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.

Nantes Street Photography

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

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.

Something special from the archives…

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Canon AE1 and Ilford HP5+ working their magic in October 2016 on a walk near Nantes. It’s a photo that just oozes peace to me…

Canon AE1 with Ilford HP5+ on a walk near Nantes, October 2016 — from the Film Archives series on IJM Photography. What makes archive photographs resonate is the combination of subject and the physical qualities of the film: the grain structure of HP5+, the slight imperfections in developing and scanning that a digital file will never replicate. A photograph that oozes peace is one where the photographer felt at peace. See the series: The Opening of the Film Archives on IJM Photography.

The Obligatory Bike shot

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

I think, as photographers, we all have a fetish for a particular subject for our photos. I have a friend in Denmark that admitted to always taking shots of empty park benches. And if i’m going to be honest with you, he did it rather well.

Mine is about the quasi obligatory bike shot. Firstly in these environmentally aware time, people are wanting to reduce their carbon foot print and their impact on the environment. What better than cycling? Well it means that there are quite a few bikes around town. And it’s just something that shouts out to me. Well this photo shouted so loudly that I just had to press my shutter button.

The photo was taken in Nantes, using the Pentax ME Super (which is indeed pretty darned super) with Rollei RPX 100 black and white negative film.

And if you’re interested, have a peek into my world on IJM Photography. Who knows, you might even enjoy it.

Shot on the Pentax ME Super with Rollei RPX 100 film in Nantes. The high-contrast grain structure of the RPX 100 suits street detail beautifully — the spokes and chain become a graphic web of lines rather than just a bicycle. Metering for the mid-tones let the shadows crush naturally, reinforcing that geometry. See more from this camera on IJM Photography.