Analogue Adventures: A Black and White Beginner in the Lakes

Masha is back! Our first returning adventurer, and this time she's taking some bold steps. Her first EVER roll of black and white film (Ilford HP5 obv 😅) and her first EVER half-frame camera (the Pentax 17!) Let's find out how she got on in the glorious Lake District in Spring... over to you Masha!

Four days in the Lake District with sleet, gales, dampness and constant rain? Sign me up! I think going on a ‘time mostly spent outside’ trip but with horrible weather is either becoming a habit, or I have done something very bad in my past life and now this is just karma? ☔️

Nevertheless, I truly believe that there is no such thing as terrible weather, only terrible clothes, which is why we armed ourselves with waterproof everything (and I armed myself with a small army of silica packets) and went out to appreciate and attempt to capture the beauty of the Lakes.

Two firsts, one district of lakes

This lovely trip had two firsts for me: using B&W film and using Pentax 17 outdoors. The learning curve for both was as steep as the climb to the Old Man of Coniston. On our drive up to the Lakes, I made the executive decision that instead of merging my two firsts into one and shooting B&W film with the Pentax 17, I would instead allow myself to experience them individually.

So...we're climbing this?

My trusty Olympus got the honour of having B&W film loaded, whilst Pentax 17 enjoyed two rolls of 400 ISO colour film. Arguably, this was actually my first error for this trip, as whilst I was aware that the weather was not going to be particularly thrilling and somewhat extra dark and cloudy, I did not think about taking a higher ISO film to play around with, for example from my stock pile of Kodak Colour 800 which I managed to snatch from AW back when they still had some (you snooze, you lose).

However, I do think that limiting myself to fairly ‘basic’ options has actually given me a pretty good learning opportunity, especially considering the little Pentax 17 beast has so many dials to play with, including shooting modes, exposure compensation and of course focus zones. And speaking of learning opportunities, Paul’s blog about this tiny yet mighty camera has been a godsend. The number of times I read through the ‘shooting modes’ and ‘focus’ sections will be a secret that I will take to the grave with me. So if you too find big user manuals a little hard to digest and want a quicker run-down, I highly recommend perusing through Paul’s iteration. 

How much film should one take on a 4-day trip?

When it came to choosing film, please imagine a small mound of film on the table (not including culprits hidden in the fridge), and me sitting and staring at it for over 30 minutes. My indecisiveness did indeed play a big role in me taking double the film I intended to, having settled on Lomography 400 and Flic Film Aurora 400 as my two contenders for colour film options.

I find both of these quite versatile although a little cooler and more muted compared to their Kodak or Fuji counterparts, which I think worked really well for somewhat muted and grey fells that have not yet been touched by the spring colour palette. I really enjoy how the grain visibility changes depending on conditions and personally think it add character to those moodier photos taken on days where the sun does not feel like making an appearance or if you are shooting in the shadows and you have to be careful about the exposure triangle.

Shot on Lomo Color 400 35mm

As for B&W film, this was a no-brainer, and two of Ilford HP5s came with me for this adventure. THE definitive black and white film. Although this was my first time using it 🫣 and honestly I wasn’t sure what to expect when waiting for the negatives to be developed and scanned.

Did I panic that I somehow ruined both rolls? Oh absolutely.

Was there any reason for that panic? Not at all.

The photos that came out blew all of my expectations out of the water! Granted a mix me being very easy to impress plus it being my first time using B&W film could just meant that my expectations were fairly easy to exceed. [Ed: surely not! These are ace!]

Shot on Ilford Hp5 Plus 35mm film

I didn’t have the highest of expectations as the lighting and contrast conditions were often playing against me due to our lovely British weather, but I am happy to report that all of the rolls have performed fantastically 💪🏼 What really surprised me is how different the photos feel when you compare those taken on Pentax 17 and those taken on the Olympus. If I wasn’t there myself, I would find it hard to believe the colour and B&W film were shot during the same trip.

B&W rookie takes on HP5 💪🏼

As a first time appreciator of HP5, I think the word that can be used to describe this film is ‘gritty’ and whilst the grain itself is probably somewhat similar to colour counterparts, I felt that it was maybe a little more pronounced in B&W?

Although I refer to it as ‘gritty’ in a very loving way as not only did it give a true retro feel to the photos (I am using this word very carefully here as last time I called something ‘retro’ – with “something” being my husband’s childhood books - I never heard the end of it) but also I really enjoyed how much contrast and character these photos had. And let’s be honest... if I didn’t want grain and character I’d just use my phone instead of film 🙂↔️

Some of my favourite photos are from the day we climbed Old Man of Coniston. There were three consistencies that day: (1) me being out of breath and questioning my fitness levels on the way up, (2)>100m visibility that decreased the higher you went and (3) the lowest clouds I have ever seen.

Ignoring my lack of fitness, the low clouds and limited visibility led to some of the most captivating B&W photos of the trip. The way the film grain blends with the fog and the low clouds covering the peaks, while bringing out layers of contrast and texture in the surrounding mountains truly takes your breath away (pun intended).

The one thing that maybe amazed me the most (perhaps just due to being a rookie when it comes to B&W photography) is how similar the HP5 photos came out when compared to those taken on an iPhone and how well they matched what we saw with our own eyes.

For me, shooting colour film always comes with the expectations that it will look somewhat different to what is seen IRL, which is what I, a B&W newbie, expected to happen with HP5 too. I will gladly admit that I was wrong. I’m sure the explanation about the science behind it exists somewhere, but alas not here...

Top tips for black and white beginners:

1) Keep even steadier than you do for colour film – this came as a surprise to me, but I noticed that B&W film seems less forgiving for the accidental shake of hand when releasing the shutter compared to its colour counterparts. I don't think this is true scientifically but more a function of my picture style: the colour being more atmospheric and the black and white being more detailed. So I notice the shake more with black and white. You’ll find that this is extra hard when on the side of the mountain, but practice makes perfect as they say.

2) Focus on contrast and texture rather the colours – this is something I had to keep reminding myself, as being used to colour film, I often thought about the colours of my surroundings (which you can definitely tell from some of my B&W fails), but once I rewired my brain to think ‘contrast’, I have managed to capture some of my favourite shots of the trip (lamb on a hill, I am looking at you).

3) Keep an eye on the light (or lack thereof) – the constantly changing weather and consequently light conditions, meant that I truly put the film to the test. This really helped me understand how it performs (or underperforms) across most possible conditions, which means now I can better predict how the photo will turn out and maybe refrain from taking it, saving myself a few exposures in the process.

Pentax 17 and 144 photo opportunities 

For someone who is as trigger happy as me when it comes to taking photos, having double the exposures felt like Christmas morning – just imagine the possibilities! You could also argue that it means you can make film photography a cheaper hobby in the long run.

If you read the previous article about Iceland, you will already know I am quite partial to a landscape photo, or two... or twenty 🤣 which remained true for this trip as well. There is just something about capturing vastness of mountains, glaciated valleys, sharp ridges and windswept lakes, which means the only way to stop me taking said photos is to confiscate the camera and physically drag me away.

Getting used to the vertical orientation of the Pentax 17 straight away did take some time. I actually personally favour vertical shots (especially when there’s strong perspective), as I find they naturally lead our eyes from an often-textured foreground into quite a naturally vertical background, immersing us a little more within the scene and the shot. Film has this magical ability to translate vastness of landscapes much better than any phone camera ever could, and with Lake District famously being quite rugged - with layers of fells receding into the distance - vertical shots help capture those step-like contours, whilst also emphasising the gradual shift to softer outlines the further you look.

One of the things that has maybe amazed me the most with this camera is the ‘macro’ mode, which has some of the best subject separation I have experienced. With the very consistent winds and gales constantly insisting that subject stillness is not an option that was available, I still managed to get some pretty cool shots.

The wrist strap that I personally find a little irritating at times was the true MVP although I most definitely got some very weird looks from the hikers and dog-walkers walking past me stretching the strap out towards some flowers or some moss.

People that know me personally would vouch that I am not much of a risk taker, but there is a certain amount recklessness involved when trying to take a photo with cameras that are in fact not weather sealed in less than dry conditions (N.B no cameras were harmed in the photo taking process).

Where does one draw the line when it comes to dampness and wind and chooses to instead keep the camera stashed away, safe and dry in a ziplock bag? Fast moving weather is definitely something the Lake District is known for, and we truly experienced that across the four days, which you can tell from the range of the photos taken even just across the two Flic Film and Lomography rolls.

Within minutes, you can watch clouds swallow the surrounding peak, only for sun rays to break through the thick cover of clouds and illuminate the fell peaks, followed by clear blue sky as the wind drives the clouds on, leaving only fluffy white clouds and a brighter, more vivid landscape.

Count the different weather conditions in this one photo!

Top tips for Pentax 17 half-frame beginners: 

1) Train your eye to spot cool vertical composition – even as a vertical photo fan, sometimes I actually missed opportunities and had to retrace my steps.

2) Be wary of corners and edges – this sounds like I have a phobia of them? But this is not something I was used to thinking about as much (as it didn’t have as big of an impact when shooting full frame), but I found that rogue branches or rocks or even grass sometimes made the already small(er) space even more limited and sometimes even looked like it was trying to steal the spotlight from the main subject of the photo. So check your edges before snapping that shot, to avoid future cropping needs.

3) Experiment more! - I think by having double the shot opportunities, I felt more comfortable experimenting with my subjects as well as positioning in the frame. Whilst some people might say ‘be intentional’, I think that can be more applicable to those that really have their skills honed. For newbies like me (us?) I think experimenting and trying is the path forward. I think I want to try diptychs and triptychs next and see if I can get some pair or sequence shots?

4) Be open to possible grainier results – frames are half their size, so that means that the outcome could be a little grittier than expected. I actually really enjoyed that and I think it added extra ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the vast landscape photos. I found that more light truly does mean less grain, even when it comes to half-frame photos, so chase that sun!

A clear gap in the market

Having now done two trips with little zip-lock back filled with silica packets, I have clearly identified a gap in the market – someone needs to design a silica filled camera pouch, they will at least make two sales out of me, and I am sure other people would also jump on it. I am also seriously considering one of those camera umbrellas:

But that is yet another gap in the market, as they appear to all be for DSLRs and none for film cameras - Paul, if you have some spare time, you could definitely make this happen but I would expect a cut from the profits 🤑 [Ed: Blimey ok, I'll add to my list!]

Final fleeting thoughts 

To finish this off, let me, lovely reader, offer you some fleeting (maybe unwanted) advice if you too get inspired to see what rainy nature has in store for you:

1. Bring a willing participant that will hold an umbrella over you (but please apply common sense when that umbrella should be taken out – for example in a town, you don’t want them to be recreating Mary Poppins on the side of a mountain), so that you can take a photo that is definitely not ‘necessary’ but so very wanted nonetheless. 

2. Bring good ziplock bags and silica packets (think of all the online orders you make, you can save all those rogue silica packets that always come with them) – have at least one ziplock bag per camera

3. Make sure your waterproof jacket has big enough (zip up) pockets that your film camera not only fits into, but also is big enough for you to comfortably and easily pull that camera out – otherwise you will be like me, fighting your jacket on the side of a fell trying to get the camera (or cameras) out and cursing the makers of the jacket that didn’t consider all the possible uses of the pockets.

4. Thinking that you just need (insert your own number here) of rolls of film for the trip? Take double, or maybe even triple that number. Being a trigger happy being that just loves to take pictures left, right and centre, I have ended up going through one whole roll (72 exposures) in the space of one day – am I ashamed? No. But do I wish I brought more film? Yes...

Big cow says 'Shoot More Film'

Masha, thank you! This is such a wonderful description of your Analogue Adventure, and I've learned lots from your experiences to help inform my next Lakes trip.

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