Ilford XP2 - My Go-To Black and White Film
Millionaires Row ■ Pentax 67 ■ Ilford XP2
I have finally found “the one”. The black and white film to compliment my color work on Portra 400, with it’s silvery highlights, shadow detail and deep blacks: Ilford XP2 Super 400.
It’s been right in front of me this entire time. I even did a mini review of this film 3 1/2 years ago during my One Roll, One Day Challenge. Why I haven’t shot it at the beach is a mystery. I’ve shot nearly every other black and white film: Ilford Delta 100/400/3200, Ilford FP4, Ilford HP5 (pushed, of course) Kodak Tri-X, Kodak Tmax, Fomapan, and even a bunch of expired films. So why now Ilford XP2? Simple - I was trying to keep my black and white work cost-effective, which meant developing and scanning at home.
Most B&W films are developed in black and white chemistry (duh). I had a great system at home and loved the time and process. But what I REALLY loved was not spending $20 a roll to send to a lab for development and scanning.
This is why Ilford XP2 got left out - it is developed in color film C41 chemistry. I loath developing C41 at home. My set up was cumbersome, and so much water, everywhere. I wouldn’t just plop on the countertop as I needed to control a temperature bath and have all these different chemicals submerged.
My inspiration for black and white photography at the beach is solely influenced by Christopher Bickford’s “Legends of the Sandbar” book. The contrast is heavy, the blacks are deep, but the greys are silvery. It’s these tones that I desire. The soft highlights with rich blacks that play perfectly to the beach atmosphere, and more so to my style.
So after years of searching for the perfect black and white photo for my Outer Banks photography, I’m ready to complete my portfolio with and complement my color work.
Jennette’s Pier ■ Mamiya 6 ■ Ilford XP2
What I love about Ilford XP2
It all starts with the exposure latitude of Ilford XP2. I shoot it exactly how I shoot Portra 400, which ends up being 1-2 stops overexposed. I get amazing shadow detail while retaining those hightlights.
The grain in Ilford XP2 is very fine. Some people love that heavy grain look of Kodak Tri-X, and sometimes I do as well, especially for portraits. But in my landscape work, I want people to take in the photo first and not be distracted by grain structure.
Ilford XP2 is developed in color film C41 chemistry. Developing at home is fun, but I STILL have 25 rolls of B&W sitting on my shelf to be developed. It costs labs a lot more to develop B&W because you have to dip-and-dunk it, whereas
Shooting Ilford XP2
Now for me, there are some do’s and don’ts with Ilford XP2. As I’m craving that heavy contrast, which includes driving those blue skies to black, and orange filter is a necessity. The drama that an orange filter adds to black and white photos is intense. White clouds explode from those dark skies. And even on cloudless days, it can help pull your attention away from the blank canvas and draw your eyes to the subject, much like a vignette.
I mentioned I love contrast, and while an orange filter can add that drama, nothing can compensate for good light. Rarely do I get quality results shooting in flat light. So I don’t blame the film for my choice to shoot in low contrast scenes, but with my penchant to overexpose, scenes can get muddy in a hurry with Ilford XP2. With the exposure latitude of Ilford XP2, an overexposed, flatly lit scene becomes a big pile of grey. So when I do run into these flatly lit scenes, I try to dial back the overexposure and shoot for those highlights.
The Bodie Island Lighthouse ■ Pentax 67 ■ Ilford XP2
My bag is always loaded with at least 5 rolls of Portra 400, but 2024 will be a bit different. After the colors of sunrise have faded, I tend to retreat back to the house and wait for the last light of the day. But, now when the light is still low and directional, I’ll switch over to Ilford XP2 and continue to build my portolio. What a year 2024 will be.
