You have made my day and a lot of others no doubt as well: Love all your images Steve. Well done 👍

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Brian.

@brianmccutcheon3205

3 жыл бұрын

@Toby Clay I’m mystified here: what has this got to do with photography?

Well done Steve. You are a true intrepid photographer. With many people in lock down now, it was great to accompany you in wet Wales. And yes the darkroom print is king. For those of you who have nor experienced silver gelitin prints, there is a quality of paper and a depth in the image unequalled in inkjet print. Well done Steve.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Phillip and you are right, you have to hold a darkroom print to appreciate the difference and tactile nature (and the smell too!).

My favorite image was the first with the tree and rock wall...really liked the composition and mood.

I love that as a YT photographer you're really an artist using a camera, not a technician. Love the reminder to just get out and shoot and purposely "add flaws" to convey emotion/mood.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I admit that I do ignore issues of technical quality and have only basic processing skills, as long as I like the final result I’m happy.

@grabshotphoto7396

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions I find a lot of people, myself included, pursue technical perfection , composition rules, must have foreground, must be sharp, etc. Recently I've started to free myself from that and I'm trying to shoot more intuitively. Your photography feels like that to me.

Nice to see the bit of humour there, Steve! Very moody photos, and you have a wonderful way of showing film at its best. These images are wonderful, and for those of us who had the joy of processing film and prints back in the day, it is a siren call to get the enlarger out and make prints again. Really enjoying these videos - cheers!

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you and yes, we may see more enlarger last being deployed again soon 🙂

Love your sense of humour )))

Some time ago I left landscape photography as well as my digital camera. I stopped following landscape photographers. But I always get back to you, because you're a film photographer, as I am now. And I understand very well why you choose film, because your images show quite beautifully the mood you want to extract and the way film conveys it. And it's inspiring to see how a photographer is moved by his passion to want to share these moody impressions. Thanks for sharing, Steve.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Joao, I left film behind in 2012 but soon found that I had lost the feeling in my work so I’ve gradually returned. I cannot sat exactly what it is about film but to me it is perfect.

Thanks again Steve . I’ve watched this multiple times (as per your other videos). I learn something new everytime. This is a masterclass in art. I kid you not. Keep it coming please. Cheers and take care

@SteveONions

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🙂

Nicely done: your prints and your video. I’m a sucker for those gorgeous time-lapse videos of the scudding clouds. I’m now realizing that your enthusiasm for your work is probably a subset of your love of life. That’s something invaluable to share during these days of radical uncertainty. Thanks again and good luck every day.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Larry, I love being outside as much as possible and taking photos is just a bonus. Look after yourself in these difficult times 👍

Excellent as usual. Loved the humour and the photos in challenging conditions. I was at Crosby beach yesterday to celebrate the Spring Equinox ( Persian new year ) and take a photo or two as well and the weather was glorious. Was discussing with my wife that perhaps on Saturday we should visit the Delamere Forest or the north wales. Decided to do local at the end.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I was in Delamere the other morning but it was very uninspiring and I gave up! I do like the beaches at Crosby and Formby having grown up in Ainsdale. Keep safe 👍

Favourite part of wet printing is seeing the image appear on the paper. I admit I stick in the dev face down for even coating, but then I go ahead and flip it up about half way through to see the print appear.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I miss that with the Nova tank but I prefer the compact size and reduced odors 🙂

Steve, I'm big fan of your photography and videos. Actually your videos were one of the reasons why I stopped trying to make my 35mm photography less grainy (and in general make it "image perfect"), but instead I learned to appreciate its imperfections and use them to my artist expression of captured scene. Keep it up and take care!

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

A used to pursue sharp grain less images in the darkroom years ago until digital made that the norm. Now I celebrate the character of film for what it offers 🙂

It's always a pleasure to watch your videos, Steve. So refreshing, dreaming away...it's like being there, visiting the spots, locations with you, i can imagine, seeing you hitting the shutter. I love this kind of moody photography. Btw, nice "Aldi" weathersealing bag for your F90x. Fine sense of humor, too. A great watch at the end of the day.

@SteveONions

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it Marc, my equipment was drying out for days but it was well worth it.

@marcp.1752

3 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions yes, indeed. My F80 is very sticky, but i'll fix this soon...so i use the F75 instead, which is fine. I never owned the F90x, nor F100, in contrast.

Love the shot of the tree with the serpentine wall. Be well!

Too many people get so caught up in the search for perfection, that they lose their ability to focus on the photographs. Ultimately, that's what matters. I've seen award winning images captured with Polaroid Instant Film and with early (somewhat noisy) digital cameras. The whole of the resulting image is what matters, not just one aspect like noise, distortion or other "imperfections".

Steve Wondefulr video and I'll never complain about shooting in bad weather again Peter

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

It’s the best weather Peter 🙂

Thank you so much for all that was shared in this video. The love you have for your art is inspiring...

@SteveONions

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Colin.

Steve that beginning part with the bait and switch made my day! 😂 Please keep up the fantastic work! You’re so entertaining and I’m sure you’re making life easier for those who are on lockdown right now.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you 👍🙂

Loved the comparison between prints and scans! Quite an eye opener. Having no space for a darkroom, I will certainly spend more time on adjusting the settings of the scanner software, when re-scanning "favorite pictures", because a scan is never "raw" and leaves only very limited possibilities for later adjustments. So thanks a lot!

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I know what you mean, it can be hard to adjust a scan and keep it looking natural, all sorts of artefacts appear especially in the highlights.

Thanks Steve, I love taking in the rain,

Sublime and original. Superb 👍

Gorgeous photos. Excellent work, thank you for the inspiration.

@SteveONions

2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome Dominique.

Excellent video, Steve! I admire your fortitude and tenacity. I could really feel the cold and the rain. Thanks for sharing.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers Terry, I’ve just finished drying out 🙂

Очень красивые фото. Спасибо за ваши видео.

I watch your videos on days like this and take photos on nice days. So it’s a win win for me. I really enjoy your videos. All the best. Jim from Georgia.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers Jim.

Superb video Steve. The photographs are absolutely beautiful, atmospheric and full of old world charm. No one looking at this set of pictures could deny photography is an art. 👌

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Andy, I think I prefer these sort of conditions to all others even though it’s pretty unpleasant to shoot at the time.

Thanks Steve! Please keep the videos coming as long as you can do so safely. We need these to look forward to.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Will do Larry, I have a few videos still to release and plenty of ideas I can film around the house.

Great start to the video Steve :), great locations and images as usual.

Great to see the level of changes you make in post Steve. From a personal point of view I feel that quite often the temptation is to process the images too far, simply because the software is so capable these days. Very atmospheric images and an absolute treat to see someone relishing noise/grain! Stay safe and carry on bringing us the treats that are your vlogs.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Alan, I try and limit manipulations as it’s very easy to lean on those sliders and make an image too dramatic.

Great vlog Steve, I love how you manage to invoke "mood" into your images

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Richard.

That was a really beautiful and well done video Steve. Absolutely loved the first image of the tree and the wall.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rene.

Lovely work as always--and, as always, informative and entertaining. Thank you.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Daniel.

love your videos thanks for spending the time for us

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Your welcome Stephen, thanks for commenting 🙂

I swear 3/4 of your videos feature this same gray weather. I'm impressed with your fortitude!

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

It’s starting to feel like I’m cursed, the next video does have some clear skies thankfully 🙂

Great video as always Steve, many thanks for sharing. I enjoyed your comparison between digital and darkroom, I also use a diffuser enlarger for black and white printing. I have found that I often make prints now with the magenta turned up, I'm sure you've experimented with this as well. I agree that I preferred the more mid range tones of your darkroom print. I use HP5 pushed to 1600, and you get lovely grain when printing from the negatives with a diffuser enlarger. Thanks again an extra pleasure at the moment to see everything is business as usual with your great videos.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Simon. I frequently use HP5+ at 800 and sometimes 1600 but I do like the gentle contrast of Delta 3200. Might be good to do a side by side comparison with both scans and wet prints.

Love this format of shoot and then the following discussion re your day. Loved the images but would say that in a few of the images I preferred the digitized scans - particularly the one with the brighter contrast with the tree which you mentioned. All told though I would think that when you have the actual print in your image it will be different - I could feel your *happy* vibe with the print as you talked about it :) I have been to Dwyarchen quite a few times but not in the last year or so and I have promised myself after your video last year that I would make a return to that spot. Have just come back from North Wales - I was there for 5 nights initially but as announcements were coming out I felt I needed to be home. I did though get to vsiit a few locations that I had on my *to do* list which was good, especially as they were lesser visited locations. Hopefully when all these virus problems are sorted I can return and do a bit more discovery of some places - I am going to try and give a miss to the honeypot locations I am so drawn to on my visits. Atb Al

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Cheers Alan, it’ll be hard not visiting Wales if there are more restrictions applied. I made run out yesterday as possibly my last trip for some time but the winds forced me to come down from the mountain, video to come soon hopefully. Keep safe and hopefully I’ll see you up on the tops soon 👍

I too like the darkroom prints more. More beautiful grain. Super moody photographs💪💪💪

Thanks Steve for another great video

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Isaias.

excellent!

Great days work Steve. Grain absolutely works here. Cant decide the highlight, though the current front runner is the bizarre and hilarious sigh at 5.43.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Haha, even I don’t know where that came from 😀

Pleased to see you are okay.

Your a glass half full rather than half empty Steve, nice vlog and area of North Wales

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Half full of rain lately Dave 🌧😀🍺

4 years ago, I started a project based around a Mamiya C33 and Tri-X simply because I realized that I was missing one simple thing in photographs... Grain.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I love grain, it could be argued it is unnatural but it adds so much.

And that's why people complaining about Fomapan 400 are mostly those who don't print in the darkroom. I find it pretty good, if you stay within 8x10 prints limit. The grain is nice, not as omnipresent as on the scanned film.

@SteveONions

9 ай бұрын

Scanning can be cruel, it nearly always introduces excessive graininess unlike a diffuser head (my preference).

@stratocactus

9 ай бұрын

​@@SteveONions I use diffuser heads because I also print RA-4 colour. I'm used to diffusing head by now. And those pesky dust specks magically disappear :)

I've got to say Steve you're a sucker for punishment........what a nasty day but yet again you have delivered another great presentation and photo's , i do not think you could have got the same sort of atmospheric granular loveliness if you had used a DIGITAL camera ? but as that great American 1950's photographer Saul Leiter quoted........... “Perfection is not something I admire. A touch of confusion is a desirable ingredient.” “I like it when one is not certain what one sees. When we do not know why the photographer has taken a picture..... and when we do not know why we are looking at it......... all of a sudden we discover something that we start seeing. I like this confusion.” ---- Saul Leiter . This is what i see in those raw and gritty photo's you have presented to us........great stuff .

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Klive. Not being able to see the images at the time was a big advantage as I might have been put off viewing a tiny and dull representation on the LCD, would probably just gone home.

enjoyed this Steve, you're getting me fired up to do some darkroom work. Love doing it, but no more wall space and my print boxes are full.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Build more walls Steve 😀

Excellent video, love the darkroom prints. I'm not sure why but darkroom prints make me feel more "there".

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Same here Brian, I like that the negative was ‘there’ on the day and made with the actual light from the scene. Same with the print made by projecting light through that negative, much more natural with no algorithms applied.

Hey Steve! I use NikonosV in the weather like this with 35mm waterproof lens or 28mm, water resistant lens. I love it, and you don't have to worry about the weather or anything else since they are built like a tank.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I’m starting to think this would be an ideal wet weather camera Damir - thanks for the suggestion 👍

@perkins4253

4 жыл бұрын

Steve O'Nions 👍

Another great video! I love part where you process your photos! Why do you use Epson v700 for 35mm if you have Minolta 5400?

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

It’s just time constraints, I can do the whole roll really quickly with the v700 very quickly and they are good enough for the video 🙂

Steve, I loved the video and found it very instructive. I even enjoyed your images (seem to have put a bit of warming onto them). However, I don't like grain in my shots (in spite of enjoying your photos). When I was shooting mostly film on 35mm I used Kodak Tech Pan 25 an extremely fine grained film. I did a lot of "documenting" photography and grain got in the way. When I shoot film now I often shoot Agfa 25, again hoping to minimize grain or make it so fine, it isn't easily detectable. I think you picked the right weather and the right scene. The grain is workable and photos pleasant to view.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Erich. I used to look for clean film images years ago and disliked grain but since digital has prevailed I enjoy something different and more expressive.

Another great video Steve. I have owned many Nikon FSLRs including the F100, F5, F80, FE2 and F90X but the F90X is my favourite to shoot with (provided it is mated with a lens with an aperture ring). It is actually more robust than the F100 having a stainless steel (rather than chromed brass) lens mount and a metal film rewind spiggot that does not break (the F100's is plastic). The F90X feels great in the hand although the control layout will be alien those accustomed to Nikon DSLRs.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

It’s certainly a very capable camera and I’ve owned a few. My personal favourite body is the humble F80 which only lacks the ability to meter with older lenses but is otherwise perfect.

@PhotoTubeUK

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions I like the design, compactness and light weight of the F80. It was a great, lightweight and versatile combination with the Nikon AF-D 50mm f/1.8. Pity no meter coupling for manual focus lenses and I was not keen on the cheap feeling build. Mine also had reliability issues. The only real downside of the F90/F90X/N90/N90S for me is the weight.

Thanks Steve for always starting my Saturdays off wit a smile; had ordered some 120 3200 film so this was timely video. The comparisons of the scan vs darkroom was helpful... The panorama was superbly done and gives me some reason to try the Ilford 3200 with my Fuji 617. The mood and texture of those prints really convey the mood..best of luck always.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I’m jealous Randy, always wanted a 617 and having seen the slides and negs they produce I imagine a print would be terrific.

@randybennett6846

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve- will send u a LoRez on the 3200 when I get one..

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Randy Bennett Cheers 👍

I just discovered your channel, and I love it! I worked in photo labs and did also home hand printing. These days, I shoot digital but you make me want to bring a film camera on the field. I know you have a lot of films & paper too consume, as you mentioned in your recent video. I'm curious about your scanning setup, and of course your darkroom. Would you consider doing a video sharing that?

@SteveONions

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Frank. I’ve always avoided making a detailed scanning video as there are so many already out there and my workflow changes quite often. Maybe when I’ve settled on something that I really like 👍

@FrancoisBoucheros

2 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions I was curious... (probably not the only one ;) ). No rush! if you feel in the mood for sharing what you did try... why you moved on what is your current process. But again thank you for sharing all that it's really great.

You can certainly get a venue to yourself on such a wet day Steve😊 In the olden days, my go to grainy film would of been Fuji Neopan 1600. These days D3200 developed in Rodinal works a treat. loved the abandoned dwelling print. Have you tried Slavich paper? A bit colder than Foma, but gives a good image for grainy photos. Lith prints a cold image as well. Cheers Diz

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Diz, I also liked Neopan 1600 which was a much more contrasty film. I did buy some Slavich in 2012 but gave up darkroom printing soon after so never tried it. I’m tempted to have another go and can see that theophotoshop.ie list it for sale.

@DizinEire

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions Peter usually has good stocks of Slavich(and Foma) He can usually get Off Piste products as well. Easy to talking with him and a very knowledgeable photographer/printer. Cheers Diz

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I can feel an order coming on 🙂

I love the less clinical look of film.. scanning makes grain, but who cares! Vey enjoyable!

@SteveONions

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jason.

I always enjoy your videos, along with your artistic interpretations. Are your prints available for purchase?

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I hope to start making them available soon, possibly both digital and darkroom versions.

Great video with awesome images. I have an elan 7 from the same era of your Nikon. I do really enjoy the high iso’ film. Are you pulling the film or over exposing? 3200 film and you mentioned iso setting at 1600..

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Adam. Delta 3200 always needs an extra push in development to avoid thin negatives. 1600 is my favourite exposure (developed at 3200) but shoot at 3200 and develop at 6400 isn’t bad either.

Admirable display of adapting to the elements, Steve. Do you frame every print (either inkjet or darkroom) you make? If not, I'm wondering what your preferred archival solution is for those prints you don't frame. I use Itoya's portfolios, but looking to see what others prefer. Cheers, Ed

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ed. I only frame prints that are destined for the wall. All other final prints are stored in archival boxes or sleeves.

Yes, the darkroom prints were my favourite. The grain really lends itself to bad weather and B&W printing. You really can capture great I,ages in the most appalling weather Steve. I loved the panoramic. Where they vertical shots stitched together or horizontal?

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Simon. The panoramic was horizontal for a change, I typically do vertical to maximise quality but I wanted more grain and also save frames as it would have taken at least 6 instead of 4 🙂

Absolutely gorgeous images as usual especially the prints! The prints are vastly superior to the scans particularly in how the grain was reproduced. Fomatone looks to be a fine FB paper, I'm still too scared to make the jump to FB and just ordered a big box of Ilford's brand new generation of RC paper! How much is the Fomatone paper by the way? Very curious to why you chose to leave the prints so warm when the weather was moody. Did you consider perhaps use a slightly less warm paper or developer that would give less warmth or perhaps even a cold toner of some sort?

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks James, I’ll be interested to know what you think of the new RC paper as I never like Multigrade IV. I only use RC for quick work prints but I might start using more to make KZread videos easier to make. The Fomatone paper is around £30 for 25 sheets (8x10) so it needs to be used sparingly. I only occasionally use cold tone papers as I feel more connected to warm tones (I adore lith printing) even for winter scenes.

@jameslane3846

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions wow! That's double of RC and that's taking into account that Ilford had increased the price of their new RC paper by £6 for a batch of 100 sheets 8x10 to. 100 sheets is now £56 I think you should try it, it's slightly warm based and apparently has almost as strong blacks and toning properties as their FB papers according to master printers

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

James Lane I’ll definitely give it a go, possibly the satin finish which is quite unique and suits the look I prefer.

Hi Steve. Another great video. I find that ability to capture mood and grain so difficult to emulate. I tend to loose all my contrast, if I try to push-process a film. A quick question. Just curious really. Which do you think is best, or which do you prefer, a diffuser enlarger, or a more old-fashioned condenser? I understand diffuser heads support multi-grade printing, but then again, you can fit filter under the lens of a condenser, anyway. Does it sharpen the grain, as people say? Thanks and nest wishes. (Stay safe and well in the Corona lock-down).

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Hi James. That is a very good question. When I started printing years ago a had a simple diffusion enlarger and loved it but there was always that nagging doubt that ‘real printers’ used condensers. I eventually got a condenser and hated it. Sure enough the images were sharper and more contrasty but the grain was uglier (to my eye) and it was merciless if you had any dust or scratches on the negative. I much prefer the quality of diffused light and wouldn’t consider returning to a condenser.

What brand of paper did you do the darkroom print on, Steve? I love the warm tone.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

It’s Fomatone 532-II Nature, same emulsion as the regular Fomatone but on a different paper base.

Great video but don't forget about Carbon transfer printing too .

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I’m not familiar with that process Paul.

@paulharding5922

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions Its an old prosses but there are some how too's on KZread .

Thanks for the inspiration Steve, need to add some Ilford 3200 to my stock. Did you shoot the pano hand held? I’m assuming you did since no sign of a tripod.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely hand held Bill, not too much of a problem either and just one attempt to ensure I didn’t waste film.

@BillMcCarroll

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions very nicely done!

Did you scan your beautiful shots with your Minolta 5400? Oh sorry, I recognized you used the Epson ...

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

😀 the Epson is so much quicker for video use.

@stephan.scharf

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions That's right, whole yt video production is time consuming. Thanks for your wonderful channel!

Are we sure Steve isn't Thomas Heaton from the future?

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

😀 he will be horrified 🙀

How large do you thing you could print that Ilford 3200? I think I'm going to order some film this weekend since my work closed for two weeks because of this virus. At least I should be able to get a few videos in the bag. I released my new video today instead of Sunday to help pass the time for people stuck indoors. Not that a whole lot watch them 😒

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

You can go as big as you like John. Contrary to opinion it’s actually easier to go large with grainy films as they hide all the imperfections and look quite natural as you can’t see the resolution breaking down as with slower films .........hmm, there could be a video here, thanks John 👍😀

@JohnTomasella

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions Learn something new every day, that is why I ask.

@borderlands6606

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions I agree, Steve, and it can be true of digital. I recently shot some bird photography - something I've never done before - on a 16mp M43 camera. I fitted a slow Canon 300mm lens bought for a tenner, which meant 10000 ISO to freeze motion. With a bit of work in post the images held up much better than I could have imagined.

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

I quite like the noise from some digital cameras, my old EM5 Mk1 micro 4/3 had a very natural look and at 1600 B&W was lovely.

I don´t know what exactly it is about you, but somehow you reminde me a little bit of Green Day´s bassist Mike Dirnt :)

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Haha, I had to Google him but there’s definitely something there 😀

@v-g-z3689

4 жыл бұрын

@@SteveONions I thought that you might not know him, but it´s funny that you see it too :) Thank you for the replie, not every famous youtuber does that!

Hey I really like ur videos! really have been learning a lot! beautifully done! Arthur.thorsen on IG

@SteveONions

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks James 🙂