Ilford HP5+ is a nearly ninety-year-old black-and-white film celebrated for its versatility, sharpness, and consistent response to various development techniques. Many photographers enjoy pushing its development and sometimes pulling it, but to my knowledge, no one has ever pulled it to such an extreme as to treat it like an ISO 3 film; therefore, this may be the first instance of sharing this method and its results. In this article, we'll explore the meaning of pull-processing, the typical methods used, reasons for shooting HP5+ at ISO 3, metering for EI 3, development times and techniques, scanning and post-processing, more samples, and next steps. You can support this blog and access premium features with GOLD memberships!¹ — The formula for HP5+ will reach 94 years old in 2025 if counting dry plates. It was first introduced in 1931 as Ilford HP, standing for Hypersensitive Panchromatic, and this is the fifth updated version of the film. What does it mean to pull film, and how is it typically done? The box speed (i.e., ISO speed indicated on the film's packaging) can be measured and calculated based on the film's characteristic curve¹ and/or determined through practical experimentation. The box speed is often part of the emulsion's name, such as Kodak Portra 400, where 400 represents the film's ISO or box speed. However, a film's sensitivity can be reduced by shortening the development times (i.e., "pulling" it from the chemicals early), lowering the temperature, or diluting the chemicals. Consequently, you could meter Portra 400 as if it were an ISO 200 film and still achieve a correct exposure by changing the development process. ☝︎ Further reading: “A Beginner’s Guide to Push & Pull Film Development.”¹ — “Emulsion Speed Rating Systems,” G. S. Allbright, 1990. Ilford HP5+, shot at EI 3. I utilized this image as a prominent feature in a recent article on Analog.Cafe, and surprisingly, no one noticed anything unusual! Please note that I modified the contrast after scanning. Why would anyone shoot HP5+ as an ISO 3 film? Pulling film generally reduces contrast and may even minimize grain size. Development times for both color and black-and-white films often include durations and temperatures for pulling it one or two stops. However, the experiment detailed in this article involves pulling Ilford HP5+ seven stops to EI 3². To my knowledge, such an extreme has never been attempted before. So, why would someone choose to shoot an ISO 400 film as if it were a much less sensitive ISO 3 film? I did it for fun and to explore the limits of possibility, but there are also practical motivations: shorter development times. According to the Massive Dev Chart, HP5+ requires six minutes in Rodinal with 1:25 dilution, while ISO 3 necessitates less than four minutes.
I’ve included free trials for the apps and articles exclusive to GOLD subscribers on Analog.Cafe to assist you in determining if a membership is a worthwhile investment. #editorial.
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Ilford HP5+ is a ninety-year-old black-and-white film renowned for its versatility, sharpness, and consistent reaction to different development techniques. Many photographers enjoy push-processing it and occasionally pull-processing it. However, to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever pull-processed it to this degree; therefore, this could be the first instance of anyone presenting the technique and results using HP5+ as if it were an ISO 3 film.