It’s been cold in London over the last month or so, but it’s been nothing like as cold as Canada. Just after Christmas, it would have felt colder in parts of Canada than it would have on the surface of Mars.
Still, even with the mercury plunging, there are Canadians brave enough to get out into the elements with their film cameras. And one of them was Bill Smith, shooting his first roll of Kosmo Foto Mono.
Where are you from?
I live in Oakville, Ontario in Canada inbetween Toronto and Hamilton on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
How long have you been shooting film?
I’ve shot film as a child through a toy camera growing up in the 1970s and when I came back to my hobby in the late 1990s I got serious about it. Take the teenage and most of my 20s hiatus out of it, about 25 years.
What do you shoot on?
Not only do I shoot film I have a decent sized camera collection. I find I reach most often for my Nikon F2s, FM2 and my Olympus kit. As far as medium format goes, my Rolleis and Mamiya C220f.
What are your thoughts on Kosmo Foto Mono?
Where to start? Kosmo Foto Mono 100 is a classic black and white film with lovely tonality and a very fine classic grain structure that works really well. I processed in Rodinal at 1+50 at 7.5 minutes as per my friend Alex Luykx came up with. The 1+25 time was too short for my comfort. I do plan to experiment with other developers in particular Xtol and D-76 over time.
I will be buying more when my original 10 rolls are done. Please note with the photos I’m sharing, I took them on the rare bright sunny day between Christmas and New Year’s in Toronto during a polar vortex cold snap even my Nikon F2S struggled a bit in the -32c wind chill. I will be shooting more when the weather isn’t quite so cold.
Blog: funwithcameras.blogspot.ca
Instagram: @wbsmith200
Twitter: @wbsmith200
https://classiccamerarevival.podbean.com
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
- FilmNeverDie’s Nana 35mm camera launching via Kickstarter - 15/05/2024
- Foma Bohemia releases Ortho 400 35mm film - 14/05/2024
- Chroma Camera releases CubeFF 35mm pinhole camera - 07/05/2024
[…] can read more about Alex and Bill’s adventures with Mono 100 over on the Kosmo Foto Page. Just click the […]