A short set of new images in the Barcelona Dark series.

I am gradually managing to tame the processing and also gradually migrating away from 50mm to 35mm for the shots – largely because the 35mm is noticeably easier to focus and hand-hold. Some of this might just be psychological, but fear of failing to get rapid and accurate focus with a 50mm means that I seem to have more close-up images of subjects with the wider lens.

These are also somewhat more randomly framed than usual. Not sure if I like this or not – but I need to seek out more interesting compositions if the series is to be sustainable.

An increasing concern at the moment is security in Barcelona, as the level of violent crime has exploded this year. Having witnessed (from a distance) a woman assaulted as two men tried to tear a necklace from her, I do not think that the reports are exaggerated. As a result I find myself unconsciously avoiding parts of the city at night.

As usual, all images shot on 400TX (Tri-X) and push-processed in ID-11 at 1+1 dilution for EI1600. I find that I have had to extend the processing time significantly over the recommended developing time to obtain shadow detail, while reducing agitation to help preserve the highlights. Most of the exposure times are guestimated, and typically around 1/30th or 1/50th second at f1.4.