I miss Efke films; these were a blast from the past, a film stock that survived sixty years through three manufacturers. While the production line shut down in 2012, I had several years of using these classic films under the Adox and Efke brands. And even after the discontinuation, I secured a brick of the film through eBay, which I enjoyed for another couple of years. Back in July, I got a single roll of film from James Lee after the CCR 10th Anniversary event. So I decided to save it for a special day, so I took it out on World Photography Day, 19 August 2025, to a favourite historic downtown, the historic village of Dundas, Ontario (today part of Hamilton, Ontario). I had it loaded into my Nikon F5 with the 20mm f/2.8D and developed in ZoneImaging 510-Pyro. I also shot my Rolleiflex 2.8F that day with a roll of Kentmere 200, which was developed in FX-39 II, and my D750 and the 28mm f/2.8.
When it comes to solo photo walks, I like to go through areas where I feel safe and have a good lay of the land. Especially if I want to shoot video and be comfortable. On days that I have off, I like to get out early in the morning, then head home and get the film right into the tank. And on this day, I had, in addition to the two rolls that I shot in Dundas, two additional rolls waiting at home. Dundas checks all those boxes, and most importantly, I feel safe to photograph there. I had initially planned to go to either Guelph or Galt, but both of those places are starting to have larger numbers of people living rough. And while there are services around to help those people, I don’t like bringing cameras into those situations, especially when I’m also doing video work. Plus, Dundas is beautiful, there’s plenty of architecture, and I was feeling the architecture vibe that day. And everything is nicely contained together. And as an added bonus, if you know where parking is free, most people don’t pay too much attention to you.
While I do my best to not carry so much gear each time I go out, it’s World Photography Day, so I went a bit crazy with lugging along three cameras. I had a couple of goals. First, I wanted to record some footage for a future video about Efke films with some POV work using my Nikon F5, the new 20mm f/2.8D lens, and a roll of Efke KB 100, a recent gift from James Lee. So that’s partly why the D750 came along, but also to use for still photography. The Rolleiflex hasn’t seen a lot of use recently, so I wanted to take it out for a spin with a roll of Kentmere 200 loaded up. So it was a delightful contrast between having a digital camera, a roll of new film and a roll of old film. For the Efke, I went with 510-Pyro for the development. I love Efke films in Pyro, having done a roll of Efke 25 back during Operation Clean Sweep and the Kentmere. I went with FX-39 II as part of my continued trial of that film, leading up to the formal review next year.
The day turned out to be perfect! After several months of nothing but heatwave after heatwave, the day was cool and sunny. A nice break and perfect to wander around without worrying too much about pushing myself too hard. I also made a point to get there early in the day, before many of the downtown businesses opened. And being later in the year, I didn’t have to worry too much about day camps and the like. Although some were running when I was through. There were a few people about, but no one questioned me and politely nodded in greeting. I first went and shot the Efke 100 roll through the F5 because that was specifically for a future YouTube video, rather than juggling everything and having my car in a central spot, I left most of the stuff there and walked about freely. After wrapping up that roll, I went and shot the D750 and Rolleiflex. Overall, I wasn’t out for too long, maybe a couple of hours, but it was great to get out and create.
While photography is something that I practice regularly, it’s always fun to get out and enjoy the process on the day that it was first revealed to the world. And the best part is that this year and next year mark the 200th anniversary of the invention (well, history is messy). So if this had any inspiration, now is the time to pick up any camera you have, yes, even your phone, and take some pictures of whatever you enjoy and be sure to share them freely! You can check out all my photos from the day over on Flickr!