Last year, I participated in a ‘hidden project. Usually, when I do a photography project, I have regular blog posts and a Flickr album all related to it. But not this one; this was another group project called 12 Months On Film; it ran on Instagram and was moderated by the Film Shooters Collective. The purpose was to get cameras off shelves, film out of fridges and enjoy photography. The guidelines were simple, shoot a different camera each month, you could use different film stocks, developers or all the same, but the camera had to be different each month. A rather nice change from the Frugal Film Project that stuck to inexpensive cameras and films and the same each month. Now, some of these images have popped up on my blog already last year, either as part of a bigger post or a dedicated post. I set some personal guidelines that the rolls used for the project could not be a part of a camera, film, or lens review. Also, it could not be a part of the Frugal Film Project.
January – St. Mary’s
January turned out pretty rough, work had a hard start for both Heather and I and the weather did not help. 2024 seemed to start the same as 2023, cold, wet, dull and no real snow. So we got in the car and headed out to St. Mary’s, Ontario. This little hidden gem is near Stratford and is often overshadowed by it, which also makes it a lot quieter. It also got us out of the house on a semi-nice day. I packed along my Nikon FE2 and the 24mm lens loaded up with Ilford HP5+. Developing the film in Adox HR-DEV wasn’t the best idea, but it can be fun to try out different combinations even if to find out you aren’t a fan.
Nikon FE2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-320 – Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon FE2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-320 – Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon FE2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-320 – Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon FE2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-320 – Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon FE2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-320 – Adox HR-DEV (1+30) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
February – Darnley Grist Mill
The weather still wasn’t too good in February but it made for great atmospheric shots around Dundas, Ontario. The Darnley Grist Mill dates to the Anglo-American War of 1812 and as Canada’s earliest paper mills and industrial complexes. It had been several years since I visited the ruins and even managed to get inside the fence this time around for a bit of light exploring. The years have not been kind to the structure. I took along my Rolleiflex 2.8F and a roll of ORWOPan 100, the expired film seemed to work well in the situation. I developed the roll in Dalzell76 the house branded D-76 clone from the Film Photography Project for that developer’s official review.
Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – ORWO Pan 100 @ ASA-100 – FPP Dalzell76 (Stock) 6:30 @ 20C
Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – ORWO Pan 100 @ ASA-100 – FPP Dalzell76 (Stock) 6:30 @ 20C
Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – ORWO Pan 100 @ ASA-100 – FPP Dalzell76 (Stock) 6:30 @ 20C
Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – ORWO Pan 100 @ ASA-100 – FPP Dalzell76 (Stock) 6:30 @ 20C
Rolleiflex 2.8F – Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm 1:2.8 – ORWO Pan 100 @ ASA-100 – FPP Dalzell76 (Stock) 6:30 @ 20C
March – FilmFerrania P33
It is always fun when a new film stock hits the market, and this year FilmFerrania released P33, a modern formulation of a classic cine-film stock from the original Ferrania. Rated at ASA-160 and with a panchromatic sensitivity it is the most accessible film from FilmFerrania yet. And it was met with a great deal of enthusiasm. To me it looks like classic Plus-X, and I ended up shooting several rolls. The only thing I wish I did was bought enough to complete a full four roll review this year but hopefully it will come back in stock again! For the roll of P33 I loaded it into my Minolta Maxxum 9 with the 24mm f/2.8 lens with a Yellow filter attached. Then I developed it in Kodak D-76 at a 1+1 dilution.
Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) – Ferrania P33 @ ASA-160 – Kodak D-76 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) – Ferrania P33 @ ASA-160 – Kodak D-76 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) – Ferrania P33 @ ASA-160 – Kodak D-76 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) – Ferrania P33 @ ASA-160 – Kodak D-76 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Minolta Maxxum 9 – Minolta Maxxum AF 24mm 1:2.8 (Yellow-12) – Ferrania P33 @ ASA-160 – Kodak D-76 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
April – Oakville
April’s roll was in downtown Oakville as was part of a head-to-head comparisons of different developers. I had two rolls of original Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 and decided to see what the difference between 510-Pyro and Perceptol were when exposing the film at ASA-80. The combination using Perceptol is a favourite of my good friend James Lee, but 510-Pyro had become a fast favourite. As it turned out, there is a difference between the two and you know, it all depends on what you want your final images to look like. In the end I went with the 510-Pyro roll for the feature and had it loaded into my Nikon F5 with the 50mm f/1.4D lens.
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-80 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 7:45 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-80 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 7:45 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-80 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 7:45 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-80 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 7:45 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4D – Fujifilm Neopan Acros 100 @ ASA-80 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 7:45 @ 20C
May – Dundas
I had originally intended this roll to be part of my On The Road video series, but several other things interfered and I decided not to do the video aspect but rather use this as a dry run for a future video (that still did not get made in 2024). Dundas, Ontario is a space that I rediscovered as an easy spot for getting photos of historic buildings. This roll I honestly went out for some fun around my birthday just for the sake of getting out and exposing film. I chose my Mamiya m645 with multiple lenses and a roll of Kentmere 100 which I developed in Ilford Perceptol at 1+1.
Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 35mm 1:3.5 N – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Mamiya m645 – Mamiya-Sekor C 1:2.8 f=80mm – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Ilford Perceptol (1+1) 14:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
June – Toronto Film Shooters Meetup
I started the Toronto Film Shooters Meetup in 2013 to fill a void that some folks on the APUG forums saw, a regular gathering of photographers who use film in the Toronto Area. Since then the group has expanded beyond my wildest dreams. It’s always fun to build something not for my personal glory or brand, but to serve a wider community. And while I have turned over stewardship to another fine group I still take the chance to run events, like a June trip out to Hamilton, Ontario. I packed along my Minolta Dynax 600si Classic and 24-105mm lens. I again loaded up Kentmere 100 and developed in Bellini Hydrofen, a modern version of the classic Agfa Studional developer at a 1+31 dilution. I think these could have used a little lens time in the developer.
Minolta Dynax 600si Classic – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+31) 7:45 @ 20C
Minolta Dynax 600si Classic – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+31) 7:45 @ 20C
Minolta Dynax 600si Classic – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+31) 7:45 @ 20C
Minolta Dynax 600si Classic – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+31) 7:45 @ 20C
Minolta Dynax 600si Classic – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Kentmere 100 @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+31) 7:45 @ 20C
July – Abstract
I went into this roll looking to avoid my usual style of photography of trying to get the whole picture. And you know, even though I did fall into some of my usual means of composition I’m still happy that I only shot one frame that captured the entire building. It also helped that the weather was beautiful and the streets of Burlington while busy weren’t too crowded despite being Canada Day (1 July). For this month I loaded up Fomapan 200 in my Canon EOS Elan 7 with the 50mm f/1.8 lens attached. For development I went with LegacyPro Mic-X at a 1+1 dilution.
Canon EOS Elan 7 – Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 – LegacyPro Mic-X (1+1) 8:30 @ 20C
Canon EOS Elan 7 – Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 – LegacyPro Mic-X (1+1) 8:30 @ 20C
Canon EOS Elan 7 – Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 – LegacyPro Mic-X (1+1) 8:30 @ 20C
Canon EOS Elan 7 – Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 – LegacyPro Mic-X (1+1) 8:30 @ 20C
Canon EOS Elan 7 – Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-200 – LegacyPro Mic-X (1+1) 8:30 @ 20C
August – The Hermitage
The Ancaster Hermitage might have been a better choice for October mostly because of all the ghost stories that surround the ruins. The ruins of a former grand manor home have been on my hit list for several years now, but I finally had the chance to get out and visit them in August. I was not disappointed and even got to check out another old home in the same area. The manor home is the result of George Leith, who built the stone house in the mid 1850s. His family continued to live on the property into the 20th Century when the house was destroyed by fire. It has since been stabalised and restored as a ruin. I went out with my Minolta Maxxum 70, one of the last 35mm SLRs built by Minolta before being sold to Sony and with the 24-105mm lens again, which is a much better option than the standard 28-100mm kit lens. For film I used Ilford FP4+ and developed in Bellini Hydrofen at the 1+15 dilution this time around.
Minolta Maxxum 70 – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+15) 3:30 @ 20C
Minolta Maxxum 70 – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+15) 3:30 @ 20C
Minolta Maxxum 70 – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+15) 3:30 @ 20C
Minolta Maxxum 70 – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+15) 3:30 @ 20C
Minolta Maxxum 70 – Minolta Zoom AF 24-105mm 1:3.5-4.5 D – Ilford FP4+ @ ASA-100 – Bellini Hydrofen (1+15) 3:30 @ 20C
September – Bird Kingdom
Start of Term is always tough, but it always helps to get out and drive and check out something new. So the family went out to Niagara Falls to check out Bird Kingdom. I had never been to this spot before and you know I had a lot of fun here and plenty of photographic chances for being an indoor location. The building itself also is fairly old and used to be a corset factory turned museum turned nature attraction. I cracked out my EOS 650 with the 28mm lens and loaded up a roll of Lomography Berlin 400 and developed in Diafine.
Canon EOS 650 – Canon Lens EF 28mm 1:2.8 – Lomography Berlin 400 @ ASA-400 – Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20C
Canon EOS 650 – Canon Lens EF 28mm 1:2.8 – Lomography Berlin 400 @ ASA-400 – Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20C
Canon EOS 650 – Canon Lens EF 28mm 1:2.8 – Lomography Berlin 400 @ ASA-400 – Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20C
Canon EOS 650 – Canon Lens EF 28mm 1:2.8 – Lomography Berlin 400 @ ASA-400 – Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20C
Canon EOS 650 – Canon Lens EF 28mm 1:2.8 – Lomography Berlin 400 @ ASA-400 – Diafine (Stock) 3:00 + 3:00 @ 20C
October – Holga Week
The first week(ish) of October is always marked by Holga Week, a yearly celebration of these plastic cameras. Now I don’t often take out my Holga 120N except on Holga week, so it only makes sense to include Holga week in the project. I also was on vacation with the family in the beautiful city of Montreal. Now Toy Cameras and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship, I love using them but often hate the results, except for this year. I ended up getting twelve amazing frames, but I only shot a single roll of film, but divided it up over the three full days in the city and shot in three different areas. The film I chose for was Fomapan 200 which I developed for ASA-100 in Flic Film Black/White & Green.
Holga 120N – Optical Lens f=60mm 1:8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-100 – Flic Film Black/White & Green (1+49) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Holga 120N – Optical Lens f=60mm 1:8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-100 – Flic Film Black/White & Green (1+49) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Holga 120N – Optical Lens f=60mm 1:8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-100 – Flic Film Black/White & Green (1+49) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Holga 120N – Optical Lens f=60mm 1:8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-100 – Flic Film Black/White & Green (1+49) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Holga 120N – Optical Lens f=60mm 1:8 – Fomapan 200 @ ASA-100 – Flic Film Black/White & Green (1+49) 9:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
November – Guelph
Having run through almost all my available medium format cameras, I wanted to challenge myself to use one of my least-used medium format cameras. That left a pair of Zeiss-Ikon folders, the easiest choice would have been the Ikonta 521, a 645 folder that was easily used. But again, I wanted a challenge, so I went with the Super-Ikonta 531, this massive 6×9 folder is one I’m still trying to figure out how to hold and avoid camera shake because it’s awkward to hold properly and use how I’m accustomed to holding a camera. And you know, I did get most of the shots steady, and only missed two frames. For the roll I visited another favourite spot, downtown Guelph, which also presented a challenge. The narrow streets in some areas and tall buildings aren’t the best suited for the focal length, but I was happy with the results that worked out. I loaded up the camera with Ilford HP5+ and developed in Zone Imaging 510-Pyro.
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531/2 – Novar-Anastigmat 1:3,5 f=10,5cm – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:15 @ 20C
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531/2 – Novar-Anastigmat 1:3,5 f=10,5cm – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:15 @ 20C
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531/2 – Novar-Anastigmat 1:3,5 f=10,5cm – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:15 @ 20C
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531/2 – Novar-Anastigmat 1:3,5 f=10,5cm – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:15 @ 20C
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 531/2 – Novar-Anastigmat 1:3,5 f=10,5cm – Ilford HP5+ @ ASA-400 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:15 @ 20C
December – Kitchener
For the final roll in 2024 I went to a spot where I haven’t practiced photography in any meaningful way in a long time, Kitchener, Ontario. I’ve been to Kitchener many times, I attended a PYPS event at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, went to a Doors Open Event, visited family there, done some urban exploration, went to THEMUSEUM, and visited friends. But I’ve never got out and wandered around the downtown for photography. I got the idea when we went to THEMUSEUM in 2023 and saw some interesting buildings. Having already shot a couple of rolls in Cambridge, I wanted something different. Because of the cold I went with the Nikon Nikkormat FT2 with the 24mm f/2.8 lens and a roll of Ilford Delta 400, which I rated at ASA-320 and developed in Adox XT-3 with a 1+1 dilution which netted some excellent results.
Nikon Nikkormat FT2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-320 – Adox XT-3 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon Nikkormat FT2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-320 – Adox XT-3 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon Nikkormat FT2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-320 – Adox XT-3 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon Nikkormat FT2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-320 – Adox XT-3 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
Nikon Nikkormat FT2 – AI Nikkor 24mm 1:2.8 – Ilford Delta 400 @ ASA-320 – Adox XT-3 (1+1) 10:00 @ 20C (Constant Rotation)
It was a lot of fun to be a part of the project and it certainly inspired me to get out and shoot film for the sake of shooting film and it is something I plan on continuing to do this year, shoot at least one roll a month in a camera I haven’t picked up in a while. And thanks to me tracking what I did in 2024 I can look and start off with cameras that I didn’t include last year. Even if the Instagram project doesn’t happen this year I’ll still do it on my own because having a running project is good for my photography and enjoyment. Again, these shots might end up in a post or they might not. And one final thing, each month every participant could submit an image to a monthly round up post, you can check out those posts over on Katya Rowny’s blog.