Guides.

Written-down versions of what I've worked out — so you don't have to relearn the hard way.

  1. The Alfie BOXX: a box camera that develops its own prints The Alfie BOXX: a box camera that develops its own prints Hands on with the Alfie BOXX, a box camera built for black and white paper reversal. Compose, expose onto paper, then develop the print inside the holder.
  2. Paper reversal in a churchyard with a 1905 Cooke lens Paper reversal in a churchyard with a 1905 Cooke lens Back to black and white paper reversal after more than a year off, with the Stenopeika Caronte 4x5 and a Taylor-Hobson Cooke lens from around 1905.
  3. Farewell to the Bronica ETRS Farewell to the Bronica ETRS One last shoot with a camera I have loved, before it heads to its new owner in Australia. Self-portraits on Kentmere 200 and Potsdam in my garage studio.
  4. Rolleiflex 6006 review: a great camera I'm still selling Rolleiflex 6006 review: a great camera I'm still selling After six months of failure, a broken first copy and a retired camera tech in Toronto, I finally got a working Rolleiflex 6006. So why am I selling it?
  5. Harman Phoenix 2 review: a proper colour film now Harman Phoenix 2 review: a proper colour film now Hands-on review of Harman Phoenix 2 in 120, shot beside Phoenix 1 across two rolls in rural Gloucestershire. It is a real step on, and I am buying more.
  6. Flash and black and white paper reversal: a 1000W test Flash and black and white paper reversal: a 1000W test Can flash solve the long exposure problem in black and white paper reversal? I tested a Bowens Esprit 1000DX on a Stenopeika Caronte 4x5. It just works.
  7. Harman Red 125 in 120: a film I still do not understand Harman Red 125 in 120: a film I still do not understand Harman Red is now in 120 alongside the original 35mm launch. I shot two rolls trying to work out what it is for. It makes red images, very competently.
  8. Inside the Armstrong Hall: a theatre frozen at lockdown Inside the Armstrong Hall: a theatre frozen at lockdown Thornbury's Armstrong Hall closed at the start of UK lockdown and stayed shut four years. Before it reopens I went in with a 4x5 and 24 sheets of FP4.
  9. Kentmere Pan 200 review: a budget film with real character Kentmere Pan 200 review: a budget film with real character Kentmere Pan 200 is Ilford's new budget film, between Pan 100 and 400. Tested on Bronica GS1 and Rolleiflex SLX, it is properly good at around £5 a roll.
  10. Sekonic L858-D review: six months with the gold standard Sekonic L858-D review: six months with the gold standard An honest review of the Sekonic L858-D SpeedMaster after six months of use, including for the paper reversal project. It is brilliant, and expensive.
  11. Stenopeika Caronte 4x5: the cypress-wood field camera Stenopeika Caronte 4x5: the cypress-wood field camera Stenopeika's new Caronte 4x5 is a premium step up from the Air Force 4x5, with a Tuscan Cypress body and all-metal base. First impressions from the studio.
  12. Missing my Bronica S2A: an appreciation Missing my Bronica S2A: an appreciation I am in Canada and my Bronica S2A is at home, and I miss it. A quiet appreciation of the camera that has become part of the family over seven years.
  13. Leica M6 vs Texas Leica: Portra 400 in two rangefinders Leica M6 vs Texas Leica: Portra 400 in two rangefinders A street photography collaboration in Toronto, putting a Leica M6 against a Fuji GSW690iii on the same Portra 400, in the same streets. Not a competition.
  14. Fuji GSW690iii review: a camera that might be too good Fuji GSW690iii review: a camera that might be too good The Fuji GSW690iii makes immaculate 6x9 negatives from a fixed 65mm super-wide lens. It is bulletproof and flawless. So what do I actually do with it?
  15. K&F Concept A254C4 tripod review: birds at minus fourteen K&F Concept A254C4 tripod review: birds at minus fourteen An honest review of the K&F Concept A254C4 carbon fibre tripod and B-35L ballhead, plus my slow-motion disaster photographing birds in sub-zero Toronto.
  16. Stenopeika Minutero 2.0: paper reversal at the kitchen table Stenopeika Minutero 2.0: paper reversal at the kitchen table The Stenopeika Minutero 2.0 develops 4x5 black and white paper inside the holder itself, no darkroom needed. After one session it changed how I work.
  17. Reveni Labs Lumo review: a $200 light meter that delivers Reveni Labs Lumo review: a $200 light meter that delivers Hands-on with the Reveni Labs Lumo, a tiny multi-function light meter that does nearly everything a Sekonic L858-D does for about a fifth of the price.
  18. Building a massive DIY ultra large format box camera Building a massive DIY ultra large format box camera How I built a 20x16 ultra large format portrait box camera from plywood, a WWII aerial lens and 3D-printed cones, for about £300. The build and lessons.
  19. Sirui C150X Lite review: a 150W light for paper reversal Sirui C150X Lite review: a 150W light for paper reversal The Sirui C150X Lite is a 150-watt constant light for semi-pro work, with a battery handle and QR40 softbox. Bright enough even for low-ISO paper reversal.
  20. Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 520: a 90-year-old 645 folder for £20 Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 520: a 90-year-old 645 folder for £20 The Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 520 dates from 1932. Fully mechanical and pocketable, with a 70mm f3.5 Tessar. About £20 on eBay, and the results are extraordinary.
  21. Multi-exposure paper reversal portraits for a Vienna show Multi-exposure paper reversal portraits for a Vienna show Asked to submit to a Vienna exhibition, I made a series of multi-exposure self-portraits on black and white paper reversal. Unexpected and rather lovely.
  22. Jaggle Berlinova review: darkroom prints in daylight Jaggle Berlinova review: darkroom prints in daylight The Jaggle Berlinova is a daylight printing system that makes analogue enlargements with no darkroom, the way daylight tanks process film without one.
  23. Black and white paper reversal: a paper and developer test Black and white paper reversal: a paper and developer test Sixteen papers, eleven developers and four days in the darkroom, hunting what reduces contrast in black and white paper reversal. Ansco 120 made it work.
  24. Harman Phoenix 120 review: a colour film for medium format Harman Phoenix 120 review: a colour film for medium format Harman Phoenix arrived in 120 in 2024, the first all-new colour film for medium format in years. I tested it in confetti fields, a Holga and the studio.
  25. Lomo LC-A 120 review: a medium format point-and-shoot Lomo LC-A 120 review: a medium format point-and-shoot The Lomo LC-A 120 is an auto-exposure point-and-shoot shooting 6x6 on 120. I took it across Botswana and Namibia, loved the lens, and wanted one anyway.
  26. Zhiyun Cinepeer CF100: a stick light for film photography? Zhiyun Cinepeer CF100: a stick light for film photography? The Zhiyun Cinepeer CF100 is an LED stick light aimed at video. I tested it for film portraits, even dry plates at ISO 2, and the shape of it won me over.
  27. Stenopeika Air Force 4x5: a great first large format camera Stenopeika Air Force 4x5: a great first large format camera Eighteen months with one large format camera. A long-term review of the Stenopeika Air Force 4x5, the entry-level field camera I use for all my 4x5 work.
  28. AstrHori XH-2 review: a good meter, a comedy of my errors AstrHori XH-2 review: a good meter, a comedy of my errors The AstrHori XH-2 is a compact reflective hot shoe meter that styles beautifully on a Bronica ETRS. It is great. I am the problem here, not the meter.
  29. Freewell V2 Hybrid review: a variable ND and polariser Freewell V2 Hybrid review: a variable ND and polariser The Freewell V2 Hybrid combines a 3-to-7-stop variable ND and a circular polariser in one filter. Tested on 4x5, the stop markings make film exposure easy.
  30. Fuji GX680 review: a £40 beast with insane image quality Fuji GX680 review: a £40 beast with insane image quality The Fuji GX680 is the biggest medium format SLR I have owned, and it makes the sharpest images I have got from film. Dead batteries make these dirt cheap.
  31. Mamiya RB67 review: a great camera, but most are ruined Mamiya RB67 review: a great camera, but most are ruined The Mamiya RB67 is a great medium format camera in good condition. The problem is most for sale are not. I bought three and returned two. What to look for.
  32. VSGO Black Snipe 25L review: the camera bag I've been looking for VSGO Black Snipe 25L review: the camera bag I've been looking for A camera bag actually built right for large format film shooters. Rigid body, fully customisable interior, properly secure tripod mount, $250.
  33. Building an ultra large format pinhole camera out of a cardboard box Building an ultra large format pinhole camera out of a cardboard box Stenopeika launched an 11x14 ultra large format camera. I cannot afford one. So I built a 12x16 pinhole camera out of a cardboard box for under £10.
  34. Pentacon Six TL review: cheap, capable, and only as good as the lens you put on it Pentacon Six TL review: cheap, capable, and only as good as the lens you put on it Pentacon Six TLs are everywhere and they're cheap, which is the bit that matters. The body is fine. The Carl Zeiss lenses are the reason to buy in.
  35. Photographing Thornbury Men's Shed on four different cameras Photographing Thornbury Men's Shed on four different cameras Thornbury Men's Shed on four cameras. The place is brilliant. The cameras were a mixed bag. The panoramic Brownie 2A took two attempts to get right.
  36. Printing or scanning: how the same negative can look completely different Printing or scanning: how the same negative can look completely different Lomography Berlin Kino 400 looked rough when scanned. Printed properly in the darkroom, the same negatives look great. Worth knowing about.
  37. Black and white paper reversal: the technique that actually works Black and white paper reversal: the technique that actually works Six shoots, dozens of test sheets, three findings. ISO 1.8 for paper reversal in UK winter light. Develop to completion. Yellow filters cost four stops.
  38. Lomography Berlin Kino 400 review: is the film supposed to look like that? Lomography Berlin Kino 400 review: is the film supposed to look like that? Lomography Berlin Kino 400 has a startlingly dark film base. Two rolls and two developers later, I am sure that yes, it is supposed to look like that.
  39. AstrHori AH-M1 review: a hot shoe light meter you are supposed to sand down AstrHori AH-M1 review: a hot shoe light meter you are supposed to sand down The AstrHori AH-M1 is a hot shoe meter you are encouraged to sand the paint off. It is also a perfectly decent meter. Both things are true.
  40. Lomography Lady Grey 400 review: a well-behaved black and white film Lomography Lady Grey 400 review: a well-behaved black and white film Lomography Lady Grey 400 surprised me. Fine grain for a 400 film, controlled contrast, clean rendering. Not what I expected from Lomography at all.
  41. Black and white paper reversal: 4x5 prints for 25p a sheet Black and white paper reversal: 4x5 prints for 25p a sheet Black and white paper reversal lets you shoot 4x5 prints for around 25p a sheet, no negatives needed. Cheap, hands-on and tricky. How it works.
  42. Kiev 60 review: not a Pentacon Six copy, and arguably the better camera Kiev 60 review: not a Pentacon Six copy, and arguably the better camera The Kiev 60 is dismissed as a Soviet Pentacon Six copy. It is neither a copy nor a worse camera. With Carl Zeiss Jena glass it is genuinely excellent.
  43. Sitting for a wet plate collodion portrait with Guy Bellingham FRPS Sitting for a wet plate collodion portrait with Guy Bellingham FRPS Wet plate collodion produces something nothing else can. I sat for three portraits with Guy Bellingham FRPS, one of the world's best at this process.
  44. Negative Thinking: the Bristol community darkroom run on a mission, not margins Negative Thinking: the Bristol community darkroom run on a mission, not margins Negative Thinking is a Bristol community darkroom run by Tim and Emily. £5 an hour, £50 workshops. The pricing is the mission, not a tactic.
  45. Alfie TYCH review: a brand new half-frame 35mm camera worth taking seriously Alfie TYCH review: a brand new half-frame 35mm camera worth taking seriously The Alfie TYCH is a half-frame 35mm with four lens options including a pinhole and a zone plate. Genuinely new design. Mine earned its keep on holiday.
  46. Zebra dry plate tintypes take two: working out the exposure by trial and error Zebra dry plate tintypes take two: working out the exposure by trial and error Second attempt at Zebra dry plate tintypes. Two packs of plates later I got one I genuinely like. Lessons on exposure, latitude and the guidance.
  47. Kowa Six review: a great camera, until I broke it Kowa Six review: a great camera, until I broke it The Kowa Six is a Japanese 6x6 SLR from the late 60s. Lovely portraits in the right hands. Mine gummed up after two rolls. Know this before you buy.
  48. Zebra dry plate tintypes review: the affordable cousin of wet plate collodion Zebra dry plate tintypes review: the affordable cousin of wet plate collodion Zebra dry plate tintypes give you wet plate collodion aesthetics without the wet workflow. Mixed first results and lessons learned for next time.
  49. Scanning film negatives at home with a DSLR and pixl-latr Scanning film negatives at home with a DSLR and pixl-latr My setup for scanning 35mm, 120, 4x5 and glass plate negatives at home with a digital camera and the pixl-latr holder. The kit, process and problems.
  50. Hasselblad 500C/M review: are they really that special? Hasselblad 500C/M review: are they really that special? Are Hasselblads worth the hype and the money? I borrowed a 500C/M for a day of portraits to find out. Yes, they really are, and that is almost the problem.
  51. What is 120 film? A complete guide to medium format What is 120 film? A complete guide to medium format 120 film is the medium format roll film most photographers move to after 35mm. What it is, how it differs, how to load it, and how the frame sizes work.