A Year In Black and White Film - 2023 Edition
I am a bit late in sharing this, but here goes...
Welcome to my annual look back at favourite black and white film photos from the previous year! The 2023 edition!
I again shot a lot of film in 2023, experimenting with a wide variety of film types.
The first image I'll share here brings to mind some classic Dylan lyrics:
Well there ain't no goin' back
When the foot of pride comes down
Ain't no goin' back
Foot of Pride
JCH Street Pan 400 - Jan 2023
JCH Street Pan 400 - Jan 2023
Santa 1000 - Jan 2023
My son looks up at a billboard paying tribute to the late Michael Snow
Santa 1000 - Jan 2023
Mamakas Taverna on Ossington
Santa 1000 - Jan 2023
Waiting Game
Arista EDU 200 - Jan-Feb 2023
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Man in Black
Agfa APX 400 - Mar 2023
Life Is Beautiful
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Agfa APX 400 - Jan - Mar 2023
Not For Sale
Arista EDU 200 - Mar 2023
The next four images were taken on Rollei RPX 100 film with an Olympus Pen EE-3 half frame camera that I received from my father.
The first two images were taken immediately one after the other and were intended as a pair.
Taken during an unexpected mayoral election campaign, to me they represented opposing views of where Toronto might be headed.
I like how the next two images pair together also...
There's been a lot of buzz in the film community lately due to Pentax releasing a new half frame camera called "17" (a great write-up by Analogue Wonderland).
It looks like a very well put together camera for half frame film photography.
Reformed Film Lab did a helpful video about the new "Pentax 17" as well.
The next three images are from a trip to California that I did in May of 2023. All taken on Kodak Tri-X 400 film.
The above image appears in my California Road Trip - Part II blog post.
The next six images were shot in May - June 2023 with Ilford Pan F 50.
This was a new film type for me to shoot with, and I'm especially happy with what I captured here...
The remains of one of the beautiful arches at Bloor Street United Church. The church is undergoing a massive redevelopment that will finish in 2026.
In June 2023 I shot a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 with my Lomography Sprocket Rocket panoramic camera...
Click here to see more images - mostly colour photos - that I captured with the Lomography Sprocket Rocket.
I shot another roll of Ilford Pan F 50 in July 2023.
The next three images were captured on that film.
But Here We Are
WHAT'S NEXT
Warning!!! x 3
Yonge and Dundas - a place to encounter a wide variety of ideas
The next four images were taken on Kentmere 400 during a visit to Montreal in August 2023.
Chez Schwartz's / Schwartz's Deli
Chez Schwartz's / Schwartz's Deli
The view from St. Joseph's Oratory
Rue Ste Catherine
The next five images were taken in August 2023 with Arista EDU 200 film.
Private Property is Fake
I had a nice chat with the owner/guardian of these two dogs. This was right next to the wonderful Berczy Park Dog Fountain.
Lee's Benevolent Association of Ontario
R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant
I got a deal on an old Holga 120 film camera and shot a couple of rolls with it. Here is one image that I especially liked:
Ilford Delta 400 Pro
In August 2023 I purchased an expired roll of Kodak Tri-X film from a vendor at the St. Jacob's Farmers Market.
When I finished shooting the roll and had it developed, I was very surprised to discover that it had already been exposed!
I was not informed of this by the person who sold me the film - only that it was from a local photographer who had kept it refrigerated.
This led to some rather wild double exposures that are worthy of a separate blog post.
Here are three images taken from that roll.
The first image features Paris, France based artist Paul Collins in front of the wonderful Stephen Bulger Gallery - blended with a wintery scene.
Kodak Tri-X film - Nov-Dec 2023
The double exposure factor is less dramatic the the next two images, but I particularly like these compositions.
Annex Stroll
Kodak Tri-X film - Nov-Dec 2023
The Hidden Path
Kodak Tri-X film - Nov-Dec 2023
A trip to the Christmas One of A Kind show in November 2023 brought me a few nice exposures (the next three images).
Enercare Centre
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film
Sacrifice
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film
Long Live Palestine
Kodak Double-X 5222 250 film - Nov 2023
This next image came about as one of the workers saw me with my camera. He tried guessing what camera I was using and I learned that he is also a photographer. He and his colleagues let me take their photo and we exchanged contact info.
His reaction when I sent him this photo really made me smile. "NO FREAKING WAY That's so sick!!!!"
Potsdam 100 - Dec 2023
I'll end with this photo of two artists that I chatted with inside the AGO. They were making beautiful sketches of the buildings across the street.
I'll share more about this encounter in a future Instagram post.
Fomapan 400 - Dec 2023
Click here to see my Favourite Colour Film Photos of 2023!
For more black and white film photos, here are my favourites from previous years:
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
All of my past film photo blog posts can be found here.
Follow me on Instagram to see a wider variety of images - both film and digital.
Thanks for looking!