First Impressions: FPP’s 120 X-Ray Film

November 13, 2022

Recently, I decided to jump all in with large format. Specifically 4x5. I’ve shot a few sheets before with my Crown Graphic but that was a couple of years back. For some reason, I thought I would give 4x5 XRay film a try. Why? I honestly don’t know except I like to try things out. Which is good and not good.

Recently, FPP announced a new X-Ray film, but this time it’s in 120. That caught my attention. If you’re familiar with shooting X-Ray film in large format, you know it takes work from start to finish. In 120? That’s a different story. So I jumped on their website and ordered a few rolls. I was curious yet excited to see what this is all about.

Fast forward a week or so and a package arrives. I totally forgot that I had ordered some rolls from FPP lol (I have a lot going on so give me a pass). I opened the package and I must say, I really like the packaging for the 120 X-Ray film. I knew what camera I wanted to shoot the first roll in (Pentax 67/105mm 2.4) but I wasn’t sure how I would develop it. On their website, it shows one developer which is D76 for 6 min. I just wanted to point that out.

Finally, I had some time to take a walk in my neighborhood with my Pentax 67/120 X-Ray film. It was cold and a little snow on the ground but that didn’t stop me. I walked around and completed the roll. Now the fun part. How to develop it. I thought about making some homemade D76 but I wasn’t in the mood. I thought about taking a guess with Rodinal but I felt that I would fail somehow and waste the roll. So I went with homemade Barry Thornton 2 Bath. 4 min for bath A and 4 min for bath B. When it was all said and done, the negatives looked good. Whew…got past that.

Time to scan. So I scanned the roll with my Nikon D750 and threw the ten photos into Lightroom. From the get go, the photos needed contrast. It’s not the film, it’s the developer. I am fine with that because I can make adjustments in LR it when I print in my darkroom. So all photos scanned and I want to share some observations from the first roll.

First…on some of the photos, there is a scratch from end to end. Not all, just some which seems odd. Second…there were many small black streaks across the photos. It reminds me of Fomapan 200. Third…the X-Ray film dries fast and flat. So in the end, I’m satisfied with the first roll. I like the results that I achieved and I feel I can do better. I really want to try portraits next time. My only issue are the scratches. Now if I only scanned and shared on social media, I would be okay with the scratches. But…I do print in my darkroom and I’m positive these scratches would show up. For me, I wouldn’t want that. I want clean prints. So that’s something for you to consider. All in all, I enjoyed the experience and I will be shooting more 120 X-Ray film and trying different developers to see if I can maximize the quality. Below I am sharing every photo I took from the first roll. Enjoy!

Kodak TechPan….My First Time And Things Go Wrong

October 02, 2022

You probably read the title and cringed in some sort of way. He did what? What could have gone wrong? Well..considering it’s film photography many things CAN and WILL go wrong. I’m speaking from experience when I say this.

Anyways…one of the film stocks that seemed beloved by many film shooters, Kodak TechPan, is no more. I’m not sure when Kodak stopped producing the film but I’ve always heard that it’s a fantastic film, there is no grain, it’s beautiful, it’s sharp, etc…Well, awhile back I was gifted a few of the TP 120 film rolls. I’ve never shot this film before so I knew I wanted the first roll to be special.

I recently drove out to my local dragstrip with my Pentax 67 aka Big Boy and my Holga 120GCFN. I knew this would be my last trip to the dragstrip this year where I could shoot some film. Soooo I grabbed one of the expired rolls of Kodak TechPan and threw it in my backpack.

I decided to shoot the roll @16 and that worked out great considering it was a bright sunny day. What could go wrong right? Being horribly sick, I still wanted to develop and scan the roll. I wanted to see what all the talk was about. I reached out to Alex Luyckx and he kindly told me how to develop the roll. Rodinal 1+100 for 4 min. Easy peasy.

I don’t know if the meds I am taking messed with my judgement but I used a tank that I’ve had issues with before. It didn’t even cross my mind. Everything is going well. Developer, stop, fix, rinse and end with photo flo. Check. Time to hang the negatives and look at them closely. Check. Well…I skipped a part. Somehow, the roll was slightly crinkled here and there AND parts of the film were touching each other. Not every frame but %70 of them. Yup…I managed to screw this one up.

I sat there and debated if I should just throw the w tire roll in the trash can or should I suck it up and use it as a learning experience by sharing this dreadful experience. So I let the roll dry and went upstairs to see if I can salvage the %70 of photos that I screwed up. But as I say there, I thought screw it…I’ll write a blog about this terrible ending and share every photo on the roll. Yes, they’re ugly but I’ve accepted that. Being pretty sick, the last thing I need is to beat myself up over my bad judgement.

So you may be asking “Jr, so what do you think about Kodak TechPan?” Well…I think it looks fabolous. Everything about it. Grain? No grain. Sharpness? All there. Tones? Beautiful. I had a thought…if this film were in existence today, the odds are it would be in my top 3 to shoot. That speaks a lot because there are many good film stocks available….for now. So yea, it’s a fantastic film! I have a few rolls left and I plan on shooting one more roll. Same iso, same development. I’ll probably take portraits of my 4 year old twins. With that said, I apologize for the long words but I speak what comes to mind and I just type it lol

I decided to share every single photo on the roll. They’re not that great but hey, it is what it is right? I’ve accepted it, I’m moving on. It’s only film. Remember, if you have any questions or feel like discussing a topic please feel free to reach out to me on IG @wyattshootsfilm

CatLABS X Film 320….Four Rolls Later.

September 30, 2022

If you haven’t heard yet, CatLABS released a new film recently. It is CatLABS X Film 320. It comes in 120 and 35mm AND it is under $7 per roll, which is a pretty good darn price these days. I bought a few rolls to get a feel for the film. My previous blog was about the first roll, but this one I am writing after four rolls.

Four rolls later and here we are. You’re probably thinking why is he writing about a film he just wrote about right? Lol I understand. However…I just wanted to share how I’ve been shooting this film and how I’ve been developing this film. Along with my final thoughts on it.

It was important to me that I shoot and develop the film in different lighting, different cameras, develop the rolls different just to see what I can get. CatLABS provides some info on how to shoot and develop, but there are many more developers not listed.

The first roll I shot with my Mamiya C330 @250 and developed it in Xtol stock. Very contrasty yet sharp. The grain was minimal and overall the film had a beautiful look. The second roll I shot with my Rolleiflex 2.8D @200 and developed it in homemade 510-Pyro semi stand. Contrast was spot on, sharpness was there, but the tones. Beautiful. The third roll I shot with my Pentax 67 @250 and developed it in homemade Barry Thornton. Contrast was held back but overall very nice tones. The final roll I shot with my Mamiya RB67 @200 and developed it in Xtol 1+1. CatLABS recommended a 15 min development, next roll I’m going to scale it back to 14 min. The 15 min overcooked it just a tad IMO. Anyways..grain? Didn’t see any. Sharpness and tones were gorgeous.

Now you know how I went about shooting and developing the first four rolls. You may be asking what process is my favorite so far right? That’s tough. I really like the @200 in Xtol 1+1 BUT the @200 in 510-Pyro semi stand had it all. So I’m going to pick the 510-Pyro semi stand. Remember this is a semi stand development. I have yet to try a normal development with 510-Pyro but I’m sure that will happen eventually.

Below I am sharing a couple of photos from each camera/developer. It will give you a better idea visually. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Find me on IG @wyattshootsfilm

Rolleiflex 2.8D @200/510-Pyro Semi-Stand

First Impressions…CatLABS X Film 320 Pro

September 24, 2022

It has been awhile since I’ve written anything and there are good reasons why. I won’t bore you with anything so let’s jump right into this.

Whenever a new film is introduced to the world most of us film shooters jump for joy. Not literally, but you know what I mean. Some are hell bent on using a certain film and nothing else, while others (like me) enjoy using a variety of films. It’s part of the fun. Well…recently CatLABS announced a new 120 film called CatLABS X Film 320 Pro. The EL ISO is 320 and they include recommendations on shooting it and developing it on their website.

With some funds available, I was able to pick up a few rolls. Btw…a roll of the 120 goes for under $7, which is a good deal in my opinion. Especially when you consider that film companies *cough cough Kodak, have been raising film prices quite a bit. So the question is what exactly is this film? There’s speculation for sure. Double-X, Fomapan, Shanghai, etc…Honesty, I don’t know.

Now to the fun part. All day I had been waiting to shoot my first roll. What camera? What lens? What developer? Honestly I had no clue but it sure helped pass the time at work. Once I got home, I just went with my Mamiya C330 with the 65mm lens. I loaded the camera with this film and headed outside with my 4 year old daughter. We did our quick photo session and called it a day.

I decided to shoot the film @250 and develop it in Xtol stock. I had a little bit left and wanted to get rid of it before it went bad. Negs looked fine and I just scanned the roll. I will be playing around with different developers to see what I can get and what works best…for me. So what do I think about the first roll I’ve shot? Well…first I want to give CatLABS credit for not using the cheap backing paper and tape like they do with the other 120 film they sell. The X Film 320 has good backing paper and good tape. That’s a start. Overall…I’m happy with the results. Good quality, good tones, rich blacks, and so on. I definitely recommend grabbing a few rolls to see if this film is for you. I’m going to share the photos from the entire roll. They’re not nothing to write home about but there are a couple that I really love.

Kodak Gold 200….First Impressions

July 12, 2022

One exciting thing about the film community is when new film stocks are introduced. We have that feeling of a kid in a candy shop. We can’t wait to get our hands on it. Well, at least for some of us.

When Kodak announced the release of Kodak Gold 200 in 120 format, I was very intrigued. I’m not much of a Kodak Gold shooter in 35mm but 120? I’d definitely give it a try. We all know what happens when a film first comes out, we have to wait awhile before we can get our hands on a roll or two. Unless you’re willing to pay the crazy prices of those trying to make a buck, which I will not do. So I waited patiently.

Fast forward and I got my hands on the Kodak Gold 200. I wasn’t sure when or how I would shoot it, but I was excited. The time finally came when I visited a small(ish) town close by with my Mamiya C330. I know some of you have or probably will shoot the film at ISO 200. Me? I have a tendency to over expose color film a little. I just like the results I get so I stick with it.

Anyways…I decided to rate the film at 100 and it did not let me down. I found a couple of old cars and we did a portrait session. So what do I think of Kodak Gold 200 in 120? I like it. It performed well and I definitely see why it’s a favorite of film shooters. There is a little bit of grain, but to me I think the grain makes it look good. The colors are pleasing to the eye and there is some sharpness. So overall, I dig it. Is it my favorite? Nope. That would still be Portra 160. Have you shot the new Kodak Gold 200 in 120? What are YOUR thoughts? Attached are some of the photos from the first roll, enjoy!

Ferrania P30…More Please

July 05, 2022

Ferrania P30….I’m sure most of you reading this have at least shot this black and white panchromatic motion picture film. Or at least I hope so. It’s a B&W film made by Ferrania. The ISO sensitivity rating is 80 which puts it in a unique spot in the film market.

I’ll start off with saying I am a big fan of the P30. I’ve shot a few rolls and I feel I am figuring it out…finally. I remember the first roll I shot while visiting North Carolina. I ended up developing it in Xtol and the results were meh. I’ve seen beautiful results from other photographers so I knew it wasn’t the film, it was me.

You have to be careful when shooting this film, it’s on the heavy contrast side. Which is fine except on those bright contrasty days. That’s when the way you develop the film can save the roll and produce beautiful results…if done correctly.

This past weekend, I ended up making a batch of homemade D23 2 Bath developer. It was my first time making and using this developer but I was very curious how it would handle the Ferrania P30. So I grabbed a roll and attended a local Cars & Coffee car show. Skip forward to when I pulled the negatives out of the tank. I knew I had something I’d like, the negatives were gorgeous. After scanning the roll and importing to Lightroom, I was amazed how these two worked together. The contrast was spot on, the highlights were developed, the sharpness was there, etc. I did not have to make any adjustments at all and that right there just made my day.

Did I find a great combo? I think so. I definitely would like to try it again just to confirm. I’ve never gotten results like I did from this roll. It’s very encouraging because I really enjoy this film. On a side note, I’ll be doing a blog on the homemade D23 2 Bath developer. Stay tuned and enjoy some sample photos from this roll.

Welcome To TikTok…

June 04, 2022

TikTok…I’m sure you all have heard of this app. It’s a place that my wife has been pressuring me to join since she joined and I happily declined. I always told her the time wasn’t there and I knew I would get sucked into scrolling video after video after video. Well…I caved.

Why did I cave? Simple. I have given up Facebook for the time being and I deleted Twitter. This freed up some time. Sooooo I downloaded the app and set up my account. Let’s just say I wish I would have done this sooner.

I’m not on there to make silly videos or how to cook videos. Actually, I am learning that it possibly could be a good place for me to share short film photography tutorial videos. I have tried it on IG with little to no interaction or feedback. With TikTok, it seems as if the right tools are in place and the algorithm can work in a photographer’s favor.

Of course, there are things like making videos the right amount of length for potential viewers, using the right hashtags, posting content at the right time, etc. I’ll learn that the more I use TikTok. Remember it’s not about becoming famous, it’s about sharing what I know. If this knowledge can help other film shooters, then the effort and time is worth it. But so far? I’m enjoying TikTok. I thought I would be spending hours scrolling through whatever videos they decide to share for eyes but that’s not the case. In fact, I really don’t spend much time there and I’m okay with that. I create the videos, I do scroll through the videos from the film shooters I follow and I comment if it pertains to the video but that’s about it. So is TikTok a good place for film shooters like you and I? I’m thinking so…I hope so. Anyways…if you’re interested in seeing my TikTok content, I’m under the same username as IG: @wyattshootsfilm. Hope to see you there!

Instagram Q&A….

May 29, 2022

Hey everyone! I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the beautiful warm weather. So a few days ago, I had mentioned on IG that it would be fun to do a Q&A and write about it. So here we are. I received a few questions that will be answered below. Enjoy!

Q: What is your favorite film photography YouTube channel and why?

A: Well, that’s a tough question because there are some talented folks on YouTube sharing their wealth of knowledge and producing fun videos. So my answer is @ShootFilmLikeABoss. Roger loves to experiment (so do I), he shares what he is seeing when taking photographs, and he’s very likeable. I have started saying “Welcome to me channel.” Lol!

Q: If you could only shoot one camera And one film stock, what would it be?

A: A good question that is tough, believe it or not. Hmmm….I would have to say my Mamiya C330. Great camera, built like a tank, and the ability to switch glass is a big bonus. Now for film….I’d have to say FP4 it’s a film I have fallen in love with. It didn’t take long to get past the dating. I mean, how can one not like FP4? I’ll add one thing. Choosing a BW film is the way to go because that means the ability to print in the darkroom.

Q: Who’s your favorite film photographer and why?

A: I have several…but…Vivian Maier is special. Her story, her work, and how she has inspired so many people to grab a camera and shoot film. Incredible. I’ve seen her work at a gallery in Chicago and honestly it was breathtaking. Why? To me…she’s a one of a kind. To be a woman and capture what she did back in the day is pretty remarkable. Her work has meaning and depth. She’s the OG of true street photography.

Q: What makes a photo great?

A: Well, there are several answers to this question. All depends on who is answering it right? To me, and I can only speak for me, it’s gotta be the emotion and story telling the photographer is trying to show us. If someone shows me a photo of a tree or a wall, it may be alright but if someone shows me a photo of a guitar player giving it everything he or she has on stage, now you have my attention. I just want to say this and it’s not to knock anyone who shoots color…but the BW film photos I find more interesting and more powerful.

Q: Any tips on how to get your photography mojo back?

A: Good question because it’s a different answer for everyone. I experience these breaks from time to time and it takes a while to get the engine revved up again. I recently took a break and what I did was load a camera up and just went for a walk. I’ve walked my neighborhood with a camera millions of times, but this time the goal was to capture things I’ve never seen before. It seemed to work. Not too long after that walk, I felt excited about film photography again. Give it a try!

Well…this was fun and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. If you ever have any questions and you think I can help you in anyway with your film photography, please feel free to find me on IG: @wyattshootsfilm

First Impressions…Shanghai GP3

May 21, 2022

I really enjoy doing the first impressions series whether it’s film, gear, or location (I’ll be doing more of that soon.) It gives me the opportunity to think out loud withmy first thoughts on something. Sometimes the thoughts change over time, sometimes they do not.

Today, I’m writing about Shanghai GP3. I’m sure it’s a film stock you’ve all heard about but probably haven’t given it a try. I’ve never tried it up until this point. So let’s talk about it. GP3 is an ISO 100 panchromatic black and white film that’s been around for a few years now. This film certainly doesn’t have the best quality reputation and if you get online, you’ll see why. Some love it and some hate it.

Recently I picked up a few rolls of the GP3 just to try out and see how it is for myself. I did ask for other film shooter’s thoughts on this film on IG and got a variance of responses from great film to bad film to I gave it away. Interesting.

I just had received my Fuji GS645S from Japan and figured why not test them both out at the same time. Fuji meet Shanghai GP3, Shanghai GP3 meet Fuji. (More on the camera in another post soon, stay tuned.) I ventured into a part of town that really isn’t safe but driving by I knew I had to stop. I felt I could pop off 15 photos before any issues in the neighborhood.

Anyways….I’ll say this. The film has a horrible odor to it. It did NOT pass the sniffy test. The backing paper gave me a bad feeling and well, my instincts were correct. I know one complaint was about lack of sharpness and a bit of grain, I didn’t have that issue. Sharpness was fine and grain wasn’t present. Probably because I developed the roll in XTol Replinished developer. So my issue isn’t with either….so far. The issue for me is the number bleeding to the images. I know it’s not an issue with every roll but to have the issue on the first roll could be a warning lol I didn’t have any issues with scratches so that’s a good thing.

What do I think about this film from the first roll I shot? Well…it’s decent. Definitely not a film one would use if you’re looking to make beautiful prints or have a paid job to get done. Want to go out and shoot for fun? Sure, knock yourself out. And who knows, maybe this one roll has the number issue and the rest don’t. I don’t know, one way to find out. Just don’t set your expectations high and you’ll be okay. Attached below are some of the photos taken in the Fuji GS645S/Shanghai GP3. Enjoy and thank you for your support!

Ilford XP2 Super in….HC-110?

May 16, 2022

Hey everyone…I know it’s been awhile since I’ve shared anything. You know sometimes we just get busy attending to more important matters. Anyways…I’m trying to get back in the groove of shooting, developing, printing and all the fun stuff that comes with it.

Sooo….have you ever shot Ilford’s XP2 Super film? It’s great right? You can shoot it at 50, you can shoot it at 150, heck you can shoot it at 800 all on the same roll. Then develop in your C41 chemistry and boom, you have beautiful negatives to scan and print. But…did you know that you don’t have to use C41 chemicals to develop this film?

Ilford XP2 can be processed in B&W chemicals. Some of you may have already known that and some of you may have not. Honestly, I think it’s pretty neat. I for one really have no interest in developing with C41 at the moment but I do have plenty of B&W chems to use.

I was given a bag of expired film and I was told it was stored one way but who really knows right? TMax 100, TMax 400, some P3200, and some other odds and ends. I also was given some old expired Ilford XP2. It had expired in the early 2000’s and like any expired film, it’s always a gamble.

Now, I’ve developed the XP2 film in Xtol before with beautiful results but have yet to try XP2 in HC-110. Soooo with my curious mind, I wanted to give it a try. I grabbed Big Boy (Pentax 67) and threw the roll of expired XP2 in there. I came across an example of this and the film was rated at 150, so that’s what I went with. Would it work with this expired roll? I wasn’t sure.

I went for my walk with Big Boy and shot the roll. I couldn’t wait to develop and see what kind of results I would get so when I got home I grabbed a tank along with the changing tent and went to town. Yup…this roll was so tightly curled that it took about 20 min to get on the reel. O yea, a few curse words went off in my head.

Developing went fine and I had negatives. HC-110 1+49 @7 minutes did the trick. And we all know, pulling those negatives out of the tank and seeing them for the first time is like magic. I feel like a kid in a candy store. They looked decent and I couldn’t wait to scan them. Overall, I was happy with the results. Nothing great or emotionally powerful about the photos but knowing that this works that was worth it all. Below I attached some of the photos I took. Enjoy!

First Impressions….JCH Street Pan 400

March 15, 2022

Hey everyone, it’s been awhile. Close to a couple of months since I’ve shared anything. I apologize but hey, life. It’s been hectic and I’ve also ventured into darkroom printing so that’s been keeping me busy. More on that in another blog soon, I promise.
Anyways, this blog is about my first impressions of JCH Street Pan 400. It’s a film that I have no experience with but I’ve been curious about. If that makes sense. I haven’t read any reviews on it, but I have gotten other photographer’s opinions in regards to the film and wow, talk about opinions being all over the place.
I knew this was a high contrast film and from my understanding there really isn’t much exposure latitude, which can be a not so good thing for some film shooters. I guess it all comes down to your taste and if it fits your style or not.
Having a little bit of free time, I decided to head downtown with my Nikon F100 and my Widelux F6. I wanted to get a good walk in but I also wanted to look for new things to capture. I’ve walked downtown so many times but I always find something I’ve never seen before. This day was no different. Nikon F100 loaded with the JCH Street Pan 400 set to 200. The sun was out and I wanted to keep the contrast in check the best I could. I figured if I pulled it and developed it carefully it would help.
Anyways, I got my walk in and I was excited to develop, scan, and possibly print a photo or two from this roll. I reached out on social media on how to develop this film when shot at 200. HC110 1:47 for 6 min is what I was told by a wonderful film photographer, Bill Thoo. (If you don’t follow him already, find him online and do so. He creates some beautiful work. IG:@BillThoo.)
So I went through the process of developing and hung the roll in the bathroom with the hot steam from the shower. (I tried to minimize the amount of dust, I failed.) Now to the scanning. I went through my normal routine with scanning and dumped it into LR. Well, let’s say mixed results. I’d say most I didn’t care for, nothing pulled me in. They were blah. However, there were a couple that I really liked. Yes the contrast was heavy but it definitely helped the photo. Btw…I did my best to prevent dust but failed. Lots of cleanup in LR, which sucks because it’s a lot of wasted time. You may be asking, would you shoot it again? Simple answer is no. This film did nothing for me and I’d rather spend that money and grab two rolls of Foma something. Hey, I’m just being honest. Which is a good thing right? Anyways, this is my experience with my one roll of JCH Street Pan 400. Attached below are some sample images, please let me know what you think. Are you a fan of this film? Hate this film? I would love to hear from you. As always….enjoy.

Ektar & Rodinal…Does It Work?

January 22, 2022

We all know that Kodak’s Ektar 100 is a C41 film, but does it work with B&W developer? The answer is yes. Now you may be asking why would anyone do this, it’s a color film not a B&W film. Well, I just wanted to give it a try. Sometimes curiosity gets the best of me.
I have a backlog of film that needs to be developed and I don’t have any fresh C41 chems ready to use. I’m pretty much done with the B&W but the color film? Not so much. I grabbed a roll of Ektar 100 to give it a try. I felt that if I developed the roll in Rodinal and did a semi stand it would give me the best chance of producing anything. After all, this is my first time developing Ektar in a B&W developer. So I decided to roll with Rodinal 1+100 with one tank flip halfway through.
When I pulled the negatives out of the tank, they were still orange as if it had been developed in C41 chemicals. I was delighted to see it worked and I was very curious how the negatives would scan. Now as far as scanning, I use my Nikon D750 for DSLR scanning. Combined with Negative Supply’s negative carriers, I had no worries with the scanning. I did my thing and converted the negatives via NLP. Success! Seeing these negatives put a big smile on my face.
Some of you may be wondering….Jr, would you do this again? Sure. If I didn’t have any C41 chems ready to use, I wouldn’t hesitate. The results were very pleasing and the tones were solid. If you’re curious, give it a try. You may love the results or you may not. One way to find out. Anyways…thank you for getting this far and below I am attaching a few of the Ektar/Rodinal photos. Enjoy!

A New Year…2022 Has Arrived.

January 01, 2022

2021 has come and it has gone. For many, it was a rough year. So cheers to new beginnings and let’s welcome in 2022. I hope it’s a good year for you on a personal level and on a photographic level. Cheers!
Last year I made “resolutions” and I’ll be honest, I didn’t follow through with them. I am not going to use the “I didn’t have time” excuse because there is always time. Instead I’ll use the “I’m scatter brained” excuse. Sounds better right?
Anyways…2022 will be different. I know what I want to do. I know where I want to grow in my world of photography. I don’t want to commit so much to what gear but more on what subjects. More of my family, more of strangers, more of myself. You get the point. I feel if I could focus on those particular things, everything else will fall in place.
Surprisingly, I have been doing pretty decent with my blogging. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and I feel as I keep learning, the writing will be better. So thank you all for the support.
So please stay tuned so you can witness my growth in 2022 and beyond. I would love to witness yours as well. So if you have a blog, please let me know so I can follow. I know this piece isn’t alot of writing but I wanted to keep it short and simple. So cheers to you all, let’s do some great things with our cameras in 2022!

35mm Panoramas With The Mamiya RB67….

December 28, 2021

Like many of you, I enjoy panoramas. They can be fun to look at and they can be fun to create. Digital, film, doesn’t matter. It is it’s own unique perspective that sucks us in.
When it comes to film photography, there are several ways to create these beautiful panoramic photos with different cameras. There are the 35mm P&S cameras, the Widelux, the Horizon’s, the XPan’s and so on. However, there is another option for 35mm film and that would be with a medium format camera. That’s right. You can create 35mm panoramas with your MF camera. In this case, it’s my Mamiya RB67.
The first thing you need to do is grab yourself the adapter set. They’re 3D printed, don’t cost much and you can easily find them on eBay. For the RB67, I used my 220 back and I managed to get 15 panoramas. What’s cool is you get the sprockets exposed and what’s not cool is that you have to take the film back to a dark bag to remove the film. It’s worth it. You do want to make sure the emulsion is exposed to the opening of the back. Now some people go through the hassle of taping the 35mm film to the 120 backing paper, not me. It’s too much work.
Anyways, a few days ago I had an hour or so to venture out and shoot a couple of rolls of film. It was a beautiful day and after that day I knew the weather would be rain and cold so I wanted to make sure to get out while I could. I’ve been eyeballing an old T-Bird in a lot for some time. RB67 with the new to me 65mm 4.5 lens.
Everything worked out just fine. I wasn’t sure if I would have any issues with the 220 back but it’s all good. For this particular roll, I ended up shooting a roll of Arista Edu 100 and for development I went with Xtol 1+2. Attached are a few of the panoramas created, enjoy!

Stroll On State….On Film

December 04, 2021

Stroll On State is a fairly new tradition that kicks off the holiday season for the city of Rockford,IL. It started a few years back and has been quite successful. Funny thing is, I have never attended myself. That changed this year. My health is good, my twins are older, and my wife and I wanted to check it out. You know, have a family day.
After the decision was made to go, I knew from the get go I didn’t want to over complicate things with heavy cameras or a bag of cameras. My focus was the experience with my family. I knew I could still document our time and enjoy it all. So the decision was easy in regards to what camera I would take. The Holga 120 GCFN. Yup, that’s right.
2021 is the year for me to shoot the bell out of my Holga cameras. Easy to carry, fun to shoot, and no stress on “perfection.” So it was easy. I was gifted some expired TMax 400 so I figured I would use that up. (Although I feel that HP5 and the Holga are magical lol).
We got the twins dressed up and headed out the door. It was a beautiful day and we found parking downtown near the parade. We were good to go. As far as our experience as first timers, we all had a blast. The parade was fun, the twins got a lot of candy, we had s’mores, and they got to write a letter to Santa. We did miss the tree lighting but they were ready to go. Overall, great day and I feel I chose the right camera to document it.
Back to the Holga….I kind of knew what to expect due to my experience shooting it. I ended up taking three rolls of film and I looking back, it was plenty. I snapped away AND for the first time, I even used the flash. I’m not s flash kind of guy but I definitely will be using it more for indoor snapshots. I ended up developing all three rolls in Kodak’s HC-110 Dil B. The rolls came out fine and they scanned well. So yea, our first experience at Stroll On State was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season and we definitely will be going back next year. Anyways…attached are some of the photos. Enjoy!

The Rockford Film Photowalk 2021….

November 22, 2021

There are some cities who have an abundance of film shooters and there are some who may have one or two. I live in Rockford,IL and there aren’t many. I’m sure I can count them on one hand. Which is fine, I just wish there was a larger film community in my neck of the woods.
Myself and some film shooters, who are a part of the NPP family, have been trying to set a photo walk up for quite some time. We’ve had to cancel before but we finally managed to land a date that would work for everyone.
I’ve walked these streets millions of times so I feel as if I’ve already seen everything. My friends haven’t though so it was an opportunity to be the guide on our photowalk. I had planned on having the entire day available but my 2 year old twin nieces had their birthday party. That took priority. I did find a way to make it work so I’m happy about that.
The first question that we ask ourselves when we go out to shoot is “what camera(s) am I bringing?” The second question is “what film?” I didn’t want to overcomplicate it so I brought my Nikon F100 and my Holga 120S. Kentmere 400, HP5, Fomapan 400, FP4. A little mix of film.
I’ve met Stevan before so he was no stranger but this was the first time I had met Jeremy and Matt. All three fellas are fun to hang out with and have quite the knowledge when it comes to film photography. We walked, we talked, and we had a blast. We plan on doing this again and I can’t wait. Below are some of the photos I took while on our walk. Enjoy!

First Impressions…The Debonair AKA The Plastic Fantastic

November 01, 2021

I think it’s fair to say there is at least one film camera we would all like to try. Me? There are several. One of them happened to be the Debonair aka the Plastic Fantastic. A medium format film camera from the FPP. It’s kind of like a Holga, but it’s not.
Recently my family and I took our vacation to the Carolina’s. Some places we’ve seen before, others places we have not. I had just purchased one of these Debonair’s from the FPP and felt this would be a great opportunity to run a couple of rolls through it.
Again, I am not a technical kind of guy when it comes to cameras but I’ll throw a couple of specs at you. This camera is a 6x6.45 MF camera with a 1/50th shutter speed on cloudy and 1/100th shutter speed on sunny. The lens is a 60mm f/8 piece of plastic. What’s cool is the frames are in portrait orientation. I like that. Another thing that’s cool is the shutter. It’s quick and snappy, unlike my Holga. It’s light and easy to load the film. I did find one thing that I am not a fan of…the viewfinder. It’s square and it being a 645 film camera, you have to guess the framing of the photo you’re taking. Why is it like that? I have no idea.
I believe I ended up shooting three rolls while on vacation and I just developed and scanned the first roll. When they say dreamy, you get dreamy. You may want that you may not. I didn’t expect “sharp” images so I am happy with the results. The compositions were better than expected so that’s a good start. I am definitely going to put some more film through it to work on the focus and composition. Maybe I can work out the focusing and composition.
Some of you may be wondering what I like better…the Holga or the Debonair. Well, the Holga. I have much more experience with the Holga and know what to expect. The Debonair? I’ve only put three rolls through it. Maybe I’ll still prefer the Holga a few months down the road maybe I’ll prefer the Debonair. Time will tell. Anyways…I tried to keep this blog short and simple. I’ve attached a few of the Debonair photos from the first roll. Let me know what you think. Are you a fan of the Plastic Fantastic? Do you prefer the Holga? What do you like and dislike about this camera?

A Fun Comparison Between Two Monsters…

October 28, 2021

Hey everyone, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged. Life is busy and I recently returned from a much needed vacation to the Carolina’s. Stay tuned for that trip.
When it comes to medium format, the Pentax 67 is one of the heavy hitters. Some love it, like me, and others hate it. We all know about the magical lens that helps the Pentax 67 shine, the Pentax 105mm 2.4. Yes, it’s magic. Find a good copy and you’re set with a new MF experience.
Anyways, there is another lens for the Pentax 67 that isn’t talked about that often and that’s the Pentax 165mm 2.8. I managed to pick one up a few months ago for a low cost and slowly but surely it’s becoming one of my favorite pieces of glass that I own, for a very good reason.
For fun, I decided to do a face off, lens vs lens. The 105mm 2.4 vs the 165mm 2.8. Now, you all know by now I’m not into the technical aspects of gear or glass. I just go by feeling and what I see in the surface. That’s just how I roll.
At the time I did this “face off”, I felt it would be fun to shoot a roll of Kodak Portra 160 with the 165mm and a roll of Lomo Potsdam 100 with the 105mm. Now? I should have used Potsdam 100 with both lenses. I don’t know what I was thinking lol For me, it’s hard to get into color and I felt at the time this would be a good way to motivate me to shoot more of it.
What are the end results? Well, for cars at least, I think I prefer the 105mm 2.4. The lens just has its own unique look that is very hard to say no to. On top of that, I think the Potsdam 100 sucked me in. For portraits? I lean towards the 165mm 2.8. The lens is perfect for portraits. Below I have attached a few photos from the 165mm (Portra 160) and the 105mm (Potsdam 100). So what looks better to your eye? The 165? The 105? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Pentax 67 105mm 2.4/Lomo Potsdam 100/D96

When Things Go Right…..

September 08, 2021

When things go right…. For some, it could be most of the time and for others it could be a rare occurrence. I find myself somewhere in the middle. The highs and lows of film photography. So anyways, this blog is about a recent roll of Ferrania P30 I shot while attending a local Cars & Coffee event.
In the past, I have shot Ferrania P30 with mixed results. I’ve used Xtol and the results were blah, I’ve used HC110 with much better results. One developer I’ve never tried with the P30 is D96. That was until this roll.
The sun was in hiding and the day was pretty gloomy so I decided to rate the film at ISO 50. Usually I go box speed but I wanted to try something different, hoping for better results. Did it work out? That would be a yes! The results were better than expected. Nothing I did, but using the right developer made the difference. D96…the more I use it the more I like it.
Currently I make my own D96 at home. You can find the recipe online and it’s pretty simple. It’s very important to use the right developer with particular films. When I first started developing at home, I just used Xtol. Most rolls came out fine but I did have a few wonky rolls that didn’t. Looking back, Xtol probably wasn’t the best choice. Understanding what developers work best for certain films, that’s taken my results to the next level. It’s something I need to keep in mind. Anyways…I feel like I am rambling on.

Fomapan 100 meets D96….Good or Bad?

September 04, 2021

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog, life has been very busy. I’m sure you all understand. It’s been a long night of The Walking Dead and scanning film while everyone in the house is asleep. So here I am at 1AM in my son’s bed writing this blog. Why? Because I’m crazy.
I recently shot a few rolls of 120 Fomapan 100. You know, old cars and family stuff. I have my go to developer for the films I shoot. This roll of Fomapan 100 was different. I decided to try it with D96. Never tried it before but the best of curiosity got me….again. Surprise!
I was able to find a developing time for it so I went to town with the homemade D96. 7 min it was and when I pulled the negatives, I had one big smile. Sometimes when I try a new combo it doesn’t work out as expected. This time it worked out better than expected. Imagine that.
I’ve had the sleeved negatives under a heavy book for a few days now due to the film curling…bad. With limited time, I decided to scan the negatives (along with others) with my Nikon D750. I just didn’t have the time to use the Epson V700. Anyways, I am very pleased with the results. For awhile, I’ve believed that Fomapan 100 shined in D23. With D96? These are next level results. It definitely outshines the D23 and from here on out, this will be my go to developer for Fomapan 100.
Film under $5 a roll and a developer that I can make at home, it’s a winning combo for me. I’ve also been told that FP4 shines in D96 as well. I’m sure I’ll give that a try eventually. Here are a few photos from the roll, enjoy and thank you for the support. It does mean a lot.