I enjoy producing images in black and white using traditional chemistry and over the summer I used a Wista 5x4 technical camera with 150 mm and 210 mm lenses to shoot images of rivers and coast lines around Suffolk, UK where I live. I had developed and in some cases printed some of these images by the end of August but had a back log of negatives that I had not had time to utilise. Now I have had a chance to print some more of these images and I’m impressed with the tonality and clarity of the results when I compare them to images shot on medium format. The negatives were shot on Ilford HP5 ISO 400 film and tank developed in Rodinal. I then printed them onto Ilford Multigrade Warmtone fibre paper to 16x12, tray developed in Ilford Multigrade developer. I like this combination of paper and developer as it gives a slightly warmer image that seems to suit the subject well.

Like everything else in photography, it’s a case of horses for courses. I still feel that traditional chemistry wins out when it comes to black and white prints and in this case the extra effort required relative to digital is warranted. However, below I have included a digital scan of one of the images which I think helps to show the fine tonal gradation that results from using 5x4 translated to digital format.

House boats on the Deben at Woodbridge, Suffolk (Wista 45, Fuji 210 5.6 lens)