A day with Ilford XP2

Socially Distanced ■ Pentax 67 ■ Ilford XP2

One Roll, One Day - April 2020

Social Distancing. A term coined in 2020 that’ll live in infamy. And while we have all witnessed, and some are sorely experiencing, the troubles with COVID-19, my little family to this point has remained lucky. We have stayed healthy during a rough month of April with ever increasing numbers of cases and deaths. And we remain economically safe as our jobs revolve around the biopharmaceutical market that is all so necessary.

While we remain at home from work and kids home from school, we have taken advantage of seeing our sweet children’s faces all day every day. There are difficult moments, of course, but I must admit it has been amazing. At 3 and 7 years old, the innocence and creativity intertwine. The smiles are genuine, the laughs quench the soul, and the love unabashed.

During this time I decided to put Ilford’s XP2 Super 400 through it’s paces. A beautiful film with muted highlights and a silvery tone that begs to be shot in strong contrast. On this beautiful spring weekend, I ran through three rolls through my Pentax 67. A bit of a stretch on the one roll, one day challenge, but all days are indistinguishable during these times.

Ilford XP2 Pentax 67 — Social Longing ■ Pentax 67 ■ Ilford XP2

I remain true to my 2020 resolution to shoot black and white film. Ilford XP2 is a bit of a caveat - it is a C41-developed black and white film. Until this point, I have developed and scanned all my film at home with Kodak Xtol and my trusty Epson V600. But for Ilford XP2, I sent out to my favorite film development lab - The FIND Lab. Scan day arrived and with it the memories of the beginning of the strangest times of our lives.

Bike rides, school work, parks and skate boarding. These are the staples of our current lives. Week in, week out. It has been an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the gorgeous spring with the kids.

For some film nerdiness, I am in love with the ability to shoot backlit images with Ilford XP2. It seems to have great shadow detail while not blowing highlights, perhaps a benefit of a C41 film? But, shooting this film in flat light might make for the ugliest black and white film. Muted highlights and great shadow detail equals a pile of inseparable grays.

Thanks for stopping by this month! Check in next month for hopefully a bit of change, and in the meantime I get the honor to introduce you to an inspiration of mine, Amy Berge. Please check out her latest One Roll, One Day. And please, stay home, stay healthy.