Behind the scenes photography during filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 1 in Oxford. These are spoiler-free images of the crew hard at work. I’ll post the rest of my pictures after each episode has been broadcast.
[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 40/1.4, Ilford FP4 developed in HC110 1+31, Pakon scans.
The Oxford Guild Business Society arranged for Woody Harrelson to screen his new movie Lost in London with a Q&A session afterwards and I went along to do some photography. The movie is not only starring Woody but it’s also written and directed by him as well. If that wasn’t enough it was also filmed in one continuous take and was originally broadcasted live into select cinemas in London and L.A.
The movie was excellent and had me riveted from start to finish. It was a bit like watching a tightrope walker performing without a safety net – you know that anything could go wrong at any time. The Q&A session afterwards was very interesting with some varied questions asked. Woody appeared relaxed and came across as very down to earth. I can’t recommend the movie enough and feel very fortunate to have seen it in this way.
[Tech info] Rolleiflex 2.8F, Zeiss planar, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak HC110 1+31.
Here are some test shots from a Lubitel 166U camera that I got in a job lot of stuff that I bought on eBay. For a twin-lens medium format camera it’s very light and similar in styling to the Yashica 124 cameras. I found the viewfinder tricky to use because the image in the viewfinder doesn’t quite cover from corner to corner so you have to move your head around while holding the camera still if you’re to stand any chance of a decent composition. I found it tricky to hold level because it’s light weight but overall I did enjoy using it in a toy camera kind of way.
[Tech info:] Lubitel 166U, Ilford HP5 film, developed in Kodak HC110 1+31.
Lubitel test shots
Jeremy Irons came to the Oxford Union for a Q&A session with current president Michael Li and I did some photography at the event. Unfortunately the event wasn’t filmed for the YouTube channel but I can tell you it was a lot of fun to listen to Jeremy share insights about his career on stage and in movies. I did struggle slightly with the lower than usual light levels because the video crew set up two lights whenever they’re filming but I dropped down to a slower shutter speed to compensate and lucky for me Jeremy doesn’t move too much when he speaks. I’m very pleased with these results and Ilford HP5 is a firm favourite of mine when I need a b&w film for low light photography.
[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 3200, developed in Kodak HC110 1+15. Pakon scans.
Here are some pictures from a recent lunch break photo walk. My Yashica Electro is one of my go to cameras and as I already had the shots from the filming of The Favourite (see previous blog post) on this roll I was keen to finish it to see how they turned out.
[Tech info:] Yashica Electro 35, Eastman Double X film, developed in HC110 1+31. Pakon scans.
During my lunch break photo walk I came across a movie being filmed in part of the Bodleian, it’s titled The Favourite and it turned out that the crew were on their lunch break too. Here are pictures of some of the supporting artists having a smoke break. I really liked the Sheldonian Theatre as a backdrop for these shots and despite the heavy overcast sky I think the light worked out ok.
[Tech info:] Yashica Electro 35, Eastman Double X film, developed in HC110 1+31. Pakon scans.
David Haye came to the Oxford Union for a chat and I went along to do some photography. I enjoyed the event, David is a good speaker and easy to listen to and I found his knowledge of boxing history very impressive. If you’re interested in boxing I highly recommend watching the video from this event when it goes up on the Oxford Union YouTube channel.
[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton Classic, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 3200, developed in Kodak HC110 1+31. Pakon scans.
It’s no secret that filming has begun on Endeavour series 5 but if you’re looking for pictures of the main cast or spoilers I’m afraid you’ll have to move along because this blog post is dedicated to the crew – some familiar faces and some new. Oxford is where the filming for series 5 began and I was fortunate enough to be able to document a little of it on the second day of filming. This really is one of my favourite things to photograph and it’s something I never get tired of.
[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton, Ilford FP4 film developed in Kodak HC110 1+31, Pakon scans.
I’ve recently been testing some very old brass camera lenses that I’ve had for a while and by old I mean over one hundred years old. Some have the manufacturer engraved on them, some don’t. Some of them have aperture blades inside, some don’t and none of them have built in shutters which is why I was testing them on a Sinar monorail camera (below) with a Sinar behind the lens shutter. The downside is the maximum shutter speed is 1/60th which makes it difficult on a sunny day. More testing to come with more detailed results.
[Tech info:] Sinar P 5×4 camera, Watson & Sons No. 3 portrait lens, Ilford Delta 100 film developed in Kodak HC110 1+31.
John Cleese came to the Oxford Union to give a talk and I went along to do some photography. I found the talk very interesting with plenty of humour thrown in for good measure. The Union was absolutely packed to the rafters which is something I haven’t seen since Stephen Hawking visited. This event was the first time I got to use my Voigtlander 75/1.8 Heliar lens in low light, I bought it mainly to photograph the Oxford Union events with because I wanted more reach than the 50mm I was using and I have to say I am very pleased with how it performed.
[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 75/1.8 Heliar, Kodak TMAX 400 @ ISO 3200, developed in Kodak HC110 1+31 for 10mins, Pakon scans.
Behind the scenes during filming of Endeavour series 4 episode 2 ‘Canticle’ in New College, Oxford back in July 2016. I shot more film on this episode than any previous ones and some of my favourite shots have come from this episode too. A lot of hard work went into making the dance sequence and the hot weather and sizzling temperatures made it all the more harder. I found the song to be very catchy and couldn’t stop humming it the following day.
[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton, Agfa Vista 200 film, developed in Fuji Xpress C41 kit, Pakon scans.
Behind the scenes photography during filming of Endeavour episode ‘Canticle’, series 4 episode 2, in Oxford. These shots are from the morning when the temperature was a lot cooler and more comfortable than the afternoon would prove to be. I like how these have turned out and I’m glad we had a morning of softer light compared to the contrasty light we had in the afternoon. All from the same roll of film.
[Tech info:] Konica Hexar AF, Ilford HP5 film, developed in Kodak HC110 1+31, Pakon scans.
