Black and White

Head Space

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  For the last month, I have shot a lot of (often dubious quality) test images using Delta 3200 and Delta 400 exposed at EI1600, in an attempt to find a suitable image style for a higher ISO exposure setting than usual. With both films, I like the results best with low light and without a strong contrast filter fitted. The daylight shots are interesting, but I find the darkened skies provided by the red filter just a bit too grainy for my taste. On balance I prefer the pushed Delta 400 to […]

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Black and White

La Sagrera

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Part of the incredibly sad railway building works at La Sagrera, Barcelona (incredibly sad, because as with so many construction projects here, they are currently “paused” thanks to appalling failures in the cost estimates and budgeting). Part of a test series for Ilford Delta 400 pushed to EI3200 in Microphen with one-stop over-exposure. Shot with the M7 and ZM 2/35 in full daylight using a deep red filter. Here the sky is darkened by the red filter, but there seems to be a lot more grain in the sky than I […]

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Photography

Salamanca Gold

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A short set of images from the church and university buildings at Salamanca. The old part of Salamanca has an astonishingly consistent architectural style, for which it deservedly is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and that style is largely governed by the intersection of Catholicism iconography and the characteristic yellow stone used for many of the older buildings. I am not a great fan of this rather baroque styling, but the light and colours in many of these buildings is astounding.  

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Black and White

Skateboards

Medium-light (dusk) image shot inside the courtyard of the CCCB, Barcelona. This was taken using the same lens as the previous shots, but this time with a deep red filter fitted. The combination of the filter and the light seems to make the grain more prominent.  I think that the overall image “look” is still quite good, however. Shot with the M7 and ZM 2/35. Ilford Delta 400 exposed at EI1600 and processed for EI3200 in Microphen.

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Black and White

Holala

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High contrast illuminated shop sign, shot as part of a test sequence for push-processed Ilford Delta 400. It is a clothing shop, not really a plaza in the American sense :-) Shot with the M7 and ZM 2/35. Ilford Delta 400 exposed at EI1600 and processed for EI3200 in Microphen.

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Black and White

Barcelona Street Scene

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Continuing the series of high-ISO film tests, this is the first of a set of images taken using Ilford Delta 400, exposed at EI1600 and processed as if for EI3200 (ie: equivalent to rating the film at ISO3200 but over-exposing each image by one stop). These were processed in Microphen stock. The results are clearly different to Delta 3200 shot under the same conditions and the same developer. The images are clearly less grainy and although the tonality is not quite as good, the results are quite nice. The scans […]

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Photography

Revela-T 2017 – Festival of Contemporary Analogue Photography

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This week the annual Revela-T festival has once again taken over Vilasser de Dalt to celebrate contemporary analogue photography. The festival has an excellent mix of exhibitions, workshops and a small photographic market. The exhibitions are extremely well curated and there are excellent guided tours which are often aided by the presence and commentary of the original artist. The works span projects undertaken in Vilasser de Dalt itself (notably an excellent large format portrait project documenting the former workers of the textile mills that now make up some of the civic venues in the town) through to international exhibits such […]

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Black and White

MACBA

The MACBA, Barcelona. I have no idea where the usual crowd outside was at this time! M7 with ZM 2/35 on Ilford Delta 3200. A somewhat different look to some of the Delta 100 images taken earlier this year, which I think I much prefer…

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Black and White

La Boqueria

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Low-light test shots with Ilford Delta 3200, shot at EI 1600 and processed in Microphen stock for 6:30 at 24c. This was probably slightly underexposed (1/2 stop), despite the implicit 1 stop push from the developing time. Shot with the M7 and ZM 2/35.  

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Photography

Perpignan – Objets Trouves

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A short collection of images from Perpignan. These are very random and very unevenly edited, and show a very partial view of the town. These were originally intended to form part of a set of images around the theme of the recent French presidential election, as Perpignan is very much a microcosm for the issues central to the election. Unfortunately, conflicts on time meant that it was not possible to complete the necessary sequence, and the images here do not attempt to show the tension between the French middle classes, […]

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Black and White

Beach #3: Delta 3200 Grain on Screen and in Print

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The last beach scene from the test shots from Barcelona with Ilford Delta 3200 in 35mm format, shot at EI 1600 and processed in Microphen stock for 6:30 at 24c. This was shot at the end of the Rio Besòs in very bright light using the M7 and 50mm Summilux stopped down to f11 and fitted with a deep red filter. The “glow” around the water highlights is surprising, as the lens was stopped down probably to around f11. The negatives were “scanned” using an Olympus E-M1.2 and macro lens, using […]

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Black and White

Beach #2

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Daylight test shots from Barcelona with Ilford Delta 3200, shot at EI 1600 and processed in Microphen stock for 6:30 at 24c. This is from a test to explore film and developer options for a higher ISO B&W film than the usual Delta 100 or 400. Shot with the M7 and 50mm Summilux ASPH with a deep red filter.  

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Black and White

Beach #1

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Daylight test shots with Ilford Delta 3200, shot at EI 1600 and processed in Microphen stock for 6:30 at 24c. This is from a test film continuing to explore film and developer options for a higher ISO B&W film. These were shot with the M7 and 50mm Summilux ASPH using a B+W 091 red filter in full sun.

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Abstract

Salamanca Green

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Some images of Ranunculus drawn out in the flow of the Rio Tormes at Salamanca. These were shot from the Roman bridge, using a polarising filter to cut out the reflections from the water and boost the saturation. The 3D-like effect comes from the variation in depth of the plant within the river. We are not entirely sure what the exact plant species is. Some of the white speckles are in reality small white-petaled blossom, but it was difficult to get close enough to inspect the flowers. However, this is almost certainly Ranunculus fluitans, […]

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