oxford
...now browsing by tag
Monday, September 3rd, 2012
On the last day of the current Meadow Lane ramps I went along to make some portraits of whoever was down there skating and riding for the last time before the ramps get demolished to make way for a brand new concrete skatepark. Along with lots of people I didn’t know there was a familiar and friendly face, BMX rider Alex Leech. Alex and I went to school together between the ages of 5 and 13. I hadn’t seen Alex is quite some years and it was so nice to bump into him and see that he was still riding a BMX, something he’s been doing since the 70’s. I’ve got some more portraits from the day but I haven’t finished the roll of film yet. I hope to document the building of the new skatepark as much as possible.
You can see my previous photography from the Meadow Lane ramps here.
[Tech info: Pentax 67 and 105mm lens, loaded with Fuji Acros 100, processed in Rodinal 1:50 for 13:30.
Alex Leech
Alex and family
Skateboarder
I had a great chat with this guy about photography.
I can't remember if this guy was skating
Waiting in line
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Portrait | 3 Responses »
Tags: 6x7, acros, black&white, bmx, film, meadow lane, oxford, pentax, people, portraits, rodinal
Friday, August 31st, 2012
Some more images from my punting photo shoot on the river Cherwell here in Oxford. These shots were all made on film whereas the previous ones were all from Fuji instant pack film (similar to Polaroid). Part one is here. More to come from this photo shoot.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm and 150mm lenses on Fuji Pro 400H film, processed and scanned by me.
I love how this image turned out. One of the first frames of the photo shoot.
Looking at the setting sun.
Despite this being underexposed I like how this has turned out. Note the heavy colour shift towards green.
We kept the punt turning to vary things up. Some shots have the sun to camera right, others to the left.
A lovely bit of rim lighting and lens flare.
Posted in film, People, Photo shoot, students | 1 Response »
Tags: 6x7, film, oxford, people, portraits, RZ67, students, summer
Wednesday, August 29th, 2012
At the beginning of July there was a day of celebrations here in Oxford to mark the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s first telling of Alice in the place her story was originally conceived. There were lots of performers and events on Merton field in Christchurch meadow and it was lots of fun. I wanted to do as much photography as possible to record the event so I started off by making portraits of some of the crew that helped setup and build the sets.
[Tech info:] Mamiya C330f, 105mm lens loaded with Fuji Acros 100, processed in HC110 1:31 (dilution b).
This gentleman reminded me a little of David Bellamy. I really like his braces.
A very cheerful chap who couldn't stop smiling.
These guys were all sitting in a circle. As I moved round the light on them became harsher from the overhead sun.
This portrait turned out quite nice considering the unflattering sunlight.
I could hardly see this guy's eyes to focus on the shadows were so harsh. It turned out okay though.
This is such a timeless image apart from the camcorder in the Mad Hatter's hand.
Posted in film, Oxford, People | No Responses »
Tags: 6x6, acros, black&white, c330, film, hc110, oxford, people, summer
Thursday, August 23rd, 2012
Yesterday I had the most amazing photo shoot with a very creative and photogenic couple, Peter and Alexandra. They hired a punt and we all travelled slowly along the river Cherwell while the sun was setting. It was pretty much perfect and felt like I was in a movie. I first met Peter and Alexandra while I was photographing the Oxford Union Society summer ball back in May and I knew that I wanted to do a photo shoot with them but the idea of doing it on a punt was all Alexandra’s. This is a little taster of some of the images I made because I haven’t processed the film yet. These shots were made with Fuji instant pack film (the same as Polaroid) but for these I scanned the negative part after bleaching the black backing off. I can’t wait to see the film shots. Please note that none of these images have been retouched in any way, they are all straight scans. More to come.
[Tech info:] Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm and 150mm lenses. Fuji FP100C instant pack film.
First frame
We are all still in the punt for this shot. The Willow was overhanging the river. Zero Photoshop effects, this is a straight scan.
Looking at the setting sun.
Leaning back.
Posted in film, Oxford, Photo shoot, students | 6 Responses »
Tags: 110mm, 6x7, fp100c, fujiroid, oxford, people, photo shoot, portraits, punt, students, summer
Sunday, August 19th, 2012
These images are from the second half of a roll I shot during my lunch hour photo walks a few weeks ago. The first half of the roll is here. I’ve got a bit of a backlog of images to scan and post but I’ll have more time in the coming weeks to catch up so if you haven’t seen your portrait yet don’t worry, it’s more than likely coming soon.
[Tech info:] Mamiya C330f and 105mm lens loaded with Fuji Acros 100 film, Processed in Rodinal 1:25.
Lock and load. There's not much some WD40 can't fix.
Coffee break on the Walton Street construction project.
This guy was a bit camera shy. I like his flat cap and rolled up jeans.
David, a fellow film photographer carrying a camera that I don't own. A real beast of a medium format.
Olympic photographer from Uruguay. He didn't speak any english but somehow I managed to communicate with him. I'm sure he was intrigued by my camera.
Scaffolding on the Walton Street construction project at the corner of Little Clarendon Street.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Street portraits | No Responses »
Tags: 6x6, acros, black&white, c330, film, oxford, people, portraits, rodinal, summer
Sunday, August 12th, 2012
Some more portraits of people that use the ramps on Meadow Lane run by the Oxford Wheels Project. The current ramp is due to be knocked down in two weeks’ time to make way for a massive redevelopment of the whole site which is to build a concrete ramp that is sunken into the ground. It’s going to be amazing. I made these portraits without any prior arrangement, I just randomly turned up at the ramps with my old large format camera and explained my documentary project to this group of friends that were hanging out at the ramps. My thanks to all of them for allowing me to photograph them.
[Tech info:] Graflex Super D 5×4 large format camera, Kodak Tri-X 320 film processed in Kodak HC110 (dilution b).
I set this up in a hurry with fading light and should have included his feet.
Skateboarder 2
The only BMX rider in this group.
Skateboarder 3
Skateboarder 4. I had a great conversation with this guy about photography.
The camera I used to make these portraits, a 5x4 inch large format SLR.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Portrait | No Responses »
Tags: black&white, film, hc110, oxford, people, portraits, skateboarders, summer, Tri-X
Sunday, August 5th, 2012
For the longest time I’ve wanted to be able to do large format street photography but up until now I’ve always found it difficult because of the time required to set up a shot. Most of the people I stop to photograph on the street probably don’t want to have to stand still for a few minutes while I set up a shot so I’ve been searching for a camera that I can hand hold and operate quite fast. My hope was I had found such a camera in the Graflex Speed Graphic which was a favourite among press photographers as far back as the 1920’s but the rangefinder focusing and approximate framing guide never really worked very well for me so my search continued. Once I came across the Graflex Super D which was designed as a large format SLR it looked like my search was over. I’ve wanted one of these cameras for a long time and now I finally have one. It’s a big wooden box with a mirror inside that helps you with focussing and composition and the really nice thing is the image you’re looking at isn’t upside down, it’s just flipped horizontally. My Super D came from New York and dates from the late 1940’s to early 1950’s. It looks like it’s had plenty of use but it still works perfectly. These images were all made in the space of around an hour on my first time using it with 5×4 inch film.
[Tech info:] Graflex Super D camera, 190mm lens and Ilford HP5+ film processed in Ilford DD-X (1+4).
This young lady works at 'Objects of use' on Market street, a lovely shop that is well worth a visit.
I've photographed this fantastic bike a few times but this is the first time I've seen its owner. The girl he was speaking to, just out of frame on the right. said to me 'Oh, so you're the Simply Oxford guy that keeps taking those annoying pictures of pretentious people'. I can't see how my pictures would be annoying. What a strange thing to say.
Brooks saddle, Market street.
I thought I was composing this to be portrait orientation but I was working in a hurry and forgot to rotate the camera back. Ship Street.
Coffee break, Ship street.
This man is an old skool photographer that I bump into from time to time. We usually chat about whatever camera I happen to be carrying. Outside Carfax tower.
Here's a shot I made quite a while ago of the friendly staff at 'Objects of use' on Market street. I struggled a little with the low light.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Street portraits | 2 Responses »
Tags: 5x4, black&white, film, graflex, HP5, oxford, people, portraits, super d
Sunday, July 29th, 2012
The long awaited summer weather has finally arrived here in Oxford and after months of rain we’ve been enjoying scorching hot sun. When the sun comes out people are generally in a good mood and that makes for better conditions to make street portraits. I’ve got quite a backlog of films to process and scan but I’m working through them slowly. Here are some images made on a brand of colour film that I haven’t tried before but I keep hearing and seeing great things about it so I decided to give it a go. So far I love the results. These images are all consecutive frames on the same roll of film. I like how they’re sequenced. As you can see the tv show Lewis is currently being filmed in Oxford and Kevin Whately was nice enough to stop for a quick street portrait in Turl Street.
[Tech info:] Rolleiflex SL66, 80/f2.8 lens, loaded with Fuji Pro 400H film, processed and scanned by me.
Top frame: focus puller with the Lewis crew
Top frame: Party shop in Market Street, middle: Kevin Whately, bottom: sound crew working on Lewis.
Top: Michael, middle: Jamie, bottom: conservators working on restoring St Mary's Church.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Portrait, Street portraits | 1 Response »
Tags: 400H, 6x6, film, fuji, oxford, people, portraits, SL66, summer
Wednesday, July 25th, 2012
Here’s a little something different, triptych’s. Each set of three frames are consecutive shots on the same roll of film. As I was scanning them I liked how they fitted together and it also shows you the order in which the images were made. While I was waiting to make the image of the walking tour on the steps of the Clarendon Building a man walked past me and I could see by the way his head turned as he walked past that the camera I was holding caught his attention. After he passed me he turned around and came back. We chatted briefly about the Rolleiflex camera that I was holding and he began to tell me about his parents and how they both met while working at the Rolleiflex factory in Germany many years ago. They couldn’t afford to buy the classic twin lens Rollei so instead they bought the cheapest one they could afford (which I think was 35mm). I wish I had made a portrait of the man.
[Tech info:] Rolleiflex SL66, Zeiss 80/2.8 lens, loaded with expired Kodak Tri-X film, processed in Kodak HC110 dilution b (1:32).
Top: a bench where I work, middle: Walton Street Post Office, bottom: Richard the tailor.
First two: Little Clarendon Street, third: Broad Street.
Top: Broad Street, middle: Divinity Schools quadrangle, bottom: Nya giving me two thumbs up on Broad Street.
Top: a rare grab shot for me, middle: a barber on Walton Street, bottom: Mick the security guard.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Street portraits | No Responses »
Tags: 6x6, black&white, film, hc110, oxford, people, portraits, SL66, summer, Tri-X
Monday, July 23rd, 2012
Some more images from my series documenting a local BMX ramp and the people that use it. The first images were made in the morning of my first visit there (Saturday), these were made in the afternoon and the following morning (Sunday). I found that once the sun had moved around in the afternoon the light was a lot less contrasty and perfect for the group shot of the BMX riders. The group shot was not pre-arranged, the riders had arrived while I was setting up for the shot of the two people sitting on the middle of the ramp. I think they were intrigued by the old skool camera I was using but they were naturally cautious when I asked if I could make a group shot of them. I knew the shot would be worthwhile and once I focused the image on the ground glass screen I was sure it would be. Fortunately I had a sheet of Fuji Veliva Transparency film with me so I was able to make a colour image as well but I’ll try to process that later in the summer. The film is quite expired so there’s no knowing how it will turn out.
The shot of the two BMX riders almost didn’t happen. The rider on the right is Pipe Williams, I photographed him on Polaroid earlier in the summer during Eights Week and we’d loosely arranged to meet up at the ramp during the morning. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to show I started to pack my camera away and it was then that he arrived with another rider. I like how this shot has turned out and the sun went behind a cloud just at the right time to reduce the contrast. They’re both sponsored by Stolen BMX, a bike company.
[Tech info:] Wista 10×8 with Sinaron 300mm lens on green sensitive x-ray film, processed in Rodinal 1:50 for 6 mins.
BMX riders.
Pipe Williams (right) with friend.
I forgot to ask these two guys whether they're skateboarders or BMX riders.
This ramp is due to be torn down at the end of the summer and a new one built.
Middle of the ramp.
A behind the scenes shot of the camera I used.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Portrait | 3 Responses »
Tags: 10x8, black&white, film, oxford, people, portraits, rodinal, wista, x-ray film
Sunday, July 22nd, 2012
There is a ramp near my house that is used by skateboarders and BMX riders. It’s been there a very long time. Originally there were two but the higher one slowly rotted away so it was torn down. This weekend I decided to make some portraits there of whoever I came across as a way of documenting the ramp and the people that use it. On my way over there I found out that the ramp is due to be demolished and a new one is going to be built in its place. I’m glad I found this out now rather than when it was too late. My old middle school is next door to where this ramp is so I can remember the time before the ramp was there. I can also remember a time before BMX was popular in the UK. It all started with the movie E.T.
[Tech info:] Wista 10×8 camera with Sinaron 300mm lens on green sensitive x-ray film (ISO 50), processed in Rodinal 1:50 for 6 mins.
Skateboarders. These guys were leaving just as I arrived. Thanks for stopping.
A photographic first? BMX action shot on 10x8.
Posted in film, Oxford, People, Portrait | 1 Response »
Tags: 10x8, black&white, film, oxford, people, portraits, rodinal, wista, x-ray film
Sunday, July 15th, 2012
A new burger restaurant has just opened here in Oxford on George Street, it’s Byron Hamburgers but don’t be fooled by the name because the veggie burger on their menu is mighty tasty. I went for lunch there with two of my work colleagues and I have to say it was a very enjoyable experience, tasty food in a nice atmosphere. I really like both the exterior and interior of the building and the light inside is particularly nice with sunlight streaming in through frosted skylight panels in the ceiling at the back of the restaurant. Of course I happened to have a film camera with me (much to Rachel’s horror), so I couldn’t help making a few images while we waited for our food to arrive. Our waitress did a great job and we were all surprised to find out at the end that we were the first people she’d ever served! I’ll be going back there for sure and hopefully I’ll make some more nice images there when I do.
[Tech info:] Rolleiflex SL66 and 80mm lens, loaded with Fuji Acros 100 film. Processed in Kodak HC110 dilution b (1+31).
Stacked shelves.
Rachel's drink.
Water jugs. (Notice the distinctive shaped highlights from the Zeiss 80mm lens).
Some of the friendly staff. Our waitress is on the left.
Nice light on a chair next to our table.
Rachel and Michael.
Posted in film, Oxford | 1 Response »
Tags: 6x6, acros, black&white, byron, film, hc110, oxford, people, SL66
