Be inspired…..
Black and white images remain timeless and are a classic way to interpret the world.
There are many famous photographers who shot black and white film when there was no colour and their images provide inspiration to generations. Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier Bresson; who started Magnum Photos, Sebastiao Salgado, (his latest work Amazonia ) Dorothea Lange 
are just a few who provide a legacy of inspiring images.
And more recently but equally inspiring Tatsuo Suzuki along with Jack Davison are just a couple of the many who are continuing to explore black and white photography to create thought provoking pics. 
So be inspired by these ‘Greats’ shoot some black and white film for yourself, learn a different discipline. Look for textures, interesting shapes and shadows. Patterns and lines can become more visually intriguing with the absence of colour. Seemingly mundane scenes can look more interesting and appealing when shadows, texture and contrast are the most considered elements.
Simple Steps to processing…..
Once exposed, developing black and white film is not a complicated process and is carried out using just a few chemicals, (available online) a light tight film processing tank and lots of water.
The film is loaded into the tank (in complete darkness) Developer is added, then Stop Bath (to halt development) then Fixer to preserve the permanency of the images. Check out this link to Ilfords’ very thorough guide to home film processing Ilford guide to processing b/w film
Be Positive with your Negatives…..
If you’ve successfully processed your film, you should have some great negatives and then you can either scan them and enjoy the digital files or (if you are fully committed to an analogue outcome) print direct from your negatives onto archival photographic paper using an enlarger.
It has to be said that printing from negatives is a creative process in itself and requires the acquisition of an enlarger, a dedicated dark room, multiple trays for the chemistry, and an area to dry the finished prints. It’s a skill in itself and takes time to perfect but soooooooo satisfying!
Those lovely people at Ilford have taken the time and trouble to put together another thorough video explaining the whole process here, Ilford guide to developing prints so check it out if you’re curious.
Let us do the hard graft…..
If alternatively you have become inspired to shoot some black and white film but would rather leave the processing to the professionals, then no problem! At The Light Room we sell black and white film and offer a developing and scanning process which can generally result in film being turned around in 24 hours and a Dropbox link being sent to your email address for you to download digital files with the film feel!
You can then use Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop to adjust your images rather than ‘dodging and burning’ in the Darkroom!
Either way – Take Risks and Shoot (b/w) Film!
