These are the 31 days and 62 articles that made EMULSIVE in April. I’m hoping a few of you reading this noticed that bump, it represents two things: first of all, it’s obviously all gone a bit mad in the world, so hopefully, that extra little bit of content is going to help you stay sane. Second, I’ll admit to having quite a long editorial queue and I’d already begun feeling guilty about having people wait — as long as five months in some cases — before their contributed word and pictures got out there.
Being just one person running this website is obviously a bit of a challenge but don’t worry, I’m still having lots of fun under the crushing pressure 😉 All this to say two things:
- If you’re waiting for me to get back to you on something, sorry about that. Please don’t be shy and drop me a line.
- Don’t be shy to get in touch with ideas for articles you want to share with the wider community. I’m still always looking for more, especially experience led, guides, reviews and how-to type stuff.
Enjoy!
~ EM
The best of #FP4party March 2020
It’s time for the shortlist for March 2019’s #FP4Party, the last one of the year.
5 Frames… Of the Swedish High Coast and Åland with expired Fujifilm Velvia 100 (EI 100 / 35mm / Nikon F4)
I had a roll of Fujifilm Velvia 100 with an expiry date of 2012 sitting in my fridge for quite a while and thinking that the film (and me for that matter) was not getting any younger, I decided to load it in my trusty Nikon F4 for some positive film fun times! This was not the first time I have shot using Velvia 100 film. I had done so a few times in […]
My first roll… Of 120 film – Kodak T-MAX 400 and Rolleicord III K3B
I came back to film in early 2019. The camera I bought was a Rolleicord III. It was the same model as the first serious camera I owned back in the late 1990s. I got that first Rolleicord from my grandmother, who had bought it when she was studying in Switzerland in the 1950s, but who by then had already given up photography for a couple of […]
5 Frames… With Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 400H (EI 400 / 120 format / Hasselblad 500C/M)
I bought this Hasselblad 500C/M a little over 2 years ago now. It was an eBay buy and back then I was a digital shooter. I always lusted after…
Pocket wonder: The Olympus XA with ILFORD PAN 100
My first of roll of film for the new year 2020: a fresh roll of ILFORD PAN 100 all used up in one day with a camera I’ve never used before. This was January’s commitment to the new year’s resolution I’ve signed up for. That resolution is to shoot one roll of film per month. Sounds simple enough and should be doable forgetting the children, […]
5 Frames… At sunset in Cologne with Kodak VISION3 5213 (35mm / EI / EI 125 / Minolta Hi-Matic 7s)
Earlier in 2019, I ordered the mixed-film-pack from Silbersalz, containing one roll of each of the four Kodak VISION3 motion picture film varieties.
The Hypersensitive Podcast Episode 12: The JCH premium rate chat line
Continuing our diversification towards becoming a podcast run by photographers rather than a photography podcast, Hamish and I caught up with Bellamy Hunt of JCH about his recent SIBO diagnosis (it’s not a made-up acronym) and how it’s affecting his life. Hamish finds five minutes to talk about photography before getting distracted and I talk about squirrels sitting on custom-made garden furniture. Apologies for the […]
Trying out solarisation in the darkroom
Being in lockdown has given me more time to consider expanding my repertoire of darkroom techniques. One of these is something a little different to what I would normally try: Solarisation. It’s a technique I’m sure many are familiar with, it is new to me and to be honest, some of the images I’ve seen on the internet haven’t wowed me. That being said I […]
5 Frames… At Otome no Taki with Lomography Potsdam Kino 100 (35mm / EI 100 / Nikon FG)
This was my third attempt at finding this waterfall not so far from where I live. I knew I wanted to bring my Nikon FG with the 50mm f/1.8 Series E lens, but wasn’t settled on the film yet. I decided on the roll of Lomography Potsdam Kino 100 that I got over the holiday season. This would be the first time using this film […]
So you want to shoot Fujifilm Instax? These are your options today
Fujifilm Instax covers a huge range of instant film and cameras created and sold since 1998. Over the past 2+ decades, while the number of other instant film options have dwindled to just enough to count with your fingers and toes, Instax has gone from strength to strength. In this article, I cover the history of Fujifilm Instax, the different film and camera options available […]
5 Frames… Mostly in Italy on Lomography F²/400 (EI 200 / 120 Format / Hasselblad 500C/M)
Since subscribing to Lomography’s newsletter, I came across Lomography F2/400 in 120. Research revealed this film to be expired Ferrania’s Solaris FG 400. The five images presented here are from an October 2018 trip to Italy (Milan/Bologna), where the colors can be somewhat muted, due to the overcast light and shorter days. The film itself isn’t the sharpest, and the grain is quite pronounced, but […]
Canon Demi EE17: The everyday diptych machine
There are many cameras out there that take standard 35mm film and expose alternative formats for creative effect. The Noblex’s literally sweeping panoramas, the Nishika N8000’s 3D gifs, and the Lomography Pop’s 9 frame pop-art “explosions” all have their appeal, but they all share the same problem: their form factor and results are too niche for everyday shooting. As a 35mm half-frame camera, the Canon […]
5 Frames… With ILFORD PAN F PLUS (EI 50 / 120 format / Vermeer 6×6 Pinhole)
Earlier in 2019, I built a shoebox pinhole camera, and had a blast using it. But I wanted something a bit more reliable in its outcomes, so I went online and ordered a handmade pinhole from Poland. The Vermeer 6×6 Pinhole Camera came with a 34mm focal length, and a 2mm pinhole that results in an f/170 aperture and was crafted to use 120 film. […]
Learning to develop my first roll of film
Due to the current pandemic situation and resultant lock-down rules, I’ve decided now would be a good time to learn how to develop film at home. Since I got back into shooting film a few years ago, the thought of developing my own photos at home has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. I’ve usually pushed these thoughts to one side though, partly […]
5 Frames… With Film Washi F (EI 100 / 35mm format / Rollei 35TE)
First of all, I’m not a great master photographer, it’s just a lot of fun and has been for over 30 years, with a break of several years and a digital phase in between. My motto is WISIWYG, What I See Is What You Get. On a beautiful sunny morning in late November 2019, I went on a photo tour with my Rollei 35TE, which […]
My first roll… Of 35mm film: Kodak ProFoto 400 BW and Pentax Spotmatic F
Well, I just read this “My First Roll…” post by EM and immediately started scratching my head. How did I start in analog photography and photography on the whole? It was not so long ago (relatively, Einstein would say) but I’d absolutely forgotten exactly how I had begun and it took some time to repair the chronology and piece together the chain of my journey. […]
5 Frames… From Waneka Lake Park with ILFORD Delta 100 Professional (EI 100 / 120 format / Reality So Subtle 6X6F Pinhole)
Inspired by an ILFORD Photo November Camera Challenge on Twitter, I set out with my Reality So Subtle 6X6F. Three goals in mind: Work with my RSS using a contrast filter (the “F” means a filter can be attached) Satisfy the Story part of the Challenge Get started on “My Inner Monet” So more about the Challenge. For Part 1 we had a choice between […]
EMULSIVE interview #215: I am Tony Warren and this is why I shoot film
Regular readers will be familiar with the writings and photography of today’s interviewee in the form of his large format pinhole camera build and light meter articles here on EMULSIVE. It’s high time we pulled back and learned a bit more, don’t you think? Over to you, Tony. Hi Tony, what’s this picture, then? TW: Twenty years ago, being an inveterate early adopter, I had […]
5 Frames… Of Cinestill 800T at night (EI 1250 / 35mm format / Contax 159 MM)
My father was a hobby photographer and had a beautiful collection of Contax equipment. As I progressed in my work, he started generously handing down his collection to me for my desired needs. The first item he passed down to me was this Contax 159 MM, a camera that has a reputation for failure some 20-odd years post-release. Of course, having sat in a closet […]
Shooting the Leica M1: From 1960s British holiday camps to the streets of 21st century England
I am a great fan of the Leica M1, having first used this camera in the late 1960s as a camp photographer at Butlin’s in the UK. I can safely say that for me, it has everything necessary for quick shooting and nothing that you don’t need. So before I get stuck in, let me ask you a question: was the Leica M1 actually designed […]
5 Frames… Shooting three National Parks with Kodak Portra 400 (EI 400 / 120 format / Zeiss Ikonta 521/2)
In May of 2019, my partner and I embarked on a 2000-mile road trip to Joshua Tree, the Grand Canyon, Zion and Death Valley National Parks. It was a wonderful experience and the perfect opportunity to slow down with film. Shooting film in nature, especially 6×9 120 format, gives us more time to take in the sights and gawk at nature’s wonders. I only took […]
Essay: It’s all been done before so why bother taking photographs?
I’m constantly getting back to this thought and feel it’s about time to share something with you that comes very close to my inner monologue. You have been warned. I highly doubt that we all have the same motivations to take photographs but it is interesting to explore my own situation and hear your experience, dear reader. As far back as I can remember I […]
5 Frames… In Casablanca and Rabat with Kentmere 400 (EI 400 / 35mm format / Canon EOS 100)
Having been into film photography for a little over a year, I saw visiting my sister in Morocco as the perfect opportunity to take some pictures in a different environment from the rainy streets of Leeds. This particular roll was shot in Casablanca and Rabat (there’s even a picture of my Dad on the train between cities), which proved to be the perfect places to […]
Get set for Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day 2020: The COVID-19 edition
Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day (WPPD) is nearly upon us for 2020. A few weeks back I decided to put together a quick reminder and thanks to Andrew Bartram, connected with WPPD’s Nick Dvoracek to find out how the event was going to pan out due to COVID-19. The short version is that Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day 2020 will still be observed on its traditional date, […]
5 Frames… In the deserts of West Texas with Kodak Portra 400 (EI 100 / 35mm format / Olympus OM-2N)
On good days, the deserts of West Texas seem to tolerate human presence. The bad days bring flash floods and lightning storms that would faze even Zeus. I often travel to the region for work, regardless of what day it is, and when I do I make sure to bring my Olympus and a backpack full of film. During my last visit, I tried pushing […]
5 Frames… With JCH StreetPan 400 (EI 400 / 35mm format / Nikon FM2n)
6 months without getting the film camera out was finally over – between work, study and small children, my hobbies had taken a back seat.
Making moves: SilvergrainClassics starts new online content offering in conjunction with Gossen
Not surprisingly, it seems everyone is rushing to make new online content for the film community these days. While SilvergrainClassics — the magazine about the entire world of analog photography — will be sticking to a print-only philosophy for its publication, the team is also in the midst of launching a series of online content and have teamed up with Gossen, the German manufacturer of […]
5 Frames… With ILFORD FP4 PLUS (EI 125 / 120 format / Mamiya C330 Professional)
I grew up in an area that used to be completely farmland about 100 years ago. Some of the smaller family-owned farms are still in operation, but almost all of the original landowners decided a long time ago that the money from selling the land would be more than the money they’d be paid by continuing to sell crops. The original plots of land still […]
Tonchi & I: My film photography hero
There are friendships… and there are FRIENDSHIPS that play out like that iconic scene in Casablanca where Rick goes, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”. And that’s how mine and Tonchi’s journey to hours and hours of cameras started. Around 11 years ago I moved to Canada. While there a friend of mine took me to a Camera Swap Meet […]
5 Frames… With Kodak T-MAX 100 (EI 50 / 35mm format / Leica IIIf)
I go to visit my family in Argentina once a year, and ever since I got into film photography I have been returning from these trips with my carry-on filled with their old and unwanted cameras, flashes, and meters. This year, my aunt (who was an avid film photographer) found a bag of expired film and gave it to me to put to good use. […]
My first roll… Of 35mm film – Kodak Tri-X 400
I’m not 100% sure that this is my very first roll, but based on the crap technique and some of the subjects, I’m pretty certain that if it’s not the first roll, it’s not far off. I took a couple of photography classes in high-school and saved most of the negatives and a few of the prints. What you see is one roll of Kodak […]
5 Frames… With Adox Scala 160 (35mm / EI 160 / Nikon F5)
I always loved the original Agfa Scala 200X black and white slide film when it was available back in the late ‘90s. So I was thrilled when…
Lomography launches new not-so-slow-slow 35mm B&W film: Babylon Kino ISO 13
Coming just 20 days after they announced ISO 8 Fantôme Kino B&W film back on March 26th, the folks at Lomography are back at it again, this time with a faster (but still very slow) ISO 13 film going by the name Babylon Kino B&W ISO 13. As with Fantôme, Babylon Kino is available for pre-order as opposed to immediate purchase. Where Fantôme is expected […]
Push me, pull you: The Contax RTS III and Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 35-70mm f/3.4
Following my CONTAX S2 review last year, I got thinking why I liked using my S2 so much more than my RTS II. After all, the RTS II had some great features with its centre weighted meter and aperture priority mode, it was a more relaxed camera than the all-manual S2. And yet, I did not use it nearly as much. The more I thought […]
5 Frames… Of Fujifilm Velvia 50 developed using C-41 and BW chemistry (EI 50 / 120 format / Rolleiflex 2.8D)
This started from my curiosity to process color reversal film as slides in an alternative way due to the high cost of E6 chemicals and because they are difficult to obtain in where I live.
EMULSIVE March 2020: month in review
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 […]
5 Frames… Of Bethmoora on ILFORD Delta 3200 Professional (EI 3200 / 35mm format / Canon EOS-1V HS)
I know the drummer of the Danish heavy metal band Bethmoora. In October 2019 they were performing at the legendary concert venue…
Using the language of minimalism in film photography
I am usually hesitant to assign labels on my photography, I think out of concern that a definition may limit my mentality, and…
5 Frames… On Kodak Ektar 100 at night (EI 100 / 120 format / Mamiya 645 AFD)
Each time I have shot a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 it has seemed difficult to achieve the types of beautiful images I have witnessed other…
Compact, lightweight medium format panoramic photography with the Horseman SW612
I first came across the Horseman SW612 when I saw a stills photographer on a film shoot I was on using one. I was impressed by the compactness of the camera compared to my Fujica G617. The SW612 is about the same size as modern pro DSLR, and as such is a much more portable proposition than the Fuji. After thinking things over for a […]
ILFORD Photo’s new interview series kicks off with EMULSIVE
Welcome to “Lockdown Sessions” a new series of interviews by the folks over at ILFORD Photo. This new series of interviews with members of the global film photography community kicked off with none other than EMULSIVE — me — a little earlier this week. Speaking with Matt Parry, ILFORD’s Marketing Communications manager (and past EMULSIVE interviewee), about the interviews, Matt told me: “We strongly believe […]
5 Frames…from 4 cities on Kosmo Foto Mono 100 (EI 100 / 35mm format / Nikon F3/T)
Photography for me is used to capture the things I like and to provide a welcome distraction from the comings and going of modern life.
Staying creatively engaged: Drawing your crazy dream camera
I’ve been trying to keep my local film photography community here in the Philippines creatively engaged as we’re 3 ½ weeks into…
The Hypersensitive Podcast Episode 11: The not-the-coronavirus episode
Recorded on April 6th, Hamish and I managed to fill an hour and a half with reflections on episode 10, how we’re…
5 Frames… Of Baltimore’s East Side with Fomapan 400 Action (EI 320 / 35mm format / Canon A-1)
This particular day another photographer and I met up to wander around Baltimore’s East Side to take photos in different neighborhoods.
Pandemic on Polaroid: Sheltered at Home
I was 2,500 miles away from home when COVID-19 started to unravel the fabric of our daily routines. On the road for work at a…
5 Frames… In Bangalore with Bergger Pancro 400 (EI 400 / 120 format / Pentax 6×7)
For long, my go-to ISO 400 film in 120 format has been Kodak Tri-X 400. However, since I read about Bergger Pancro 400 on EMULSIVE, I…
Film stock review: LomoChrome Metropolis XR 100-400 in 35mm and 120 format – A new color negative favorite
In 2019 Lomography announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to fund a brand new film emulsion: LomoChrome Metropolis XR100-400.
5 Frames… With ILFORD FP4 PLUS (EI 125 / 35mm format / Nikon F2)
The two things I like the most are surf and film photography so naturally, the beach and the waves are a constant in my photos. Photography was always on my mind. It’s an old love that never, till now, was taken too seriously. I remember when I was twenty my friends used to pay me for some surfing photos, but I was such a cool […]
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