Category: Black & White

The Golden Spiral

This is a view looking up at the base of the Tulip Stairs, in the Queen’s House, Greenwich, England. I was struck by the lines; it reminded me of the “Golden Spiral” mathematical construct (related to the Golden Rectangle, I believe). Although originally shot in colour, I prefer the black and white, with its inherent focus on line, light and shadow.

Tulip Stairs, Queen's House, Greenwich, Engand

A Sense of History

This image was created at the ruins of Battle Abbey in England, site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The location practically exudes a sense of history. This image is of a monk’s common room, and is one of the more well preserved spots in the structure. The very dim lighting forced me to use a digital camera with a high ISO (about 6400) to make a handheld image possible.

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The Octagon Room

This image is of the “Octagon Room” at Greenwich Observatory in England. I was drawn to it by the its spare formality and open space, although I had to time my shot between groups of other tourists.

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(Mamiya 645 Pro TL, 55mm f2.8 lens, Ilford HP5+ film developed in Tmax developer 1:9 for 15 minutes @ 24 degrees C)

England In a Different Light

Sorry I was not diligent in blog posting during my absence — I will get back on the wagon!

This image was created at a park in Canterbury, England, close to the ancient city wall. I used Rollei 400IR Infrared film, and a 72IR infrared filter, which is almost completely opaque to the naked eye, as it blocks most visible light, but allows infrared light to pass through. Even though it was a reasonably bright sunny morning, I had to put my camera (my Mamiya Pro 645 TL medium format) on a tripod, for exposures of .5 to 2 seconds in length.

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Hamilton Art Crawl

I am in Hamilton, Ontario this weekend for the inagural VoxPopCon conference. Last night after the conference opening we checked out the Hamilton Art Crawl: a great street festival, with an amazing vibe! Lots of positive, creative people on the street, including this guy:

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(NIkon D7100, 18-105 lens, ISO 5000, post-processed in Nik Silver Efex Pro)

Smiling From the Sidelines

Here is another image from the belly dancing in Kensington Market recently. This image is of a dancer Audra of the Dark Side Studio) waiting in wings for her groups turn to perform. I was struck by how the various groups enjoyed each others performances, in a supportive atmosphere.

Dancers on the sidelines

(Canon 7 35mm Rangefinder, Leica 90mm/f4 Elmar lens, Tri-X developed in Microdol-X)

More Than Looking Pretty

I’ve mentioned on more that one occasion how I like working with actors, musicians and other performers, as well as models who understand that it’s not just about “looking pretty”. Young model Julia MacKenzie (who has also had some acting experience) gets it. During a sequence a photos we came up with a story/scenario, and Julia was immediately able to immerse herself in it. More than just looking pretty.

Left Alone

 

(Nikon F, 85mm/f1.8 Nkkor lens, Ilford Delta 400 developed in Microdol-X 1:1,
negative scanned and post-processed with Nik Efex)

The Audience is the Show

Yesterday afternoon I was shooting in Kensington Market again. The streets were closed to all vehicular traffic, making for a great atmosphere. A belly dancing show was taking place, surrounded by photographers, as in the image below. Sometimes it’s as much fun to watch the audience!

Belly Dancing Audience

 

(Canon 7 35mm rangefinder, Leitz (Leica) 90mm/f4 Elmar lens,
Ilford Delta 400 film, developed in Kodak Microdol-X developer, 1:1 for 15.5 minutes at 20 degrees)

Swirl

Today’s image is from a recent shoot with my friend Marla at Guild Park in Scarborough. I used my Canon 7 35mm rangefinder, with my Leitz (Leica) Summitar 50mm/f 2 lens. This lens is known for its swirly bokeh when shot wide open. Not everyone like the effect, but I do 🙂

Swirly