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Ilford / HARMAN Technology Ltd im Interview

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Einige Fragen an Ilford, Steven Brierley (Sales and Marketing Director), über die Zukunft der analogen Fotografie, den Nachwuchs und die Produktion von Farbfilmen. Außerdem geht es um den Unterschied zwischen Ilford und HARMAN technology Ltd und das Besondere beim Fotografieren mit Film.

Does analog photography have a future?

Yes it does, sales of film are now stable and many new users experience film each year as they embrace traditional materials.

Ilford and HARMAN technology Ltd. What’s the difference?

HARMAN technology Ltd is the company formed after the ILFORD business in the UK went into receivership 9 years ago.
It is a successful business focused on traditional b&w films, papers and chemicals.
Under an agreement made at the time I bought the UK business with 5 colleagues and we are allowed to use the ILFORD brand for b&w traditional products.
ILFORD Imaging Switzerland are the manufacturers of ILFORD inkjet products and are a completely separate business which shares only a brand with our company.
The name Harman comes from the founder of ILFORD in 1879 – Alfred Hugh Harman, that name was chosen to reflect the nature of the business we run and our focus on traditional materials.

Kodak has four and Fujifilm only one black and white film.
Ilford currently has eight different films, how is that possible?

Very simple, we see our future as the manufacturer of traditional materials who will be here for the long term, we have a coating plant capable of smaller volumes than our competitors and when combined with our commitment it means we don’t intend to reduce our range.
Choice is vital and we believe it’s important to have a full range of products, photographers don’t like changing films and they hate to hear favourite tried and tested products have ‘gone away’.
We have also seen our films sales grow in recent years and I’m sure that is in part helped by others dropping products.

If Ilford might also produce color films in the future?

You should never say no, we are always open to any new ideas but to be realistic we have no plans to do so.

The children today grow up with smartphone and digital camera, and often know nothing about the film-based photography.
The generation that grew up with film cameras will be older and eventually dies out.
By this logic, analog photography would then die out.
How can we prevent that and will it ever happen?

We did a survey on our Facebook page where we have over 15,000 followers, 1,700 took the survey with the vast majority being 21 to 45 in age.
The evidence we have is that younger people are embracing traditional camera film, they lead a life surrounded by digital at work and in their leisure time and these photographers seek to be different by using film and they understand and like the unique and different way in which you work with film. They like the tactile nature of making something without technology taking over, it’s craft rather than pixels.
I see a stable future for film and no reason to believe it will die out.
We also launched a new web site recentlly www.localdarkroom.com where you can find a darkroom around the globe, it’s designed in part to ensure skills are passed on through the generations.
We will continue to support film users and whenever possible promote the benefits of film.

What is so special about film photography?

The pace at which you work is different, it calls for much more careful planning and film allows the user to concentrate on creating great images without the distraction of being able to review what you just took or indeed take almost unlimited images.
A good printer can rescue a poor negative in the darkroom but photographers strive with film to get it right first time.
There is little magic in digital, it seems to me the technology drives the process, with film the anticipation of looking at a reel of film as it comes out of the tank and seeing what you achieved for the first time or watching a print emerge in the developer is a very fulfilling experience.
Young people are often only exposed to film for the first time whilst at university or college on an arts course and they love the tactile nature of creating their own craft images. Watch students at photo colleges making digital
images and compare it to those in the darkroom, rows of students in cubicles hunched over a computer to those working in the soft red light of the darkroom with others, there is a sense of community and wellbeing in the darkroom.
Images are created in such different ways – a poor inkjet print heads for the waste bin but you don’t see silver gelatine prints being discarded in the same way – why? they are hand made, crafted and unique so even though not perfect they still have value and have something of the person who made them within the image.
I would compare digital to film photography with food, we all enjoy fast food but when you want something special it calls for care, great ingredients and above all time.
You become a better photographer with film, it makes you stop and think, plan ahead and consider much more carefully.
That’s why many photo colleges teach new students using traditional materials, the students love using film and they learn the basic principals in a better way, sure they go on to digital but many still work with film for their own pleasure.

Ilford kann auf eine über 130 jährige Geschichte zurückblicken. Heute stellt der Schwarzweißspezialist in Mobberley, Cheshire (Großbritanien), u.a. Schwarzweißfilme her, wie den Ilford HP5 Plus, FP4 Plus und die Delta-Reihe, aber auch von vielen gelobte Schwarzweißpapiere.

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