Another day with Kodak Tri-X

 A couple of blogs ago I had a day out with my Olympus OM 1 and 2 and compared Ilford HP5 with Kodak Tri-X. It was a dead heat with just price separating them. I got thinking about the differences between my Olympus camera's and whether that had any bearing on the results, so I decided to shoot another roll of each film in my Nikon F801s with AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 plastic fantastic. First up is Kodak Tri-X 400. 

As I mentioned in my earlier blog, Kodak Tri-X has been in production for 60 years with a few improvements along the way. The current emulsion first sold in 2007 is the most recent iteration of this legendary film and the only one I have ever used. I know folk have older versions stashed away in their cold storage for a special occasion, but I like using fresh film and buy it from Analogue Wonderland here in the UK.  

After what seemed like a never ending deluge in February as storm after storm drowned the UK, March has been a definite improvement. I was beginning to think I would never get a nice day again, but by mid March I had enjoyed a few days of sunshine and shot a few rolls of film. I am currently taking part in the Frugal Film Project 2021 and shooting Fomapan 200 in my Olympus 35RC, so taking the F801 out too was a no brainer. I soon got into the swing of things and got half a dozen or so shots as I wandered around my favourite classroom, Mesnes Park in Wigan. My mind was definitely on the FFP as I soon rattled off my roll of Fomapan 200 for March.

Thankfully the next day was also bright and I headed out for a walk around the local farm roads and nature trails, determined to finish my roll of Tri-X. I really enjoyed the fresh air as lockdown has been getting me down of late. It's not been an easy time during the pandemic that we have been enduring for the last year, but the allowed exercise has been a big help for my mental well being. I tried several shots without filters, a couple with a yellow filter and a few more with an orange filter to put a little variety into my compositions and continue to learn the benefits of using filters for B&W photography.

I try to get my shots right in camera in the hope it makes development a little easier as I am still a novice at developing film. Though I am close to the one hundred mark, it's a small number compared to the folks on the Negative Positives Podcast Facebook group who are mostly seasoned veterans and will happily share their knowledge. It's a great community and helps keep film photography alive and kicking. I shot my roll of Tri-X at box speed and developed it in Kodak HC-110 dilution B for 6 minutes and 45 seconds at 20 celcius, nice and simple to keep my consistency up to an ever increasing standard.

I am very pleased with my effort this week, I wanted consistency to really see if Tri-X lives up to its legendary status. I returned to a few compositions from my previous shoot, tried a few different angles and did indeed get good consistent results. This is why Tri-X has been the staple film of Kodak photographers for 6 decades as consistency is the key to getting published. Press photographers are all shooting Digital now, but there are still a few remaining dedicated Film Photograpy publications and of course the 'Zines that are readily available from some of the worlds best film photographers today. One day I hope to join their ranks, but until then here's a few of my photos from this weeks shoot, I hope you enjoy them.