Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
City Hall, London was opened in 2002 and served as the headquarters of the Greater London Authority unttil 20221. It’s unusual shape was designed by achitect Norman Foster.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
Shad Thames is an area of former wharf buildings situated on the south bank of the River Thames in London, immediately east of Tower Bridge.The street which bears the area’s name is cobbled and spanned by historic bridges that formed part of the complex when it was in industrial use, though it’s now an upmarkek residential area. It’s a very dramatic and picturesque street and has featured in numerous film and television programmes (although I remember it most from a 1980s Doctor Who serial featuring the Daleks).
It’s a great location for photography, even in the less than inspiring conditions I had on the day.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
I’d really hoped for better conditions on the day I made all these photos in London. The day before had beencontrasty sunlight, blue skies, and interesting swirls of cloud. The day I was able to do some photography was beset by drab featureless grey skies whose only redeeming feature was that the tops of some of the tall buildings disappeared into the cloudbase in an atmospheric fashion. Still, as a photographer in the UK, thses are conditions to which you must resign yourself because they are likely as not to arise when you least want them.
So here are four pictures shot in the City of London – London’s business and financial district – on a cold, grey morning at the end of November.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
I’ve been to London many times but have never really ventured south of the City – well, except one time when I visited Greenwich, but that was on a river trip, not on foot. As a result, while I’ve seen Tower Bridge in person, I’d never gotten close enough to cross it, so this was a first for me.
The bridge is one that always seems smaller to me than the others on the river for some reason, a perception thing. Perhaps it’s because it’s tall and that somehow makes it feel less wide in its span or something? Whatever the case, it doesn’t feel small once you get up close and its height and span become more readily apparent.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
Even pushing the film a stop, there was not enough light on the morning I took these photos to get fast shutter speeds, and so some camera movement has crept into some shots. Not something I intended, but they actually have a slightly fuzzy look that kinda works I think.
The previous day, when I had to attend a work meeting and had no time to take pictures, the weather was glorious. The day I had the opportunity to do some photography in London, the weather was not far off the worse it could be. Drab, dull, and grey. My usual luck.
Olympus OM-1N, G-Zuiko Auto-W 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 29 November 2022.
Another photo taken outside The Hepworth gallery in Wakefield. I think this one is definitely my favourite from the roll. The use of a shallow depth of field was deliberate to throw the building out of focus but still keep its presence in the frame.
I had the chance to go out with a camera today (well, I was Christmas shopping, but had the Trip 35 in my pocket). Sadly, the beautiful – if very cold – frosty weather also came to an end today, being replaced bith grey overcast skies and rain. So I took not a single picture. Sigh.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 November 2022.
Another working week draws to a close. I’ve managed to complete something I’ve been involved with at work over the past couple of months, which is nice. While there are some bits still to do they won’t be required until after the Christmas break. My usual situation is that I end up working right up to the final hours before my Christmas leave kicks in but this year, hopefully, I might have a slightly more relaxed time next week and maybe get into the Christmas spirit a bit more than I currently am.
Today’s photos are a couple more from my trip to The Hepworth. Some more signs of the veil flare are apparent in the picture of the stairs, but it’s manageable. My lens spanner arrived yesterday evening and while I’ve not attempted the repair to remove the lens haze yet, I was able to confirm that the taking lens seems to come out easily enough, which is a good sign.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 November 2022.
I visited The Hepworth back at the start of November to see the Hannah Starkey: In Real Life exhibition that was (and, at the time I write this, still is) present in the gallery. The exhibition was good – Hannah Starkey isn’t a photographer I’ve followed particularly – much of her work takes the form of staged portraits designed to depict candid scenes of women going about their lives – but I always tend to find such exhibitions interesting and inspiring, even if the work is not something that would be my first choice of style. Seeing the huge prints in the gallery environment was a great experience.
I took my Yashicamat 124G with me on the visit in the event I might find some things to photograph while I was there, and the posts for the coming days will feature some of the results. Today’s two pictures were made inside The Hepworth gallery, though not in the confines of the Starkey exhibition.
I’ve noticed over the past year or so that my Yashica tends to flare in certain conditions – a diffuse veil flare that reduces contrast, turning deep blacks to greys. Closer inspection of the taking lens reveals that there is haze present, so I need to try and get that fixed. I’ve looked online and it appears to be a reasonably simple job to remove and clean the taking lens, although not without risk of my cack-handedly breaking the camera in some way. To this end I’ve bought a lens spanner and will attempt to effect a repair this weekend. Wish me luck!
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (@800asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 November 2022.
Down at the bottom end of Woodhouse Washlands there is an oxbow lake. It’s actually not much of a “bow”, more a strip of water which lies maybe fift to a hundred or so metres from the current course of the River Rother.
A tree stands at the edge of the water – a willow, I think – and is the subject of today’s photograph. The fog masks so much in this scene which, in clear conditions, would reveal houses and other structures on the valley side in the distance beyond the tree. Thank you fog.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 13mins @ 20°
Taken on 15 January 2021
It’s been a while since I posted a power-lines picture I think, so let me rectify that. If you’ve read this blog for a while you’ll perhaps realise that I find pylons and power lines an appealing choice of subject matter. Not to the extent that I go looking for them purposefully, but they often draw my eye. This pylon, stood like some metallic sentinel on the foggy and frosty Woodhouse Washlands certainly caught my attention.
I took myself off for a trip to the seaside today. I don’t often tend to go there on cold January days, but I figured that a change of scene would get my creative juices flowing (plus I could eat some fish and chips while looking out at the sea…). The day was sunny and bright, but bittely cold with chill winds – the remnants of storm Malik that was now headed east out to sea – so a hat, gloves and a fully zipped up jacket were a definite necessity. I’m feeling tired now, and ready to hit the shower when I finish typing this, but my belly is full of my fish and chip dinner, and I have two rolls of 35mm film to be developed, so the day counts as a success. The pictures will turn up here in a bit, although I’ve got two other rolls of stuff to root through before that happens. It’s nice to be back in the black again, photographically speaking.
Back to the usual routine of work tomorrow.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 13mins @ 20°
Taken on 15 January 2021
Steel City Snapper photography 