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Kodak Tri-X 400: Initial Thoughts

35mm Black and White Film

By Sophia CareyPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
Top Story - February 2021
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Kodak Tri-X Review Video

Generally speaking, I'm not a photographer who shoots a lot of black and white. When it comes to film, before this roll, I had only ever shot one roll of black and white and, to be honest, it was an accident:

It was the first roll of film I had ever shot and I genuinely didn't know that different stocks yielded different results. A complete novice. I was probably so focused on learning how to load the film that I didn't even consider reading the information on the roll.

When it comes to digital, you might occassionally see me release a black and white photo, but I usually opt to keep my photos in colour. I think it really comes down to the fact that colour generally characterises my work so much; it's one of the key things that I consider when setting up a scene. Even when I do convert an image into black and white, you can almost guarantee that I've also delivered the same photography in colour too.

However, I was recently inspired by the work of artists, such as Mavis CW, who works almost exclusively with black and white film stocks. Mavis' work is mostly shot on 35mm Kodak Tri-X 400, so I thought I'd give the film stock a try too. After all, maybe it could change my perspective on shooting black and white?

Dan, by Sophia Carey

Dan, by Sophia Carey

Photograph by Sophia Carey

I only managed to shoot the one roll of Kodak Tri-X 400, using my Canon EOS 500, but I wanted to ensure that I shot a mixture of portrait and street work, to try and get a more well-rounded view of the film stock. I suppose that's the good thing about trying a film stock on 35mm opposed to on 120; there are more images in one roll to give you a more rounded view.

From my short experience with the film, it's definitely a stock that I want to shoot more of in the future. The quality of the grain in the 35mm format is beautiful and gives the imagery a classic look. I also like the amount of contrast that the film has, and the flatter blacks and shadows that characterise the film stock.

That being said, there were certain instances where I would have prefered a bit more contrast - such as in this shot (below), where the red graffiti is almost completely lost in the red of the brick. It's a shame since the graffiti was what drew me towards capturing the scene in the first place.

Photograph by Sophia Carey

However, having a better understanding of the contrast that this film has, I would avoid photographing palettes with minimal contrast in the future. It's all a learning experience, after all.

As I mentioned, I generally pay a lot of attention to the colours in the scene. I'm hoping that, by shooting more in black and white, removing the element of colour will force me into refining other technical elements of my work: working with composition, texture, lighting.

I definitely want to shoot a few more rolls of the stock in 35mm and try it in 120 too, but for my first attempt with the film stock, I'm really happy with the quality of the film and of the images. I've also been given the advice to try shooting black and white with some yellow, orange and red filters, which I'm looking forward to trying.

Seeing the world in black and white might be for me, after all.

Buy Kodak Tri-X 400 here and view more of my work via my website, Instagram and YouTube, where I'd love to hear of your experiences with the film stock too!

Photograph by Sophia Carey

Dan, by Sophia Carey
Photograph by Sophia Carey

film
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About the Creator

Sophia Carey

Photographer and designer from London, living in Manchester.

sophiacarey.co.uk

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