open wide

I’m currently in the process of developing the final rolls of black and white film from last year. I’m less behind than usually at this stage, but this is mostly because I didn’t shoot much in the last 3 months of 2015. Most of the rolls I still have to develop are Argenti ARF+ 400 at boxspeed or 800 with a couple of stray rolls of Fomapan 400 @1600 thrown in. These stray rolls of ISO 800 and 1600 exposures are actually why I can’t just keep on doing 5 roll tanks and be done with them; I have to do quite a few of them separately. I guess that’s the reason why clever people stick to one type of film instead of trying everything on the market! But then if I’m to stick to one emulsion, I better be sure that I’m choosing the right one for my purpose!

I thought that I was almost done testing films now after trying Kentmere 400, RPX400, Tri-X, Double-X, T-Max 400, HP5+, XP2, Fomapan 400, ARF+ 400 and currently Delta 400. In the 400 range I really only have Ilford Pan 400, APX 400, Rollei Retro 400s and Foma Retropan 320 left to try. Ilford Pan and APX are a variation of Kentmere 400, so unlikely to make me fall in love and both Retro emulsions probably won’t fit my needs either. Such retro emulsions can in rare occasions be beautiful when exposed correctly – my tests of Fomapan 400 and ARF+ 400 definitely showed that – but with unpredictable street lighting they often leave the skin tones in the mud, which makes them unsuitable for my style of shooting. Unless one of these emulsions surprises me beyond my expectations I will settle on HP5+ as my standard ISO 400 film.

Nevertheless, all my testing hasn’t found an end yet. I will indeed test the remaining emulsions that I listed to make sure, but on top of that I will also have to look for a suitable ISO 100 film. I didn’t really have much use for it before, since I used to mostly zone focus from the hip, which cries for ISO 400 at least. However, with my new Nokton I can’t really shoot from the hip and if I have to focus and frame anyway I might as well shoot low ISO film. After using up all the single rolls of low ISO bw films I had lying around, FP4+, Pan F 50 and Acros 100, I will now be testing RPX 100 properly.

All pictures taken with: Leica M6, Zeiss ZM C-Biogon 35mm f/2.8.
dm Paradies 400 developed in Fuji Hunt C41 Kit, Jobo CPE-2.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Yikes!

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

I needed to document the kind of lighting I was up against. 3 stops between shade and sunshine and the shade dark enough to swear about having to stick to ISO 400.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Man power

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

I better don’t comment on the pro election ad in the background …

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Stretching?

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Not only in Paris.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

In the centre people only rush from A to B.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Back then I hadn’t quite figured out how my Leica feels when it’s level. Definitely not like that!

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Golf Digest? Really?

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

Waiting.

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

© Lilly Schwartz 2015

No, my Leica is level, it’s the building that’s falling …! (I found the perfectly fitting tilt funny, so I didn’t straighten.)

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