Working with Ilford HP5+ 400
Dec 4, 2023 18:22:00 #
Kodak Tri-X and Ilford HP5+ are often compared because of their similar age (80+ years on the market), box speed (ISO 400), cubic grain structure, and application (made for press photographers). This series of images looks at my own Ilford HP5+ 400 results dating from 2014 through 2022, presented in time-sequence order.
Chicago winter in B&W by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Ilford HP5+ has a very classic look. It has subtle tones and medium- to low-contrast that produces great detail in the shadows.
USS Cod - Galley
HP5+ features a classic black and white look with medium to low contrast (compared to the stronger contrast of Kodak Tri-X 400) that works just as well in both bright and low light situations.
USS Cod - Maneuvering Room
The images above show the HP5+ results shot at the ISO-400 box speed and scanned and edited in Adobe Lightroom. The film features a subtle grain that is most noticeable in the shadows and bokeh of the image, and the grain is even more pronounced if you underexpose the image.
The images below begin to show Ilford HP5+ working with various colored filters and adjustments (overrides) to the ISO rating of the film when loaded into the camera.
Chattanooga National Cemetery
These 2017 images from various US National Cemeteries use either Orange or Deep Red filters. Even with the resized JPEGs, the grain should be evident. This is a level of grain more than I desire, where I recognize "more" exposure was needed to compensate for the light loss caused by the filters.
Georgia National Cemetery
The first HP (short for “Hypersensitive Panchromatic”) was introduced in 1931 for dry plate cameras. Today, it’s available in a large variety of roll and sheet sizes from 35mm to 20x24-inch, as it remains one of the best-selling black and white films ever made.
Georgia National Cemetery
HP5+ is grouped with FP4+ (est. 1935) and Pan F+ (est. 1948) in the "Plus range" of Ilford films. The films in the Plus range are all the latest generations of “established” emulsions in ISOs 400, 125, and 50. The current HP5+ was introduced in 1989.
Snow Day Jan 2021
When compared to Kodak Tri-X 400, one of the other most popular black and white film stocks, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 features a more subtle medium to low contrast level and finer grain compared to the higher contrast and grittier grain of Kodak Tri-X 400.
Hot Stove Season
As a "panchromatic" ISO 400 stock, you can take that to mean it’s just a normal black and white film that is sensitive to the whole visible spectrum of light. So it will react to blue light, red light, green light and everything in between. HP5+ will render images similarly to how our eyes see them, but obviously in monochrome, a characteristic that appealed to photojournalists.
Happy Lunar New Year
The final few images in 2022 begin to show what I consider a better approach to using ISO overrides and color filters, typically a yellow filter and 1- to 1.7-stops overexposed, as compared to the ISO-400 box speed.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
The visual grain seen earlier is now nearly gone. The details in the shadows are captured as well as retaining details in the highlights, such as the texture of the snow above in the seats at Pritzker Pavilion.
Adler Planetarium
Film grain can appear smooth or sharp. Smooth grain will fade from view while taking some detail away also. Sharp grain may help reveal some fine elements in your images. Grain sharpness can change depending on the developer, though the film itself plays a significant role in its appearance.
Wrigleyville in Snow
On top of the relatively smooth grain of HP5+, you can also obtain crisp photos without too much contrast. When shooting black and white, you probably want images with a range of gray tones between black and white (above), where too much contrast renders just black and white, somewhat like the tree below.
St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery
Chicago winter in B&W by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Ilford HP5+ has a very classic look. It has subtle tones and medium- to low-contrast that produces great detail in the shadows.
USS Cod - Galley
HP5+ features a classic black and white look with medium to low contrast (compared to the stronger contrast of Kodak Tri-X 400) that works just as well in both bright and low light situations.
USS Cod - Maneuvering Room
The images above show the HP5+ results shot at the ISO-400 box speed and scanned and edited in Adobe Lightroom. The film features a subtle grain that is most noticeable in the shadows and bokeh of the image, and the grain is even more pronounced if you underexpose the image.
The images below begin to show Ilford HP5+ working with various colored filters and adjustments (overrides) to the ISO rating of the film when loaded into the camera.
Chattanooga National Cemetery
These 2017 images from various US National Cemeteries use either Orange or Deep Red filters. Even with the resized JPEGs, the grain should be evident. This is a level of grain more than I desire, where I recognize "more" exposure was needed to compensate for the light loss caused by the filters.
Georgia National Cemetery
The first HP (short for “Hypersensitive Panchromatic”) was introduced in 1931 for dry plate cameras. Today, it’s available in a large variety of roll and sheet sizes from 35mm to 20x24-inch, as it remains one of the best-selling black and white films ever made.
Georgia National Cemetery
HP5+ is grouped with FP4+ (est. 1935) and Pan F+ (est. 1948) in the "Plus range" of Ilford films. The films in the Plus range are all the latest generations of “established” emulsions in ISOs 400, 125, and 50. The current HP5+ was introduced in 1989.
Snow Day Jan 2021
When compared to Kodak Tri-X 400, one of the other most popular black and white film stocks, Ilford HP5 Plus 400 features a more subtle medium to low contrast level and finer grain compared to the higher contrast and grittier grain of Kodak Tri-X 400.
Hot Stove Season
As a "panchromatic" ISO 400 stock, you can take that to mean it’s just a normal black and white film that is sensitive to the whole visible spectrum of light. So it will react to blue light, red light, green light and everything in between. HP5+ will render images similarly to how our eyes see them, but obviously in monochrome, a characteristic that appealed to photojournalists.
Happy Lunar New Year
The final few images in 2022 begin to show what I consider a better approach to using ISO overrides and color filters, typically a yellow filter and 1- to 1.7-stops overexposed, as compared to the ISO-400 box speed.
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
The visual grain seen earlier is now nearly gone. The details in the shadows are captured as well as retaining details in the highlights, such as the texture of the snow above in the seats at Pritzker Pavilion.
Adler Planetarium
Film grain can appear smooth or sharp. Smooth grain will fade from view while taking some detail away also. Sharp grain may help reveal some fine elements in your images. Grain sharpness can change depending on the developer, though the film itself plays a significant role in its appearance.
Wrigleyville in Snow
On top of the relatively smooth grain of HP5+, you can also obtain crisp photos without too much contrast. When shooting black and white, you probably want images with a range of gray tones between black and white (above), where too much contrast renders just black and white, somewhat like the tree below.
St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery
Dec 5, 2023 09:36:45 #
These are all great images and demonstrate very well the "attitude" of each film. I honestly think, if one wants B&W, that shooting on B&W film is the best way to go. I have yet to be able to capture that same quality in digital B&W.
Dec 5, 2023 09:42:48 #
AzPicLady wrote:
These are all great images and demonstrate very well the "attitude" of each film. I honestly think, if one wants B&W, that shooting on B&W film is the best way to go. I have yet to be able to capture that same quality in digital B&W.
Thank you Kathy! I tend to agree. I have a few B&W conversions in digital I like, but still, I prefer all my film images to the digital conversions.
Dec 5, 2023 10:25:40 #
Dec 6, 2023 05:09:04 #
RodeoMan
Loc: St Joseph, Missouri
Paul this is the best way for me to enjoy a Chicago winter, you doing the brass monkey routine and me sitting in front of my screen in my pjs appreciating your excellent images and commentary. Thank you.
Dec 6, 2023 10:43:48 #
Thank you Ben, RodeoMan! We haven't had more than a dusting of snow so far this winter(ish) season. I did B&W for a few seasons, then color more recently. If we can get some winter this winter, I'm ready for some more B&W.
Dec 15, 2023 18:15:11 #
Thank you for again sharing your insights and images on a particular B&W film. I both enjoy and learn from them.
Dec 15, 2023 19:07:20 #
William Royer wrote:
Thank you for again sharing your insights and images on a particular B&W film. I both enjoy and learn from them.
Thank you William!
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