Street portraits
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Monday, April 16th, 2012
Something a little different from my usual lunch hour sessions here because I don’t usually go to the pub at lunch time. A meeting I had at work ended up running over by almost an hour which meant my lunch break was later. I took this opportunity to break from my usual routine of walking into town and instead I explored the neighbourhood around where I work. The benefit of this was I had a lot more time to shoot because usually I only get 30mins to shoot as my walk into town and back is 15mins each way. The relaxed change of pace was nice and as it was a sunny day with a clear sky the light was very harsh and contrasty which resulted in great shadows around. The following day I was back to my old routine again but I think I might mix things up a bit from now on.
[Tech info:] Mamiya C330f and 80mm lens loaded with Fomapan 200, processed in Rodinal 1:50 for 11mins at 20c.
Stairway to...
I love this shadow
On my travels I ended up going inside The Rickety Press pub which was recently renovated. The light and shadows inside were fantastic.
Old books on display and for reading.
I liked the ornate spines on these books.
Penguin classics behind the bar.
Back to work.
Day 2. 'Cool camera' they said as I walked past. 'Thanks' I said, 'let me make a quick portrait of you with it'. Click!
Outside Brasenose College where some construction work is going on.
I thought the 3D glasses were cool and the contrast of outfits. On the steps of the Clarendon Building.
A men's tailoring shop recently opened in Little Clarendon Street and this is one of the tailor's working there.
Posted in film, Oxford, Portrait, Street portraits, Street style | No Responses »
Tags: 6x6, black&white, c330, oxford, people, portraits, rodinal, street style
Sunday, April 15th, 2012
Some random images made on expired Kodak Tri-X film during my lunch hour. I started the roll off by photographing the window typography in the windows of the soon to be burger place but the first time I went there the sun was shining on the buildings across the street and the reflections in the glass were too distracting. The next day I left for work earlier than usual in the morning and the overcast light was perfect. I went back there again in my lunch hour that same day to ask if I could photograph from inside the building looking out but the boss wasn’t there and the construction worker standing in the doorway said he couldn’t give me permission so I ended up making a portrait of him instead. There’s so much construction going on around Oxford city centre at the moment. I feel a construction worker portrait project coming on.
[Tech info:] Mamiya C330f with 80mm lens, Kodak Tri-X processed in HC110 dilution b (1:31).
I love the way this typography has been done. The dark areas allow you to see in through the glass
Shop front typography. George Street.
I like the frontage of this building on George Street.
Construction worker in doorway. He was very reluctant to be photographed at first because he thought I wanted him to 'pose'. Instead I told him not to move
Here's the work being carried out around the back of the same building
Hand painted sign, Broad Street
The three construction workers that I pass almost every day on my way back to my office. A friendly group of guys
I photographed this girl some months ago so it was nice to bump into her again. She's one of the most photogenic people I've come across
This is the following day from the shot above. Little Clarendon Street
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Street portraits | 2 Responses »
Tags: 6x6, black&white, c330, hc110, oxford, people, portraits, Tri-X
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
These few images are a bit out of sequence. They’re from a roll I finished over a month ago but I’m not sure where the other shots are at the moment. To save time I’m posting them today ‘as is’. The funky look to the images is because the film was very old. I’m not sure when it expired but I bought it as part of a large batch of expired film so there’s more where this came from. The mottled look is I think from the paper backing being in contact with the film for a long time and the film not being stored in optimum cold/dry conditions. I could be wrong but that’s my best guess.
[Tech info:] Mamiya C330f camera loaded with Ilford Delta 3200 film. Processed in Ilford DD-X developer (1:4).
I saw this gentleman waiting with his bike on Broad Street. I was on my way back to my office at the end of my lunch break. I thought he had a cool moustache.
Another fellow film photographer. This was lit from a small window in the stairwell near the darkroom that we use.
The Covered Market. I've never seen so many butchers in one place.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Portrait, Street portraits | 2 Responses »
Tags: 6x6, black&white, c330, oxford, people, portraits
Saturday, April 7th, 2012
After the photo session with Hai Lin and my Aero Ektar setup (here) went so well I arranged to do another session a couple of days later because the late afternoon light was really nice and I wanted to test out a different camera, this time a medium format one that was more portable and faster to use than my 5×4 Speed Graphic. I shot a roll of colour film as well as b&w but I haven’t processed it yet.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm and 250mm lenses on Kodak Tri-X film. Processed in Kodak HC110, dilution B (1:31) for 7:30 at 20c. Processed and scanned by me.
Looking towards the sun with the shadow from the Bridge of Sighs
Looking towards the Clarendon Building
I like the shadow on the ground and how much detail there is in this shot despite Hai Lin being backlit
The sun was starting to get quite low at this point
I really like the vintage look and feel of this image. It feels like a movie still or promo shot to me.
Posted in film, Oxford, Photo shoot, Portrait | 2 Responses »
Tags: 110mm, black&white, hc110, oxford, portraits, RZ67, Tri-X
Friday, April 6th, 2012
At the beginning of March I was fortunate enough to be granted permission to photograph at the Balliol College Ball but I didn’t know that the ball was even taking place until the day before! As usual I was on my lunch time photography walk around Oxford when I noticed some dodgem cars being unloaded into Balliol College on Broad Street. I stopped to shoot some pictures and got chatting with a couple of the guys. It turned out that they were a family run business that specialised in fairground rides and they mainly dealt with colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, it was then that they told me about the ball that was happening the next night at Balliol. Below are some pictures from that day and the lunch time of the following day. The end of this roll of film has shots from the beginning of the ball. It’s nice to have all of these shots on the same roll of film because it’s a nice time line for me when looking back through them.
[Tech info:] Nikon FM2 loaded with Ilford XP2 film. Processed in a Tetanol C41 kit and scanned by me.
These two guys were really fun to chat with
Unloading the dodgems
Dodgems controller
Setting up the dodgems in Balliol's quad
A little break from shopping, Broad Street
I love the light the comes around this side of the Sheldonian Theatre
Another film photographer. This girl had only just got this Diana F Lomo camera.
I love this shadow and the way the light bounces around in this passageway
One of the ground crew workers currently working on the building project at the corner of Walton Street and Little Clarendon Street
One of the ground crew workers currently working on the building project at the corner of Walton Street and Little Clarendon Street
One of the ground crew workers currently working on the bulding at the corner of Walton Street and Little Clarendon Street
Posted in Architecture, film, Oxford, People, Street portraits | 2 Responses »
Tags: black&white, fm2, oxford, people, portraits, xp2
Thursday, March 29th, 2012
This is Rupert Penry-Jones starring in Silk 2 which is due on the BBC later this year. There was a small film crew shooting a scene where he rides this Norton Commando underneath the Bridge of Sighs. I came across them during my lunch break. He seemed nice enough. The funny thing is I don’t watch much tv at all so I had no idea who he was and had to ask a gushing fan nearby.
[Tech info:] Nikon FM2 camera loaded with Kodak Color Plus film (£1/roll in Poundland). Processed and scanned by me.
In front of the Norton Commando
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Street portraits | 1 Response »
Tags: 35mm, fm2, oxford, people, portraits, tv
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012
It’s been while since I posted some lunch hour street photography so I apologise if you’ve been needing your fix. There’s no shortage of it to post (as I’m out with a camera just about every weekday if it’s not raining) it’s just that I wanted to get the bulk of my Balliol College Ball photography posted. Speaking of College Balls, I’m going to try to obtain permission to photograph some more this summer so fingers crossed on that. If you know anyone that can authorise permission please send them a link to this blog and ask them to contact me. Thanks.
All of the images here are from the same roll of expired Tri-X. I don’t know how expired it was because there was no wrapper on it but judging from the base fog of the film I’d say it’s over 10 years out of date.
[Tech info:] Expired Kodak Tri-X film loaded in a Mamiya C330f with 80mm lens. The film was rated at ISO 200 and processed in Kodak HC110 dilution b.
This guy was visiting Oxford for the day. We had a pleasant conversation about photography, film and digital. He had travelled from Ohio.
This scout was visiting from British Columbia, Canada.
Creative graffiti on a red telephone box on St Giles.
Construction work going on inside the Bodleian Library. The openings on the right will be the new entrances.
This bike was all chrome.
A shady spot underneath the scaffolding on Walton Street
This seat has had a lot of use. The bike it's on is nice and old but it's had a recent paint job which is a bit of a shame
It's a bit of a shame I didn't have colour film in the camera because the colour scheme of this guy's outfit was pretty cool. I like the shadows cast by the sun.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Street portraits, Street style | No Responses »
Tags: black&white, c330, hc110, oxford, people, portraits, street style, students, 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
Monday, February 20th, 2012
These are the portraits I made of the cast and crew of Cabaret back stage at the O’Reilly Theatre, Keble College. Curtain up was probably around 20mins away so I was very rushed and also very cramped for space. These were done in a corridor at the bottom of the rear stair well, the bright lights facing the camera are lights on the wall. I thought they might look good as a background but they’ve turned out being brighter than I would have liked. I left my spot meter at home so I was unable to make very accurate exposure calculations. Overall I think these turned out well with all things considered. Thank you to everyone below that made time to be photographed.
I’m interested in doing more backstage photography on film so if you’re involved in a project or performance please get in touch.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm lens loaded with Kodak Tri-X film rated at ISO1600. Processed in Kodak HC110 (dilution B, 1:31) for 17mins at 20c.
Cast member
I did a rough retouching job in Photoshop to erase the bright lights in the background of this image and I think it works better without them.
Cast member
Choreographer (right) and assistant choreographer
Cast member
Posted in film, Oxford, Photo shoot | No Responses »
Tags: backstage, black&white, oxford, people, portraits, RZ67, Tri-X
Sunday, February 19th, 2012
It feels like ages since I did any street portraits so getting back into it this week has given me a real buzz. The weather in January was really bad so I didn’t get many opportunities to do much street photography. The shots here are all from the same roll of film shot during the past two days which makes them the fastest turned around images (from my camera to this blog) so far. The film I used is one of my favourites (Fuji Acros 100) but for this roll I decided to test out a developer that I haven’t used with this film before (Kodak HC110). I was a bit nervous because I had shots that I was very excited about and didn’t want to lose but nothing ventured nothing gained as they say. I’m pleased to say that it all worked out well and I’m very happy with this film/developer combo.
[Tech info:] Mamiya M645 and 80mm/f1.9 lens loaded with Fuji Acros 100 film. Processed in Kodak HC110 dilution B for 5mins at 20c.
I love the outfits this couple are wearing (I think they're a couple) and I hope I get to photograph them again.
- I photographed this smartly dressed gentleman last summer on Cornmarket Street and when I saw him walking towards me on Turl Street I had to photograph him again.
One of the security guards where I work.
There's something very classic about the way this gentleman is dressed with his wax cotton coat and scarf. As he came walking towards me I had the feeling that he wouldn't want to be photographed but I was happy to be wrong.
On the steps of the Clarendon Building. The first time I passed this guy he was eating some lunch so I decided not to interrupt him. By the time I'd done a circuit of my usual haunts he had finished. Funnily enough someone else had asked to photograph him the other day.
These builders are working on the Walton Street site at the corner of Little Clarendon Street. When i approached them they didn't want to be photographed but after I explained my street photography project they were happy to. I think there's something about using a film camera that shows people you're serious about photography in a way that digital cameras don't.
I think this camera is a Leica. All of the logo's have been covered in black tape. It reminds me of what I did with my first Nikon SLR to prevent it from attracting attention.
Posted in film, Oxford, Street portraits, Street style | 1 Response »
Tags: 645, acros, black&white, oxford, people, portraits, street style, students
Tuesday, February 14th, 2012
Here are some shots from the second roll of Ilford P4 Surveillance that I’ve tried out so far. I think that all of the rolls that I have left from this batch will be damaged like this. The film seems quite old and may have been poorly stored but I quite like the aged look so I don’t mind too much. These shots are very different from my usual style but I very much enjoyed a more ‘shooting from the hip’ snap shot approach here.
[Tech info:] Nikon FM2, 50mm/f1.4 lens, Ilford P4 Surveillance film processed in Kodak HC-110 dilution B (1:31), 9mins at 20C.
A bite to eat.
Outside The Randolph.
Rim light.
Standing still, St. Giles.
A sign of Spring? Wellington Square. I pass this tree every day but this was the first time I noticed these hanging around.
Oddbins off licence, closed after 40 years on the High Street.
Walton Street building project.
Map reading.
High Street shops.
A nice old shop front on Turl Street.
I like the shape of this bike frame and the seat looks nice and comfy.
Clothing shop, Little Clarendon Street. A nice shop front.
Posted in Architecture, Equipment, film, Oxford, Street portraits | No Responses »
Saturday, February 11th, 2012
Recently I bought a job lot of film from someone on a well known auction site and among the different brands of film was some that I have never heard of, Ilford P4 surveillance. A little research pointed to it being used in traffic cameras and for surveillance (doh!) work. The film I received had been individually loaded into cassettes from a bulk roll, the empty box of which was included for me to read more information. I don’t know if the film I received was from the empty box because the expiry date on the box was 2010 but after processing the first two test rolls I noticed that one of the layers of film above the emulsion had come away in patches which is why these scans look uneven. There are also scratches across the film which points to grit in the felt trap of the cassette. I did rattle these shots off as a test so I don’t mind too much and I’m thrilled with the look of this film so it’s okay.
The thing that amazes me the most is the dynamic range this film is able to capture. I deliberately used it in situations where I know other films would struggle which is strongly backlit shots. The contrast is flatter than ‘normal’ black & white films and for an ISO400 film the grain is quite pronounced but I do like it. I’ve got lots more of this film to use for testing so more images will follow. These shots were made with my very first SLR camera that I bought in 1987 and although I probably haven’t used it in maybe 15 years the battery for the light meter still has power in it and I enjoyed using this camera more now than I ever did. Apart from the light meter the camera is completely mechanical and that’s partly why I love it so much. It will function without a battery and is totally manual – which roughly translated means you need to know what you’re doing because there’s no ‘P for Professional mode’ to help you.
[Tech info:] Nikon FM2 with 50mm/f1.4 lens loaded with Ilford P4 surveillance film. Processed in Kodak HC110 developer (dilution B 1:31) for 10mins at 20C.
Nice bike. I love the dated look of this shot.
Brooks saddle.
Broad street cyclists.
Turl street.
This pub was a favourite of JRR Tolkien and his pals.
This image is a great example of the incredible dynamic range of this film. This man is walking directly towards a bright setting sun. The contrast in the scene was so high that all I could see was a silhouette but on film you can clearly see his rucksack and there's still plenty of detail in the sky too.
Long shadow.
Another great example of a backlit subject by the setting sun. All I saw was a silhouette through my viewfinder.
Posted in Equipment, film, Oxford, Street portraits | 2 Responses »
