Retro mono

It’s time for another sidestep into film photography. Some months ago my vintage Olympus-35 EC was loaded up with an Ilford HP5 400 black and white film. On various occasions it’s been slipped into my pocket and taken on walks around London and beyond.

Finally the roll came back from the developers, spiced with the old-fashioned magic of wondering what the results were – and not quite remembering taking some of them. At least this time there were no misfires or focusing disasters.

My first impression wasn’t as dazzling as the first colour film, which was rich and sparkling, defying all expectations for a 46-year-old camera. Unsurprisingly monochrome is far more subtle and creates an entirely different mood. The contrast is decent but benefited from a minimal, careful amount of post-processing. The grain appears strong and consistent, adding atmosphere and authenticity – far removed from the smoothness of digital.

Any impressions or thoughts will be much appreciated…

Click first image to view this set

Tags: analogue, architecture, black and white, film photography, Hunstanton, Ilford HP5, landscape, London, Norfolk, Olympus-35 EC, photography, retro, vintage

22 thoughts on “Retro mono”

ckponderings on March 20, 2016 at 11:48 said:

There’s a lovely graininess about the images; you may seem uncertain, but they certainly work for me! (Although your photographs are very reminiscent of my great aunt – pointing and shooting at family gatherings, once in a while we’d be lucky enough to get something other than the top of our head in them… ;) )

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- mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 11:52 said:
  
  Really?! The framing and shooting wasn’t a problem (or unintentional), even though this camera is much smaller than my usual one. It’s more about the print of the film. Turns out there are various ways to influence that.
  
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  - ckponderings on March 20, 2016 at 12:00 said:
    
    The print works really well! Honestly! I was joking about my great aunt’s photography. I like the photos… :)
    
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    - mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 12:02 said:
      
      Ha! Well it’s true, I tend to cut heads (and people) out altogether :)
      
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      - ckponderings on March 20, 2016 at 12:06 said:
        
        A lot of the time I find that architectural shots work a lot better when you’re only photographing one element of them.
        
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        ckponderings on March 20, 2016 at 12:06 said:
        
        God that sounds even worse!! Honestly I like the photos, Mike… (Runs and hides from the conversation in a darkened corner of the room…)
        
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        mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 12:10 said:
        
        Hahahaha! No need to worry, though sometimes the nuance gets lost over the airwaves. With this little Olympus it’s hard to cram much into such a small viewfinder.
        
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        ckponderings on March 20, 2016 at 12:15 said:
        
        It looks like a great camera to photograph with… I need to give film a go again…
        
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        mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 12:21 said:
        
        You should! It feels totally different from the digital norm from start to finish. This camera is very portable. It takes time and isn’t the fastest medium, though.
        
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        ckponderings on March 20, 2016 at 15:28 said:
        
        Need to get myself a film camera, lol…
        
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        mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 15:32 said:
        
        You can pick up some bargains from many an outlet. Mine was £30 or so on eBay, still in perfect working order 46 years on…
        
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        ckponderings on March 21, 2016 at 06:17 said:
        
        I’ve got plenty of old cameras, but none that are working, lol…
        
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        mikeosbornphoto on March 21, 2016 at 08:13 said:
        
        Ah. That’s pretty fundamental!
        
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        ckponderings on March 21, 2016 at 12:53 said:
        
        I shall see what I can rustle up! :)
        
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timdobbsphotography on March 20, 2016 at 10:27 said:

I love HP5 but I tend to push it to 1600 or even 3200 to get some lovely contrast

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- mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 10:30 said:
  
  Thanks Tim. Yes, I was hoping for more of that. My little boy only extends up to 800. I know there are also various types of B&W film to experiment with.
  
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  - timdobbsphotography on March 20, 2016 at 10:40 said:
    
    You could try some Delta 100/400 the grain is very different to HP5 quite smooth in comparison or some XP2 which is C-41 but you get some lovely contrast with that one.
    
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    - mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 10:45 said:
      
      Brilliant. Thanks again, Tim. Nathan over on FB also came up with Delta. Is there any niche East European manufactured film worth a spin (and not stupidly expensive)?
      
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zorkiphoto on March 20, 2016 at 09:51 said:

Those old Olympus compacts have fantastic lenses. Going to be using the Trip 35 and the 35RC a lot over the coming months. A great set, sir!

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- mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 09:54 said:
  
  Thank you Zorkimeister! I wasn’t sure about the amount of grain but adjusted after the flat clarity of digital. Next move is to run some other types of film. Any suggestions?… And looking forward to seeing your Olympus results.
  
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harrienijland on March 20, 2016 at 09:05 said:

Nice grainy set!

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- mikeosbornphoto on March 20, 2016 at 09:37 said:
  
  Thanks Harrie! I’m not sure if there’s too much grain/not enough contrast. I’d like to explore trying other films.
  
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