Black-and-White Film: The Selective Photographer...

'Across the Seine'  (2013)
Zoë Bull

Summer. Holidays, sun and photographs. 

The magic thing about photography, now with it's instancy, is that it is so accessible. You can just reach into your pocket or your bag and whip out your phone or tablet and take that picture of a beautiful Parisian building and edit it within minutes of it's capture. But then it just sits there for a while or a little longer while yet, collecting invisible digital dust. It sort loses it's value, don't you think? 

Sometimes if you have a collection of images, such as from a holiday, you may transfer them to your computer, before another couple of months, before they actually get printed. Do they ever get printed? Really? How often these days do your holiday pictures get printed and returned to you in the post, enclosed within an envelope? There is such excitement in that and it rarely happens anymore. 

The present alternative seems to be a photo-book. They can look good, but where is the tangibility; the feel of those thick self adhesive pages, lightly covered in clear film, protecting each individual print, that you have taken time into thinking about and capturing? Is it more about the collection of photos as one, rather than the individual photos that make up the collection? It's hard to tell, isn't it? 

'Stacked Chairs'  (2013)
Zoë Bull

However, regardless of what the modern norm seems to be and how agreeably affordable it is, I wanted to do something a bit different for my recent holiday in Paris. It was hot and the sky was blue, but I had in mind, from the very words that initiated the trip that I wanted to photograph in black-and-white film. 

It had been a while since I had photographed with Ilford HP5 film seeing as the darkroom seemed to be too long winded for me when you would only achieve several decent prints after a whole day in there - I contradict myself with some instancy that I do need. So I have been using Kodak coloured film instead, for the meantime. I do however, adore the aesthetics of black-and-white film, with it's fine grain that gives it that timeless look and the purity in the tones of the highlights and shadows. 

Digital photography is still fantastic and I use it a lot, but it's only crisp. The image of the chairs I captured, would still be beautiful in a digital crisp in black-and-white form, but for an artistic purpose I personally think that the fine grain of the film, brings some little extra magic. It brings value to the image, that I know wouldn't be there if it was a single photo within 200 other photos I took that day.

'My Notre dame'  (2013)
Zoë Bull

I only took two films with me and got about 65 well developed images back, by sending them to one of the few labs in the UK. When it comes to black-and-white film, there is no point going to Snappy Snaps or Boots, because they won't be able to do anything about it. It's not like coloured film where the negatives are digitally developed, so it felt quite special knowing that these films would be developed in a different way. I even got a CD with my prints, along with the negatives.

'Eiffel in Seine'  (2013)
Zoë Bull

The magic of film is that you have about 36 exposures, 36 chances to capture your holiday in the way you want to. You can really think about what you want to take and what would make the moments away from home special. There is more of a reason behind why you took them, rather than just working on impulse. But nonetheless, you can work in the same way with digital photography if you really want to. I like working like that when I can. I ask myself *What do I really want to capture?*. I want my images to have a purpose and not just sit around on the drive of an electronic device or computer.

I want to make the most of my photos, we all should.

'Let us play'  (2013)
Zoë Bull

If you recently have used some black-and-white film and you are looking for a lab to get them developed, try B&W Film Processing based in Plymouth, UK.

York on film...

York, United Kingdom (2012)

Would you have perhaps imagined that I took this picture using coloured film? It sure wasn't that long ago that cameras used film and you had a limit of 36 exposures. Technology has certainly developed over the years. I remember my childhood was captured on various film cameras and from time to time, selecting a wallet from the draw with a random date kind of just takes you back. I find coloured film nostalgic.

I never imagined York to be an old place, the photo above, says it all really, but even the roads were cobbled and mainly untouched by the modern man. It was a coincidence that I wanted to try out coloured film here. I had been using black and white HP5 film during my first two semesters at University, but other than the odd disposable camera, I had never used a proper coloured film with a proper film camera.

Black and white is one thing. It is very classic, very vintage and the grainy quality is one of a kind. I wondered if I would get such an effect with colour but I have found that once a print has been scanned, there is almost a clear-film like texture overlaying the image and I quite like it. It is what a photograph is supposed to look like, in my eyes anyway. I have learned over this year that photography is about truth and capturing what the eye can see, unlike in painting. However my style and my interest in photography is making the photographs a little different from what you see and I like this because it is almost like an escape to from the real world. You can take bits you like from them and make them richer or desaturate them and I guess from saying this that the digital world suits me very much, however I still love using film.

What I have found, also, when scanning in a film print is that if you don't deselect auto-exposure then that is how you get a more saturated image. In addition, by comparing the images below is that the auto-exposure image is more like the digital cameras of today. There is certainly more definition and more truthful to reality but it is the fact that anyone these days can take an image like that and it is the quality of the film that makes it unique.

scanned - straight from print
   (no alterations)

scanned - (+ auto exposure)

Not much of a difference?

foggy - natural

auto exposure - more definition

There is a subtlety but it depends on what you are looking for and how fussed you are. 

The great thing about photography, these days is that you can experiment to your hearts content. However new cameras and the progress of technology wouldn't have happened without experimentation in the first place. I believe it can get you far. 

Want to visit my Flickr photostream with the featured photos in my blog and more then click the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brown_eyed_dreamer/

2011 - My year in Flickr photos...

I write my most philosophical and reflective posts at this time of year. A lot can happen in twelve months. You meet new people and build new friendships and if you are lucky, ones that last a lifetime. You can begin a career, or take the baby steps towards that big goal that you know will make you and everyone who knows you, proud.

I have come some way over this year with my photography and though I have mentioned some of my achievements in some of my recent posts; I can't help but relive them in my mind and the influence that those achievements will have when the bigger picture comes in to sight. 

In the last few days of the year, I look over what I have done. I like to keep journals and blogs as such, as a reminder or what I have done, what I have thought and what I have felt, but not only that. I like to see what I have done on certain days that I may have done differently in other years or write about new experiences or even life-changing ones like starting University and really knowing what it is like to grow up. 

I don't always write about Photography in a direct way but you will know that I gift-wrap it in somewhere. You can record many memories in many ways. This can be through writing, through song, through video but sometimes it can be the pictures that we take, whether they are captured with our minds eye, or through a camera. I'm an owner of a few cameras now and each one that I look through; I get a different experience. We can look at the same thing but our minds place a different significance on it, no matter how similar we could argue against it, but it is the same world, and that is what I find interesting. 

Since 2008, I have been a Flickr member. Each year, I create a Set and fill all my pictures I have uploaded from that year and review them at the end. I would like to share with you my photos of 2011. 

I wish you a very happy new year. 

Lost in Thought (Portfolio) - My first at University

I have done a lot of slideshows and mini films recently but here I have another. What I am about to present is my first official portfolio that I have created at University. I have used a Pentax 35mm camera, Hp5 Ilford film, a darkroom and my very good friend and star model, George.

My portfolio set is called Lost in Thought made of three sets of two in relevance. The single images are on my Flickr  and some more info on there too. Now, sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy my work. The slideshow comes with an option of sound. (The slideshow is also on repeat) If you want to listen; hover your mouse of the top right hand corner and click the volume symbol. On the other hand you may just want to see the pictures in peace. I have left the choice up to you.

The Lovely Linda...

Linda McCartney was an inspiration.

I have just been reading and admiring the Photographs of late wife of Sir Paul McCartney in the tribute book 'Linda McCartney, Life in photographs" in a cosy little bookshop in Prague. In hope to pass some time, after my trip to the National Museum (was quicker than I would have thought) I stumbled across some books in English, that happened to be on Photography. While flicking through a book on Portraits, I noticed in the corner of my eye familiar face and recognisable photograph of my favourite Beatle and Musician, Paul McCartney. With a large interest in his music and the man behind the persona, I have started to take more interest into his first wife who was one of the first female photographers to go about her own. I found this inspiring. I felt I was loosing my way a bit. Was I big enough for this but I feel more secure now. Using 35mm film made this book more exciting for me. Linda certainly has a special way of taking photographs and capturing the emotion beyond a subject. She described photography to her as an "inner thing". If she felt the need to "click " then she would. I see where was coming from. Absolutely!

I am picky with what I take. It has to have some value to me. My family often say "Why don't you take a picture of that?" and I would simple say "..because I don't want to". Photographers want to photograph the unique aspects of life or even taboo subjects at a different angle - Their Angle.

Prague is very unique and as part of a brief; we are not allowed to take tourist shots; the pictures everyone takes of the same statue or landmark and so on.

Photography is certainly about finding yourself, Linda mentioned something along the lines of this in her book. Paul said that "Photography was an extension of Linda's personality and I feel that is an extension of mine.