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10/08/2004 Entry: "in the dark"

After too many weeks away, I finally escaped to the darkroom for a chance to print some of the many negatives accumulated over the past month. Ran out of energy and paper about the same time but not before kicking out over a dozen prints. Some family stuff, some of friends and one more from the nymph series.

This and the last weekend at Seneca Rocks were a good opportunity for comparison of the results of two Ilford 400 speed films. The shots with Andrea were done with Ilford Delta 400 and the images from Seafest were my first try of Ilford HP5. Both films were developed in Xtol at a 1:1 dilution, the Delta for 11.5 minutes and the HP5 for 12 minutes.

The Delta offers a much fine grain with smoother tones, especially noticeable in skin tones. The HP5 seemed much more contrasty, with a pronounced but far from objectionable grain pattern. I happen to like a bit of grain and at normal viewing distances the HP5 provides just enough of a clumpy feel that you know in an instant you are looking at a film photograph and not a desaturated digital image. I may be able to knock the grain down a bit with some developer experimentation but I'm not sure if I even want to yet. I'll try a few more rolls in some upcoming shoots, along with some more Delta 400, and get a better feel for which suits my style and eye better.

I may end up liking them both. That could be a fine excuse to scour eBay for yet another camera body or two.