Search results for: 'film beginners'

HARMAN technology Limited, trading as ILFORD PHOTO, is a global market leader and the only manufacturer in the world to provide a full range of black & white film, darkroom paper, photochemistry and ancillary products. For over 137 years, generations of customers have demanded the very best. And this is why they continue to choose ILFORD. Operating from our manufacturing headquarters in Cheshire, UK. Our products are shipped around the globe and into the discerning hands of beginners, enthusiasts, stud...

This guide focuses on the photo chemicals you can use for processing film. We also have a guide to processing film as well as some handy tips on loading a developing spiral. Choosing photo chemicals We have a range of photo chemicals designed to give different results with our films and papers. The choice of stop bath and fixer is limited but we have several film developers you can use. Film developers come in either liquid and powder concentrate form and have a range of attributes. Some developers giv...

Processing your own film can speed up your workflow and give you quicker access to your negatives. It is also typically more cost effective and best of all there is nothing like the sense of satisfaction you will gain by taking control over the full end-to-end process of your photography. While trying it for the first time might be a daunting prospect, fear not. Below is our guide on what equipment, chemistry and method would be suitable for anyone new to processing films. For more detail, you can downlo...

Why print? When you can get excellent prints from your black & white negatives by sending them off to commercial processing laboratories, why make your own? For many photographers, making a photographic print is as much a part of the process as shooting the image itself. For a start, it is a creative process that is both enjoyable and fulfilling and, much like the role of a post processing tools such as Photoshop or Lightroom in any digital workflow, (although much more fun) a darkroom provides film...

What are film developers? Film developers are a photographic chemical that turns your exposed film into working negatives as part of a processing workflow. (You will also need a stop bath and fixer - for more information on how to process your film or which chemistry to choose read our guides). We offer a broad range of film developers that are designed to exploit the different characteristics of our films. Developers are available in either powder and liquid concentrate form and have a range of charact...

ILFORD PHOTO offer an extensive range of black & white photographic paper. A photographer's choice of paper is a subjective decision based on personal tastes and preferences. It can also be impacted by the type of images you shoot and the final look you want to achieve. Papers all have different characteristics and purposes and so this guide will walk you through the terminology and choices available to help you pick the perfect paper for your darkroom printing. Base: Resin coated versus Fibre base...

Choosing Photo Chemicals We have a range of photo chemicals for printing/processing all of our resin coated and fibre base papers in trays/dishes as well as in processing machines. If you are new to printing the choice could appear excessive yet each liquid or powder paper developer has its purpose or strengths. For an overview of the whole range and what they do we have pulled together an introductory overview. If you are a beginner* and wondering where to get started then read on. *While thi...

It is my opinion that some photographers mistakenly regard ILFORD HP5 PLUS and its predecessors to be a somewhat cheaper, lower quality response to Kodak’s Tri-X. I hope to demonstrate in this review that this assumption simply isn’t the case. There’s much more to HP5 PLUS than meets the eye – something that regular shooters of this film will be more than aware of (you folks can leave now, nothing new here). For those of you who haven’t shot this film before, this review will give you my tak...

A mix of Art and Science As I write this, the UK and many other parts of the world are currently in lockdown thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus. This pandemic has meant the unprecedented closure of schools and the daunting prospect of home schooling our children – in my case 10-year old twins. Now, I’m not sure about other parents but I’m almost at the point where I can no longer blag my way through their homework. Rather than own up to this humiliating fact, I suggested I get them involved in a l...

When we held our first Lockdown Session with Emulsive, we asked him who he'd like to see us interview in future and he suggested the very lovely Aislinn. (AKA The Film Pusher). SECTION 1 - THE BEGINNING SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU? I have tons! But let me share my recent favourite, the one that I had printed and hung on my wall. It’s a pinhole image of the Natural History Museum in London. It means a lot to me, as the NHM is a favourite visit ...