Washi Y is a 120 black-and-white film coated not on the usual clear base but on Japanese kozo paper. The emulsion is applied by hand in Film Washi's small French workshop. The negative comes out translucent, and the paper fibres show in every frame — a texture no editor filter can add.
What the film is
Y is the new version of Film Washi's first paper film, «W». Same kozo base, but the emulsion has been replaced with a panchromatic ISO 100 one. The maker says plainly that it is much easier to expose and to use on any subject than the old, temperamental «W».
How it renders
The image is soft, with visible paper structure, especially in even light areas — sky, a wall, water. Each roll differs a little from the last: this is handwork, and that living unevenness is why people love Washi. It will not give you a crisp «technical» frame, and it is not meant to.
What it suits
Landscape, still life, painterly portraits, projects where texture and the feel of an old print matter. Simple medium-format cameras with manual winding suit it well.
Shooting and processing
- Meter at ISO 100; according to the maker it can be pushed and pulled.
- I do not recommend cameras with automatic winding: the paper can stretch or tear.
- Process in ordinary black-and-white chemistry on a reel. Wet paper is delicate: do not squeegee it, and hang it to dry with a light weight.
- Paper passes less light than a film base, so the scanner exposure has to go up.
You can have Washi Y developed and scanned in my lab — just mention the paper base. Another characterful film from the same workshop: Washi K, with perforations in the frame.
Specification
- Format: 120
- Speed: ISO 100
- Type: black-and-white negative, panchromatic
- Base: Japanese kozo paper, hand-coated
- Maker: Film Washi, France
- Process: standard black-and-white
