It Was All Going So Well :(

[@davidlewis5929]

Like that you are enjoying working with film. I may still be many many years away from ever having the desire to use it again.

[@SimonBoothPhotography]

The magenta cast has likely come from cocksfoot grass, which is the grass that you show at the start. This grass has a purple hue to the flowers that isn’t that obvious to the naked eye. Look at the grass at the start of the film! It’s in a shady spot and hadn’t opened yet but you can still see the purple if you look at the tips.

[@stephenbarlow2493]

You're right about the Cocksfoot (Dactylus glomerata) earlier in the video and the colour tinge of the inflorescence. There does appear to be some Cocksfoot in Thomas' photo to the mid-right and left, but I think most of the grass is a different species, it looks a bit like Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus), but I can't be sure from this resolution. However, the inflorescence often does have a similar purple hue as Cocksfoot.

[@SimonBoothPhotography]

Stephen Barlow I had thought about old foggy but I generally see that as being more red with my ageing eyes...we could discuss the NVC communities of Toms videos 👍

[@shaun123w]

Nice thought process but notice in the unedited version of the image the trees turn purple too?.. hmm

[@scenespin]

It may be you need an infrared filter. Some plants can bounce it around pretty wildly. Judging from the other mentions of inflorescence, this may help. If you dabble into BW with these, you'll see tones you'd have never noticed before.

[@stephenbarlow2493]

@@SimonBoothPhotography I was going by the overall form of the inflorescences, the way they are all drooping over so they are more or less horizontal and curved, typical of Yorkshire Fog. Yes, it's often a reddish colour tinge but this tinge is quite variable. Overall, there's definitely a colour cast, and I was quite glad to say goodbye to film because of all the problems with colour casts, reciprocity failure and colour temperature. I'm a bit rusty on NVC classifications to say the least, although I did study under John Rodwell.

[@Lindsay_Brunton]

I would have been pleased with those photos. Great video yet again. By the way, loved the Thom Yorke impression on the f4 deleted scene.

[@donaldgould1293]

Your comments on lighthouse interesting. We are so used to that clinical perfection we try to seek with digital photography that we forget about the photography. I wondered how lighthouse would look in mono. A greatt video thanks Thomas, good food for thought.

[@ropeyarn]

One thing that also makes it work is the amazing sharpness of the Zeiss lens.

[@KoenigF50]

One of the joys of shooting film the the wide array of film stocks you can use, each one with it's one "preset look". I love all 3 images you showed here and thanks for sharing them.

[@tHaH4x0r]

We learn more from failures than we ever do from successes. So even though it might feel shitty at times to have something fail, you always gotta realize that it is actually useful and helps us improve. I really enjoyed the lighthouse image though, it's a kind of photography style you don't see so often. Breath of fresh air.

[@paultaylorphotography9499]

That’s the beauty of film it can be grainy gritty very real and timeless. I used to shoot sport for a local paper way back in the 80s / 90s they gave me one roll of 24 exp ilford HP5 and in the depth of a northern winter I was given Tmax 3200 man I hated the grain back then but looking back they were real photos. Great vid mate glad ur not cov positive ✊🏻

[@tpawlicki]

I love your filming/framing for the hiking scenes!

[@simonmiles1972]

I find it curious how younger photographers are drawn to the romanticism of film. I worked with medium and large format film for years and would never go back to it. I find that much of the craft of working with film cameras can be retained in the digital age, for example, by working with a carefully chosen set of prime lenses methodically and deliberately from a tripod, while taking advantage of the improved resolution, colour and dynamic range of digital capture. But I wish you luck with your exploration of medium format film. Well worth adding a second film back to your Hasselblad system. This was always one the system's strengths.

[@noggin48]

Enchanted Forest, they are only real, if it includes a collection of the English Yew Trees. They are so tough and resilient, that they can live over 1,000 years. I know of a forest that has quite a few, a couple of miles from Arundel Castle, West Sussex. Many thanks for my book you sent me, it arrived this morning, it's lovely.

[@StephenMilner]

Well that was a very honest video. The purple hue looks like it could be a scanning issue. It looks like you didn’t have any issues with the other shots so I doubt it’s the labs fault. Perhaps show us how you are scanning. If you haven’t done so already, have a look at Alex Burke’s blog where he talks about the use of colour film. Kodak Portra is a very versatile film.

[@robintielker9338]

I love these Hasselblad sessions!!

[@miked3564]

I like your Lighthouse Thomas. It looks quite Indie rather than Mainstream and it's absolutely fine for film photography.

[@JoelNeild]

Sounds like you are learning the fun of picking the best film for your current lighting situation. The learning curve can be steep (especially when you are looking for a film that provides results you like) but with time and 'wasted' film you will find your analog mojo. Thanks for sharing you experiences and failures. I don't think enough photographers show off their disappointments to help others learn. Good luck with the covid test.

[@JamesBellLandscapePhotography]

All those scenes would have worked nicely on PanF film Tom. With no grain too. I suspect the purple tint is under exposure in the first image. You will introduce more grain when you vary your exposures too. An extra film back is a good investment.

[@dasp125]

I was going to say reciprocity failure, but not at 1/30 sec. I would say white balance was too cool so a warming filter would of corrected the blue/magenta cast. I would use Velvia 50 for fog and low contrast days and ektar 100 for high contrast days 🙂

[@RamonLinares]

The quality of the video footage has improved immensely. I normally watch the videos on a 65" 4k TV and I really enjoy the new 'look'. Thanks!

[@xSoupyTwist]

Really liked the gritty simplicity of the lighthouse photo!

[@DennisSiebertPhotography]

I'm glad you're trying out 4K. On larger monitors 1080p unfortunately looks very modest. I noticed this especially with your videos. Don't ask me why with your videos. When I was still filming with the EOS M6 it looked similar. From others 1080p looks much better. I switched to 4K about a year ago, filming with the Sony a6400. The power consumption for editing is already higher, but the result is definitely worth it. Can't wait to get your book, pre-ordered it from Germany :-D

[@esphilee]

Your B roll is always fantastic. Not easy running up and down, then act and breath natural. Well done.

[@amyquinn5631]

I received my beautiful book yesterday! Stunning!!! Thank you!

[@RememberNineEleven]

Back in the day , one carried a set of Wratten #81 (warming) filters - to knock back the slight bluish cast from overcast and foggy days. You may need a colour temperature meter in your kit!

[@MindTrailer]

Hi Thomas First - best wishes for feeling better soon. This is a very helpful video; relevant and useful to anyone exploring film. Thank you for putting it together this way. In time I look forward to hearing what film you feel would have given you the look you were seeking.

[@brandoncharles9667]

Love the slight pause at 13:59

[@martinhensonphotography]

Colour temperature has adverse affects in colour, this is your problem , colour film is balanced for sunny days, dull days it needs filtration to bring it back to normal

[@kronkite1530]

Loved this video (even though I disagree with your view of Portra !), so real and natural. Something to be said for spontaneity.

[@noskin.noproblem]

I love the lighthouse image.

[@rafai1281]

It would be best if you bracketed exposures-even 4 of 5 of the same composition. You will figure it out fast and go through the film much quicker also.

[@twistedfirsphotography8444]

~ Can't Wait for the Book ~ !!

[@markhyde1970]

That's the colour of the grass seeds!! Different grasses, different colours, nothing wrong with the colour Tom.

[@Andrey.Elagin]

Film is a magic by itself. Did you think to make the same image from the same point using a digital camera, and compare it? This would be interesting to see, whether there is something in film you would not have in digital...

[@methylnick]

You have renewed my desire to acquire a Blad. I have always wanted to hold a medium format film image. Owning a couple of OM1s and I love shooting colour positive film. Love your work hope you get better soon. And look forward to your book too.

[@steveb7477]

I really like your videos. Regarding your first picture of the foggy area, I have a question...did you have a UV filter on the camera? I believe the issue is NOT the film but the light. You have to understand that in fog, all those water particles will act like a prism too. I'm speculating that there is a lot of UV light mixed with all the fog. I don't recall seeing a UV filter on the lens, but I could be wrong. It might help there. Regarding the picture of the trees, it was much better. So, I would suggest you use a circular polarizer filter. You can see the degree of removal of polarized light and it probably would have helped. Just remember to apply the filter factor (+1.3 compensation). Also, bracket with the filter just to see. Regarding the lighthouse, I think that that "bad" side actually gives it character. It tells the duration of it's existence. Just my thoughts here.

[@jimjimgl3]

The Portra films are great. I would guess it is a miscalculation on exposure or dodgy quality control in development. When I shot film I used Portra pretty consistently (Or Fuji NPS 160) and at the time I often used a polaroid back on my RZ or 4x5 to check exposure after metering but unfortunately those tools are history. When I shoot film now I might bring along my digital camera and use that as an exposure tool. Basically a meter with a lens.... Maybe you could test two labs shooting two rolls and sending off each to a separate lab to compare results.

[@Brock_in_the_North]

I wonderful to see film being used I was around for film but never used it properly, just used cheep cameras with readily available Kodak film. It's amazing how easy we have it now in comparison. I quick snap on a phone, crisp and sharp would have been unthinkable 30-40 years ago not to mention the vast improvement in technology with digital cameras.

[@ashstubbings2603]

You know what I really miss about film cameras? Just that process of 'winding on' the film! There was something so satisfying about it! When I say 'there was', I mean I haven't shot with film for many years, and I'd be petrified of doing so now, in case I realised that I'm not that good a photographer after all! lol. There is, by the way, something about the image you took of the lighthouse, I really do like! I actually like the fact that it's really 'noisy' and grainy! Oh crap! I've edited this comment three times now because I keep thinking of more things I want to say..Right.. this is it! No more edits after this. I just wanted to add a quote which I think is relevant. Thomas Edison once said, and I quote: "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work!" PHEW!!!

[@IvanRiveraStagea]

As others mentioned, it could be a processing error (different emulsions may want to be processed differently too). Btw, 4K video is awesome... it better represents your work on our screens. :) Get well soon, Thomas.

[@fotowissen]

Dear Thomas, wonderful to make mistakes popular. What lenses do you please use on the Hasselblad? I seem to see a longer focal length in the beginning of the video? Tx, Peter

[@ProjectOverseer]

From my own experience, Thomas, you need to be in control of the whole process to get exactly the result you want. i.e. your own darkroom. The paper you choose is just as important as the film, and the development process too. Developing the film (neg or chrome) is also a skilled process. Labs will use a simple process unless you pay for speclised development. I loved working with chrome (which is superior for colour work) and Ilford Cibachrome for prints. B&W is different again. The enlarger, the lens even the enlarger light type is very important. Its mega hard work to get right, and over time, incredibly expensive, but the results have wow factor. BUT, unless you have super expensive high end digital transfer kit, you'll never get the results (not even close) to prints created in the darkroom. High end Digital camera files work obviously in the digital domain i.e. there's no analogue to digital conversion taking place. Every pixel is accounted for in post, and results can get very close to the best of film, and in some cases, surpass it.

[@keithsandercock1412]

What you have outlined with respect to film photography and control of the process is why so many of us happily moved from film to digital.

[@jamesgerboc]

I agree. Transparency film and B&W gave you more control.

[@allandixon8105]

Have to agree with Matthew Gore's comment on reciprocity failure. If you're using long exposures with colour films you're actually "burning" through the colour layers of the emulsion. I don't have the information to hand because it's nearly 40 years since I did this stuff, but you used to be able to time long exposures deliberately to produce colour casts by doing this. If it's just on the one image then that's probably what's happened. If it had been the whole roll then I'd have said the film processing temperature was wrong. Used to use Portra 160 for weddings. As a general rule of thumb, it used to be Kodak for you reds and Fuji for your greens!! For your grain issue: slower film (then you're up against long exposure and reciprocity again!) Everything with film is a compromise somewhere.

[@gbunton]

I think it's reciprocity failure at longer shutter speeds causing your tinting issues.

[@robertfleckenstein5031]

Hi Thomas, welcome to the wonderful world of film. As well as I know Ansel Adams had the only predictable system of photography called "the zone system"; that was for black and white and works extreeeeemly well. I would guess it's the dyes used to create images on "cellulose" that "see's" colors differently. Try some of the "T grain" films, their made with different light sensitive grains and have better reciprocity characteristics. I don't think people really appreciate the wonderful features built into digital cameras now-a-days like focus stacking, bracketing, and adjustable ISO until using film. The plus, as far as I'm concerned, is digital will never duplicate the "film look", which I really like, in prints. God Bless and keep the beautiful images coming. Remember, one man's failure is another's brilliance. For me it was always the other way around.

[@BigBadLoneWolf]

I go to the SW side of the lighthouse, cos thats where the car park is, and there is a burger van there

[@bernardelliott1284]

You are at the start of a frustrating process. It will be interesting to see how you cope. My advice, for what it is worth, is to get two more backs. Have two colour films (possibly one transparency) and one B&W. Backs don't take up a lot of space and they will give you far more flexibility to match film with conditions.

[@blivieriphoto]

So sorry you were sick Tom. Must have been quite scary telling you you need the covid test. Glad youre better. You look good. Very purple-y image. Lol. It was interesting. I love that you're doing film though. Makes for a great challenge. And I got your book this past Friday, absolutely love it!! Video looks nice too!!

[@hobosapienskimohman]

There is a problem in developing process or scanning method. Not a portra feature

[@jw0001]

Hope you start feeling better. Waiting on your book to be delivered....just came in. Thanks

[@kevinargue6514]

The Magenta cast in the shadows can occur for different reasons. Some old, some new. Under replenished or not fully up to temp color developer can cause poor grays and blacks and cause color shifts in the shadows. Even small light leaks in the scanning process can also cause casting in the shadows. Long exposures can cause reciprocity effect and cross curving where correcting for color in one color produces an undesirable effect on another.The possibilities are numerous. Basically do your part the best you can and find a lab that you trust to run test strips often and correct their chemistry and temperatures as needed.

[@albertotafuro8730]

I really like the video!, I like how you describe the path to get to the final result!....very very interesting!! I how can I order your new book?

[@stevesomers7366]

Welcome to the world of film...slugging it out waiting, hoping, trying again, no computers, no software...only the traditional process, which, if in color, typically printed by a lab. Once received and the print is not what you thought it should be...well, try again. Those were daunting times that I DO NOT miss!

[@Paramocinema]

I loved the pictures!

[@dbl1db]

Film date/storage lottery and who/how it was developed spring to mind.

[@Schaneification]

welcome to film it might be the film it might be the way the processing . I started on Film back in the 80's film is like a box of chocolate 😊

[@oct_blk]

Hi, i also shoot medium format film, but in b&w. But for curiosity i said i had to give color film a try, so i bought a Portra 400. From the moment i put that film in my camera there wasn't a single sunny day :)) but i took a couple of shoots in those conditions. I developed the film myself using Tetenal Colortec C-41, all the picture had seriously magenta shift, and i said to myself that being my first try i did something wrong with the chemicals and temperatures. But now i see that i'm not the only one, so maybe is not the lab fault, is just the film not liking those conditions of light, try b&w film for cloudy or foggy days.

[@peterh1790]

Great video and great inspiration! After your recent videos I decided to spend some money on fixing my fathers old Hasselblad 500c. Portra 400 and Ektar 100 came in the mail yesterday so now I will start the same journey as you and I expect it to go horribly wrong for some time now :D

[@Distinctly.Average]

Ben there, done that. I went on a trip down under years ago and only packed Fuji 800. Even stopped down the light was so bright that most of the time I couldn’t get a fast enough shutter speed without slapping an ND filter on. Being in the back of beyond it was almost impossible to get some film. Worse still, when I got back the lab screwed up 6 of the 29 rolls from the trip and in different ways with each including using the wrong process.

[@seanlee4294]

I'm sure you have seen them, but Kyle McDouglall has made a few videos demonstrating the limits of popular films. For example, he has a video on Portra 400 where he pushes film up and down and tries to recover them in post and demonstrates just how much abuse these films can take.

[@caohungrf]

I really like the photos you take

[@markjutsum6187]

Good to see even you pros needs to learn. Gives me hope on the beginning of my photo learning journey that learning is what it’s all about. Cheers Ps based in Norfolk England checking the post regularly for that pre ordered book.

[@angelksaxena]

keep the 4K coming Thomas.

[@cubephotos]

Really loving your film content. I've recently started shooting film again (35mm) and have virtually no idea what I'm doing. Encouraged by my results none the less. Personally I love the images you've shared made with your Hasselblad. Amazing to see your learning process/progress. I understand its important to critique your own work but don't be too hard on yourself. The images look amazing so far! I hope you get well soon and stay Covid free!

[@billybraithwaite67]

Personally I liked the images..but maybe better in B&W ? The joys of waiting on the photos developing. Stick with the hasselblad Tom I’ve a soft spot for it.

[@neilbest7696]

It is possible the anti-halation coating on the film did not wash away in the development procedure. Tends to turn things purple.

[@stevenbridgland3727]

Another print run of the book coming ? Interested if so !

[@AKHILPOKLE]

14:15, Man that looks like a painting. Amazing !! The lighthouse image looks like something shot during WW2, it gives a vibe of someone photographing the surroundings as a memory.

[@timzegstroo]

Think the purple is something that occurred in scanning. I recommend watching Nick Carvers vid on scanning (with epson perfection scanners). He has some tips in there regarding colour. Might be salvageable!

[@joshuajoldfield]

Hi Tom, loving your hasselblad/film videos! I have a 501c myself :) Regarding the purple cast on the first image to me it looks like a scanning issue. Possibly a little under exposed as well. Likely your scanner/software just interpreted the negative incorrectly. Epson flatbeds can have trouble with scenes that don’t have a broad spectrum of colour. Try adjusting your shadows via individual RGB curves to remove the purple cast. ✌️

[@opwanncanopie]

Try using Fuji Pro400H for better greens

[@chucktintera9029]

I chased film scanning for more years than I care to recall. And concluded that color accuracy is a crap shoot. It's possible that your film roll was older than you think, or the coating process include a change in the dyes, or the film was exposed to some external influence - even the atmosphere of the packing. There's a technique that measures the b+fog of the masking between the frames you might want to try.

[@adiab7076]

Hello Thomas, i would like to say first that I hope you will feel better soon. I really love your work, even your "mistake" look nice... I also believe you should go out and experiment. That is the only way you can learn. Regarding the purple cast, have you considered to develop the film yourself? I think that way you will be more in controll. Anyway, I waiting for youe next video... All the best, Adi

[@guidolima]

Love the “grunge” lighthouse... agree with the over exposing in the woods, but you were able to bring it back nicely! And the first field photo looks nice, although I would also bring it back a tiny, but no idea on the drastic color shift... would it be “only” for the white balance? Maybe...

[@chrishodgin4451]

Nice to see a video where shots aren’t 100% percent good and honest 😀😀😀

[@gregs2466]

I got "Landscape Photography" today and I knew you used several cameras but most of the book is my fav the Canon 5D IV. I also have the 5D III, 5D IV and I just bought the Canon EOS R. My favorite is the 5D IV and believe it produces the best! Nice book and interesting choices. I have not had the time to really go over it properly but will be doing so. Congratulations on it!

[@thebluereverend]

Really doesn’t look “noisy” to my eye. I mean you’re zooming in extensively you could make massive prints from those negatives and probably never notice it. But for sure a low speed negative (Ektar 100) or slide film like you’ve been using would produce less grainy results.

[@wandiloch]

The 'flowers' of many types of grass are purple if you look closely, I think the film was just really grabbing onto that colour that your eye didn't see as strongly. I am guessing most of the grass was yorkshire fog! www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/grasses-and-sedges/yorkshire-fog-grass/

[@marq4porsche]

Hi Thomas, love your channel and glad to see you trying out film! I do agree with some of your assessment when it comes to your film choice here, but I think that looks really grainy for Portra 400 in 6x6. To get less grain you may try out Ektar 100 and that would have helped for the forest image, while Portra 160 would have helped for the other scenes. Provia, as you know would be nicely smooth but is a lot harder to control, than negative film. If you have an xrite color checker, bring that and expose a frame with it. Then when editing in Photoshop, be sure to go into your curves and select the correct black point and white point as well as middle gray. This will help determine the true color as will help your overall contrast and help eliminate color cast. You don't need to have an xrite to do this. You can still determine the black and white points, it just becomes a bit harder.

[@JohnTomasella]

Those conditions suit HP5+. You should really take me up on my offer.

[@br0neck]

maybe silly question... but how do u develop film photo into a digital version-to LR?

[@williampichardo1485]

The purple hue feels like the film captured part of the UV spectrum but that is near impossible to happen on ONE frame

[@nevilleholmes1324]

Steve O"nions is a good suggestion, your desert rat friend may not be of any help as he seems to live in the land of perfect light. My vote is for colour temperature and reciprocity however the grass flower suggestion is interesting.. With film if the warm colours are faint, then you filter out the cold colours you end up with only the grain. If your scanning / inversion software allows you to set the colour temperature to say 7000 then that may help in LR.

[@ceddavinci2035]

Martin Freeman again doing his thing. Great work!

[@martstevensprojectfotograf9078]

pushing can introduce grain and color shifts to your images

[@MrTinykin]

I like how Thomas is lightly dressed for a typical English summer day

[@tobiaspolinder5251]

that was a really nice video, thanks Tom!

[@eldiabolico3750]

The company that developed the screen screw up. It happened to me multiple times in the 80s...

[@yaacovtench3060]

Thanks for the video, I love watching your videos:)

[@ronpettitt6184]

what type of file are you scanning to? Does it make jpeg? If it's jpeg, you are held back in your editing power, right? This is what's held me back from trying film again.

[@MeAMuse]

Isn't the advantage of having a Hassie - that you can have multiple backs with different film in? Maybe you need to get some so you can experiment with multiple films. Might accelerate that learning curve.

[@geraldwu8953]

Definitely have more than one film back to load different speeds of film in them? I have 3 to switch between two speeds (160/400) of color and one for black & white.

[@Jagrajagra]

There are certain kinds of grass whose seed heads have a gentle purple tint. I’ve wandered through fields of them all my life. Perhaps your picture is not so inaccurate as you think? And foggy conditions seem to have a way of making things vibrant at certain times of day. Or so it seems to me

[@markroylance1584]

Tom... Just use fuji chrome!!

[@penbphotography]

Right 😳 you are a lot higher the photography ladder than I am so you will have to forgive the rant (Don't worry a good rant.) Instagram will rot the photographic brain. Filled with high saturated photography with low personality (I must send a link to my Instagram account 😂😂😂.) I love seeing a bit of dirty, creative, grainy photography. A breath of fresh air. Don't be so hard on your self. Take one large swig of lemsip buy a second back and a Polaroid back as well. Looking forward to my pre-ordered book love your work.

[@3ArtDigital]

Is it possible to do bracketing with film ?

[@Photoandcargeek]

Portra is a film with reduced red sensitivity made for portrait. Arguably you can be creative and use whatever film you want to take any picture you want but, I would never have used Portra for landscapes. Not quite sure what medium formats films are on sale at the moment because i have only kept my film Canon SLRs and Leica M6 from the film era... But yes, I would have used any general purpose colour film including commercial films for that type of photography and then tweaked it in the lab. For professional film i generally used more Fuji than Kodak but i have done many studiob portrait shoots with the Portra film. Oh and technically you didn't push the film when you over exposed it, you "pulled" it. Also each film (or slide film) has its own tolerance for over our under exposure, so you should check it before you use it.

[@przefermentujto]

Have you tried to convert it into black and white?

[@SISSI_LU]

Ah we all know that feeling way too well 😢

[@heldermartins2136]

4k yeah, lovin it

[@barrystreet2046]

Probably processing ,old chemicals maybe..i've processed heaps of colour neg seen many colour casts

[@taylornoel]

All of your issues look like development and scanning issues to me. I would consider switching shops. 🤷‍♂️