Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
A couple of namesakes which, while close, are not directly adjacent to one another. I’m making the assumption that they’re named after the author of Don Quixote.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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).
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.
A further trio of shots from my siesta-time wanders around Malaga.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Which do you think?
I’m going for the upbeat option, and will suggest hugging. Although, as the owner of (actually: slave to) two young cats, the other choice might be equally apt!
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.
This piece of street art featuring a portrait of Charlie Chaplin made for a nice focal point on this row of apartments and colourful (if closed) shop fronts and awnings.
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.
On the third day of our visit to Malaga I suggested we take a walk to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, a castle perched atop a tall hill overlooking Malaga and its port. It’s possible to get a bus to the top, but I suggested that we walk. It was a little cooler than it had been the previous couple of days but still in the low thirties. It was, however, much more humid.
While the footpath to the castle isn’t particularly long it soon became apparent that it was pretty steep and we stopped to catch our breath a few times until, eventually my wife decided she’d had enough and to leave her where she was (which was sat on some steps). After telling her that we could return to the bottom she insisted that I proceed without her so, feeling a little bad about it, I carried on. A little further up the path there was a viewpoint with some benches and a guy playing music and then, after a particularly vertiginous section, the final stretch to the summit.
The first thing that greets you at the top, apart from the castle, is the sight of the bus stop that you might have taken advantage of. Also a shop selling refreshments. I wandered around the castle and followed the battlements around its perimeter, taking advantages of the opportunities to take pictures. I also called my wife and told her of the viewpoint and benches a little further up the hill from her position.
The views from the top were expansive and I’ve included three photos below from the the many I made.
The first is a view over the port and, if you look closely, you can probably see a few things that have been the subjects in pictures posted here in recent days, including the lighthouse, the siloes, and the white yacht at centre left. We didn’t visit the harbour area on this day, but I would have liked to see that black yacht up close. Just look at how tall that mast is. It’s taller than those buildings so must be around 14 storeys tall!
At the foot of the hill and just east of the port area lies Malaga’s bull ring. I’m not a supporter of blood sports at all and would never visit these venues to witness the activities that take part, but the structure made for a striking and possibly thought-provoking image.
Looking over to the west and north from the castle gave views over the city of Malaga itself, one of which can be seen below. I think I can just make out the roof of our hotel in this one. 🙂
After walking around the castle, I descended back down the path, met up my wife, and we then returned to something closer to sea level. After all the climbing (there were lots of slopes and steps within the castle grounds to be navigated too) my head was the colour of a tomato and my t-shirt was a sweaty mess, so we decamped to a cafe for very welcome cold drinks!
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF-D & Kodak Colorplus (third picture on Portra 400). Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro
Taken 20 August 2023.
Steel City Snapper photography 