Recent content by John Bragg

Of course Matt. Thankyou.

So where are Ilford sourcing their liquid developer from these days ? I thought it may have been Tetenal back along, but since the problems there, who currently makes Ilfotec HC etc for Ilford ? Anyone have any clue ? Champion perhaps ? The label says made in EU rather than made in Germany as...

Thankyou very much.

Jane Bown always claimed that she had to establish a rapport with her subjects for the magic to happen and that it was a two way thing like a conversation.

I like people and also like the challenge of capturing some of their essence and personality. My biggest step forward in technique was to learn not to rely on strobes, but instead to read available light, even if that is provided by a single light bulb and use it to my advantage. Wednesday by...

A brick of HP5+ 35mm and a litre of Ilfotec HC.

Steven, I am very much like you in my liking of grain. I have used Ilfosol 3 exclusively for 3 years and am constantly amazed by how it gives THE most amazing grain and microcontrast. I was blown away years ago by the work of James Ravilious for the Beaford Archive. He was able to show fine...

Personally I find the process of engaging with a subject fascinating. It works well most of the time, and there are times when it is less successful. How we project ourselves as photographers makes a huge difference too. A shy or reluctant subject may be more relaxed if we employ humour. Why do...

I shoot HP5+ in 35mm format and very often shoot a mere one or two frames per subject. Maybe more for a portrait, but capturing personality can be very chimerical and illusive so that's wise. A portrait session this week with a neighbor of mine, a lady of 83 years old, took precisely 3 shots...

Fhotojournalism and also environmental portraiture are my main interests and there is a lot of crossover here. I like a photo to tell a story and maybe give us a glimpse of an interesting personality. The heyday of the Magnum photographer may be past but there is no reason why we can't learn...

I need to re-visit the rock since my last time photographing it was over a decade ago.

And same recipe used for portraiture. Untitled_258019GB by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Leica M6 and 50mm Summicron with HP5+ @ ei200 developed in Ilfotec HC 1:49 for 7 minutes @20°C. Untitled_258021GB by E.J. Bragg, on Flickr

Roger Hicks came from Roche in Cornwall, very close to where I Live. In conversation with Roger, we came to the conclusion that whatever materials we used, our photos would still look like OUR photos and that explains a lot. Once dialed in most developers can be made to work.

I fully agree Keith. I tend to rate my HP5+ @ ei200 and get good results with most developers that way. After an initial familiarisation and dialing in your technique, it is sometimes hard to see a real and meaningful difference with a lot of developers. With a modicum of experience, we can...