Nantes Cathedral

One of my first photos inside the cathedral since the 2019 fire…

Shot on the Nikon FE with Ilford HP5+ inside Nantes Cathedral — a space that rewards patience. The high vaulted ceilings and narrow stained windows create pools of dramatic contrast that HP5+ handles beautifully at box speed. The challenge is managing the exposure gap between illuminated stonework and deep shadows; letting the highlights roll off rather than forcing them gives the image its weight. See the full article: Waiting for the Light: Reclaiming the Cathedral with Ilford HP5+ on IJM Photography.

Waiting for the last tram

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Nikon FE HP5

Night street photography in Nantes with the Nikon FE and HP5+. City light at night is far more generous than it looks — tram lines, shop fronts, and street lamps all contribute. HP5+ responds well to the longer exposures these conditions demand, and the grain that comes with it is an asset rather than a problem, adding texture to the empty platform and the trailing lights. See the full article: More Light Than We Imagine on IJM Photography.

Tu es magique

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NIkon FE HP5

A Clisson afternoon with the Nikon FE and HP5+. The medieval town’s light — diffused through narrow streets and stone archways — is exactly what HP5+ is calibrated for. The grain structure stays tight in the midtones, giving faces and surfaces real presence. Working at wider apertures keeps the shutter speed honest while pulling the subject cleanly from the background. See the full article: Clisson — A Guilty Pleasure on IJM Photography.

Nantes Street Photography

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Nikon FE HP5 edited in Lightroom

Nantes in monochrome — the Nikon FE and HP5+ on the streets. Street photography in black and white demands that you read light fast and commit to the frame before the moment dissolves. HP5+ tolerates a stop of overexposure without losing shadow detail, giving you latitude to expose for the subject rather than the scene. Edited in Lightroom to preserve the film grain structure rather than suppress it. See the full article: You Can’t Buy Happiness, But… on IJM Photography.

Basket case

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Nikon FE with Tri X stopped right down. Sometimes you just need some grain.

Nikon FE with Kodak Tri-X, shot stopped right down in Clisson — because sometimes you want grain, not despite it. Tri-X at box speed with a small aperture gives a dense, deliberate quality; the grain structure is coarser than HP5+ and reacts differently to flat light, producing a heavier, more graphic rendering. The basket’s weave becomes an exercise in tonal compression — light and shadow reduced to simple geometric shapes. See the full article: The HP5 Plus 100 ASA Experiment: A Happy Accident? on IJM Photography.

Clisson on a bad day

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You don’t always get the great weather but you go out anyway? You adapt and get over not having gorgeous weather and golden hour to do the work for you.

Flat light doesn’t mean no light — it just means the contrast has to come from the subject rather than the sky. The Nikon FE and Kodak Tri-X on a grey Clisson afternoon. Overcast conditions are ideal for black and white; the even illumination lets you build contrast locally rather than battling it globally. The grain here carries the mood that the weather denies. See the full article: Messing About Along the River in Clisson on IJM Photography.

Up and close

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Getting up and close to scooter, Shenzhen, China, X100F

Close focus with the X100F in Shenzhen — getting inside the normal comfort zone to let the geometry of the scooter dominate the frame. The X100F’s fixed 23mm equivalent allows you to work this tight while keeping enough environmental context to place the subject. Converted to monochrome to strip the urban colour noise and let form and light speak for themselves. See the full article: China — Shenzhen Day 3 on IJM Photography.

A school bus

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A school bus in Shenzhen, China, X100F

A Shenzhen school bus in passing — the X100F and a fast reaction time. The X100F’s leaf shutter helps here: near-silent and responsive. Monochrome conversion strips the red livery and pushes attention toward the silhouetted figures inside. See the full article: China — Shenzhen Day 3 on IJM Photography.

Selfie

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Window on the World, aka Selfie Heaven, Shenzhen, China, X100F

Window on the World, Shenzhen — a place purpose-built for the selfie generation, and completely sincere about it. The X100F held low, shooting upward into the light. Monochrome turns a chaotic colour scene into a study in backlit silhouettes: the phone screen glowing against the face, reflective surfaces multiplying the light. Sometimes the most honest photograph of a moment is the one where everyone is photographing themselves. See the full article: China — Shenzhen Day 3 on IJM Photography.

The stage

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People checking out the stage for that night’s concert in Shenzhen, China, X100F

Before the music starts — people at a Shenzhen venue checking out the stage. The X100F in available stage light: high contrast, directional, unpredictable. Monochrome collapses the coloured gels into a simpler tonal range and focuses attention on the posture and movement of the figures rather than the spectacle behind them. See the full article: China — Shenzhen Day 3 on IJM Photography.