If you're a film photographer looking to explore the monochromatic world, now is the time to do so.
Some photographers have abandoned film and switched to digital, especially for unpaid work. However, if you're a passionate hobbyist like me, you'll exhaust all other options before giving up on the unique and irreplaceable experience of shooting on film.
I'll admit I wasn't always a fan of black-and-white images. As someone who started with color film, the prospect of shooting in monochrome initially intimidated me. Living in a small Midwestern town with just one film lab within a 200-mile radius only increased my anxiety. The lab could only develop C-41 process in-house, and sending out rolls to Kansas City would take a week for me to get my negatives back without scans! So, I avoided black and white for as long as possible until the lab started selling Ilford XP2, a 400 ISO C-41 black and white film. Once I started shooting with the various monochromatic variations, I discovered a new world of creative possibilities. The absence of color forces you to pay attention to other aspects of the image, such as contrast, texture, and composition.
Here are some of those initial frames.