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James Billings Photography
United Kingdom
Registrace 6. 07. 2016
Welcome to my photography channel!
Much of my free time is dedicated to photography. On this channel you'll find vlogs from my travels, tutorials on how I process images, and short films. If you enjoy my videos, please consider subscribing to the channel to keep up to date!
Check the links below to find me on other social media, and to get prints of my images.
Much of my free time is dedicated to photography. On this channel you'll find vlogs from my travels, tutorials on how I process images, and short films. If you enjoy my videos, please consider subscribing to the channel to keep up to date!
Check the links below to find me on other social media, and to get prints of my images.
Kodak Vision 3 250D - abandoned WW2 battery
In this film, I visit an abandoned WW2 battery near Kings Lynn. Exploring various bunkers, I photograph the graffiti and environment using a mix of Kodak Vision 3 film in my Minolta X-700, and also a few digital shots for comparison using the Sony A9.
zhlédnutí: 152
Video
Infrared on film: Mamiya C330 and Rollei Infrared
zhlédnutí 195Před měsícem
Join me as I make my first attempt at infrared photography on film! I load a roll of Rollei 400 infrared into the Mamiya C330 and explore some woodland and castle ruins not too far from home.
Northern Lights timelapse - 4K
zhlédnutí 241Před měsícem
A short timelapse sequence of the northern lights over the fens near to Kings Lynn. The sequence was shot on the evening of 10th May 2024 when the strongest geomagnetic storm since 2003 hit the earth. Almost 24 hours later it's still going strong! Filmed on Sony A7Rii and Sony A9 Timelapse sequences processed with Lightroom and LRTimelapse. Final sequence assembled in Resolve. Music: Music from...
Solar Eclipse 2024 from Texas
zhlédnutí 66Před 2 měsíci
April 2024, and I headed to Texas for the total solar eclipse. Historically, the weather chances in Texas were most promising, but as the day drew nearer, the forecast didn't look promising. Too late to change flights or accommodation (at least for reasonable cost) I decided to take my chances with the cloud and hope for a gap. How did it work out? Watch to find out! Music from #Uppbeat (free f...
Rollei Retro 400S with the Mamiya C330
zhlédnutí 382Před 3 měsíci
My second film with the Mamiya C330, and this time I'm in my local forest experimenting with a roll of Rollei Retro 400S. This film has a "debatable" background, with many people assuming it's based on an aerial surveillance film manufactured by Agfa. It promises strong contrast, so join me in the late afternoon sun to see what it delivers! The film was developed in Rodinal at 1 25. Music: Refl...
Mamiya C330 with Kodak Portra 160
zhlédnutí 1,9KPřed 3 měsíci
I recently picked up a Mamiya C330 TLR with both the 80mm and 135mm lenses. Join me as I test it out at Sheringham on the Norfolk coast with a roll of Kodak Portra 160 film. Music: uppbeat.io/t/ra/cold-brew License code: 0MVXPU67V9DJWMRR uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/moonlit License code: 8UUO0HG1XLLRUK60 uppbeat.io/t/adi-goldstein/i-dont-need-your-love License code: EPES4WFJFUUFP82Z
London with a fisheye lens
zhlédnutí 429Před 4 měsíci
I decided to head back to London to see what I could capture using a fisheye lens. Using my Sony A9 and Samyang 12mm F/2.8 fisheye lens, I captured some shots around the city at night, and then Canary Wharf and Greenwich the following morning. Music license uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/aeon License code: VJ4FUTA7BJTE4TQN uppbeat.io/t/vens-adams/city-lights License code: EWL3TSOMW8DRVLEJ
Berlin on film
zhlédnutí 136Před 5 měsíci
Just before Christmas, we visited Berlin for a couple of days for the christmas markets, and I decided to take along just my film cameras. Heading home, I assumed I'd have two ruined films after they got put through the airport scanner (even though I asked them not to) - but apart from a little bit of fading at the edges they came out OK. Colour: Cinestill 800T in a Minolta X700, with 50mm F/1....
Cinestill 800T - London night shoot
zhlédnutí 139Před 7 měsíci
For my first roll of Cinestill 800T, I travelled down to London where I shot a mix of images from the street, and the London Underground (Tube). Camera: Minolta X-700 Lenses: Minolta 50mm F/1.4 Bell & Howell 24mm F/2.8 Vivitar 135mm F/2.8
Scotland - Landscape Photography vlog
zhlédnutí 311Před 7 měsíci
September 2023, and I'm back in Scotland after returning from the Faroe Islands. Join me for a couple of days up in Assynt with Lochinver as my base, followed by a trip home via Glencoe, Castle Stalker and Kilchurn Castle. Sony A7Rii Sony A9 Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Tokina 20mm F2.0 Samyang 24mm F1.8 Samyang 35mm F1.4 Sony 50mm F1.8 Samyang 85mm F1.4 Samyang 135mm F1.8 DJI Mavic Air 2 Three Legged...
Testing the Voigtlander 110mm f/2.5 macro in the forest
zhlédnutí 1,4KPřed 8 měsíci
I recently traded a lens I didn't use much at MPB (no, this video isn't sponsored by them) for the Voigtlander 110mm f/2.5 macro APO Lanthar macro lens. I took it to a nearby forest to test it out. This isn't a technical test with lots of charts, just a few pretty photos of some mushrooms I found... :)
Faroe Islands - Landscape Photography
zhlédnutí 78Před 8 měsíci
In September 2023 I made my first visit to the Faroe Islands. It was a short trip (just 4 nights) and coincided with some bad Atlantic storms - as such, time for photography ended up being quite limited. I did manage to visit and photograph a few spots though, so enjoy watching! Sony A7Rii Sony A9 Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 Tokina 20mm F2.0 Samyang 24mm F1.8 Samyang 35mm F1.4 Sony 50mm F1.8 Samyang ...
Lomochrome Color '92 - sunny day shoot
zhlédnutí 138Před 9 měsíci
I headed to the Norfolk coast to shoot a roll of Lomography's recent "Lomochrome Color 92" film. Watch to find out my thoughts, and see some of the images.
Night time street photography in London with Cinesoft diffusion filters
zhlédnutí 84Před 10 měsíci
I recently took a trip down to London to spend the evening taking photos with some Cinesoft diffusion filters from Tide Optics. These give a similar effect to the Black Pro Mist filters you might have heard of from companies like Tiffen, and in this video I show a couple of comparisons of the same scene with and without the filters, showing both the "subtle" and "standard" strength effects. A f...
(V1) Körning - Saab 99 drive
zhlédnutí 1,6KPřed 10 měsíci
Saab 99 - a drive around Norfolk, from the 1970s to the present day.
Thurne Mill at sunrise | Landscape Photography
zhlédnutí 119Před rokem
Thurne Mill at sunrise | Landscape Photography
Neewer 100cm Timelapse Rail - test footage
zhlédnutí 35Před rokem
Neewer 100cm Timelapse Rail - test footage
Sweden from above - 4K Drone footage, forest and lakes
zhlédnutí 6KPřed 2 lety
Sweden from above - 4K Drone footage, forest and lakes
Iceland 2021 - Part 3 - Vestrahorn, Secret Canyon, around Vik
zhlédnutí 306Před 2 lety
Iceland 2021 - Part 3 - Vestrahorn, Secret Canyon, around Vik
Iceland 2021 - Part 2 - Krafla, Dettifoss, Fardagafoss, Mjóifjörður
zhlédnutí 104Před 2 lety
Iceland 2021 - Part 2 - Krafla, Dettifoss, Fardagafoss, Mjóifjörður
Iceland 2021 - Part 1 - Fagradalsfjall volcano, geothermal areas, F35 highland road, waterfalls...
zhlédnutí 164Před 2 lety
Iceland 2021 - Part 1 - Fagradalsfjall volcano, geothermal areas, F35 highland road, waterfalls...
uM...uM...uM...uMMM🙄🙄
Love it, I've been doing it myself with Mamiya C330
Nice, glad to hear I'm not the only one 🙈🙂
@@JamesBillingsPhotography Keep it up, put some more clips about what you are doing.
Amazing video, I really enjoyed it you captured the beatiful scenery. Liked 👍😄
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Hello there James, very beautiful place and fascinating pictures you’ve taken there! It’s interesting how the pictures taken by film seems and feels more nostalgic than those ones taken with digital. Also, the whole video was very calming and peaceful, had a great time watching all throughout the vid!
Thanks for watching, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Nostalgic is definitely one of the nice features of some of the film stocks :)
I got this from Mt Rainier, Washington State. It was the best Northern Lights I ever saw. We were all lucky to see and record it. ❤
Interesting location. I found your vid from your post on DP Review. May I ask what time of year you were there? I know you said Autumn but which month? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for watching - the trip was over the last week of September (I actually flew home 1st October I think)
@@JamesBillingsPhotography Thanks for the swift reply James. I’d considered travelling to Tenerife or La Palma for astrophotography but the thought of the crowds put me off. (Most of my work is done in the far northwest of Scotland where I live, so I’m a bit spoilt with remoteness and having the place to myself!) I did go to Fuerteventura a couple of years ago, which held a lot of promise, but we had Calima for the whole week we were there, so the night sky was a write-off. I think it affects the eastern islands more than the western ones. El Hierro certainly looks promising,and I guess you had good clear air after that storm passed through.
@@TarrelScot I've not been to La Palma- Tenerife has the advantage of being high up (you'll see I stayed in the hotel up on the volcano which was much quieter than the resorts on the coast... but you do get tours coming up for night-sky-tour trips which were annoying, perhaps don't set up in the popular viewing spot! On El Hierro I had hoped to get the milky way behind the lighthouse in the south-west- you're obviously low down but if the sky is clear it would make a great shot. I'm considering re-visiting, maybe next year - I can't hit a cyclone twice, right? :)
@@JamesBillingsPhotography Hopefully not!😀 Thanks for the tips. Have you thought about the Azores for Astro?
@@TarrelScot I've not ever investigated there - one to add to the list. I also fancy Madeira as the landscapes look good for daytime shots as well
Awesome location! The Wash is on my wish list of places to visit
Thanks, good luck when you get chance to explore 👍
Very interesting to see the difference between digital and film. A pleasant walk and some nice images!😀
Thanks, glad you liked the shots - it's a nice quiet spot 🙂
Great video and shots. It’s a foreground that’s now definitely on my list. There are a few interesting looking areas to the west of Kings Lynn by the Wash that I’m hoping to scout. I can imagine exactly what it was like when you scared those bats / birds / killer squirrels.🐿️
Look forward to seeing what you come up with - there's some more things out towards the firing ranges I think (control tower type stuff) but not sure how accessible they are...
@@JamesBillingsPhotography that's exactly where I had in mind, together with seeing if there's any residual infrastructure around the trial banks, which i think were part of a tidal energy project.
Hey, this is so cool. Thanks for showing us how to get started with this technique
thanks!
Enjoyed that, James. Film using a TLR definitely looks like an immersive and cathartic process - completely alien to me and not sure I need the extra complexity, but very enjoyable to watch. “The algorithm is a mystery”: never a truer word spoken.
Yeah, I do enjoy the slow-process of it. Apparently some folk used to shoot weddings with them, no idea how! As for the algorithm- my IR Processing one has almost 46k views now, most of my other videos are between 50-300 views. Go figure!
Super. Dziękuję James 🤝
awesome video, ive noticed with my edit, following your video, there is a slight color cast still of the chosen colour ive gone for is there a way to offset/remove that?
Kinda depends - sometimes I've wanted to get rid of a remaining pink tinge on leaves, and do that by adjusting the red and magenta HSL settings in lightroom to lower the saturation to 0. Latest updates to lightroom have some cleverer colour adjustment options but I've not had chance to fully explore those yet...
I have a cds porro on my C330s. I have an 80 mm f2.8 and a 65 mm F 4.5. It took me ages to figure out how to use it.
How do you find the porrofinder? I heard they are quite dark to look through but maybe it's not too bad?
@@JamesBillingsPhotography It's bright and easy to focus. You need a side grip to use it.
Looking to get one myself!
It's definitely a bit of an "event" using it
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Just insanely beautiful. What a night. 🤩
I won't feel so bad if they no-show in Iceland!
love the video, great music! makes me want one.
Great photos!
Gorgeous photos! Can I ask what were your settings for the twin peaks shot?
Glad you like the photos! Settings for that were pretty standard stuff- 20mm lens at F8, 1/15 second. I also used a polarising filter I think to help reduce reflection on the water.
@@JamesBillingsPhotography thanks! I’ll have to remember to pack my P filter before my trip
what brand of IR filters you chose? nice to get a view of what brand is best....thanks for video. Have conversed DSLR to full spectrum and got step down/up rings to use a 72mm 720nm filter. looking forward to some sun so i can get out and take the shots
Looking back through my Amazon purchases, it's a variety... I have a few Green.L brand, a couple of Hoya, a Neewer... I probably just pick up what's in stock and reasonable money at the time!
Great video, im a photographer myself who has spent an awful lot of time at the coast this last year. Im about 25 mins from sheringham. Great work
Thanks for taking us along, James. Sorry you didn’t get clear skies but amazing you still managed to get a very memorable shot at totality. Time to start planning for Spain!!
Indeed, it's a way off but I'm starting to think about what might the best area...
From my point of view of you showed some interesting images, the thing is you made the effort, experienced the eclipse and came away with recorded memories! Well done, much enjoyed!😀
This is true - if I'd not gone, I'd *definitely* have seen nothing! Thanks for watching
They put an empty spool just in case? if it's the case, really nice thing from them!
No, an actual roll of film (it was a little expired, but yeah, nice!)
You got more mid tones than I ever did at 400. I bought a brick of this for cheap and ended up rating it at 80 and developing for half time in xtol 1:1 to have any greys at all. Weird film with specific uses I think.
Interesting - you'd think your technique would have reduced the contrast if anything. I did read somewhere it's actually identical to the slower film just with a higher box speed and appropriately adjusted development times, but who knows!
@@JamesBillingsPhotography Sorry, that's what I meant. I only got acceptable contrast at 80, at 400 it was far too extreme which is why I was surprised you got usable results there.
@@iNerdier ahh, I'm with you now. No idea why, I didn't do an awful lot of work in Lightroom to get detail back; perhaps I was just lucky with conditions and lighting somehow 🤷♂
Excellent, video, James - really enjoyed the relaxed pace. And fantastic images. Again - film’s a mystery to me!! Excited for your eclipse trip. 😎
Thanks! I was pleased with some of these, think the nice light helped :)
Awesome set of images from that walk!
Thank you! Yeah, I was quite pleased how they came out- some moreso than others of course!
Interesting videos of the 330, you say that you develope your own B&W, where do you get your colour film developed? Do you do your own scanning? Pleased to hear that you are on the road to recovery!😀
Thanks! I'm currently settled on Analog Wonderland for development, and I "scan" at home using my DSLR with a macro lens and a lightbox / frame mount. I then use NegativeLapPro in lightroom to process the images
@@JamesBillingsPhotography would be great to see a video post covering the process!😀
What an interesting camera! Great results as well. Hope you’re feeling better and look forward to your Romania trip.
Feeling better than I was... 2 weeks to Texas so fingers crossed!
Photos have come out great, always wanted to head up tot the Norfolk coast
There's loads of lovely spots- I only live 40 minutes from many of the villages, really need to get up there more often!
Nice job. I haven’t seen any Mamiya videos in a long while. I had a C220 and considered getting the C330. Don’t know the difference to be honest. Found a bust Yashica MAT 124G and sent it to Mark Hama. Dot took 4 months but it works
Thanks for the comment- I think the C220 requires cocking the shutter manually (the C330 does it when you wind on), but has the advantage of being lighter (the C330 is a hefty thing!) - I mainly grabbed it as they're the cheaper end of "pro" TLRs as far as I can tell - snazzy Rollei's and stuff go for double the price! Looking forward to trying it out some more.
Great video, most helpful, thank you. So was the main image in the thumbnail of the tree by the river done on camera with full spectrum conversion and then you used a 720nm filter on the lens?
Yes, that's right!
I took my fisheye lens to London on my first trip and was really pleased with the results. Worked well on leake street and in Kew Gardens. Look forward to see all the shots. Jon w
Thanks! I'll have to add those to the list for if I go back, I reckon Piccadilly Circus could work well too...
@@JamesBillingsPhotography yes , good after rain to capture reflections , although late night crowds can be a problem.
That was fantastic. I’d say the fisheye is a big success - genuinely new perspectives on some classic views. Great video as well. 👌
Thank you! I wasn't entirely sure how it would turn out ahead of time, but some of the images worked well - I did have to recompose on more than one occasion after spotting my feet and legs entering the frame!
Really great video, and some iconic shots! Images with the fisheye certainly add a different perspective, and are certainly not C??P😀
Thanks! Yes, variable results but I was pleased with quite a few of them!
I think I'll complse music to this
Send a link if you do, would be good to see
I think that’s one of your best videos, James. Really enjoyed it. Loved the nice tones before showing the photographs and the spirit of Kraftwerk in the soundtrack! Great images too - well done for developing those monochromes yourself - I’d be terrified of something like that.
Many thanks Paul- my recording was all quite haphazard so I was happy how it came out in the end - I enjoyed tinkering in Resolve to make the B-Roll look like it was shot on cinestill, so I'm glad you spotted the result!
I got recommended for this astonishing video. Thx so much, rlly like that. Especially that shots
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
Thanks, Berlin certainly looks like a great place to visit, very atmospheric images, both colour and b&w!😀
Yeah, I'd be tempted to go back for another visit- glad you enjoyed the photos!
Have you tried using normal ND filters? I remember back in the days when I had a full spectrum Canon, I accidentally left ND filter on a lens, and interestingly, it gave me a nice mix of IR and visible light, straight out of camera on a jpeg. Essentially it looked like a typical false color infrared with white leafs and grass, but with a blue sky, out of the box. I suspect that the sky was maybe blue due to some UV light passing as well. Anyways, it was nice. I think it was 4 or 6 stops UV, don't remember exactly.
I've not tried that- but I guess it makes sense. I once photographed a friend wearing sunglasses in IR and the lenses looked clear, so I guess the IR gets through but visible is blocked. Nice suggestion!
😂 I purchased this lens for my Nikon ZF, its the same version the MKIII, I took some test photos yesterday and two things were suprising, first photos were taken in a park that I walk our dog in and the steam flooded a section that contains some tall trees, the morning that I used the lens, the water had receded some and because of the low temperatures the water had partially froze, I did not see any distortion on the outer edges of the photos that were taken from f 8 to f 11, it was sharp across the frame and for a manual focus lens, focus is acquired very easily. Later in the day I had to do a grocery run and across from the parking lot is a river that flows under a roadway, before it goes under the road it has about a 6 foot drop, the sun was right above the river and the sky was totally clear so there was a lot of light reflecting off of the water. I would not have photographed this area at this time of day but I wanted to see if their was any lens flair and how much of a sun star I would get. I shot from f8 to f 11 their was no lens flair and the sun had been rendered with ten perfect points in a sun star. This is not a fast lens being f 4.5 but it is small, fits perfectly with the ZF and a perfect landscapes lens where you normally shoot at apertures that give you maximum depth of field.
Glad to hear you're enjoying it too - still have mine!
One of the finest cars ever built, I had the privilege of owning one years ago, I wish I had it now
Thanks. Could you talk about infrared video?
A good question - I've not tried. My initial thought is that video won't have the same amount of data as a raw photo (it's more akin to a jpg) so large adjustment to white balance won't be possible.
I have done Macro Photography since 1980 and used a lot of different Macro Lenses, I have the Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 110mm 2.5 which I use now and I can very highly recommend it ! Remember that a Macro Lens can be used for any kind of Photography (like a Swiss Knife). I never use artificial light in the nature. I have seen many reviewers criticize the focus throw of the Voigtländer Macro Lenses, but the 110mm have only 90 degree turn from infinity to 80 cm, which not is lot and in the "normal" range of most photography, in fact many macro Lenses have too short a focus throw, so focusing in the "normal" range can difficult. For macro photography is is good with a long focus throw !
Glad to hear you've good experiences with it too!
Really good shots mate. That one across the subway platform at 9:16 in the video was perhaps my favourite. I do enjoy low light photography without a flash. :)
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the shots! I'm a fan of low light myself, especially in cities. The lights and colours make things much more interesting :)
Enjoyed the video and the images. Is it possible to say where you got the film processed and at what cost? Also the same for the film?😀
I got the film from Analog Wonderland, and they did the developing and scanning too. I go for the Premium Tiff option which is currently £19 - if you want standard JPGs it drops to £12. The film itself is currently £20. So it's not a cheap experiment by any means! I'm starting to look at home-scanning options as I've a good digital camera with macro lens, but I need to find the right lightbox/film holder widget to use...
Nice shots but.... light leeks like on Cinestill sucks. It's a 33 film... not 36. As a professional I won't use it anymore. My last one is on the fridge. Won't pay that much for a film if I can't make the most of it.
Yep, that's a fair criticism - I didn't really mind them on these "test shots", but having to blow through the first 3 or 4 frames if you're shooting something critical would be an annoyance. I think I read it's down them hand-rolling, but you'd think by now they'd have worked out a fix...
Some great images in there. The film certainly brings a new feel to some familiar places. I was trying to work out how you ended up at Mornington Crescent though! Square crop for me, by the way. Look forward to the Berlin images.
Random tubing, and you end up somewhere unexpected! I think I prefer the square too, square crops are one of things I say I should try more often, then immediately forget...