Shooting film is something I've dedicated quite some time to for the past two years. There was a time when I was not shooting digital at all but now that i got me a Canon 80D things have changed a little.
Currently due to the pandemic, sadly, there aren't as many opportunities to shoot neighter digital nor film but that actually makes me look around the hard drive and rediscover photos that i haven't been excited to post before and find more interesting now.
I mainly shoot color or so i think but sometimes the line is a bit blurred and i don't constrain myself to only bnw of color so i try different stocks often. There is one that i really like though. And it's interesting because it's this weird bridge between color and black and white.
The Ilford xp2 is a black and white film but its developed by the c41 process which is the way for color film to be developed. Many people call it a fake bnw film but i don't think that type of judgement is healthy for a creative individual.
The thing i love about it is that its very sharp and not that noisy. Also it has fantastic latitude and a very balanced contrast. I wold probably do a full review of the film and its probably going to be my first film review ever but i love it enough to start such an endeavor.
These are just a few shots i took with it on one roll in three different places around where i live
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This is not so far from where my place is ( 20 some minutes walking) but its interesting to me with its architecture. The post soviet style of those blocks is something i have a strong fascination with and finding such dense landscapes with a nice open area free of foreground is a rare sight in Bulgaria.
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This one is taken on the other side of the city where the canal (river) passes. I've gone trough a big portion of that canal with friends of photo walks. It gives a new perspective of the densely populated are around it. being able to shoot people on it's bridges is always fun. sometimes they see me and sometimes they are totally unbeknownst to the fact that they are getting photographed. Another interesting thing about the canal is that there are openings to the underground tunnel network of the city so you can see signs of homeless people living there, junkies walking around, stashed bikes probably stolen or found in the trash and many other various things.
Moving away as far as possible from the bottoms of the big city, this one is taken at the heights of Sofia (Bulgaia's capital )
This pine tree is marking the end of the forest you have to go trough to get there. From there on you can find a huge flatland with rocks and dry grass. Always very windy and empty. near it you can reach the peak of the mountain for an extra hour or two of walking
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And that is the dog of a friend with who we went there together. Not many walks can tire him enough to make him stand still for a shot.
Hope you found this post interesting and i wish you a lovely day. Dig trough your old shots is my best advice for the quarantine. You might have no idea what cool shots and fun memories are hiding there !
Stay healthy and safe and don't get bored :)