The next time I took the Pentax out I loaded it with Ilford Delta 400 film as a change. I wanted to see if Delta 400 lived up to its promises of still giving less obviously grainy results despite its greater speed due to its reported different grain structure. I quite liked the idea of standardising on a faster film as I can’t remember ever having problems with too much light as opposed to too little light whilst taking photographs in the UK. I would develop it using DD-X as recommended by Ilford and then scan with limited sharpening to give it the best chance.
This time I was visiting Witley Court in Worcestershire. Witley Court was once a grand house which had been hugely extended and remodelled by various owners since it was first built in the seventeenth century but, after a serious fire in 1937, it was abandoned and stripped of fixtures and fittings. Now in the hands of English Heritage, it has been made safe and secure as a spectacular ruin. There is also an elaborate fountain in the gardens which has been restored to full working order and operates at times throughout the day.
Here are some of my photographs from Witley Court, taken on a typical British summer’s day – cloudy with intermittent showers.
Approaching from the front of the property, it becomes apparent how extensive it really is. The view from the rear is even more impressive.
I’m reasonable impressed with the results I got from Delta400/DD-X. Initially there seemed to be some excessive grain showing in the sky for the last two photographs but I went back and scanned them again, this time with the sharpening disabled completely to see if it was really grain or a scanning artifact. The grainy appearance was significantly reduced, but I really need to get a handle on setting up the correct scanning parameters to get the best results first time.
I’ll try Delta400 some more in the future.
I BOUGHT AN OLD FILM CAMERA 