first try at tri-x

Kodak Tri-X 400

I am still finding my groove with different film stocks. Thus far, my favorite black and white stock has been Ilford HP5 Plus. I like the medium contrast it offers. The photos I've taken with this stock have told the story of those moments with subtlety...I am drawn to the work of others shot with Ilford 3200 (that grain!) but have not ventured there yet. Instead, I ordered a couple of rolls of Kodak Tri-X 400 after reading about its forgiving latitude.

Now, this was also the film I loaded for my first attempt at hybrid shooting. A friend is due this summer and wanted maternity photos. I jumped at the chance to shoot some film for her. I took the color exposures with my Canon EOS R and the black and whites with my Canon 1V. Honestly, I was so happy to be shooting both for a session. I anticipated feeling stressed about switching between film and digital, but as I'm used to shooting with multiple bodies, it was familiar enough. Funny thing is, I always felt inclined to tell her when I was shooting film because I knew I was moving a bit slower without that handy touchscreen.

For the maternity shoot, I also had not purchased a light meter yet, but the photos of my kids were taken during my first go at the light meter. I will admit that it's been about a decade since I used a handheld meter, but now that it's back in the kit, I take it with me whenever I'm shooting. I metered for the shadows for these shots. Scanned by TheFINDlab.