Last month, we went on an incredible vacation to Germany and Iceland. Ilford’s PAN F launch was timed just about perfectly as I was able to get my hands on 2 boxes before we left and had enough time to do some film testing with it to prepare. For the trip, I brought with me PAN F, HP5, FP4, and Rollei IR as my black and white films. That was quite a few but the trip was a great way to compare the stocks. On our last trip to Iceland, I opted for T-Max 100. But this time I wanted to see about slowing the water down a bit with HP5 while also comparing Ilford stocks. It was a great way to compare the PAN F in particular and having developed those sheets, I can confidently say that it did not disappoint. It. Is. Gorgeous!
I could not have asked for better photographic opportunities for the trip. I took so many 4×5 photos that I can through an entire Large Format Field Notebook. As an aside, we will be offering a double-side version of the notebook soon! While I still need to finish developing the rest of my sheet and roll films, nearly every photo so far has been worthy of the darkroom. It doesn’t always go that way, and that isn’t to say there weren’t challenges and lessons learned – that is a big part of why I love to shoot large format.
One of those lessons, not to get too meta here, is to listen when the Universe speaks. There was a composition that I really wanted to get near the last day of Iceland. It was a waterfall we visited last time. And while I love the images, the sky was drab and I wanted to see if I could improve it. I was on my last sheet of color as I recall and really wanted the shot. But right before I clicked the shutter, someone popped out from a rock in the distance wearing a bright green vest. Frustrated, I opted to wait. But then realized that maybe this wasn’t the right time. I did get a photo of it on black and white and the Mrs and kiddo were waiting for me. So I packed up, disappointed, but understanding that the Universe was telling me it wasn’t meant to be.
Since Iceland around this time is the land of the midnight sun, later that night, I ended up going on a long hike near the cottage we were staying at. It was a pretty hard hike in places, with a steep uphill grade, but the views – oh my goodness! I could see our cottage, the river, the village, multiple falls, sheep; it was incredible! I ended up finding 2 compositions that I really really enjoy. It was an incredible gift. And one I would not have experienced if I had been stubborn ignoring the Universe. That hike was probably the time I have most connected with nature.
Folks can see some of the photographs of our trip on our various social accounts, though I do plan on updating my actual portfolio soon (it’s long overdue for that). I am also thinking about an Iceland zine, something I wanted to do after our first trip to Iceland. Now I have even more photos to choose from and I haven’t even touched on the color (partly because there is a story to that, which is perhaps for another post).
In any case, the trip was absolutely incredible and we want to thank our customers for your patience while we have been catching up on orders. All our stores are open and we are back to our normal made-to-order turnaround times!