The Ruins
Leica M7 with ZM 1,4/35 and yellow filter on HP5+ developed in HC-110 1+63 at 27c. The fast 35mm lens is wonderful for these kind of ethereal scenes.
Residence
An old mill (?) which has been restored and converted to apartments in Margno, Italy. It is a beautiful setting, but it reflects the sad trend where in Europe almost seemingly every change is towards property investment, tourism and upmarket coffee shops. Leica M7 with ZM 1,4/35 and yellow filter on Ilford Delta 100 developed in DD-X 1+4 at 24c, with noticeably less grain than the previous HP5+ images.
If a tree falls…
If a tree falls…?. The first of a new sequence of black-and-white film images, and also a new posting format with daily film shots combined with a longer pieces at the weekend. Taken with the Leica M7 with ZM 1,4/35 and yellow filter on HP5+ developed in HC-110 1+63 at a rather too hot ambient temperature of 27c. While I like the tree, for these images I am not a great fan of the grain that I am getting with this combination of HP5+, developer and temperature. Unfortunately, it is not easy […]
Barcelona Still?
Five images of Barcelona, shot on colour film and developed at home with some rather expired chemicals. These were test images, taken out of curiosity to compare the old Minolta X300 with a cheap 35-70mm f4 zoom against the M7 with the Zeiss 50mm. The only conclusion I can see is that image quality wise, it is almost impossible to tell the zoom images from the prime lens. I also attempted to shoot some street photography with the X300, but this was much less successful than with the Leica thanks to […]
Barcelona: Manteros, Tourists and Luxury Yachts
There are few more poignant symbols of the problems in Barcelona than photographs taken around the newly redeveloped harbour area between Port Vell and Barceloneta. Here, tourists newly disembarked from cruise ships or disgorged from the flood of incoming flights to El Prat walk past rows and rows of “manteros” – illegal immigrants selling fake designer sunglasses, handbags, shoes, hats and numerous other dubious goods. In the background is an exclusive private marina where multi-millionaires dock their luxury yachts. The blankets (mantas) are usually linked to ropes attached at each corner, so […]
Milano
Three images from Milan, Italy. These were actually the last before the problems here wiped out all the projects and planned travel for this year. That said I am gradually trying to get back to more focussed work and am now gradually getting through some processing backlog. All three images were taken with the M7 and 50mm C-Sonnar on HP5+ exposed at box speed and developed in HC110 1+63.
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.
Abstract III
Abstract architectural image, shot on HP5+ and mirrored in Photoshop.
Abstract II
Another abstract, aiming to construct in a contradiction (I am trying very hard not to call it a supposition) that recalls both direct and inverse characteristics from the previous post. And a slightly more airy view. Leica M7 with ZM 1.5/50 on Ilford HP5+, processed in Photoshop by merging two images.
Abstract
Trying something slightly different, with some architectural images shot on film and then modified in Photoshop. All of the grainy reality of film, only without the reality… The first of the set is an old cliché, but fun nonetheless.
Jardin des Plantes and Grande Galerie de l’Évolution
The Jardin des Plantes and Grande Galerie de l’Évolution, Paris. Inside, the gallery of evolution is quite amazing, with an astonishing building that combines fantastic colour lighting, sound effects (at one point simulating a thunderstorm), and a vast historical collection of stuffed animals:
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Amazing wooden decking and some very sharp towers. The architecture is fascinating as it somehow gives the impression of an immense open space, while hiding large sections of the library under your feet. As an aside, maintaining all the wood here in Paris’ notoriously damp climate must be challenging. Shot with the M7 and 50mm on Ilford HP5+ 35mm film and processed in HC110 1+63 (“H”) for 8:30 at 24c. The Zeiss C-Sonnar is a great general purpose lens, but it has a bit too much distortion for these kind of straight-line […]
Bridge
The Passerelle Simone-de-Beauvoir, Paris. The same bridge as the lead photo in the previous post, but taken facing in the opposite direction, and using a film camera rather than a phone. Not withstanding compositional differences, whether or not the film images are better or worse than their phone equivalents is really a matter of taste – all that you can really say is that they are different. I started shooting film last year to help make the photographic process more deliberate and considered, and to a certain extent I […]
Shadows
Basilica di San Giacomo, Bellagio, Italy.
Ghostlight
Landscape (lakescape?), shot on Lago di Como, Italy. The ghostly halos around the reflections are the rendering from the Zeiss C-Sonnar lens, which was used here with a stack of ND filters to allow it to be used nearly wide open while not burning a hole in the M7’s shutter curtain… Shot on Delta 100, processed in HC110 at box speed.
Portals
Reflections on a journey with doors and cobbled streets. Taken in Bellagio, Italy and somewhat out of sequence, due to vagaries of processing and scanning… Leica M7 with Zeiss C-Sonnar 50mm and Ilford Delta 100 black and white film processed in HC110.
Transient Eye 