Pushing Ilford HP5+ x 2 Stops: Results, Push-Processing Guide
- csshop0
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
This is a guest post written by our brand ambassador, Elliot Masters/ @the_light_session.
I never really got on with shooting black and white film, it didn’t fit with the ideas I had in my mind. I’ve always appreciated the black and white work of others but it stayed firmly in the realm of ‘things I appreciate but not keen on doing myself’- such skiing the long jump at the Winter Olympics.
I’m a big fan of colour film, I love the variety in stocks; seduced by pastel tones, saturated hues and halation glows. Experimenting with different colour emulsions, finding out how they render colour and grain differently is something I enjoy. This in turn makes me go out and shoot more.
To my inexperienced eye, black and white just seemed to fall into two categories: grainy and less grainy.
That was until I realised how wrong I was and how much I was missing out on. Suddenly I really wanted to explore the world in monochrome but it didn’t come easy for me.
I bought some Ilford HP5+ and Kentmere 400. The results were okay but something was missing, mostly my own skill. The only photos I liked were some candid flash portraits of friends shot on a compact.
Kentmere 400 shot at box speed
Discovery
I didn’t want to give up on B&W, so I went back to the drawing board (literally, I’m an illustrator) and did some research. I investigated what other photographers were doing to see what results I liked and didn’t.
Then something just made sense when I saw it. PUSHING BLACK and WHITE FILM! It was a revelation, like when you finally watch The Sopranos- it’s been around forever but when you do finally get around to it...wow!
I loved the grain and the contrast. It was what I felt was missing when shooting at box speed.
Images below: Ilford HP5+ shot at 1600 (pushed two stops)
Context - What Is Pushing Film?
So, what exactly is pushing HP5+ two stops? It’s a bit of a sneaky way of making your film speed faster, being able to shoot a 400 ISO rated film like Ilford HP5+ at 1600 ISO.
For the uninitiated: Pushing film is when you set your camera to a higher ISO rating, tricking the light meter into thinking you are shooting faster film. This will underexpose your film but you counterbalance that with longer developing times in the film processing stage.
e.g:
You have 400 ISO film. You can push it one stop of light more by changing your ISO to 800.
To push two stops you set your ISO to 1600.
Then you need to tell your film lab how many stops over you shot at or with filmprocessing.co.uk you can tell them what you set your ISO to (just do this in the notes section when ordering black and white processing!). They will adjust your development time accordingly.
NOTE: If you do this without telling your lab, your pictures will become darker and underexposed.
Also, you can’t adjust the ISO mid-roll to have some photos shot at 400 and some at 1600, but you can change your settings to shoot a bit more over or under exposed to suit.
So, Why Push HP5+?
For me, other than aesthetic reasons, it means you can shoot a mid-speed film like HP5+ in lower light situations without buying a pricier, faster one- I’m looking at you here Delta 3200.
You can use faster shutter speeds, making it great for the action shots I rarely ever take.
You are able to shoot handheld in lower light situations without using a flash. From a style point of view, I love the increased contrast, grain and the “look” I got out of my outcomes is something I’m really enjoying.
An added bonus is if you like using filters, such as red or orange, it helps compensate for the loss of light and you don’t have to shoot at slower shutter speeds or wide-open apertures with landscapes.
The Downsides To Pushing HP5+ x2 Stops
So, now I’ve sold you on all the wonderful benefits of pushing HP5+ it’s time to talk about a few of the drawbacks to pushing it.
The first is all that extra grain can bring a loss in detail, I like the way it looks but if you want a super crisp and clean outcome this may not be the technique for you.
Your camera has to be able to adjust the ISO or have exposure compensation. I can’t do this technique on my Canon WP-1 point and shoot as it only has flash operation settings.
You have to make sure you let your lab know (the wonderful team at filmprocessing.co.uk of course!), otherwise your photos will be underexposed- don’t forget to write them a note!
Shooting outside in daylight can push the shutter speed limits of your camera, letting so much light in means you end up shooting at fast shutter speeds with closed apertures.
Photoshoot Sample Photos
I shot a series of photos called ‘Welcome to Americana’. It’s something I’d wanted to do for a long time but couldn’t work out how to shoot it.
Working with HP5+ pushed two stops meant I could achieve the results I wanted without using a flash. Pushing the HP5+ meant I not only got the extra light I needed but also the look and feel of the photos became more in tune with my ideas.
Images below: Left: HP5+ shot at box speed with flash// Right: HP5+ pushed x2 stops without flash. Both in similar lighting conditions.
Whilst I love shooting compact cameras with a flash indoors, there is something really satisfying about being able to take photos indoors without using slower shutter speeds.
Conclusion
Since I’ve started pushing Ilford HP5+ I’ve become obsessed with it. I love the way it looks and when shooting subjects with a lot of contrast it gives a punky vibe to them. The ability to shoot without a flash in low light is something that I’m a big fan of. This versatility means I can shoot indoors and then when going outside I can add a red filter to cut down some of the light.
Most importantly for me some of the shots I’ve got from this technique are among my favourite photos.
By all means, this process is not for everyone, or indeed every black and white film stock but shooting HP5+ two stops over box speed has made me fall in love with shooting black and white film.
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