A short set of landscape images from the Gallecs rural space, just outside of Barcelona. This is a large area which has been preserved as farmland, largely thanks to the efforts of the local population to resist the pressures of urban and industrial development. The freshly ploughed clay soils have an amazingly deep and rich red colour. And lastly, a bonus image of some street art in the underpass connecting the town of Mollet del Vallès to the agricultural lands:
A few shots from the student climate protest/strike today in Barcelona, as thousands of marchers demonstrated against the increasingly worrying evidence of accelerating climate change. This is part of a growing and international effort by the young to fight back against the planetary legacy that they are inheriting.
A set of images on a walk from Vilanova y Geltrú to Sitges in Catalunya. It is an interesting route because you are sandwiched between the coastal railway lines and the sea, and there are no barriers between either of these and you. It is unusual in this hyper-sanitised 21st century to discover that there is nothing to prevent you being run over by a high-speed train or to stop you falling off a cliff: this is not a path for those without common sense. The walk is physically undemanding and […]
The first of an occasional series looking holistically at the transitions between intra and extra-urban spaces.
An update on the Catalan Nationalist process, as the political leaders responsible for the 1st October referendum and failed unilateral declaration of independence go on trial.
A short set of street images, this time exploring the use of a diffusion filter in bright sunlight. This is a slightly weaker filter than was used for Night Mist, and I prefer the results better. When shot in diffuse daylight the effect is an almost imperceptible loss of contrast, so these shots were specifically shot with as much light and contrast as possible…
A set of experimental images taken in low light using a pro-mist filter to create blooms around bright light sources...
A short selection of images taken while visiting friends and family in Italy over New Year. For some unknown reason, these were all taken using older Zenit film cameras. The first set were shot with the Horizon 202 panoramic camera – a camera that begs to be used but which still needs more time to figure out how to get the most interesting results (compare, for example, the images with massive distortion vs those that look entirely undistorted – the result of simply tilting the camera a few degrees and […]
A set of colour film images, shot on Kodak Gold 200 and processed at home using the Tetenal ColorTek C41 kit. These were intended to clear the pipeline for a future project, checking both the characteristics of the film and developer, and also the scanning and subsequent colour correction.
A set of five images shot on film at night in Barcelona. These were shot with 400TX and Delta 400, pushed two stops in DD-X 1+4 as part of a test to get a feel for how the films compare in low light. Overall, the results are very similar (can you tell them apart?) – the Tri-X appears to have slightly better exposure latitude, while the Delta looks finer grained. On balance I prefer the slightly grittier Tri-X, and will try to shoot a series using this next year.
This is a short review of Capture One Pro 12, Phase One’s alternative to Adobe’s Lightroom CC package. Version 12 introduces some new features which, unlike last years update, should make this an upgrade that is much easier to recommend for most users. But is it worth the accompanying eye watering price rises?
A short set of images taken along the seafront in Barcelona shortly after a storm had passed, These were shot with a Minolta X700 and a Tokina 28-70mm objective as part of some tests to select a lens for a future project. I bought the Tokina while a student, thirty years ago, and never really liked the image quality. Wide open it is just soft across the frame and without any real character – it needs to be stopped down to at least f8 to get decent results. Despite this, […]
A quick look at the Zenit Horizon 202 clockwork panorama camera, which is unusual in that it uses a lens placed in a rotating drum to create ultra-wide-angle images with a 2.4:1 aspect ratio on 35mm film. If this sounds weird, it is – and It is probably easier to show the camera in a short video than to describe it:
A mix of images shot on Delta 400 film in Barcelona. These are the “in-between” shots – images taken in between more deliberate work and which lack any deliberate attempt at narrative.
A set of images taken in the Botanic Garden of Madrid, shot in rather damp conditions with a polarising filter to give bold colours.
London – Saturday 20th October 2018 This was the second major march organised around the Peoples Vote: a call for a second referendum on the terms of Brexit. Almost three quarters of a million people attended – so many that the organisers were overwhelmed by the numbers and Parliament Square was unable to contain everyone. Many of the marchers carried home made banners and placards and they spanned all ages and came from all walks of life – including many from all over Europe who were denied a vote in […]
