I learned photography in the 1960’s (yeah, a long time ago). B&W was really the only option because every shot cost money. I did develop my own, but not often. I really didn’t like it, at all.
That said, it was a great way to learn. No room for error and you had to think. Snap shots were a waste.
Now I can get what I want, and not care about how many are trash. The purist will always say it’s not the same. I agree. It’s better.
Adobe and NIK have filters to very closely duplicate any old B&W 35 mm film. Just as good is the ability to create your own.
I used Agfa film a lot, and still have some originals. This is an Agfa APX Pro 100 filter in NIK. After Lightroom and NIK processing it’s the same thing, no smell, sat with a cup of coffee and worked.
Interesting!
Thanks. There are times I just want to shoot blackout and white only. Of course I can’t, B&W doesn’t work well for wildlife, at least not for most shots.
I do love the style though. We were recently ask to participate in the last photo shoot of the Old Charleston Jail. Jail of pirate, highwaymen, etc. It is being stripped, then renovated for offices. Can’t image the cells and ghosts liking it but is a once in a lifetime shoot. In a few months we will publish the shoot. Here and a few magazines.
Cool monochrome shot. Just about all my b&w ends with processing in Exposure X3’s Agfa APX 100 emulation. Shot mostly PlusX & TriX back in the day.
For the longest time I used the NIK version on most of my work. At some point I made a few custom presets and recipes forgetting the filters.
I need to get back to them more. We have a great shoot coming up, the last photo documentation of the iconic Charleston Jail. Full access the last day before it is stripped and rebuilt. Hundreds of years of cells, history, and of course pirates.
Cool!