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When photographic material is exposed to light it begins to darken. The more light the material receives, the darker it becomes. This opens up a range of possibilities for making fun, creative and artistic images without a camera.
Making a picture without a camera couldn’t be easier and is a fun activity to try with children. However, for many, exploring and experimenting with different effects of light on photographic /blog/the-luminogram-process/materials can become an art form by itself.
Where to sta...
Silver halide has been used in photographic film and paper for over 150 years and remains a vital ingredient found in all high-quality products. Silver halide crystals in gelatin form part of an emulsion which is used to coat the paper or film. On exposure to light (i.e. in a camera or darkroom), the crystals react turning into silver and forming the image.
Silver halide prints
There are many ways to produce black & white prints with options varying in quality. Traditional black & white silver ha...
ILFORD PHOTO technical downloads
On this page we have collated all of our technical information in one place. Whether you are looking for technical data sheets, our film processing chart or information relating to contrast control for our MULTIGRADE Papers this is where you will find it.
All relevant technical information can also be found at the bottom of each specific product page.
Technical Data Sheets
Here you will find links to all technical data sheets for our film, paper and chemical products. ...
General health and safety advice
This section provides advice to our customers on the safe handling, use and storage of our photochemical solutions, best practice for waste disposal and specific advice to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding a child.
If you are looking for information on the chemical safety of HARMAN photochemistry solutions, please refer to the Safety Data Sheets (known as SDS or MSDS)
24 HOUR OHES emergency line for advice on chemical incidents
Safe working practices
It is essen...
Mounting your Prints
Even the most stunning print can look better when it has been properly mounted. Mounted prints are also better protected as they are kept flat with the image separated from the immediate surroundings by unobtrusive margins.
There are no hard and fast rules about mounting prints; the most suitable results will depend on individual preference, the nature of the image, the intended use and other circumstances.
It is recommended that only boards and other materials intended for the p...
Split grade printing
The version of split grade printing described here is that taught to me by the ILFORD head printers, Mike Walden and Terry Offord, and is the simplest, fastest way to make good darkroom prints from pretty much any negative. (The exception is really underexposed negatives to print these you usually only need high contrast).
This is a very powerful technique that can be used routinely with variable contrast (VC) papers, such as ILFORD MULTIGRADE. It makes use of the differing performa...
How I work
I believe in self-learning, and I’m always up for something new to explore.
I adhere to a strict code of conduct and don’t believe in photoshop, or do much if any post processing. It has to be an exceptional day for me to crop an image.
I use Ilford’s Delta 400 for most of my work and use XP2 Super when I need my results fast.
Changing times
I was born in 1988, which meant that I got a first class ticket to experience the world converting from analogue to digital during m...
What are paper developers?
Paper developers allow the latent exposed image to become visible to the naked eye and form part of a processing workflow along with a stop bath and fixer. Read our guides, for more information on picking the right paper for you or which chemistry to choose
When shopping for photo chemicals always check the application. We produce a range of photo chemicals including stop baths, fixers, toners, wetting agents as well as paper and film developers. Film developers are speci...
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...
One of the best things about film photography is that the creative process doesn't end in the camera. Processing your images in a darkroom is not only great fun, but it also allows you to exercise complete creative control over the final look of your image.
We cover some of the essentials needed to set up a darkroom in our beginner's guide and have also developed a series of short animations which cover essential darkroom equipment, darkroom safety tips as well as how an enlarger works.
Below, we cov...