To choose film

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Someone might be wondering where this newfound interest in flowers comes from. There have been many pictures of flowers in recent weeks and several visits to the botanical garden in Lund. But it doesn't really have that much to do with flowers. It's more about testing different analog films and how they render color and tonality. Of course, there is a lot of green in the garden. The same is true when I walk in nature. However, many other colors are also interesting.

If you look in our freezer, you can see a great variety of films. These are brands like Ilford, Kodak, Fujifilm, Rollei, Bergger, and so on. And from some manufacturers several different types. Fujifilm Velvia 50, Provia 100F, 400H or Kodak Ektar 100, Portra 400, TRI-X, and many more. A great mix where everyone renders colors or tones differently.

Kodak Ektachrome E100 Cross Processed in C41

But it's not just the film that varies. So do the chemicals for development. Some developers fit a specific film more or less right. Sometimes you choose developers depending on whether you want more or less grain, more or less sharpness, more or less blackness, and so on.

So the combination of all the different variants explodes. If you also add cross-processing to the picture, when you develop slide film with developing liquids for ordinary color negatives, it becomes unsustainable.

When it comes to cross-processing that you can do in both directions, slide film in C41, and color negative in E6, different films give very different results. So it's about finding what you like but at the same time making it easy for yourself. In the end, it is the image that matters most.

So in recent weeks, I have tested several different films to find a handful that I will use primarily. There are a few left to try in terms of cross processing. For example, I'm not so fond of the green tint that Kodak Ektachrome E100 gave, so I think I instead will go for Fujifilm Provia 100F. On the other hand, I like Kodak when I develop it in the right chemistry, E6.

Canon EOS 30, Fujifilm 400H Color Negative

To complicate matters further, I do not choose the same film for medium format 120-film as I do when it comes to 35mm film.

When it comes to developing chemistry, there is an infinite number of variants for black/white film, not quite as many for color negatives and slides. I have tried a variety and also a single bath variant from Cinestill, Monobath D96. Also, their C41 for the color film which consists of two baths. But I'm not entirely happy with any of them.

So right now, it looks like I will primarily use the Ilford HP5 + 400 as a black/white 35mm film but the Ilford Delta 3200 when it comes to 120-film. Color negatives will be Kodak Ektar 100 and Portra 400. And as a slide film, I think it will be Fujifilm 100F.