TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
Hey, I'm Dan, and I'm from Harrogate or ‘Arigut’. I’m enthusiastic about old technology, such as vinyl, cassettes, cameras and cars. I drive an MGF for my sins and prefer to spin records over streaming music.
Agifold Envoy Wide - Kodak Vericolour
How did you first get into photography?
I got into photography kind of by accident actually. I picked it at random for one of my A-level subjects and have been interested in it ever since, which led me to do a degree in Photography. My first camera was a digital point-and-shoot, some sort of terrible Canon Powershot. I then upgraded to a Canon 500D, with a 17-40mm L lens.
When I started applying for degrees, I thought it would be beneficial to learn about the process of shooting film, so I borrowed my dad’s Canon AV-1 and got given a Canon EOS 30 body, which was great as I could use my digital lenses on it. Whilst those were my first proper film cameras, as a kid, I had a Praktica Sport SK320, a terrible plasticy focus-free, point-and-shoot camera.
Agifold Envoy Wide - Kodak Vericolour
What drew you to film specifically?
During my degree study, I got really burnt out from shooting so many digital photographs, and I wanted to slow the process down. When I spoke to my tutors about it, they agreed that my efforts went more towards analogue photography, so they encouraged me to develop my skills in shooting and developing film and printing from negatives in the darkroom. I enjoyed being in the darkroom and found that film suits my workflow and social habits more, as there is no pressure to then sit down and edit a load of digital files after a session of shooting.
Agifold Envoy Wide - Kodak Vericolour
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR STYLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
I prefer not to pressure myself with a specific style of photography. I know a lot of people enjoy project-based photography, but for me, if I see something I like the look of, I usually just take the photo. I guess I see my photography as a relaxed process and I don’t rush to get things developed. I tend to always have a camera on me in case inspiration strikes. Sometimes I might carry a camera around and not take a single photo. As I always say, “It’s better to have and not need, than need and not have”.
Voigtlander Avus - Delta 400
TELL US ABOUT THE GEAR YOU HAVE AND YOUR FAVOURITE CAMERAS.
Well, how long have you got? I’ve gotten to the point where I have far too many cameras for my own good. My favourites in my collection are my Black Paint Pentax Spotmatic SPII, Leica M2, Nikon F3HP and Hasselblad 500C. I also enjoy the weird cameras which usually don’t work properly such as my Corfield 66 and ICA Minimum Palmos.
If I really can’t decide what camera to use, I’ll usually grab my Konica ‘Genba Kantoku’ also known as the Konica Foreman point-and-shoot.
Konica 'Genba Kantoku' aka Konica Foreman.
Pentax Spotmatic SPII with a 35mm f/2 lens
What is your favourite film stock?
In black-and-white, I would say Ilford Delta 400. I find it to have a smooth tonal range and minimal grain. I like to overexpose it to get a bit of a flatter image.
I shoot a lot of expired film, so a lot of the stocks I tend to use are no longer produced. I very recently shot a roll of Kodak Vericolor through an Envoy wide I borrowed from the shop and absolutely loved how the photos turned out. I also really enjoy Fujifilm Reala, it produces some really interesting colours.
Voigtlander Avus - Delta 400
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT WORKING AT WYC?
I like the surprise aspect of West Yorkshire Cameras - you just never really know what’s going to come through the door. I find that, initially, everyone gets excited by the expensive stuff, but it’s the strange stuff that you don’t see every day which excites me. The people part of this job is also something I enjoy, it’s rewarding to inspire new people to try film photography. Due to the colour film shortage, it’s been exciting getting people to venture into the world of black-and-white photography. It’s also much more accessible and there’s a lot of fun to be had with it.
Konica 'Genba Kantoku' (Foreman) - Fujifilm C200
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU’VE LEARNT FROM WORKING AT WYC THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
I feel like every day is a school day here, staying on the topic of the ‘strange stuff’ that comes in. You start realising there are way more cameras out there than you initially thought. Obviously, photography has been around for a hell of a long time, but you don’t realise how long it has been around until you see some of the stuff that comes through the door.
