Well it’s happening, I’m now fully down the rabbit hole of B&W film development. It was inevitable really, as I continued to take more photos on film and especially on B&W, that I couldn’t resist trying out development for myself. I think firstly I have to say a massive thank you to Dave Beatty from …
I like knowing how things work. This is partly why I took up film photography in the first place, because I wanted to understand how pictures could be made. However, I’m not in a position to have a darkroom setup, and at the moment I’m more interested in the results of using film photography as a medium. That means I love seeing my scans come through to my email, trying out different film stocks, and being present with my camera in that moment. For me, the development process is something I’m happy to leave to professionals for now.
When it comes to B&W film choices we are blessed with an abundance of choice, from small companies and creative stocks, to stalwarts of the film industry. I knew of Kodak’s T-Max range for a while, and that it had been used for many celebrity portraits and studio work for years, however I’d avoided it because it said ‘professional’ on the side – and I am very much an enthusiastic amateur!
When I was starting out I borrowed a camera from my Grandad, his plastic auto-focus Minolta Dynax 7000i SLR, with a zoom lens. It wasn’t the coolest looking camera, but it definitely gave me confidence to get out there and shoot some more film. Later on my Dad handed me a box of his old 90’s cameras, and I tried a few I liked (and some I didn’t!) but I was lucky to be able to get started with borrowed gear. Before you start looking into buying a camera, if you can, I advise that you try out a friend’s camera and see how you like the experience.
I grew up on my neighbours’ farm in the Lake District, England and spent lots of time as a child helping the adults outside with the sheep, lambs and cows in the pouring rain. Later on, I’ve lived and worked in Manchester, U.K. for over a decade, which is renowned for it’s grey drizzle and …
Gear Theory – Shooting Film in the Rain – By Ted Ayre Read More
