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Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
These are the remaining images that I made during my first visit to the Oxford v Cambridge Varsity 2012 at the Iffley Road sports centre. Still to come are some images I made the following weekend of Rugby so stay tuned.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 loaded with Kodak Tri-X film, processed in Kodak HC110 dilution b (1:31).
Netball team member
Netball team member
Badminton team member
Badminton spectator
Powerlifter (available light only)
Powerlifter (ambient light only)
Powerlifter (ambient light only). The far corner is where I made the portrait shots.
Athletics track spectators
Posted in film, Oxford, Portrait | No Responses »
Tags: 110mm, hc110, oxford, portraits, RZ67, sport, Tri-X
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
Here are the portraits of the Cambridge powerlifting team that I made at the Oxford v Cambridge Varsity 2012 competition. At least I think they’re all from Cambridge, I didn’t ask. The last portrait is a friend of the Oxford team who had come to help out and give some support.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 and 110mm lens with Fomapan 200 film, processed in Rodinal 1:50. The last portrait is on Fuji Acros 100 film.
Alex Katsis
Calvin
Chris White (the dark line down the middle seems to be a fault in the film emulsion.)
Wil Solano
Alp Notghi
Max Frenzel
Oliver Gam
Portrait 8 (Oxford)
Posted in film, Oxford, Portrait | No Responses »
Tags: 110mm, acros, black&white, fomapan, portraits, rodinal, RZ67
Sunday, March 11th, 2012
These images were all made with a 35mm camera – my first SLR that I bought back in 1987 and it’s still going strong. I really enjoyed using it for these available light shots because it’s smaller and lighter compared to using medium format.
[Tech info:] Nikon FM2 with 35/f2.0 lens loaded with Kodak Tri-X film rated at ISO 1600, processed in Kodak HC110 dilution b (1:31) for 17mins.
On the dance floor in the live acts' marquee. Notice the band on stage in the background
I think these guys really wanted to be photographed because they wouldn't move from in front of my camera
Immediately to my right was a spotlight that gave a very film noir look to anyone that stood in the light beam
Enjoying the music
After the band had finished
Eye contact
Group shot
Posted in film, Oxford, People | 1 Response »
Tags: black&white, fm2, hc110, oxford, people, portraits, students, Tri-X
Saturday, March 10th, 2012
The dining hall images are from the beginning of the evening. Before the masses arrived for the ball some students chose to have a formal dinner in the dining hall. The kitchen staff were all very nice along with the head butler who asked me if I wanted to get an elevated viewpoint from above the kitchen. As I was making some shots of the students tucking into their meal I was recognised by one of the students who was in the production of Cabaret I did some backstage photography of last month. It’s always nice when someone comments on my photography. More images to come…
[Tech info:] There are two different films used here, Kodak Tri-X and Ilford Delta Pro 3200, both expired. The Delta Pro is the same stock as the previous two rolls that didn’t turn out well. The difference here is I used Kodak HC110 developer and agitated every 30secs instead of every 60secs. My camera was a Mamiya C330f and 80mm lens.
Dinner is served. Is that a ghost moving through the shot?
Dinner conversation
Food waiting to be served
Some of the staff that were serving dinner, a nice bunch of people
I had to lead these girls all the way to one of the rear exits to the college to make use of the bright overhead light
This couple asked me to make a portrait of them. I like how they have a Bollywood look about them.
Strike a pose
The light level inside the live acts' marquee between acts was so low that I could hardly see to focus.
Posted in film, Oxford, People | 1 Response »
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Here’s the third batch of my images from the Balliol Ball 2012 and they’re the best so far. I really like the look of these and that’s largely due to the film, Kodak Tri-X. I should give this film more credit in low light, most of these shots were made in light levels that were so low that I could hardly see the eyes of my subjects to focus on. Most of these images revolve around the live acts’ marquee because that seemed to have the most light. More images to come.
If you’re involved in organising any summer college balls and you like my photography please let me know. I’d love to do more documentary photography of other college balls.
[Tech info:] Mamiya C330f and 80mm lens loaded with Kodak Tri-X film rated at ISO1600, processed in Kodak HC110 B (1:31) for 17mins at 20C.
Fixing a bow tie (live acts marquee)
Watching one of the live bands
Outside the live acts' marquee
Outside the live acts' marquee
Outside the live acts' marquee
The lighting in this shot is coming from the live acts' stage. It was very noisy in the marquee which made asking people if I could photograph them a little tricky
This girl looked very striking with her tattoos. I'd like to photograph her again so if anyone knows her please let her know
I thought it was a great idea to have Mission Burrito at the ball. The people behind the counter were very friendly
Hai Lin. This portrait was made right next to the Mission Burrito stand to make use of their light
Posted in film, Oxford, People | 3 Responses »
Tags: 6x6, ball, balliol, black&white, c330, hc110, oxford, people, portraits, Tri-X
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
These images are the first of what will be quite a large collection of images shot on film from the Balliol Ball that I was fortunate enough to attend last week. I didn’t label the rolls of film as I finished them on the night so when it came to choosing which roll of film to process first I decided to pick the last roll from the night. The film (Ilford Delta 3200) expired in 2005 and was part of a batch that I recently bought on eBay. It’s always a gamble when buying expired film because you never really know how the film was stored or whether it has suffered heat damage. Judging by the quality of this film I’d say it has suffered from being badly stored over the years. Still, these images have a unique look to them that is 100% real, no Photoshop filters or plugins were used on these images.
Earlier this evening I processed another few rolls of film from the ball and I can’t wait to start scanning them in. I left them hanging up to dry in the darkroom and will collect them tomorrow.
[Tech info:] Mamiya C330f and 80mm lens loaded with Ilford Delta Pro 3200, processed in Ilford DD-X 1:4 at 20C for 9 mins.
One of the few places I found available light to photograph with was near the loo in the basement by the photo booth.
I found this group of people in the photo booth room and managed to convince them to stand in front of my camera.
Photo booth group. I like how this one turned out.
The lighting here reminded me of an old movie set. These two guys were watching the dodgem cars which are directly behind me.
The light level was so low here that I couldn't see these people clear enough in my viewfinder to focus and the exposure was a bit too long for me to hand hold steady.
The light level in this shot seems a bit brighter than the previous shot but it was still too low to focus properly.
Posted in film, Oxford, People | 1 Response »
Tags: 6x6, ball, balliol, black&white, c330, oxford, people
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
Shortly before I photographed the Oxford Powerlifting team I caught the start of the Taekwon-do in the Oxford v Cambridge 2012 Varsity competition. I didn’t have much time so I only managed to photograph three members of the Oxford team, the other two portraits below are of spectators. I made these portraits off to the side of where the fighting was taking place and unfortunately I couldn’t find a clear section of wall to use as a background.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 and 110mm lens with Fuji Acros 100 film, processed in Kodak HC110 (dilution b) 1:31.
Fighter #1
Fighter #2
Fighter #3
Joram helping me test my lighting
A cool looking spectator that I thought would make a good portrait.
Posted in film, Oxford, Portrait | 2 Responses »
Tags: 110mm, black&white, hc110, oxford, portraits, RZ67, sport
Monday, March 5th, 2012
When I went to see the powerlifting during the Oxford V Cambridge Varsity competition my main intention was to make portraits of some of the guys. There was something about the light and ambience of the building where the competition was being held that made me think of old vintage photographs of wrestlers and strongmen. The walls looked like black boards that I remember from school and there was a nice pattern made by chalk dust all over. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to use it as a background for my portraits. Fortunately I was able to set up my camera in a corner that was out of the way of the guys as they warmed up before the competition.
I made portraits of both sides, Oxford and Cambridge but I feel it’s only right to post some of the Oxford portraits first, not least because the first three guys below all won. I’m really pleased with how all of my powerlifting images turned out and I’m hoping to carry on with some documentary style photography during future training sessions if I can get permission.
[Tech info:] First two portraits were on Fuji Acros 100 film, processed in Kodak HC110 B (1:31), last two portraits were on Fomapan 200 processed in Rodinal 1:50. My camera was a Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm lens.
Jamie van Reijendam
Richard Stebbing
Geoffrey Lynn
Alex Robinson
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Portrait | No Responses »
Tags: 110mm, acros, black&white, fomapan, hc110, oxford, rodinal, RZ67, sport
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012
I was fortunate enough to be granted permission to do some roaming photography at the Balliol Ball yesterday and the most amazing part is that I only found out about the ball the day before when I saw dodgem cars being unloaded outside the college. I was walking past on my lunch hour street photography session and got chatting with some of the guys unloading the dodgems. It was a great evening that was a lot of fun and my thanks go to Omid for allowing me to attend. I’ve never been to an Oxford college ball and this one was a nice one to start with because not only do I have friends that studied at Balliol but I also photographed and designed their prospectus a number of years ago.
I’d love to photograph more Oxford college balls so if anyone out there is connected in any way and can give me permission to attend I’d really like to hear from you. Thanks.
The images below are from the digital camera that I took as a back up, the majority of my photography was all done on medium format and 35mm film which I haven’t processed yet. Those images will follow as soon as I process and scan the films next week.
Praying mantis style
Fist in the air
All of the lights. I like the mixture of formal outfits here and the girl on the left who isn't so formal.
Posted in Oxford | 4 Responses »
Tags: ball, balliol, oxford
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
The majority of my photography last Sunday during the Oxford V Cambridge Varsity competition was done during the Powerlifting. I started off by doing portraits of some of the competitors (which I will post soon) in the warm up area. Right next door was where the actual lifting was taking place. It was a great atmosphere with clouds of chalk dust everywhere and black walls which reminded me of black boards from school. The light level was low for photography (too low I thought) but the quality of the light looked really nice and I thought it was worth giving it a shot.
For these shots I used a roll of Kodak Tri-X that I rated at ISO 1600. I thought the light level was so low that I didn’t bother with taking a light reading. I simply set the shutter speed to the lowest I thought I could hand hold steady (1/60) and kept the lens wide open (f4.5). If I had known that the images were going to turn out this well I would have shot a lot more.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 and 50mm lens loaded with Kodak Tri-X rated at ISO 1600. Processed in Kodak HC110 (dilution b, 1:31) for 17mins at 20C.
It's a shame I cut this guy's feet off but I was standing directly behind and over the judge so I couldn't get a better angle.
With all of the health and safety rules and regulations these days it's amazing that this guy doesn't have to wear steel toe protectors!
Taking the strain.
Bench pressing.
Posted in film, Oxford, People | No Responses »
Tags: black&white, hc110, oxford, people, RZ67, students, Tri-X
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
Last weekend I visited the University sports centre on Iffley Road during the Oxford v Cambridge Varsity sports competition. My intention wasn’t to make action shots of sport it was to find people to make portraits of. Not being a particularly sporty person myself, I found it very interesting to be among so many people that were. As I write this the Varsity competition is not over yet, it’s spread across different weekends with some other events to follow in the summer. I did quite a lot of photography during my visit and I’ll post the images in batches as I make my way through the scanning.
My thanks go to Simon Griffin from the sports centre for being so accommodating and supportive of my photography and also to everyone that made time to stand in front of my camera.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 and 110mm lens loaded with Kodak Tri-X film, processed in Kodak HC110 (dilution b, 1:31) for 7mins 30secs.
These guys were not part of the Varisty competition but as I walked past the room they were practicing in and saw the diffused light I knew I'd be able to make some great images. Fortunately these guys were very friendly and didn't mind me interrupting their practice session.
These two guys are also photographers which made it easier for me to get my shots. At first they were a little surprised when I barged in on their practice session and announced that I wanted to photograph them but after they saw the size of the camera around my neck they knew I was serious.
These was the last shot on my roll and shot outside quite a while after the first couple above. Imagine having a face off with this guy.
Posted in film, Oxford, People | 2 Responses »
Tags: 110mm, black&white, hc110, oxford, people, portraits, RZ67, Tri-X
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012
Here are two portraits I made on the end of the roll of the Cabaret portraits in the previous post. Both on the same day during my lunch break.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm/f2.8 lens, on Kodak Tri-X 400 film rated @ ISO1600, processed in Kodak HC110 (1:31) for 17mins.
Kevin, a Big Issue seller I pass almost every day on my way back to work. I'll be giving him a print of this.
Catte Street looking towards The Bridge of Sighs
Posted in film, Oxford, Street portraits | No Responses »
Tags: 110mm, black&white, oxford, people, portraits, RZ67, Tri-X
