Spotlight

Duncan Hopewell: Fujifilm Acros in Nature

Chris Gampat
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05/17/2017
2 Mins read

Last Updated on 05/17/2017 by Chris Gampat

All images and words by Duncan Hopewell. Used with permission.

Black and White photography to me lessens distraction so a subject can be more clearly understood and felt. By removing color, an image has a layer of abstraction from the real world that allows me to work toward something more meaningful and simple. It also forces me to think more clearly about the structure of a photo, or the expression contained within, which can often be lost or overshadowed in color images. This is doubly true when I add in shooting black and white film. There is a very real, calculable, “cost” to creating an image that makes me think more deeply about what I am attempting to convey in each frame. The combo of both has forced me to become a more present, thoughtful photographer.

I’m enamored with the natural beauty that is around me, particularly details and textures and the way light falls on objects. I’ve been an avid hiker for a couple decades, which allows me a chance to delight in those. I get to bring some of that feeling home with me through my photos. Additionally, though, photography is often about the process and problem-solving for me. I like working on a crossword or a puzzle, and photography satisfies the same urge. I have a set of constraints (I only have a 50mm, the sun is in the wrong spot, it is dark out and I’m loaded with ISO 100 film, etc) and I have to work my way through them to produce an image I like. Overcoming those kinds of obstacles is deeply satisfying, and the failures make the successes that much sweeter.

I believe that black and white will continue to be a place that Photographers can differentiate themselves from the faux-cross-process/Instagram-famous crowd. Not everyone is working in monochrome, but the barrier to entry is still low. You are far less worried about things like chromatic aberration or color noise in a black and white image, so the technology you are working with matters less. It is also a lower barrier to entry on the analog side, you can set yourself up to develop at home with little more than $100 investment and a decent film body is $200-400. It is an artist friendly medium that creates impactful images that have a unique look from what we are saturated with. I think in that environment we will start to see more and more new talent emerging. At least that is my hope for myself and my fellow black and white shooters.

black and white Duncan Hopewell fujifilm fujifilm acros Photography
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.