Ilford Delta 3200
Olympus OM10, Zuiko F1.8
October #DeltaDefJam; While I am not sure what exactly that means, it was a opportunity to take part in a celebration of the Ilford Delta film emulsion. More details of the celebration are at the EMULSIVE website which is dedicated to photography on film of all formats. The idea is simply to shoot Ilford Delta film during week one, process during week two, and then share during week three. Of course, I could have used Ilford Delta at anytime, but choosing to take part in the #DeltaDefJam forced me to use film for a week, and more importantly, go out and Shoot!
The images are being shared on twitter during the week 16th – 22nd October with the #DeltaDefJam hashtag.
Buying the Film
When it came to purchasing Ilford Delta Film to take part, I decided I’d try and track some down locally, but the best I could do was while shopping in Leeds. The choice was staggering, just Delta 3200 to choose from. As dull as Britain is in October, I’d be using the film with an Olympus OM10 and Zuiko F1.8 lens, so I was hoping to get away with Delta 400. Since Delta 3200 was all I could get in time for the weeks shoot between 2nd October and the 8th October, this had to do. I am sure stocking many manufacturers of film of various sensitivities is difficult for retailers, it’s not surprising that photography supplies shopping has nearly all transferred online when what choice there is, is so limited.
Development
I have recently been using AG-Photographic in Birmingham for both black and white and colour film development but I have been unimpressed with the state of the negatives when returned. When scanned they have been dirty, I have had two creased films (not caused in the postage) and there has been marks where the emulsion has been scratched away from the film. While I can clean the negatives with cloths, and I am not 100% certain that they have been responsible for the scratches – the creased film is a result of their handling. Whether or not any of my results are of a professional standard is immaterial, I would still like to achieve the best results possible, so this time I have sent film off to Peak Imaging. This is a lab I have used before, and while slightly more expensive I haven’t found fault with their development, just in my photos that are returned. I am not presently set up for home development, but it is something I intend to do once more when I get round to it.
The Results
On return of the negatives a few days later, I scanned the negatives on an Epson V800, with spotting carried out in Adobe Photoshop CC. Here are some exposures from the film:
