These are the 31 days and 45 articles that made EMULSIVE in March 2020, starting (as always) with a list of the “top ten” as decided by you and ordered by date of publication.
Before you get lost below, here’s a quick reminder that for the foreseeable future from April 2nd 2020, I’m aiming to publish two articles a day here on EMULSIVE. Truth be told, it’s going to be stressful trying to keep up but I’m giving it a crack while I have time on my hands.
You might be interested in...
Wish me luck and enjoy!
Due to COVID-19 concerns, ILFORD Photo to temporarily halt manufacturing
I’m sad to report that the company has announced its intent to temporarily cease production at their Mobberly (UK) factory from Wednesday April 1st 2020 until further notice.
A guide to Simple, effective and CHEAP macro photography
Business closures, stay at home orders and the imperative for social distancing have probably cut you off from your normal sources of photographic inspiration. Your project Strangers Touching Each Other’s Faces in Dense Crowds is on hold for the foreseeable future. So rather than capturing the wide world, here is a technique to explore the small world inexpensively, whether that’s in your living room or […]
5 Frames… With Adox HR-50 (EI 50 / 35mm format / Nikon F100)
It can be a strange experience visiting an old stamping ground after a gap of many years as it was when I went back to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the summer; the place is still Newcastle but some of my favourite pubs have long since disappeared, some remain and new ones have sprung up, a host of independent micro pubs supplied by a similar explosion of micro […]
Hanging out with the one and only Tony Vaccaro on Fujifilm NEOPAN 100 ACROS
When I told EM we’d bought tickets for our yearly trip to New York he suggested to visit and interview Tony Vaccaro. I never heard that name before so I looked him up. His bio reads, “Born on the 22nd of December 1922”. We had email contact with his daughter-in-law and since EM himself did already an elaborate interview In 2018, I wanted to ask […]
EMULSIVE February 2020: month in review
These are the 29 days and 31 articles that made EMULSIVE in February 2020, starting (as always) with a list of the “top ten” as decided by you and ordered by date of publication. A lot went on in February, here’s what you might have missed. Enjoy!
5 Frames… Of the Pacific Northwest with Kodak Portra 400 (EI 400 / 120 format / Yashica-Mat 124G
Over the last few years, I have become a landscape photographer. It was not a conscious choice but now I embrace it.
The new limited edition Intrepid 4×5 Black Edition
Wood is out, replaced by anodised aluminium and 3D printed parts. Say hello to the Intrepid Camera’s Black Edition 4×5. The camera is the latest creation from the UK based company whose offices are just a few hundred meters from Brighton’s Palace Pier. The new camera, available in limited quantities starting March 27th, is a very different beast from the original “MK1” which debuted on […]
Why Shoot Film? It’s about where things break down…
As the title says, for me, it’s about where things break down. The beginnings and endings. The edges. There is always a point at which an image breaks down and becomes the mark. Be it a pencil drawing, an oil painting or a photograph. I’ll show you what I mean. We’ll start with an oil painting. One of mine to be precise. So this is […]
Lomography launches new slow 35mm B&W film: Fantôme Kino ISO 8
Hot off the press is news of a new film by the folks at Lomography: Fantôme Kino B&W ISO 8 film in 35mm format. Touted as a “brand new high contrast film with panchromatic sensitivity…
5 Frames… On ILFORD HP5 PLUS (EI 400 / 35mm format / Leica M1)
You don’t see many references to the Leica M1 but it is perhaps the purest photographic tool. It has a good viewfinder but no rangefinder and no other automation. It has the same body as the M2 but as you can see from the first photograph below, there is no rangefinder window (it’s blanked out with an “M1” mark). Unlike the M2 and M3 the […]
On COVID-19, ILFORD Photo suggest stockpiling rolls of film, not toilet paper
Something a little lighthearted for you from the folks over at ILFORD Photo in the UK. The company recently made a statement on the impact of COVID-19, which included the…
My return to film: Zisis Kardianos
I came back to shooting film three years ago in 2017. For the previous fifteen years I had been shooting digital with a range of cameras, the last one being the Fuji X-T1, which I still use randomly or for special assignments. It is a fine, elegant and reliable machine and the results I was getting from this, enhanced by applying the brilliant Fuji colour […]
65 photographic projects you can do when you’re stuck at home
To help beat the boredom, I reached out to the film photography community and asked what kinds of photography projects they’d be doing while stuck at home/physically distancing over the next…
5 Frames… With ILFORD XP2 Super (35mm / EI 400 / Canon TX)
When I started out in film photography, I was doing it as way to feel connected to my late father who also loved photography. I remembered his Canon SLR that he constantly took photos with when I was a kid.
36 keepers: Working towards a perfect roll of film in India
One of the things I tried while in India was to set myself a simple challenge: to shoot a “perfect” roll of 36 exposures.
5 Frames… Of mewithoutYou on Kodak T-MAX P3200 (EI 3200 / 35mm format / Canon Canonet G-III QL17)
When my favorite band — Philadephia’s mewithoutYou — came to town in Fall 2019 fall, I knew I wanted to shoot the concert with film. I’ve been going to punk rock shows since the mid-90s, but have only taken up film photography in earnest over the last year or so. For my first foray into concert photography, I opted for Kodak T-MAX P3200 because of […]
Global film photography survey: Your help needed
At the end of February, I played a little game on social media in the form of a film photography “Never Have I Ever…” For a fun little thing, the….
Testing CT Scanners: Here’s how badly they can damage your photographic film
Recently, a number of film companies have issued warnings about new and enhanced scanning technology (CT scanners). As I was travelling through Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport recently, I thought I would sacrifice a roll of film to see what the damage looks like.
5 Frames… With Kosmo Foto Mono 100 (EI 100 / 120 format / Mamiya C220)
Over the last year or so I’ve been making the transition back in time to using film rather than my digital’ cameras. In life, I feel I am making a return to a slower and more simple outlook and the return to film for me is part of the process. I tend to use whatever camera takes me and I have tried a number of […]
CatLABS X-Film 80 with the ONDU 612 MULTIFORMAT pinhole camera or… how to screw up a roll and learn to love the mistakes
An article about learning to love photographic mistakes may not be completely interesting to all of you reading this. Stay with me for a minute. My promise to you is that at the very least, I will end with my feelings on Catlabs X-film 80 as they specifically relate to my experience with the ONDU pinhole. In between here and there, I’ll take you on […]
Kodak announces restructure and full-year 2019 financial results
This just in from Kodak in its full-year financial results from 2019 including revenues of US$1.2 billion, net earnings of $116 million and an organisational restructure in its film, print, imaging and brand divisions. Highlights from the official announcement:
Why didn’t you search before asking the question? Or, how to fix the online photography community
Some weeks ago a recent film photographer interviewee of mine reminded me of a problem that feels old as film photography itself: the negative way in which certain genuine requests for information are handled. You can read my sign-off in the link below for some initial thoughts on this but in case you don’t want to break your flow, here’s the comment made by Ejatu […]
5 Frames… With Fomapan 400 Action (EI 400 / 35mm format / Olympus Pen EED)
I am a huge fan of half-frame cameras. I like to compose with the ‘portrait’ finder which is the default in all half-frame cameras except the Yashica Samurai family. It trains my eye to see in a different way for a while, which is good practice for a photographer. I bought the Pen EED for two qualities: it’s good looking and it’s “risqee”… i.e. full-auto […]
Long-term bag review: The Billingham Hadley Pro 2020, six months and counting…
First impression count but a longer term opinion is often more important when making an investment. These are my thoughts 6 months in…
Shoot Instax Square on your Hasselblad with the #HVSQ Ver.2
Shenzhen based photographer John Yang has recently announced the second version of his Instax Square film back for the Hasselblad V-System, dubbed the #HVSQ Ver.2 and has opened pre-orders for the device on his website.
Making “VIRUS”: A tintype stop motion animation
“You know me, if something bothers my mind, I have to make art out of it. Sadly at this moment, it’s the virus — COVID-19 — so I put my thoughts and feelings onto seven wet plates to make a stop motion animation.” Regular readers will no doubt be familiar with Markus Hofstaetter through my interview with him in early 2019 and the numerous articles […]
5 Frames… in Iceland with 16-year expired Fujifilm FUJICHROME Velvia RVP (EI 50 / 120 format / Yashica-635)
Last summer my girlfriend and I went on a 14-day trip to Iceland. I Packed four Cameras, a Yashica-635, Leica P, Olympus MJU, and Sony A7R II, along with three types of films: Kodak Portra 400, Fujifilm Velvia (RVP), and Kodak T-MAX 400 but the real JAM was my original Fujifilm FUJICHROME Velvia (RVP). a 50 ISO slide film, which had expired around 2003. I […]
The best (and worst) film cameras of the 1990s
My take on the 10 “best” film cameras released during the 1990s. It’s not a countdown in the traditional sense and “best”…well…
5 Frames… With Kodak Tri-X 400 (EI 1600 / 35mm format / Nikon F5)
I think Kodak Tri-X 400 might be one of the most mystical film stocks ever produced. For more than 70 years of its production, it has covered almost all of the history of the 20th century folowing WW2. Its flexibility to tolerate push-processing makes it a favourite of photojournalists of the film era. One of them is Don Mccullin, who swore by the film. It […]
Add to queue: Interviewing Roger Lowe (Shoot film like a Boss)
I would like to introduce you, dear reader, to Mr Roger Lowe. He has a film photography YouTube channel called “Shoot Film Like a Boss” which I discovered quite recently but I am quickly getting through his entire back catalogue. Roger has almost 10,000 followers now and covers a lot of things that many film channels don’t, things like darkroom printing. He has been very […]
Kodak T-MAX 400: An honest film stock review
I have always been on the fence about Kodak’s T-MAX 400 film. I have been using it on and off for the last ten years now but only had really used it for specific purposes, mainly portraits due to its super sharp rendering and high resolution with very fine grain. T-MAX 400 also has beautiful contrast right off the negative witch is great because I do love contrasty […]
5 Frames… With 15-year expired Kodak KODALITH Ortho Film 6556 (EI 12 / 35mm format / Nikon N90S)
I knew this film existed, but it was not until 2016 when a friend showed up in my studio with this box as a gift that I saw it. Yes, it a box, not a can, if you haven’t seen it. A black box, similar to the ones Kodak sells 16mm film, self-sealing box, probably perfect for a pinhole camera, but I didn’t make one, […]
The Paradox of cluttered contact sheets
Contact sheets are a fantastic resource for film photographers, and can also be used by digital artists – although applying these ideas to a digital workflow can often distort the result (but I’ll come back to this later).
Say hello to SilvergrainClassics, the new name for PhotoKlassik International magazine
PhotoKlassik International is now SilvergrainClassics! But let me reassure everyone right away that the quality and nature of the content has not changed, only the name!
5 Frames… At a steam traction engine rally with Kodak T-MAX 400 (EI 400 / 120 format / Pentax 67II)
I came back into film in 2016 after a ten-year break, initially resurrecting my 1981 Pentax ME Super which I’ve had from new.
Travelogue: People of Myanmar, the Kayan and Kayah…
The Kayen and the Kayah. Two groups of people who live in the south-east of Myanmar, formally known as Burma. Living in the rich mountainous landscapes full of teak and minerals, together with many other subgroups they are named the Karenni… It feels like time has stood still in this part of the world. A story that you would normally only read in books about […]
5 Frames… With Kodak Portra 400 (EI 400 / 120 format / Fujifilm GA645 Professional)
My utmost congratulations to the person who led Fujifilm’s GA645 Professional project, as it was built with decades of forward-thinking in mind. It was made for Instagram because the Fuji 645 shoots portrait by default thus making things counter-intuitive. Anyway, a roll of 120 will land you 16 shots, and loading and unloading are possibly the easiest of this type of cameras. This GA645 is […]
EMULSIVE interview #214: I am Ejatu Shaw and this is why I shoot film
I first came across today’s interviewee back in December 2019 after she posted a video messing around with Kodak Gold in Barcelona. Thanks to that quick DM and ensuing chat, I’ve finally been able to get her to grace these pages as interviewee #214. Ladies and gents, this is Ejatu Shaw. Hi Ejatu, what’s this picture, then? ES: Just a lovely shot of my leg […]
Building the Goodman One: A homemade, 3D printed plastic fantastic (review)
Do you remember being a kid and building stuff out of whatever you had lying around? It was difficult at times finding the right materials or the perfect tools. The good part about being a grown-up is that you get to play with tools which are much — MUCH — more fun! Queue the 3D printed Goodman One by Dora Goodman. Time to fire up […]
ILFORD Photo film quality feedback and replacement program announced
The UK’s ILFORD Photo, manufacturers of black and white films such as HP5 PLUS, FP4 PLUS and Delta Professional released a statement today regarding defects found on certain 120 medium format photographic film products. From the statement: Over the last couple of months, we have noticed an increased number of customers posting their concerns on forums and social media channels relating to our 120 roll […]
5 Frames… With Rollei Retro 400S (EI 400 / 35mm format / Olympus XA4)
I’d shot this film a few times earlier in 2019, with some very pleasing results in 120 format from my Minolta Autocord, and some less pleasing ones from my Nikon F75 and 24mm f/1.8G. The latter was shot in midsummer Maltese sunshine, but did come out basically black OR white! This made me wonder if the film might be better served by older lenses…so I […]
What is exposure? How to use light meters in film photography
Getting your exposure right is the first priority in making a photograph and comes before almost any other decision after the initial idea for a shot. Nowadays though, it is hardly given a thought. With many cameras making the basic choice, the photographer only needs to decide if any adjustment should be made to achieve his or her desired result. If, like me, you enjoy […]
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