Finally back to some film photography. These were taken around Barcelona with the M7, Zeiss C-Sonnar and Ilford Delta 400. It is very painful walking the streets at the moment, as temperatures have routinely been above 30c along with some very high humidity.
Two sets of images from two very different festivals, shot in Barcelona. The first, images taken at el Parc del Clot from an Eid al-Fitr gathering at the end of Ramadan (click on the gallery to view individual images):
People at Encants market, Barcelona. These are from the last (ever?) roll of Delta 3200, exposed at box speed and processed in ID-11 stock. A number of these were hip (well, chest…) shots taken while moving through the crowds – something that is only possible with a 50mm lens thanks to the high ISO which allows a fast shutter speed while stopped down.
The second set of night-time street images taken in Barcelona and shot on high-ISO film. These are images of an illegal street market late at night (around 10pm) at the Rambla del Mar, at the harbour. The sellers are usually illegal immigrants, and most of the goods are fake clones of branded handbags, shoes, sunglasses and Barcelona FC shirts. All images taken with the Leica M7 and Zeiss ZM 1,5/50 with Ilford Delta 3200 metered at EI3200 and processed in ID-11 as if shot at EI6400.
The first of two sets of night-time street images taken in Barcelona shot on high-ISO film. The intention was to capture something of the night-time in Barcelona with a vintage-look. Away from the main streets it can be very dark in Barcelona. All images taken with the Leica M7 and Zeiss ZM 1,5/50 with Ilford Delta 3200 metered at EI1600 and processed in ID-11. The lens was shot wide-open, partly because shutter speed was a problem even at EI1600, but mostly because I really like the glow around […]
A slideshow of images taken on a recent trip to Padova, Italy. This was not really a photographic trip, although it was a chance to put the M262 (camera, not aircraft) through its paces following the six week long repair in Wetzlar. Padova is a fascinating city that is a microcosm of Italy. There are many contrasts: the old town and new developments, exemplary classical art and modern graffiti, young and old. You could easily spend weeks observing and photographing in this town, and still not run out of new […]
A short set of images showing a different side to Salamanca, balancing the green and gold posts, and a reminder that even if this is a UNESCO site, it is also a large active city. These were all shot with a micro 4/3 camera system, and I would defy anyone to get better results from a Leica. In fact, things like focus accuracy and overall image sharpness at slow shutter speeds are reliably better than Leica digital thanks to the fast AF and image stabilisation. The shooting experience may be very […]
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 […]
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 […]
Street Art, El Clot, Barcelona. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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…
