Hacked Off

I would have liked to have posted some photos over the past few weeks, but in about 8 rolls of film seem to have gone missing in the post.

Apparently my lab received them and return posted them to me on March 4, over a month ago. They said they can try to make a claim to the post office which might get me some money back, but can't get my images back!

The films included the Rollei shots from San Francisco and also the films I finally found from my trip to Zaragoza over Christmas. These shots were quite valuable to me and it was a double disappointment to have finally found the films only to lose them in the post.

The lab assured me that things only get lost in the post on extremely rare occasions and they think it will turn up sooner or later. Who knows....

If anybody out there received a package in error please send it back to me!

San Francisco I (Just playing around)

Spot the Kitesurfer
(Paula's D80)

I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago and managed to find some time when not working to head out with the camera. It's a fantastic city for photography. I didn't have the luxury of waiting around for the right light simply because there was no time. I took my Rollei with me and went through a few rolls. While waiting for them to be developed, I post a few shots taken playing around with Paula's D80. (Yes Paula came with me, it would not have been possible to prise away the D80 from her otherwise -- also my snooty attitudes towards digital would never have permitted me to bring the D80 myself! The fact that it just happened to be there makes it somehow more acceptable for me to use it. Note that I always refer to 'playing around' with the digital camera, and not implying that its 'serious' photography. I would not feel comfortable with that.

At the old docks
(Paula's D80)

Embarcadero
(Paula's D80)

As we didn't have a lot of time, we just cruised around the city in the rental car and stopped at the places we could both agree were worthwhile. Also as we were in America it felt appropriate to do some drive-by shootings. Sticking the lens out the car window and pushing the trigger at strangers just feels right when you are driving a Chevy Impala.

Drive-by shooting
(Paula's D80)

Mom and Dad Stopover in Heathrow

This morning my parents passed through Heathrow on their way to Egypt. It was great to see them and also gave me my first chance to test out Paula's new Nikon D80.

Mom -- tired but still beautiful...
Paula's Nikon D80, 18-70mm

I must stress that the D80 is Paula's. I was just borrowing it. I am definitely still a loyal film photographer. No doubt about it. This modern digital camera, fantastic as it is, seems to take a lot of the thinking out of photography. All you have to do is point and shoot. Auto focus, auto aperture, auto everything. Although you can override and take manual control, I felt a bit helpless when I tried to do this. When I wanted to change the aperture, instead of simply rotating the ring on the lens like my trusty Nikon FM2n, this camera requires a sophisticated menu operation, holding a butting down while rotating a little wheel at the same time. Definitely takes your mind away from the subject. Frankly this modern gizmo feels more like a PC than a camera!


But the D80 is definitely convenient. If you don't like the picture, just take another one. And another until you get one that you like. No need to worry about running out of film, just keep going!

Dad would be a force to reckon with on the road -- if he got the bike off the stand!
Paula's Nikon D80, 18-70 mm

Actually it was quite unsettling for me to experience the leap from totally manual film cameras to a modern digital SLR. The very nature of digital photography seems to almost guarantee that images appear 'documentary' as opposed to 'artistic'. There is something too perfect about the colours and resolution. What I love most about my manual film cameras is the individual character that each one has. I believe the whole point is that the camera should offer a different perspective on the scene as opposed to a perfect copy of reality.

While I think it makes perfect sense for a journalist or blogger to use digital (faster, cheaper if many images are taken, requires less thought and technique), I think digital is bad news for photography as an art. Probably it also undermines the whole purpose of the professional photographer himself, because, one the one hand, anybody can now get a pretty good picture because everything is automated and if you take enough pictures you are almost guaranteed to get one that is good -- if only by pure chance. Worse, now that the world is full of billions of hastily snapped digital images, it almost certainly will erode people's discernment of what is a good photograph. Just as today nobody remembers what a real apple tastes like or the fresh taste of spring water, so too have people begun to forget what makes a photograph great amidst the sheer quantity of visual fast food.

It was sad to see them off
Paula's D80

Hey, maybe I shouldn't be ranting on like this, I sound like an old man. The D80 did, after all let me load up these images hours after my parents were here, probably before they even land at their destination. Normally I have to wait days to develop my films and then wait longer before I have time to scan them (and even longer if I decide to make prints). But there is also something in the waiting that makes the results better. It makes you contemplate the image longer, and lets you develop in your mind how the final product should look.

As you can probably gather, I won't be quickly switching to digital. I'm very happy with my cellulite-fueled family of cameras from the last millennium! You may see a few more images from Paula's camera in future posts, however, as its just so easy to point and shoot. But nothing can beat the Rolleiflex!

Views from the Ferry

Yashica fx-3, 50mm + polarising filter, Ilford Delta 100

We took the day ferry back from Mallorca to Barcelona. It was a perfect day, sunny and the water was calm. As we rounded the island we got some beautiful views of the north west corner of the island.

Yashica fx-3, 50mm + polarising filter, Ilford Delta 100

As we sailed away and the island gradually faded into the horizon I realised once again how special Mallorca is. With mountains, pains, beaches and marshes, it has a range of terrain that is uncommon for a relatively small island. The lush green winter vegetation and mild climate make it a great place to wait out the long northern winter.

Yashica fx-3, 50mm + polarising filter, Ilford Delta 100

Yashica fx-3, 50mm + polarising filter, Ilford Delta 100

Here are some of the colour images with my new Yashica Mat (kind gift from my Uncle in law). I have a not-so-good scanner so unfortunately the quality is not as good as I would like.

Yashica Mat 124g, Kodak Portra 160 VC



Yashica Mat 124g, Kodak Portra 160 VC

We felt sad to be leaving. As we drove North from Barcelona, the car thermometer showed the outside temperature steadily dropping, degree by degree from the high teens of Mallorca down to the near zero temperatures of northern France.

Walking the Dog

Troby is a wonderful animal who adopted my parents in law. She ran away from her previous owners who apparently mistreated her. She is very well behaved and, as cat lovers, Paula and I count her as an exception to our general indifference to the canine species.

Yashica fx-3, 50mm, Ilford Delta 100

Actually Troby behaves more like a cat than a dog. She sleeps most of the day and is quiet and independent. But she loves affection and is always looking for a good rub-down.

Yashica fx-3, 50mm, Ilford Delta 100

One of the things that puts me off dogs is that they have to be walked. But Mallorca is a great place to have a dog because everything is so beautiful. I took the shot below while we were walking Troby

Yashica Mat, Kodak Portra 160 VC