A Very British Referendum
Today Britain votes on brexit: whether or not to remain in the European Union. Here are a short set of images chosen for their symbolism and taken on a all-too-rapid walk through central London last week.
Sharpening 35mm Film Scans in Capture One
Having just processed and scanned a new batch of four colour films, I am struggling again with how to get the best possible detail out of the scans. To understand how well the scanning was working, I use a reference macro image of the negative to check the sharpening applied in Capture One.
Week 18 :: Wet
Five random images from an unexpectedly damp Barcelona.
Week 17 :: Kisses
Some images taken around the sea front at Sant Adrià de Besòs, near to the remains of an old power station. The area is on the beach, and is gradually being redeveloped from an industrial zone to what will likely become an upmarket residential area in future. It has remained largely undeveloped in part because it is a relatively small zone that is effectively blocked on all four sides by the sea, the Riu Besòs, the costal railway, and the Badalona Marina.
Week 16 :: Stop
Five loosely connected images taken around the centre of Barcelona. The lead image shows an illegal protest against the “Ley Mordaza” (gagging law) – more officially and misleadingly titled as the “Ley Orgánica de Protección de la Seguridad Ciudadana” (2015).
Week 15 :: Poble Nou
A set of seven (I still can not edit…) images taken in Poble Nou, Barcelona. These are a bit more heavily processed than normal, to give more contrast. Although I am still not completely convinced by the results, I like the increased simplification in the images – something that is always a challenge with a fixed wide-angle lens.
Week 14 :: Center
Five street photographs, taken around Las Ramblas and the center of Barcelona. I am trying to limit myself to five photographs, and it is simply not possible to capture everything that you can find on even a short walk. However, I think these are a good summary of what an average tourist might expect to encounter in hour’s random wandering on a warm Sunday afternoon in early April…
Week 13 :: Street
A set of five images taken on or around the streets in Barcelona. I still do not have much energy for street photography at the moment, although these are almost there (please excuse the rabbit).
Week 12 :: Espais Naturals
A narrative set of photographs taken on a walk at the Espais Natural along the Llobregat river between Cornellà and El Prat. The green space is very much an afterthought from the planning authorities – it is essentially what is left over after carving out several large motorways, railways, power line systems and the farmland that somehow still manages to survive in this area at the edge of Barcelona. The river is flanked by large artificial embankments (levees) which contain the water when there is heavy rain. There are large areas […]
Week 11 :: Broken Symmetry
Week 10 :: High Rise
This week, a set of architectural images taken in or around High Rise Piazza Gae Aulenti, Milan (next to the railway station at Porta Garibaldi). All the pictures were taken with the Ricoh GR II. There was a lot of guesswork with these photographs, thanks to the very very bright sunlight and a non-very anti-glare screen protector. The area is an interesting example of trying to undertake practical urban regeneration, with a good mix of living spaces, offices, shops, supermarkets and arts and social venues all within a very short walk. […]
Week 9 :: Passing By
An odd (and technically prime) number of loosely connected images, all taken in the last week from various walks around the city of Barcelona. I am slipping the timing of these posts progressively to give a bit more margin to process the images from the last week when away from the computer as ongoing trouble here continues to drain time and ensure that good number of weekly images can not be posted at present.
Week 8 :: Cementerio de Collserola
Some visual fragments from the Cementerio de Collserola, Barcelona. The cemetery is located right on the outskirts of the city in a densely wooded part of the Collserola near the Ciutat Meridiana at literally the end of the line (metro L11). As with the Montjuïc, there is an eclectic mix of whimsy, sadness, Catholic seriousness and celebration of peoples lives. Here are just five images taken from individual tombs in the cemetery – I may post some photographs from the beautiful surrounding area later in the week.
Week 7 :: Urbanity
More vaguely urban railway themed images and a (sort of) selfie taken on a railway bridge. The protest image is only vaguely connected – it was of an anticapitalist assembly, which is only very loosely linked to the TMB Metro drivers’ strike this coming Monday and Wednesday. The strike coincides with the extremely non-anticapitalist MWC conference – one of the most busy and commercially important events in Barcelona. The drivers are protesting against salary freezes and ever increasing automation, such as the driverless trains seen in last week’s pictures. As before, all five images were shot […]
Week 6 :: Wormhole
With this weeks spectacular announcement of the first ever detection of gravity waves from the merger of two black holes, it seemed appropriate to find some vague link for the next set of photographs. Fortunately, Linea 9 Sud (South) on the Barcelona metro opened just this week, giving an opportunity for exploration of a virtual wormhole (I admit this is a bit tenuous). Currently, only the north and south sections of the line are open, although they will eventually join when the construction is completed. The new line 9 is […]
Week 5 :: Mountain View
Another five images, all from around the Monjuïc, Barcelona, and taken with the Ricoh GR II. Finally, after three months of drought there has been some rain. Real weather with real clouds and wind again.
Transient Eye 