*Cycling on the Bridge*
Canon A2 + Ilford Pan F
In late 2013 I went to Chattanooga, Tennessee for work. I had a half day to walk around town and really loved the feel of the place. I got a few good film shots out of it, including this one of the Walnut Street Bridge. Looking at my old photos recently I realised I’d taken a black and white shot of the same location that was really interesting too.
*Walking through a building*
Lubitel + Ilford HP5+
Around a decade ago, when I was first getting into film, I was fascinated by TLR cameras and sourced this cheap yet functional Lubitel from a Ukrainian ebay reseller. I only ever shot one roll, it was too fiddly for me at the time. Of that roll, the one shot that I still find interesting to this day is my first (accidental) double exposure. There’s something quite evocative about it, which goes to show that while I like control over my double exposures, there is something to be said for embracing the randomness of it all as well…
*You’ll be a man, my son*
Fuji TX2 + Rollei RPX25
Since schools closed in HK in late January, my 16 year old son has stopped shaving. He didn’t seem to have much of a beard at first, but a few months on it turns out it’s quite bushy. I took this portrait in the sunset light on a tripod, because Rollei RPX25 isn’t exactly made for portraits… but I love the look of it. I will definitely try that film for portraits again, just possibly with artificial lights to make it easier.
*Dublin City Food*
Canon A2 + Ilford FP4+
I remember that day in Dublin. I went there for a conference that turned out to be dissapointing, so as soon as it was over I left. The weather was gorgeous early spring. I had an unusual number of keepers on that particular roll, and this one in particular fascinated me. I shot it because of the waiter inside the Café, but was photobombed by the guy on the left, who also turned to be reflected in the window, hence four layers or planes.
*Escher Condo*
Fuji TX2 (XPAN) + Ilford Pan F
This photo is the single keeper of an entire roll of building double exposures. I was inspired by a similar concept shot and shared by Jules le Moal. The principle is simple : you shoot the top of a building, then you reverse the camera and you shoot the top of the building again. I had not realised quite how close to the edge of the frame you have to be for the effect to work, and so the entire roll was little blobs of properly exposed buildings in the middle of overexposed buildings. Except this one, which I really like and shows at least that the concept has legs.
*Father & Son*
Spotmatic F + Ilford Pan F
My first film camera was a cheaply procured Spotmatic F. It had the advantage of using an M42 mount for which many good lenses could be had on the cheap. It was a good, sturdy camera and I’d like to shoot it again someday, when it comes out of storage. This, I think was the last roll I shot with it in Istanbul on a short business trip. I was then given a Canon A2 which has autofocus and autoexposure…
*Tombstones in the Grass*
Fuji TX2 + Rollei RPX25
I really like this picture although it shoes how delicate exposure can be. I measured the exposure on the tomb at the right of the frame, but I now wished I’d tried a version metered on the one on the far left. Might have been even moodier. Even so, I think there’s something nicely graphic about this haphazard collection of tombstones.
*Twin Crosses*
Fuji TX2 + Rollei RPX25
After a few visits, there are a few locations I have already identified as having graphic potential in the Hong Kong cemetery. These two crosses framing a tombstone behind them are amongst them. When I went last time in the morning, I was shooting expired Scala, and the contrast was sadly not there. This time I went late afternoon but the direction of the light nicely framed those crosses, I felt.
*Gravestones and Shadows*
Fuji TX2 + Rollei RPX25
One of the initial ideas for this shoot when picking RPX25 – a high-constrast, low sensitity film – was to expose for the highlights at dusk and therefore get really deep blacks. This shot really exemplifies that approach. The composition is probably not strong enough for it to really work, but I like the look of it, it’s just a matter of finding a better subject and a stronger composition next time.
*The Forlorn Graves*
Fuji TX2 + Rollei RPX25
I love the Hong Kong Cemetery, but until my last visit I couldn’t find the way to go up the slope. I could see some graves under the trees on the valley ridge, but didn’t know how to get there. On my last visit I finally spotted a small side path to go up the slope. I went to the very top, where I saw those small gravestones, lost in the high grass and clearly not tended. They moved me, perhaps more than other, more formal graves, and so I took that shot in the dying light.
Recent Comments