Back to my roots

Those who know me, or follow my photography will know how much I enjoy black and white (monochrome) photography and how it regularly features in my work.

After my monochrome showcase project, I took a bold leap and purchased a Leica, monochrome only camera to complement my regular digital camera, and my film camera.

Being the same lens mount, I can share lenses across all three bodies, awesome! … or so I thought.

Dilemma

What I didn’t bank on, was the constant dilemma of which camera to pair with the monochrome which I felt, given the cost I had to be using. Also, I need to pack light for most of my trips, taking all three wasn’t a viable option and neither is changing lenses all the time.

In the end, the faffing about was too much for me. Either the monochrome got left behind when I went on trips or the colour camera and I virtually stopped shooting black and white film altogether, then later on, colour film too.

In Protest

At the end of last year, I did a long trip to India and almost in protest, I left all the Leica gear behind and took just one Sony camera and 1 zoom lens because I was fed up with it all. I normally just use this kit for paid work because it’s a great tool when it comes to getting the job done. For my personal projects, I use something more engaging and I really like the manual everything, Leica rangefinder cameras with a design dating back to the 50s and German precision engineering at it’s finest.

With the Sony, I got some great photos even if the shooting experience was a bit clinical. Despite the Sony camera and lens being bigger than a Leica and more modern looking, It was back to packing light which is what sold it for me.

Processing the images I found myself trying to make them look like film which was ironic. I was happy with the results, but there was a lesson to be learned in there somewhere.

It’s taken me until recently to remind myself of what really matters to me when doing photography.

Having choices, packing as light as possible and shooting real film alongside digital are my main core values. Add to that the enjoyment of experimentation which is as much about what I shoot as what I shoot with.

Decision

I’ve enjoyed using the monochrome very much and in the spirit of experimentation I’m glad I owned it but I’m absolutely done with the dilemma, so I’ve sold it and moved on.

The process was very quick and I’ve recovered a good portion of my outlay for this highly niche ‘Marmite’ camera.

People either love them or hate them and monochrome cameras are among the most divisive between the haters, the purists and the Leica fans. I don’t hate the camera, but I don’t love it either. It was fun and now it’s gone. It’s as simple as that.

Leica M11-M, ‘M’ for Monochrom, or Marmite maybe

First love

Back in 2023, I rediscovered film photography and black and white film, was my first real love of monochrome photography and where I learned the most and it brought my photography to life, being able to shoot film, process it at home afterwards, and then scan, print or publish it on my socials or website the same day.

I fell in love with different film characteristics and emulsions and used them to create beautiful images in proper black and white, or cinematic colour using real cinematic film, or whatever other format I choose. I enjoyed it so much I decided to shoot film almost exclusively for an entire year making a really enjoyable project out of it. After the project I decided to permanently include film as at least part of my workflow.

I even tried experimental films like Phoenix, and pushed/pulled film all over the place, making up new development recipes to get new looks as I went.

One of my good friends told me that my very best work was the stuff I’ve shot on film. He said something like digital stuff was great, but the film images were ‘wow’. A big film fan himself, I value his opinion.

On the wall of my study, I have a black and white gallery, and a portion of these are shot on film. Using transparent dymo labels with black typeface on the black frames, I’ve added what film stock I used, to remind me of the character of each film.

Less is more

Nothing irritates me more than carrying tons of kit and faffing about changing lenses, or camera bodies so I limit myself to just one camera which can be film or digital, or maybe two if I want to mix formats. I don’t need the added complexity of another camera just to shoot monochrome.

Starting over

So, reinvigorated from a recent photography trip with friends, I’ve got it clear now in my head what I’m doing moving forward. I’ve also got more time on my hands to enjoy not only street photography, but landscapes too. Watch this space for the landscape stuff, I’ve got loads more to learn here and will be experimenting further with medium format.

Since making this revelation, I’ve already shot one roll of film. Black and white of course, and this time medium format in 6×6 frames, using my Yashica 635 and some Ilford HP5plus 120 film.

Yashica 635 35mm and Medium Format 6×6 TLR camera

I’ve also been loading up more 35mm canisters with fresh black and white film for the season ahead. I’ve got about 60 rolls of black and white film which should keep me going for a while.

Cinestill 800T cinematic film canisters loaded with Ilford FP4plus B&W film