Quite some time ago I really started to like the tones of Ilford Delta 3200, but then I came across the view that it ‘shouldn’t’ be used in daylight. That is, because of its high ISO rating, it’s somehow an ill-informed photographer who uses it for anything other than low light scenarios. I didn’t really listen too much to that view but I did start to look at other b&w film stocks and so for some time, I became a greater fan of stocks like TRI-X and Neopan. That said, I do love TRI-X and Neopan and they often surprise me with their ability to capture the mood of a scene and produce a photograph that’s greater than the sum of its parts. That for me – when something is greater than the sum of its parts – is what transports a photograph into something that stops me in my tracks…something that makes me think ‘the scene looked good to my eyes when I took the photograph, but the photograph itself is now more than that.’
So lately I’ve been using a lot more Delta 3200 and it’s reminded me of everything I love about it and it has renewed my thoughts that if shot well, it can look good in any light. And what’s more, it has characteristics that other film stocks just don’t have. I’ve been using it in my Pentax 67ii and although I was never averse to the grain of Delta 3200 in smaller formats, the appearance of the grain in a 6×7 negative is really beautiful. Here’s a shot I took in the Peak District near to where we live. Delta 3200 shot at 1600 and developed normally | Pentax 67ii with 105mm lens | UK Film Lab
