain? Who knows? What I do know is I will be buying more of this film again in the near future, if not soon…
Take care
Photographic Jannine 