Month: November 2023

Digital · Photography

Autumnal disappointment

fishyfisharcade2 Comments

A massive failure this afternoon. 😦

I took a half day off work as I knew the weather was nice for once, and it was one of the only chances I had to try and photograph some autumn colour. So after lunch I headed out to Padley Gorge in the Peak District with the Chamonix large format camera and a bunch of film with the intent of shooting some of the Kodak Ektar that I have, and which I had four sheets loaded in film holders.

I found a nice scene with a backlit oak tree, so set everything up, carefully checked my focus and the camera settings and then took the shot. I then headed a little further down the gorge to try and find the next one. By this time, the light was low enough that a lot of the area was already in shadow, so I looked to photograph a clump of autumnal leaves on a sapling which were illuminated in a shaft of sunlight. It was a slightly tricky shot to focus, requiring some tilt to get everything sharp. After setting up the shot and feeling relatively confident about the sharpness, I went to meter the scene and then noticed with dismay that my meter was set to ISO400. This meant the first shot was two stops underexposed. This was very frustrating and, to be honest, set the ball rolling for the rest of the afternoon’s disappointment.

Burbage Brook in Padley Gorge

As I’d already wasted one expensive sheet of colour film I was now even more conscious of the need to not waste any of the remaining three sheets on sub-par images, especially given the fact I’d have to send them away for developing at notable cost, so I binned the shot of the leaves and decided to move elsewhere for something better. I was now in the wrong frame of mind though – everything I considered seemed like it wasn’t worth the effort (or cost) – and so I set up and then dismissed several shots while the sun sank lower in the sky. Eventually (and now in a pretty bad mood) I just said to myself “f**k it” and packed everything away and came home.

I was seething in the car all the way back because a) the weather and light was beautiful and I had been unable to take advantage of something I rarely get the chance to, and b) I wasted an afternoon’s off work for the privilege. I saw several beautifully lit scenes on the way home which, had I had a smaller format camera with me, I could have photographed, but I just had to drive past them all.

In the woods

The weather looks good again tomorrow, and I’m going to have another attempt at capturing autumn colour, but I’ll be taking some medium format gear this time to make sure I actually capture something on film. I expect the same locations will be much busier tomorrow, unfortunately.

Anyone else have “one of those days”?

The pictures shared today are a few older digital shots from previous visits to the same area. You can see why I’m disappointed to come away empty handed….

The pond at Longshaw-2
35mm · Film photography · Photography

Cafes open and closed

fishyfisharcade2 Comments

I’m sat here wondering what to write for today’s blog post and I’m just drawing a blank. I spent some time staring at my Flickr stream to see if anything caught my eye that I might write about. A couple did, but the things I’d like to write would take longer than I have time for this evening, so those might wait until another day.

So, in lieu of just posting a picture and writing nothing at all (which I do do on occasion), I’m posting a couple of pictures of cafes, one of which seems to be doing better than the other. The worse-off cafe makes for a better picture though.

American breakfast served all day
Cafe Bar

Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF-D & Kodak Portra 400. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro

Taken 20 August 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Teapots

fishyfisharcade2 Comments

I’m not sure why, but the scans from this roll of Portra 400 are extremely grainy. The film wasn’t underexposed, and I’ve done nothing unusual in my scanning process, so I’m uncertain as to the cause. I wonder if the high heat might have had an effect? Or maybe the airport scanners (although I’ve had no issues with taking Portra 400 through an airport in the past)

Teapots

Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF-D & Kodak Portra 400. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro

Taken 20 August 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Riverbed

fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Perhaps not a beautiful place, but the colours of the algae and stains on the concrete bed of this river channel in Malaga, made for an interesting picture.

I was curious as to why the river, The Gudalmedina, looks like this where it flows practically beside the beautiful old town of the city, and the reason is largely down to a devastating flood that occurred in 1907 which resulted in water levels several metres higher than normal, and the loss of lives and property.

Through the 20th century a variety of systems such as dams, dykes, and re-planting of trees were implemented to prevent a reoccurrence of the flooding. However, it became apparent later in the century that these were still not sufficient to protect the city and a new reservoir was constructed to help prevent further floods and also to provide drinking water.

As a result of this, the river channel through the city is dry much of the time and has become something of an eyesore. Although there have been plans to develop the channel into a more attractive site, these have not come to fruition (although there is evidence of trees planted on the left-hand bank in my photograph).

Dry river

I found a video on Youtube that gives more information on the history of the river and why it became what it is today.

The video was uploaded in March 2023, so I guess some activities to improve the site must have taken place since then, and while I was taking my picture I noticed a refuse truck removing rubbish from the river bed.

Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF-D & Kodak Portra 400. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro

Taken 20 August 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Just graffiti, or something more?

fishyfisharcade3 Comments

Today I learnt something about graffiti. I was going to write about how most of the time it looks a mess, but I thought I’d look into the reasons for tagging because, for all I know one person’s mess is another’s hidden world.

I discovered that there are different forms of graffiti tags and that, while graffiti and making an individual’s mark on something has been around for centuries, tagging is a much more recent addition to the form, originating in the US in the 1960s and 1970s, with Darryl McCray of Philadelphia (going by the psudonym “Cornbread”) being widely seen as the first modern graffiti artist .

Tagging in it’s most basic form tends to be 2-dimensional designs, usually small in scale, and made with marker pens or spray paint. These are generally the pseudonym of the artist. Tags are usually quick to apply due to the often illegal nature of the activity and they are considered to be vandalism by many rather than having artistic intent. Most tags are unique, being distinguished by the artists style. Some take the form of “one-liners” where the tag is formed from a single stroke. Sometimes stickers containing the tag are used and these are known as “slap-ons”.

“Throw Ups” are a more elaborate version of the tagging form. These tend to be more detailed and greater in scale. They often take the form of bubble-letters, sometimes with a 3D relief incorporated into the design. Again, they are quick to apply and most often use spray paint.

“Pieces” are the most elaborate of these forms. Pieces being short for masterpieces. These take things to another level, often being carefully planned artworks consisting of coloured fills and intricate designs, often incorporating graphical features beyond the pseudonym of the artist. These are probably seen as the most acceptable form of graffiti and are sometimes used as commissioned pieces to discourage other less welcome forms of graffiti or sometimes to advertise businesses. Pieces originated in the 1980s on New York Subway trains.

While the picture today didn’t have graffiti as it’s primary focus when I shot it, the fact that tags and throw-ups can be sen on the walls beside the door led me to wonder about their meaning when coming to write today’s post. Every day’s a school-day!

Doors and columns

Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF-D & Kodak Portra 400. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro

Taken 20 August 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Malaga Streets #1

fishyfisharcade2 Comments

I had the opportunity to just wander the streets of Malaga on a couple of occasions during our recent trip. Moving away from the busier tourist filled areas soon revealed a whole network of narrow streets and alleyways where I was able to make many photographs.

The heat and humidity were high, but I just felt the urge to walk and photograph; a new scene of interest seemingly presenting itself wherever I turned. Away from the central area and it’s shops many of the streets were largely empty of foot traffic – possibly because I was foolish enough to be out in siesta time. Mad dogs and Englishmen, eh?

I’ll post these in small batches, starting with the three below.

People have baggage
Stop
Two red doors

Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF-D & Kodak Portra 400. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro

Taken 20 August 2023.