For some time now when leaving the lab at night time to see the last remnants of a golden summer evening, I’ve had it in mind to go to one of our favourite spots to take some photos of those final few minutes of sunlight. Well, we finally managed to make it happen and I am pleased to say that I achieved the kind of photos I had been envisaging.
There are many myths about Fuji 400H, one of them being that its natural look is light and airy and made of soft, pastel colours. Like some of the other myths about this film stock, it’s simply untrue. Fuji 400H is my ‘go to’ colour film stock now unless I am photographing bright, contrasty travel/editorial scenes in which case I love Kodak Ektar for achieving shots like these and these. So what with my own use of Fuji 400H as well as working with it daily at UK Film Lab, I am used to seeing just how versatile it is and how many different types of light and scene it can excel at capturing. More and more I have been trying to take photos that show some of the nuances of light – the subtleties we often appreciate with our eyes – photos that have the light as the subject rather than an object or person or place. It has also been a very useful exercise for me in continuing to improve my metering, and more frequently I find myself using spot metering and really thinking about where I want my different ‘zones’ to sit in the scene in front of me.
So here are some photos of one of my favourite places in England, taken during those last few minutes of light. I exposed them in a way that attempts to capture the light and mood of the time, and I love the rich colours that Fuji 400H has provided.
Fuji 400H | Pentax 67ii | UK Film Lab
Arvee - I’ve been researching for this film and I found your blog. 😉 Can’t wait to try this one, although a roll can be expensive.