Five Fragments
Five fragments from Barcelona, shot on 35mm black-and-white film. All images shot with the Leica M7 with 35mm Summilux on Ilford Delta 400.
State of Independence XVI
A set of photographs from an attempt by protesters to attack the building of the official Spanish Government delegation in Catalunya. This was triggered by the arrest of ex-president Puigdemont in Germany, and the Catalan Police (the Mossos d’Esquadra) were deployed to protect public buildings.
Sun and Rain
A short set of recent street images shot on black and white film with the M7 in Barcelona. It has been a very unsettled spring, with alternating spells of torrential rain and blazing sun. Somehow these are coordinating with the calendar to land all the worst weather at the weekend! Shot on the Leica M7 with a mix of 35mm and 50mm lenses on Ilford Delta 400.
Come Walk With Me…
A short set of images taken around the piers in Brighton, during a rather stormy period. I have been meaning to try to take some pictures of the old piers for some time, although the original intention of making some long exposure sea-scapes was largely thwarted thanks to a slight aversion to the gale-force winds that were seemingly laced with sleet for much of the time…
Dolce Vita
A photo essay contrasting mass tourism in Asturias and Cantabria against city life in the same region. This reflects the growing tensions between increasingly wealthy and mobile tourists and and increasingly impoverished local population that sees little benefit from the tourist industry.
Dilbar
Some more tests of the 90mm Elmarit-M, this time some semi-abstract shots of the hyper luxury boat “Dilbar” when it was last docked in Barcelona. The Dilbar is one of the largest private yachts in existence, and valued at $600 million it likely more expensive than the harbour at which it was docked. It is owned by the controversial Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. Inexplicably, it is finished in a rather 1980’s beige colour that recalls many early budget PCs. It looks significantly better in black and white than in real […]
London River Walk
A short set of images taken along the River Thames, mainly following the Thames Path. These were taken to test out a newly acquired 90mm Elmarit-M lens, which despite being more than 20 years old seems to be working amazingly well. The lens is extremely sharp, but lower-contrast than most modern lenses – although this is easily corrected when processing the images.
State of Independence XI
This is the last in the “State of Independence” series documenting the Catalan secessionist protests in Barcelona, covering the period leading up to the new regional assembly elections on the 21st December 2017. Throughout December the protests continued sporadically, mainly focussing on a campaign to support those people currently held in jail without bail for their actions that led to the current political crisis in Catalunya. The number and intensity of demonstrations is vastly diminished compared to the period around the referendum, as people tire of repetitive and cold evening […]
To The Beach
A set of landscape photographs taken along the coast near Lynton and Lynmouth from a rather cold and wet weekend trip to the UK. It is not exactly Cannes, but the slightly less than hospitable weather makes a nice backdrop for the black and white imagery. All images shown here taken with the M 262 and 50mm Summilux, processed in Capture One 11. These would have worked very well on Delta 100 film, but it would have needed a heavy tripod to deal with the lighting and wind. At one […]
The City
The first of two sets of high-contrast black-and-white travel photographs – in this case taken during a rather damp and cold day’s walk around Exeter. These were shot digitally and processed in Capture One. The results are very different from the usual film images, but for short trips such as this there is a lot to be said for the convenience of a digital camera.
State of Independence X
While the independence related protests continue in Barcelona, their number and attendance is very much reduced. This is a short set of film images taken at night at a protest in support of the politicians and independence group leaders currently on remand in Madrid following their unilateral declaration of Catalan independence.
State of Independence IX
More independence movement images from Barcelona. Since the last update, the level of protest activity has subsided significantly, with all the protests shown here organised by Assemblea/Òmnium in support of the independence movement – but with turnouts significantly smaller than in previous weeks.
Polarising Filters for Leica M Cameras
A brief review looking at three different options for polarising filters that can be used with Leica M series cameras.
State of Independence VIII
A further set of film photographs from the independence crisis here in Barcelona. As the struggle between the secessionists and the Spanish state has increased, protests both for and against independence have multiplied. These images were taken from five distinct events in the last ten days.
State of Independence VII
A further update and set of film images from the ongoing separatist crisis in Catalunya. On Tuesday, Carles Puigdemont refused to clarify whether or not the Catalan government had declared independence. As a result, the central government in Madrid has started proceedings under Article 155 of the Spanish constitution with the aim of restoring a
State of Independence VI
More film photographs from the continuing independence movement protests here in Barcelona. Following the white protest on Saturday, there has been a subsequent unity march through the city centre, and then a gathering to celebrate what was expected to be a formal declaration of independence for Catalunya. However, the secessionists were bitterly disappointed by President Puigdemont’s actual speech.
