London on Film - Ilford HP5 Plus @ ISO1600 (14/10/2013)

Some black & white snaps around London from earlier this year.

All photos shot on the Nikon FM3A with a 35mm lens and Ilford HP5 Plus, pushed to ISO 1600 and processed in Microphen stock solution:

 

London on Film - Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 (08/10/2013)

A night out in Central London with my Nikon FM3a and 35mm lens, loaded with Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400.

London on Film - Kodak Portra 400 (14/01/2013)

Ok, so here's the last Kodak Portra post for a while.

Again, the images are shot on the Nikon FM3a + 28mm and 35mm Nikon E series and 50mm f1.2 Nikkor lenses and Kodak Portra 400 film:

London on Film - Kodak Portra 400 (11/01/2013)

I know how everyone loves Kodak Portra... and that's why I keep posting these. However I'm coming to the end of my Portra shots and have no more rolls to shoot or develop. At a minimum price of £6 per roll and a development of price of £3.99 it's not a cheap way to shoot. If anyone wants to donate any unused rolls of Kodak Portra to a good cause, then let me know and I'd be delighted to take your rolls in to care :-P

Alternatively if anyone knows of a cheap place in London that sells Kodak Portra 400 135 film 36 exp please let me know.

Shot on the Nikon FM3a + 28mm and 35mm Nikon E series and 50mm f1.2 Nikkor lenses and Kodak Portra 400 film.

London on Film - Kodak Portra 400 (08/01/2013)

Some weird and wonderful scenes across London town, during the summer. Seems so long ago now :-(

Shot on the Nikon FM3a + 28mm and 35mm Nikon E series lenses and Kodak Portra 400 film.

London on Film - Kodak Portra 400 (05/01/2013)

I just came back home from a quick trip to Brick Lane, and I met Charlie Abbiss from Film's Not Dead. A cool community website and resource for people who are in to or want to try out film photography. They had Kentmere 400 at £3.50 which is pretty cheap, if anyone is thinking of stocking up on black & white film.
Charlie's a cool guy and his work is great; black & white street with an emphasis on shadows and light, so check out his site if you've got a few minutes spare.

Here's today's set of pics, shot on the Nikon FM3a + 28mm and 35mm Nikon E series lenses and Kodak Portra 400 film.

 

Happy New Year - Highlights of 2012 (01/01/2013)

Happy new year people. 2012 was a good year for me in many respects however 2013 is one in which I hope to achieve many of my goals.

I hope it's also a year which I capture better photos than I have in the past.

Here are some highlights from the past year from both my digital and film collection. It's a very quick selection without much thought behind it.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on shots which were better or any that do not deserve to be in here.

Digital:

Miyajimaguchi, Japan. 2012

Tokyo, Japan. 2012

London, UK. 2012

Budapest, Hungary. 2012

Budapest, Hungary. 2012

Film:

London, UK. 2012

London, UK. 2012

London, UK. 2012

London, UK. 2012

London, UK. 2012

London on Film - Kodak Portra 400 (30/12/2012)

I hope you're all enjoying the festive period. I've some more colour film scans to get through so here they are...

Shot on the Nikon FM3a + 28mm and 35mm Nikon E series lenses.

Oh, and I wish you all an action packed new years eve. ;)

London on film - Neopan 1600 @ ISO3200 (31/07/2012)

I haven't been posting for the past few days. I've had a lot on my plate so I've not had the time.

Here are some shots I took on the Nikon FM3A a few months ago which have eluded the blog so far.

All shot using a 35mm lens and on Neopan 1600 pushed to 3200. I processed these in Ilford Microphen

Why I Love Using Film (26/05/2012)

I get a lot of funny looks when I change a roll of film, or tell people that my Nikon FM3A is a film camera. Most people associate the term "film" with the movies and cinema, and almost every time I say that I shoot film, I get a response along the lines of: "Oh what kind of films do you make?".

Nikon FM3A + Nikon E-Series 28mm Lens on Neopan 1600 @ ISO1600 Developed in Stock Microphen

To most people film photography is a relic of the past, or an extinct dinosaur. However to many people like me, it's a way of true self expression, the only tangible way of capturing the moment and keeping it carefully stored and archived for decades. Treasuring that moment and reliving it every time you hold the negative up to some light. Those negatives can be touched, held, and even smelled if you wanted to.

Nikon FM3A + Nikon E-Series 35mm Lens on Neopan 1600 @ ISO3200 Developed in Stock Microphen

Okay okay, those who know me, know that I'm not really an obsessed romantic and that's not really how I feel about film.
Yes, there is the side of me that connects with that romantic sentiment, but there is a logic behind me shooting on film.
The main reason is that on the street it allows me to concentrate more on what's around me, and not obsess about getting a good picture. I see something, I compose the shot, focus, shoot, and move one. I can't review the photo to check whether it's in focus, or displays camera shake. I can't see if my composition is spot on. I don't obsess with any of those things when I'm shooting film. And why should I?
You see, I shoot street photography because I enjoy it. For me it's not a competitive sport, or a way to earn a living (quite the contrary). It's just a passion, a simple pleasure, a way to zone out and forget about everything else. There's nothing else quite like that Zen like state.
When I shoot digital though on the other hand, I tend to find myself pixel peeping and making sure that my focus is right, that there's no motion blur, checking that the image is sharp, etc., etc.

Nikon FM3A + Nikon E-Series 35mm Lens on Neopan 1600 @ ISO3200 Developed in Stock Microphen

Even when it comes to my work flow of processing and editing, film is just so much of a pleasure. Yes, it's hard work, but ultimately like everything else which takes time and dedication it is the rewarding feeling of outcome which makes it worthwhile.
Once you develop you roll of film, wait for it to dry, cut it up to strips of 6 frames and scan them, they are done! That's it. Of course you can tweak the images slightly once they are scanned but there's only so much you can do with a grainy  black and white photo. It's already how I want it to look and there was little or no manipulation needed along the way.
Unlike digital, there's no converting your files to black and white, no trying to salvage under/overexposed photos only for them to look like a dogs dinner (if the exposure is wrong just ditch it), no worrying that there's too much noise in the shadows and the highlights are blown. The film does what your brain had wanted it to do automatically. It's magic!


As long as I can find rolls of high speed black & white film (unfortunately my favourite film, Neopan 1600 has been discontinued by Fujifilm) and B&W darkroom chemicals, I will continue shooting film for my street photography.

Nikon FM3A + Nikon E-Series 35mm Lens on Neopan 1600 @ ISO3200 Developed in Stock Microphen

London on film - Neopan 1600 (18/05/2012)

I'll be travelling to Japan tomorrow for two weeks. I'll be travelling between Osaka, Tokyo and Miyajima so I'm sure to get a few great photo opportunities. 
I'll be taking my newly acquired Ricoh GR1v with 4 rolls of HP5 plus, and 2 rolls of Kodak Gold 200 (Yes I'm cheap, I can't afford Portra 400 at £6+ per roll!).
I'll also be taking my Olympus OM-D E-M5 for the convenience.


While I'm away I've scheduled two great blog posts to be published:

• Street Photography with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 (20/05/2012) - a short review of using Olympus's new offering for street photography.

• Why I Love Using Film (26/05/2012) - A post on my reasons for shooting film in the age of digital and why film will never be "dead" for me.

Please be sure to check these two posts out and share them with your friends as I've put quite a lot of time in writing them.

For now you can enjoy some street shots of London on film, taken on the Nikon FM3A + the 28mm and 35mm E-Series lenses.

Neopan 1600 @ ISO 3200 (17/05/2012)

I've noticed that I've had either my cheap Nikon E series 28mm or 35mm lenses on my Nikon FM3A way more than the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2. It's mainly down to the fact that with the days getting longer, I don't need the ridiculously fast f/1.2 anymore. That, and the fact I'm pushing my film to ISO 3200. I also think that my shooting style has evolved so that I don't try to isolate one subject with shallow depth of field.


Will I still use my 50mm f/1.2? Hell yes... for night street work without flash, times I need slightly more reach, or portrait work. But for now it'll have to sit tight in my bag while the 28mm and 35mm get all the limelight.


All of these were shot on the Nikon FM3A and 35mm f/2.5: