Last year, the Ilford brand decided to return to its orthochromatic roots and released Ilford Ortho Plus 80 film in two new formats— medium and narrow (previously, the film was only available in sheet format).
The distinctive features of this film are its insensitivity to red light, fine grain, and high contrast, all because Ortho Plus was originally designed as a copying film for negatives.
Ortho Plus’s insensitivity to red means that red and orange tones in the photo become darker with stronger contrast, sometimes even turning black. But this doesn’t stop interesting portraits from being shot on this film— neither early 20th-century photographers nor Ally Fane.
Ortho Plus lets you see the magic of the darkroom with your own eyes— because it’s insensitive to red, it can be developed under the dim light of a red lamp. So you can watch how the image appears on the film.
Ilford Ortho Plus 80— an interesting high-contrast film with an unusual result and a distinctive retro look. With these ortho portraits, you’ll look like a dandy from the early century.
Get inspired and experiment :)