Black and White Film Portraits On The Canon A1

Blog by Jada Parrish | Jada's Camera Challenge | 01/26/23

For this camera challenge, I shot with the Canon A1. This camera made its debut in 1978, so I wanted to stay true to that time period with the photos I took. I photographed this shoot with Ilford Hp5 high-grain black and white film.

Our model, Hannah, channeled some Penny Lane vibes and really brought these portraits to life. These photos were shot mid-day with partly cloudy/bright sunlight.

I've used a lot of film cameras, but the Canon A1 is the oldest 35mm camera I've used to date. For me, the biggest adjustment was remembering to advance the film! I kept forgetting! That definitely slowed down the shoot, but thankfully Hannah was patient with me. By the end of the shoot I finally had my workflow down and got into a rhythm with the camera.

The Canon A1 is a gem though! I really loved the way it felt in my hands, the sound of the shutter, and the quality of the images it produced. This is one of my favorite cameras I've used to date.

The Ilford Hp5 400 black and white film was a perfect match for this camera. The photos I produced with it really embraced the 70s vibe I was hoping for. I love the tonality within the film and the high grain really added that gritty aspect the shoot needed. I would definitely recommend this camera and film setup.