Dillan Lang
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Colour

Pushing the Film's Limits

The Battersea sunset was shot on Kodak 400, an experiment to see how far I could push the film's limits into darkness. What came back was better than I expected, the light on the clouds came out gorgeous in a way I hadn't planned for.

Same Film, Different Light

Durdle Door is also on Kodak 400, shot around midday under light overcast, and it shows how much the same stock can shift with conditions. The flat midday light pulled the colour right down compared to the sunset shot, same film, completely different result.

Reading the Sky in a Single Frame

The Nikon F50 shot on Fuji 200 is the London Eye, zoomed in tight on a single capsule. The background splits almost evenly between cloud and blue sky, giving a gradient that shows off just how many shades of blue the Fuji stock could hold.

Matching Film to Light, Not Just Subject

The Olympus XA2 shot in Kew is on Kodak Gold. The flowers came out popping with colour, but the background looked washed out in the overcast light. It's taught me that picking a film stock is about matching the overall lighting conditions, not just the colour of the thing you're photographing.

Nikon F50, Kodak 400 — flattened out by overcast midday light.
Nikon F50, Kodak 400 — flattened out by overcast midday light.
Nikon F50, Fuji 200 — the London Eye, half cloud, half sky, one long gradient.
Nikon F50, Fuji 200 — the London Eye, half cloud, half sky, one long gradient.
Olympus XA2, Kodak Gold — popping flowers against a washed-out overcast sky.
Olympus XA2, Kodak Gold — popping flowers against a washed-out overcast sky.