Film Photography: Ilford XP2 Super, samples and review .
Film Photography
Ilford xp2 super
ISO 400 35mm film
Nikon F90x
Nigel Borrington
In yesterdays post I talked a little about how film based photograph is now back a big way! with many of the film manufacturers having over the last few years seen a big jump in their sales figures. Many films that had disappeared from the photography market have now started to be produced again, Kodak are event about to re-introduce their world famous Ektachrome film, a high resolution positive film used at a commercial level of photography in the past.
It is now possible for the first time in many years to get online and purchase any type or speed of film, from Colour to Black and white, ISO 50 to ISO 3200
. This is a big opportunity for film loves to regain long lost skills, such as black and white film processing at home, setting up a dark room studio using chemical based film processing and printing. If this is not for you however, you can still opt for just purchasing the type of film you want to try out and once you have exposed your full roll, you can send it in the post to processors such as Lomography, who process any type of film for about the same price as it cost way back in the original film days.
One film I always love using was Ilfords XP2 Super, ISO 400, black and white film, Its a C41 processed film which is the same processing methods used with colour films. This film can be exposed at camera ISO setting between 50 to 800 as described in the instructions that come in the box, ISO 400 is the optimum setting but if the film is exposed at setting that overexpose the film, the film grain visible on the final prints will be much reduced. If you do play around with your ISO setting, you have to remember that with film you have to specify to your development lab that you did so and tell them what ISO Setting you exposed the roll of film at, also unlike digital for each of the 24 or 36 exposures on your roll of film you have to stay with the same ISO setting all the way through the roll.
ILFORD XP2 Super PDF
Like all rolls of film, XP2 Super has its own grain look and texture, you can see from the image below that the grain is very visible in the more well lighted areas on the frame. Its not unpleasant and adds lots of character to the image, this is an ISO 400 film after all and as such perfect for use indoors.
Ilford XP2 Super – Sample images, scanned using a Minolta Dimage Elite film scanner
Real world photography
So this photography thing then, what’s it all about?
If someone asks me what my favorite form of photography is and people do ask, I don’t always have an answer at hand. I feel that a camera can be used in so many different ways that it’s almost impossible to narrow things down.
I also think that overtime my choice of photography has evolved, it’s not the same now as it was when I was 25.
However if someone asked me today what my least favourite form of photography is I would have to answer, anything that’s not real. I feel that life in a small town like Kilkenny, Ireland is a little more limited in what people do and what they dress like.Even so I feel that photography should reflect the world around us all and that anything that is created outside of this world is faked.
So I guess the answer to what my most liked form of photography is, is anything that truly depicts and reflects the real world around us.
Some photographers pay to dress models in make-up and clothes that they would never dress in and live real lives in. Now, like I say this may have not been what I would have said at 25 years of age but it is what I feel today.
The world around us, is based on “what you see is what you get” and what you get may sometime appear to be a little ordinary but that’s what it is, it is ordinary. I think that the skill of any visual medium, when used correctly is to show you something a little different that you didn’t see first time.
My camera is for the real world not a fake one, one that only make-up can produce.
So then (Street, Landscape, Wedding and Sport photography) anything that really happens and people really do.
Gallery:
Kilkenny photographer: Nigel Borrington
New studio63 Gallery
New studio63 web site Gallery
I have just finish installing a new Gallery section on the studio63 web site:
Link as follows : Studio63 Gallery
Allihies, West Cork.
I would like to introduce you to Allihies.
Allihies, West cork
Located at the end of the Beara peninsula, west cork.
I have visited this small village many times so it will feature a lot in my Landscape work. It’s a beautiful location for Landscape Art and photography. The above image was taken in October 2010 on a very wet Irish day, a perfect day for the camera then the pub.
If you’re interested in a visit the following details my help you.
Ref: http://www.bearainfo.com/areainfo/allihies.htm
“situated 12 miles west of Castletownbere, on the Ring of Beara Route, is a region of unspoiled natural beauty. Glacial and volcanic movement of yore played their part in the formation of this most rugged, most unusual and yet most beautiful landscape. Such activity, the geologists tell us, left in its wake the large store of mineral deposits so successfully mined throughout the 19th century and much more of which is still here with us – if deeper down. Plans are advanced regarding the siting of a Mining Museum in Allihies. “
Studio63 portraits
While the main purpose of this web site is to showcase and detail Nigel’s landscape and nature work it is very much worth detailing some examples of the studio photography images that Nigel produces.
Nigel Borrington (Studio63)
The make-up and beauty studio opened in Callan at the start of 2011 and is owned and run by Karen Maher,
Karen contacted me about three weeks ago, to see if I would be interested in helping her to create a studio portfolio for her, needless to say I was delighted to help.
The following images are from our first studio session.
Nigel Borrington (Studio63)
Nigel Borrington ( Studio63 )
You need and of her services you can contact her as follows.
The Makeup and Beauty studio.
Karen Maher : 086 2597777 or makeupandbeautystudio@hotmail.com
studio63
Photography Training
Photography Training
Curracloe, Wexford coastline
Over the next months I will be posting articles that will show some of the more basic techniques I use to produce Landscape and wildlife images.
I will also provide some details on the needed equipment and the more generalist skills that are needed in or to make the best use the equipment you have purchased.
I will use many different locations for photography projects.
Stay Smart!
So keep a eye on the training section for posted articles…….
Nigel Borrington..
(Studio63)
About : Nigel Borrington
Nigel is a photographer with his Studio and wedding photography business Studio63 based in Callan, County Kilkenny in the south east of Ireland.
He has lived in county Kilkenny for some ten years. His background is in both Photography and Art and he is fully qualified in both areas. If you need to make an enquiry of any kind please contact Nigel on 086 153 0497 or go to the contacts page on the Studio63 web site and email Nigel from this location.
Nigel is a qualified member of the SINWP, SWPP and BPPA.
About the web site
Welcome to my web site, nigelborrington.com
Whilst I run my Wedding and Studio photography business from www.studio63.ie I work with Landsacpe and Nature photography on a regular basis.
I had included an area on www.studio63.ie for this area of my photography, I have however now moved all this work to www.nigelborrington.com .
Thus the main function of this web site is to exhibit my landscape and nature photography and provide for a visual outlet for it.
I also intend this site to be informative about the locations I visit for my photography and to detail the reasons I find these location of great interest. I will also show the techniques used to produce the included images.
I also include a section on this site relating to photographic techniques and the equipment needed to produce good Landscape and nature images.
If you would like to contact me please email Nigel@studio63.ie
Enjoy your Landscape!
Nigel
May 17th 2011 – And a fresh start.
A new blog starts
The creation of this web-site is in order to create a new location for my Landscape photography, this is something I have been intending to do for sometime so it is great to get going on this project.
I look forward to many posts on this site and to showcasing many of the hundreds of Irish Landscape images I have created since 2002 when I first came to live in County Kilkenny. I also look forward to many new landscape and Nature projects.
Nigel
Nigel Borrington 
An update, what have I been doing in the last year :)
It is almost a year since I posted here on my blog but there has been a great reason why not 🙂
The bike above was finished my myself, four weeks ago and has been stripped down completely with new components, new paintwork and a full road safety check. I love every moment of this build…..
I have spent the last year studying a full-time city and guilds engineering course in county Kilkenny and it has been one of the most amazing years of my life 🙂
This time last year I was on a cycling holiday in county Mayo, at that stage Covid was just coming to an end as far as a lot of public restrictions were concerned. However, I knew I needed to make a change in my life, so a looked for a new training course and found one that was the course of my dreams.
I have always loved the Bicycle as a form of transport and fully believe in its future, in fact, I feel strongly that the bicycle will play an ever-growing role in returning our environment to normality.
The course has lived up to every one of my expectations and in many ways has exceeded them.
Here is a list of all subjects included
Bicycle maintenance, including full bike disassembly and reassembly
Electronics
Math and Geometry
Steel bicycle frame building
Engineering
Computer-Aided Design
Bike CAD and bike Geometry
And many many more subjects
Leading a Winner Team for a bike build and business plan project 🙂
I will add a Gallary of images below, It has been a very intensive course with in all fourteen exams, overall I passed with a Distinction and was over the moon with both the result and the course.
I am currently reviewing my options but would love to take up a full role in adding my new skills to an industry I fully support and love.
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August 16, 2022 | Categories: Comment, introductions, Nigel Borrington | Tags: BEA, Bicycle, Bicycle Engineering Academy, Engineering, Gity and Gulds, Health and safety, Nigel Borrington, Raligh, Steel bicycle frame, welding | 4 Comments