Monday Monthly Mentions – April 2022: Malta in March, Blog Absence, New Cinestill Film, Another Film Price Hike, Over 3000 Undeveloped Rolls and Home Printing

Malta Memories: Taking a photo of the Maltese flag and also flag of the Maltese Cross was a hard task, especially when it’s windy

• Hello there, it has been a while since my last blog update. My absence/hiatus was longer than expected due to a few technical difficulties (with old Macbook) and time commitments – just to cut a long story short. It has been over two months since I bought my new laptop, so far I’m enjoying it although I have to install new editing software and the Epson scanner. I’m hoping to post regularly again here soon.

• Malta in March: I finally did it! After two years of delays and cancellations, I made it to Malta last month. I spent just a week on the small island, where the weather started off nice, then it got windy and rainy days later. Sadly my trip to the neighbouring island of Gozo was disappointing due to the non-stop rain and wind. So my plans of exploring the island before flying home were doomed from the get-go. Thankfully prior to the bad weather, I did manage to go to Mdina, Rabat, Valletta and Sliema (where I was staying). I would definitely revisit in the near future, possibly next summer when it gets warmer.

Small Island, Many Wonders: Marsaxlokk (left) and Valletta (right)

• Speaking of Malta: The country’s landscapes captured by Inigo Taylor are beautifully captured in monochrome, with the fine detail of the plants, fauna, clouds and surroundings. It gives it a timeless classic feel to each shot. He is based in Malta, as well as doing editorial work he is also a wedding photographer. I recommend checking out his website.

• New Cinestill around the Corner: Cinestill is launching a new colour film in both 35mm and 120, called 400Dynamic. It is a daylight balanced film with a speed of 400, providing saturated colours added with ‘rich, warm skin tones’. The speed can be pushed from its box speed from 200 up to 3200, which is good news for all manual setting camera lovers. I will certainly be buying and trying.

• Kodak Comeback: On the subject of new film, Kodak Gold in 120 made its comeback, with it now being widely available to buy at most photographic retailers. This five pack will not break the bank as it has been described as being ‘cheaper’ than Ektar and Portra at a quarter of the price. The medium format Gold still achieves the same results as the 35mm, which is all good news.

• Not really news, as predicted – in my head: Fujifilm is increasing the film prices from this month up to 60%. Yes, another huge price hike, are we really surprised? Not really…

• Printing at Home: ‘Is it worth it?’ That’s the question. Dave Kai Piper explains the benefits of digital home printing, giving a detailed lowdown on how this method can improve creativity and workflow. Plus providing useful information on printers and inks used to produce great quality prints.

• Over 3000 undeveloped rolls of Rock and Roll Historic Moments: Photographer Charles Daniels had been shooting rock stars since the 1960s, famous names such as Jimi Hendrix, Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones – and that is only to name a few, trust me there is more!! Over the years, Daniels has amassed 3200 rolls of undeveloped film. Luckily, there are plans on having them processed all thanks to donations through GoFundme. The article is very interesting, explaining Daniels’ background and career, certainly worth a read!!

Take care and stay safe

Tried and Tested Thursday: Street Image Random – Canon Z135 with Kodak Pro Image (Expired)

Note: Tonight’s post came later than expected due to technical difficulties. My sincere apologies

For today’s Tried and Tested Thursday, I will be talking about shooting an expired roll of Kodak Pro Image on a Canon Z135.

A match made in heaven with a simple Point and Shoot and an expired Kodak roll. What could possibly go wrong? Well nothing much, apart from the fact it took me a long while to scan the negatives, which I did happen to do yesterday before writing this blog post longhand. Thankfully the process didn’t take too long.

This was the first time shooting the Pro Image on the Canon Z135. My second time would be later on in 2021, when away in Bognor Regis, although the film was pushed to a stop from 100 to 200.

Keeping a distance in public

For shooting, I went around my local area to a couple of parks and walked through a few quiet residential streets. Normally if I have no or little inspiration whenever out with the camera, I would take photos of random things and see where it goes from there. Sometimes it would take me a  while to get the film(s) developed or scanned, depending whether I want to see the outcome.

Behind St. James Park, near where I live

I had used Pro Image before on my Canon EOS 500n SLR, mainly for street shots and candids. The film came from the same original five pack, expired in January 2020 and bought from Analogue Wonderland. I wanted to test out the Pro Image on a smaller, simple and sufficient camera like the Canon Z135 to see if there were any comparisons between the SLR.

Walthamstow Wanders: a few random shots here and there

As expected, some expired film can vary in results, especially colour. Fortunately there were no significant changes or shift in the frames after both processing and scanning; the consistency was the same and smooth, particularly both colour and tones. This film is suited for daylight photography due to its low speed, although I’m guessing it’s possible to chance it with night or low light shooting – I have done this before, with good enough results.

Different Spaces: A space for parking, and a space to sit

Kodak Pro Image goes hand-in-hand for both street and nature photography, despite this film is mainly for shooting portraits. Pro Image can certainly deliver the goods, plus it caters to wider photographic genres and styles. Not to mention, it’s very useful on Point and Shoot cameras, and film SLR’s, or a Holga (only if a 35mm adapter is used).

Frozen and Flowing: Lloyd Park after the big freeze in February

For now, I have two remaining rolls left in the drawer, waiting to be inside another camera again. Maybe another manual setting camera…

Take care and stay safe

Film Friday: Kodak Trix in 35mm (Expired)

For today’s Film Friday, I selected Kodak Trix in 35mm, which expired in January 2020.

I originally bought the ten remaining rolls from AllPhotos Ltd. via its eBay shop in January 2020, the same month of expiry. The film has been unused, and quietly residing in the infamous ex-kitchen drawer since.

Outta drawer for a quick photoshoot: the ten expired rolls of Trix I currently have

I have been shooting Kodak Trix for years, as it has always been the film I would use for street or architecture photography. Its punchy yet subtle grain is the ultimate icing on the cake, thanks to the film’s speed of 400. The tones and contrasts are great: the black tones being deep, especially the shadows. The Trix is a perfect choice for making prints in the darkroom, which I have done a few times before.

Parisian Cafe Nights: Shot with Kodak Trix on Canon EOS 500n (no filter at the time); film was still in date

Parisian Passing: Trix again, like the Parisian cafes – same camera, film in date, no filter

Trix is great to use on colour filters, in particular the red filter. I love using that colour filter, which often produces sharp and deep contrasts, mainly on blue skies and clouds. Having used both the Trix and red filter, it can achieve crisp and high quality results, very rarely disappoints.

On my bike: Kodak Trix with Red Filter – Canon EOS 500n (I think the film was in date when taken)

Kodak Trix is also Point and Shoot friendly, having shot with it on my Olympus Mju 1 camera was a breeze. No fussing around with the settings or playing around with various apertures, both the film and camera was a suitable combination for simple shooting. The outcome from the Mju 1 was proven to be successful, still achieving the punchy subtle look.

Chilly Morning in New York City: Shot on Olympus Mju 1

As there aren’t really many significant changes when shooting expired Black and White film, I can only assume it will come out as similar as it was in date, as I have shot many before in both 35mm and 120. There weren’t any signs of shifting in tones or contrasts from them, unlike some expired colour film where it is noticeable.

Who knows? Trix might be up to its ‘tricks’, and surprise me…

Take care and stay safe

Monday Monthly Mentions – January 2022: Welcome to 2022, Kodak High Prices, Metro Moments and Plans For the Future

Way to Start into the New Year: Shot on Instax Monochrome (expired January 2020) with Fuji Instax Mini 8

• Legendary actress and comedian Betty White has sadly passed away at 99, on New Year’s Eve. She was a few weeks short turning 100. She had a very long career in acting, well known for her role in Golden Girls, as well as being a supporter and activist of LGBT+ rights and animal welfare. May she rest in peace.

• 2022 has started, already a Bank Holiday after a long weekend of celebrations into the new year. Many people, including myself, kept the ‘celebrating’ low key. In fact, I was in bed before midnight, then got up shortly afterwards. I had been working all week, and I was yearning for was a decent rest and some sleep.

New Year’s Day was a chance to take some snaps of the empty streets in the local area

• Kodak Jumpin’ Up In Price Again: Old news-ish, as it was initially reported late last year; Kodak had announced another price rise in their film starting from January, so this month. Not to mention, it was very hard to buy certain Kodak films, such as Portra 400 in 35mm – which sold out on eBay, Analogue Wonderland and Parallax, perhaps a few other retailers. It’s no surprise that the panic buy started before the upcoming big price hike.

• The Exhibitions Must Go On: There are a few shows and exhibitions I would like to see soon, including ‘Amy: Beyond the Stage’ at the Design Museum, an exhibition dedicated to the late singer Amy Winehouse. Also the Helen Levitt show at the Photographers’ Gallery, which I heard about via Twitter. I didn’t go to many art exhibitions or shows in 2021, hopefully this year I might be able to go to as many as possible.

• Metro Moods: French street photographer Sebastien Durand captured random candids while commuting on the famous Paris Metro. Almost every shot is superb and timeless, from the tones to contrasts. I have to agree with Durand’s statement on shooting in Black and White; it looks so smooth and sharp.

• Back to The Backdrop: Katherine Anne Rose shot photographs of paper designs of patterns, layers and shapes from rolls of colour backdrops. A useful way to be both resourceful and creative.

• My Plans for 2022 (Kinda, still in progress): Well most likely to be better than 2021. There are quite a lot of things I would like to accomplish by this year, both career and creativity wise. With Select/21 under my belt, I want to have my fingers in several pies by focusing on my photography again; finally developing my own film, creating zines and photo books, and also doing more projects/series. Plus I would like to do more writing, revisit a few storyline outlines and plans; maybe complete that short story from five years ago!! Maybe be super fluent in Spanish!!

It’s early days yet, but I am hoping 2022 will be the best year yet to come, once and for all…

Happy New Year!!

Take care and stay safe

Tried and Tested Thursday: Bold and Bright Brixton – Agfa Isolette I with Kodak Ektachrome 100

For today’s Tried and Tested Thursday, I will be talking about shooting Kodak Ektachrome on an Agfa Isolette I.

This is my most recent developed shots, only from a couple months ago. It was the first time shooting Ektachrome on my Agfa Isolette, as I had two remaining rolls left in the fridge (near to expiry) and I wanted to try them out on this camera.

Buzzing Through Brixton

I was shooting in Brixton Market, mainly around the fruit stalls on Electric Avenue, as well as going through the indoor market nearby.

I have recently been inspired by still life paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and the Renaissance, focusing on both detail and structure of everyday objects and items, such as fruit, flowers and vases. Brixton Market might not be near to capturing anything in Renaissance style, however shooting fruit stalls was an opportunity to ‘modernise’ the look, especially with slide film like Ektachrome to produce vibrant and bright colours.

Not so Still Life of the Market

I’m certainly no stranger to Kodak Ektachrome since I’ve used it before on two medium format cameras, with one manual. Plus I did feature the film as two Film Friday’s, prior to shooting both 120 and 35mm. I had confidence that Ektachrome would be great to use on another manual camera again, this time round with the Agfa Isolette.

Like previously with the same film on another camera, Yashica 635, I had no light meter. So for the Isolette I trusted myself to get the exposures right, although I didn’t make a note of what shutter speed and aperture used; I am sure that the speed was at least not above 1/200, with the aperture being anywhere between f5.6 to f8 – with the former being for shooting fruit stalls, since it was daylight outside. There were a few overexposed shots, also some underexposed ones but it wasn’t that major. I did manage to scan most frames from the negatives.

From Bright to Dark: This could be due to me changing shutter and aperture

I was very proud with the outcome after processing and eventual home scanning. The colours came out good, better than expected, even when I had initially placed the negatives onto the lightbox before scanning – I knew the results would not disappoint.

Most of my slide films are normally processed at AG Photolab, based in Birmingham. I have mentioned them on my blog before. They have a good turnaround time, not to mention reasonably priced from £5.49 per roll 35mm or 120. There are options of having negative scans or photo prints.

I was probably excited to see the Ektachrome negs more than the other slides I had processed

I haven’t done a lot of  film photography this year, whether I pick up my camera(s) once or twice a month, it’s such a great feeling to get back into the groove of what I love doing again.

I hope in 2022 I can explore and do more film photography.

Take care, stay safe and have a Happy Christmas!!

Film Friday: Kodak Colorplus in 35mm

For today’s Film Friday, I selected Kodak Colorplus in 35mm.

Colorplus is the cheapest colour film in the market ever, as well as Kodak’s cheapest best sellers. Despite the price hikes in both 2020 and 2021, the Colorplus is still the consumer brand film that is very popular internationally.

Fantastic Four: Still not used at the time of writing, but will be very soon…

Sadly film production has slowed down in recent times, even during the pandemic. I was very lucky to have bought four rolls of Colorplus from Parallax over a year ago, most likely before Covid 19. I think I did buy them at £3.95 per roll, before the price bumped up again.

I have been buying Colorplus for a few years, usually buying ten or more rolls at a time since it was widely available and great value for money. Reasonably priced for both the beginner and professional film photographers.

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Right on Kew Gardens: Olympus Mju 1 and Colorplus go hand in hand – so smooth, so clean, the greens are on point

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Cactus Colorplus: Shot at Jardin Exotique de Monaco in Monaco (of course) with a Canon EOS 500n

The colour quality is superb with the contrasts and tones not being too saturated, yet it still provides bright and bold colours. The Colorplus film has fine grain, which is very subtle and natural all thanks to its ISO of 200 – suitable for daylight shooting. Surprisingly enough, it’s good also for night photography, as long as there are sources of light around (i.e street lights or artificial lighting). I did try this before and the results came out warmer and soft with late evening shots I had taken in Seville. I recommend trying this out at its original box speed rather than pushing.

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Seville Night Sights: Shot on Canon EOS 500n, which has many advantages as a film SLR

The availability of Colorplus is quite limited with them being out of stock on Parallax and Analogue Wonderland, to name a few also others. Selling sites such as eBay currently sell them listed almost twice the price for a single roll of 36 exposures. 24 exposure rolls tend to be cheaper, although they are a little hard to come by.

Early Evening Sunset in Nice: Shot on Canon EOS 500n

Hopefully, we aren’t going to wait any longer for Colorplus to be restocked in the near future…

Take care and stay safe

Tried and Tested Thursday: Kent Coast in Colour – Olympus XA2 with Kodak Portra 160

For today’s Tried and Tested Thursday, I will be talking about shooting Kodak Portra 160 on an Olympus XA2.

From last week’s post and as slightly promised, I wanted to discuss trying out the Kodak Portra 160 on my camera. Not usually a film I would rave on about, however the outcome was a huge improvement from the Holga shots.

Far away in Folkestone: The famous harbour. Can you spot a floating pink house?

As per usual, shooting with a low speed during a bright day gels well hand in hand, in particular on a lovely summer’s day in June. It was quite nice in Whitstable on my trip there, although the weather was a little gloomy when I went to Folkestone two weeks later.

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The Top of Tankerton: The peaceful side of Whitstable, still a shingles beach below

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Fair in Folkestone: The weather was a little gloomy at first, but there were some sunny spots throughout the day

The camera used was an Olympus XA2; another lightweight and simple to use camera, which is so easy to carry around. No fussing with various settings, just set the ISO/speed and select a mode, either landscape, portrait or close up. The majority of the seaside shots were in landscape mode, since both framing and composition was an important factor in my photography.

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Away from the seaside for a bit, exploring Whitstable’s high street

The outcome after processing and home scanning was better than the Holga shots. Yes the Holga snaps from last week were in black and white, but they were a bit of a disappointment on how they came out due to the mysterious white grain on every single frame.

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Further in Folkestone along the seaside

The Portra 160 hardly showed any grain, just brilliant colour coverage – not too saturated or vivid, perfect for what I had in mind. My idea and vision was to create British seaside style postcard shots, almost a similar homage to John Hinde’s work. Some shots did have the postcard-esque feel from both Whitstable and Folkestone.

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Postcards from the Seaside: Whitstable Harbour and beach (top), and another calmer beach Sunny Sands in Folkestone (bottom)

To add more about the colour from the film, the Portra was also washed out in some shots plus the quality wasn’t always consistent. There are ways of making further alterations with the negatives on editing software such as Photoshop, which I chose not to. All scans come as they are from the scanner, no editing apart from adding the faint watermark of my name via Photoshop. I like to keep things the way they are in my film photographic work.

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Folkestone Lighthouse and Harbour

I’m much happier with the outcome from the Portra shots, I do believe they have further potential as darkroom prints rather than them being just scans. It will be challenging to get the colour and contrast right through the colour enlarger, but it would be great to practice in the darkroom again after a long time.

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Finishing in Folkestone: My last shots were in Sunny Sands and then walking up onto the hill, providing this view

I don’t think any improvements are needed, I think I am satisfied overall with almost every single shot. Making changes would be impossible at this point.

Take care and stay safe

Tried and Tested Thursday: Image Pro Perfect – Canon Z135 with Kodak Pro Image (Expired and Pushed to 200)

For today’s Tried and Tested Thursday, I will be talking about shooting Kodak Pro Image (expired and pushed) on Canon Z135.

Pushing film has become a favourite of mine recently, since it has a few advantages. From a post not too long ago, I had pushed a roll of Ilford FP4 a stop higher on my Olympus XA2, on my trip to Butlins/Bognor Regis, plus Arundel. Today’s post is from the same trip, but this time in colour on another film and camera. I had brought along four rolls of Kodak Pro Image, which all expired in May 2020, which were all shot exactly a year later (and originally bought around a year prior in 2019). The film was pushed from its 100 speed to 200 when developing.

Shingles Scene: Bognor Regis is full of rocks, and I don’t mean the candy rock

Kodak Pro Image was a Film Friday earlier this year, expired from January 2020. Unlike the Pro Image used while in Butlins, I had purchased the Film Friday five pack film when it already expired.

The camera used was a Canon Z135, a simple Point and Shoot. I didn’t use it for a while, and I wanted to bring a lightweight camera to carry around, especially for long walks. Great for simple functions and settings, as well as ideal for quick snaps. Sadly, the Canon Z135 doesn’t have a setting to change the ISO, hence why the film had to be pushed when processed.

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A Source of Natural Light: Arundel Castle may have had its moments with light sources, the natural light available came from the stained glass windows. Some snaps were a little shaky though

Once all four rolls were developed, I scanned them on my Epson V550 at home. I was anticipating the results. So my thoughts?

Interesting, very interesting. The quality from the scans weren’t always consistent with the outcome varying, in particular the colour shift.

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Snaps Apart: Notice the change in colour? No editing, no Photoshop – the film colour quality changed in a space of a couple frames. Shot on the same day

I think that I played it safe to have all four Pro Image rolls pushed to 200. 400 would have been better, probably for low light shots or night photography.

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Bognor Blues: Shot frames apart on the same day, the colour quality isn’t the same; two shades of blue, one washed out and another a gradient in the sky

The beach shots stood out for me the most, although after a time, it did get repetitive shooting them everyday. It was fascinating to see the colour quality differ in each shot from the beach – the blues and beiges weren’t consistent; colours shifting in various contrasts and tones. These are negative scans of course, however the quality might be different when printed in the darkroom, all thanks to manual settings and controls.

All Seagulls in a Row in Bognor Regis

The local funfair shots did surprise me the most. As someone who wouldn’t dare to shoot with a film below 400 ISO for night photography (100 speed for the odd occasion), I was impressed with the outcome, mainly the LED lights from the rides. No flash was used as it was late evening, there were surrounding light sources at the funfair, mostly artificial lighting. Fortunately, there was hardly any camera shake when taking the photos.

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Fun Faired Well: Considering its speed, the shots came out the way I wanted. It feels warmer, even with the LED lights

I have been shooting with expired film for a few years, at times you don’t know what to expect after processing. It can either come out good or bad; in the rare instance, almost blank negatives which have happened to me before… In this case, the expired Pro Image came out better than expected and I am satisfied overall.

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Fine in Felpham: The quieter side of Bognor Regis, I highly recommend to anyone who are seeking for peace and calm

I have two Pro Image rolls left, both expired from last year in January. I do hope to shoot them at some point in the near future, maybe on another Point and Shoot like the Canon Z135.

Take care and stay safe

Film Friday: Kodak Ektar in 35mm (Expired)

For today’s Film Friday, I selected Kodak Ektar in 35mm, which expired in August last year.

I had bought these before expiry from Parallax, possibly back in 2019. I noticed recently colour film has a shorter expiry date in comparison to black and white film.

Fantastic Four Films: Ektar is Excellent

I let the four remaining Ektar rolls sit comfortably in the fridge for over a year, slowly approaching its expiry date. I did have a few plans on using them this month for a summer series, but sadly the idea fell through for now due to heavy work commitments.

Shooting with out of date can be exciting, great for experimenting around, especially colour film with the unexpected colour shift and unpredictable results.

I have shot with many expired films throughout the years, some outcomes came out better than I had anticipated, and some with the colour being completely washed out.

All in Dates: Expired in August last year

Last September, I had ten rolls of Ektar that I took with me to Switzerland, all shot on my Olympus XA2. Originally bought them from AllPhotos Ltd, via eBay, at discounted from the old price.

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Zurich in Summer: The lake and sunflowers at the nearby botanical garden

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Lucky Lugano: Lake Lugano was great to photograph; the blues in these scans came out really well

The results from those rolls were amazing; the colour was saturated, bold and smooth. Mind you the films had been in a drawer for a year after purchase. I had initially thought keeping film in certain conditions would have an effect after developing.

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By Lake Geneva in the early evening

I was so satisfied with the scans (I’m yet to print them from the negatives) that I often admire them, looking at the colour quality – Ektar’s strongest selling point, expired or in date. Possibly the best film outcomes of 2020.

I’m sure the four Ektar rolls in the fridge would produce the same results as the Switzerland ones. I’m confident they will, maybe I could keep them in a little longer until next year?

Take care and stay safe

Tried and Tested Thursday: Greenwich Picture Perfect Time – Olympus Trip 35 with Kodak Portra 160

For today’s Tried and Tested Thursday, I will be talking about shooting Kodak Portra 160 on the Olympus Trip 35.

In my previous post, I discussed shooting with the Olympus Trip for the first time. Although the results were out of focus, I was proud of myself considering this was a ‘test run’ and hoping the outcome would be better in the second round.

It started out perfectly, focus is sharper than last time

A week later, I took the camera with me to Greenwich in London, famous for Greenwich Mean Time, Cutty Sark, Royal Naval Colleges and the Royal Observatory. The film used was Kodak Portra 160, which I set to its box speed on the camera, plus placed the aperture between f8 and f11 as it was quite a nice bright day.

I walked some of my way through the park, passing through there towards the hill where the Observatory is located.

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Enroute to the top: it had been years since I was last here, walking up to the highest point in the park

I have a ‘love-hate’ relationship with the Portra 160. It’s a film great for portraits (as often recommended), especially with skin tones and landscape shots, however it doesn’t seem to ‘stand out’ or ‘pop’ for me much. I have to admit the colour balance is soft and subtle with a tinge of orange tints whenever scanning or printing. I don’t buy that particular film often, probably a couple rolls or a pack a year.

During my day out, I took mainly landscapes and skyline shots from the hill. The focusing got slightly better, it did improve since the last time as well as the aperture settings. There were a few overexposed patches, but it was alright nevertheless once scanned. The Portra colours were softer, not too harsh although some look a little washed out, particularly with the greens and blues from the skyline shots.

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Top Greenwich Gear: The Observatory is close by, sadly it was closed due to the Pandemic

Out of the film tests on the Trip 35, Portra 160 is the winner. I would likely shoot with it on the camera again, possibly for portrait photography or street shots on nice days during the summer months.

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Naval College Campus, which is across the road from the park and quite near the University of Greenwich’s campus

I would also concentrate on both focusing and aperture, improve on it a little more and put it into practice until I get the hang of it. Hopefully I will be able to work my way around the Trip 35 very soon!!

Take care and stay safe