…the #FP4Party that is.

Back in 2016, Mr. Em of Emulsive.Org created the idea of film parties. For each of these events that’s followed, a film stock was chosen and dates set for a shoot week, with dev(eloping) and post weeks following consecutively.  Party-goers were encouraged to share their experiences of using and processing the film before sharing their results via Twitter and Instagram. There’s no need to enter or sign-up anywhere, just take and share some pictures during the appropriate weeks and use the hell out of the hashtag.
Em, and his closest advisors, would then select the ‘best’ of the pictures submitted each day of post week, that would in turn be listed on his site to be voted on by readers for a top three.

Over the years, parties have run for Fuji’s Neopan films (#NEOPANTASTIC), Ilford’s Delta range of films (#DELTADEFJAM), Kodak’s beautiful Portra emulsions (#PORTRAPARTY), slide film (#SUMMERFILMPARTY) and the short lived #TMAXPARTY for you guessed it, Kodak’s TMAX film.

But undoubtedly the most successful and long-running of these events has been a celebration of Ilford’s magnificent FP4+ in the #FP4PARTY.

FP4+ became my ‘go-to’ when the initial demise of FujiFilm’s Neopan Acros was announced and is now my film of choice for pretty much every occasion. Even with the return of what appears to be an identical film to Neopan in the form of Acros II, I’m in no rush to return to it as I’ve been so pleased with FP4+ since my switch.
Much of the ‘research’ I did to audition this new emulsion was as part of previous FP4Parties; a roll that I shot in Bristol as part of the Autumn 2016 #FP4Party probably sealed the deal.

Anyway, the party is back for Spring 202, and here’s the schedule:
March 2-8: shoot week
March 9-15: dev week
March 16-22: post week
March 23-29: lamentation week
All you need to do to join the fun is to shoot a roll (or twelve) during the week of the 2nd to the 8th of March (no cheating now), share your processing ups and downs the week after, before showing the world your results the week after that.

The @FP4Party account now has more than 2,500 followers, so posting your work and getting it shared there might take you far. Following the account and hashtag will also mean that your feed is crammed full of GIFs the finest analogue photography around, shot on what is one of the best all round films available today.

See you in the kitchen…

Here’s a few of my previous posts that gathered images from parties gone by:

January 2018 (roll one) – Ireland
January 2018 (roll two) – Czech Republic
December 2017 – Nature Alive
November 2016 – Bristol
October 2016 – The roll that was actually HP5+
September 2016 – Sprockets