I pushed Tri-X to 1600 and in a fit of madness developed it in Rodinal. Since I was also guessing exposure and zone focusing the results are somewhat ‘interesting’. The images look slightly better resized when you click them.

It was so good to see so many photographers present. I’ve been ticked off before in some forums by one or two UK snappers who seem to believe that police abuse of Section 44 powers is somehow an imaginary leftie conspiracy because it hasn’t happened to them personally. Duh, wake up and smell the coffee those people.

Petruscos Eye Project getting ready to go out in the crowd

There are already countless photos from the gathering circulating round the web, many a technically better and certainly more colourful record of the event than mine. As we might expect from a gathering of photographers, most of whom know exactly how to get their work out there very quickly.

View from the balcony as the gathering got underway

Interestingly I saw only one policeperson, looking harassed. They stayed away possibly realising that they would have been snapped to hell and back twice, because we could. Bizarrely, on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery, a security goon told somebody to stop taking photographs. How to draw attention to yourself. What a total fucking idiot, and a good demonstration of the intelligence level and (lack of) craft of our security staff.

Probably the only place in London where you can point a huge zoom at a child

We managed to be interviewed twice too. It is heartening to see young people getting out in the crowds and actually talking to people. It warmed the cockles of my journo partner’s heart. There is hope

Interviewing

Condoms were available too from the London House of Common Sluts – Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which was nice.

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

We left Gizmo at home unfortunately. A potential large police presence and a pit-bull aren’t the best combo. There was one demo dog there though (non-threatening) who’s photo has now gone round the globe several zillion times judging by the number of retweets on Twitter.

I’m a dog not a terrorist

I started with the gorilla and I’ll end with the gorilla.

Nothing to photograph here, move along now

The playground holds a particular fascination for me not least because there are usually no children playing there which is curious. It is right next to an estate, but perhaps there are more appealing playgrounds, particularly with the new developments around Old Pearson Street. I’m grateful that it is empty because I wouldn’t be able to photograph it if it was full of kids.

The geometries and shadows are what interests me, together with the slight feeling of alienation created by having a playground surrounded by slabs of gravestones. Some of the equipment is a bit grimy too. I wanted to bring this across in the photos so I used Tri-X at EI 320 (possibly 300, tis difficult to work out the scale on the Bessa-T) and developed them in HC-110 Dilution ‘H’ (1+63) for 12 minutes. I could have done with 13 mins but I got wary after the previous kites shoot which was slightly overcooked, mainly I think cos the developer went above 20C, it was such a warm day.

I used the CV 21/4 with a yellow 022 filter on the Bessa-T. The CV 21 is a fairly contrasty modern lens, wide and sharp and I tried to have foregrounds emphasised. The shapes of the playground equipment and their bases help frame the subjects. The shadows caused by the overhead sun are nicely foreshortened.

Yes it was around midday, usually a crap time for shooting but I wanted the shadows just like they are since they are such an important component. One side effect of using the Bessa-T is that everytime I used the magnificently magnified rangefinder the overhead viewfinder steamed up and got covered with sweaty suncream gunk from my forehead… yuk, enough already. A practical drawback none the less when shooting on a hot day. I may wear a scarf on my head with the Bessa-T in these conditions.

There is one picnic table next to the playground, usually surrounded by the remains of spliffs and cans of White Ace but it is a good place to drink coffee and eat honey and almond cake from the cafe round the corner (and to smoke a spliff & drink White Ace obviously). Sadly not coffee and cake from the Beehive which is also round the corner but has ceased to be a cafe.

Gizmo has dug deep holes around the base of the picnic table exposing the concrete foundations and it is obviously an ongoing project. He makes a beeline for the holes each time we go there. There must be relays of dogs working on these holes, some have become very deep, others have obviously been (temporarily) filled in by the parkies. I think the dogs will win this one. Gizmo is a supreme digger, I’m glad we haven’t got a garden. He’s probably have emerged in Wellington, New Zealand by now.

And talking of dogs, St Alfeges probably has the highest concentration of Pit-Bulls and Staffs we’ve met, including Winston Churchill, a venerable 12 year old Staff of some gravitas and girth. We have yet to meet ‘Munch’ (best name ever!) but we’ve talked to his enthusiastic owner.

Scary self portrait…

I’m pleased with these photos, I got exactly what I set out to achieve.

First a bricked up arch containing a bricked up door covered with an entrance to the fouth dimension in Millwall Park on the Isle of Dogs. Looks like sci-fi to me anyway.

Second, a child’s broken trolley abandoned on Point Hill

Third, a tree in Greenwich Park

Kind of random.

We watched a fabulous cricket match in the park. No pads, gloves, helmets etc but excellent skills. Also saw some Tamworth pigs in the Mudchute City Farm.

Point Hill is surrounded by bars, the spiky sort.

And in most shots, with the angle of this lens being so wide, these spikes intrude.

This rope hanging from this tree is vaguely ominous, it was more obvious in ‘real life’. Gizmo had dug a large hole under the bench. Tis a work in progress since he makes a beeline for it when we walk past each time

And finally… somewhere to kickback and watch the rope

Tri-X box speed, souped in T-Max Dev for 6.5 mins. Yay, there has been plenty of sun this week but here am I shooting ISO 400. So shoot me…

Well thats OK then, I’m not using flash… bit of a coincidence though. Hang on…

“Will the gentleman with the camera next to the escalators stop taking photographs. A permit is needed to use a camera”

Everybody’s head turns to look at me. I’m left feeling like sticking two fingers up at the CCTV. Its OK for them to film me though… huh? No permit needed there.

Danger Will Robinson…

Yep, the bastards want �30.00 for a permit (non-professional) to take photos in the underground. They did wait until Westminster to announce that over the loudspeakers. Why not Canary Wharf station? I was taking photos fairly blatantly there and not a dicky-bird was said. There aren’t any obvious signs saying photography isn’t allowed either, just signs forbidding the use of flash. It isn’t worth arguing the toss though but I knew I probably would if I got confronted.

The photos look grimy, gritty, grainy and underexposed and I slightly bolloxed the development. Ho hum, I was expecting a hand on the shoulder at any moment, my excuse.

Despite the stations appearing very bright, really there seems relatively little available light down there. I was using Neopan 1600 at box speed in anticipation. Next time (hehe, oh yes…) I’ll push it to 3200. Perhaps I won’t choose Rodinal either, although I quite like the effect. It certainly reflects my feelings at the time.

Threatening:

Is that a rib-cage above the woman?

Ascension:

Tower Bridge reflections (CV 21/4)

St Alfege graveyard (Elmar 90/4)

It didn’t help that the light was completely crap. Funny thing the light was great before, crap during,  and really bright after taking these photos. Perhaps I’ve done enough of this graveyard and need to move on…

This one looks alive:

I like the glass:

I don’t mind the softness on this one, it gives it some mystery:

Leaves and stone:

Full gallery

Very flat light and I wanted to play with Tri-X and Rodinal (R09 APH09). Tooling around St James Park pretending to be a tourist. Tis quite hard really because we got asked the way to Trafalgar Square – or more bizarrely ‘is Trafalgar Square part of Greenwich?’ from an American, which totally threw me, having just come up from Greenwich… duh, we must exude localness. Oh, and I took a group photo of an Asian family outside Buckingham Palace. Nice people, wished me a merry xmas which was sweet, even if I believe in it less than they do (and I’m making an assumption).

I stand developed the negs in the Rodinal (1+80) for 1hr, 30 secs initial agitation, 10 secs more at 30 mins. Nice and lazy does it. I also fixed for 8 minutes rather than the recommended 4 after seeing Tri-X needed more fixing on the forums. Interestingly, the Rodinal came out deep mauve/brown, presumably from the base dye.

The grain and shadow details are acceptable to me…

Christmas jogger:

Statuary:

Hubcap self portrait (Pall Mall):

Outside the National Gallery:

No benches…

These are contrasty, which I like. First time with FP4+. Didn’t have the nerve to do the roll in Rodinal, perhaps next time!

More:

No benches…

Full gallery

That is what we like to see… throw down the brollies

First off, a mini user review

The CV Color Scopar 21/4 is a wide but slow lens. probably the least expensive way to go wide with this setup. The Leitz equivalent costs many more �����s and I’m not sure anything is available for screw mount anyway (ie the ‘crons for the M series).

It appears to be well constructed with that hard to define feeling of ‘quality’. CV describes it as ‘silver’ (a brushed anodized finish). It definitely isn’t chrome, so doesn’t make a brilliant match. Good enough though and I dislike the CV painted black copies anyway. The only niggle about the way it looks is that the bundled finder is black plastic. Horrors, WTF couldn’t CV bundle a silver finder with a silver lens… definitely looks out of place. However, the silver Leica SBKOO equivalent brightline finder costs ITRO �300 and the newer Leica black 21mm finders are even more expensive. Go figure… The Leica 21mm finders look bigger than the CV 21mm finder. So I’ll live with it

The lens is pleasingly small and fits well with the the diminutive If. I’m planning on using the combo for street photography. The widest I can go (autofocus) with the Nikon D300 is by using the 12-24 f/4, hardly a small and unobtrusive combo. The AFD Nikkor 21 prime has a fairly crap reputation too, so I don’t want that option. The FM2/n with a 28mm Nikkor AIS is the nearest to the If in my collection but my FM2/n camera has one of the loudest shutters I’ve ever heard (ie not discrete) and still feels huge compared to the Leica (the FM2/n is one of the smallest Nikon SLRs).

The aperture ring has well defined clicks, including half stops and the focus ring is very smooth and well damped. I am a fan of the focusing lever on Leica lenses & the CV has one too, which is nice… Zone focusing is a doddle since the focus index registers at the top of the camera so it is simple to glance down rather than having to hunt round the sides with the Summaron 35/3.5. Distances are in feet and meters for the metrically challenged (North Americans?).

One other niggle. It does not seem possible to use a lens cap if using the lens hood (LH-1). Possibly a consideration with aging shutter curtains. It is possible to burn pin-holes in the shutter curtain if the lens is left pointing at the sun. It is recommended that the lens hood is kept on anyway to avoid progressive light leaks through tiny holes. That assumes some sun of course…

On the subject of the lens hood, I hope this nugget may help somebody else. I thought the built in hood was jammed on the lens when I first came to remove it. This may be a case of RTFM but you don’t actually need the strength of a silver-back gorilla to remove it. Rather than try and unscrew it directly, slide the lens cap over it and use that for leverage. Doddle… the other way is hard. You have to remove the integral lens hood to attach filters and/or the larger and more effective LH-1 hood, so it is worth finding this out first rather than in the field

I shot two roll of films: Ilford Delta 100, developed in Ilfosol 3 1+9 for 5 mins and Fomapan 100, ditto development. The Ilfosol 3 has a disturbingly short (5 min at standard dilution) developing time and I think is classed as an all purpose developer for low speed rated film. I’m not dissatisfied with the results. I do seem to have a dust problem though. This is hardly a surprise TBH. There is so much building work around here that dust gets everywhere. And yeah, I really like housework too… as I sit and watch the tumbleweed dust/hair balls rolling across the room I like to think I’m in some iconic movie location. Not.

Images

All of these shots were taken with the LH-1 lens hood in place. There was bright low sun and I’m pretty sure that it has controlled flare very effectively. One disadvantage of the hood is that I can’t hide the camera under my coat so effectively while it is hanging from my neck – stealth consideration. I can, of course, but it looks like I have a serious deformity

Delta 100:

Fomapan 100:

I’m loving the ‘painterly’ rendition of the reflections in these windows. I’ve noticed this before and will return for a more dedicated exploration of the phenomenon. It must be something to do with the kind of glass (or perhaps its age) used in the Old Royal Naval College windows

The lens has a reputation for sharpness across the image and for being contrasty. I’d agree. In fact it is a pleasure to use! I can’t wait to use it in a more appropriate street setting.

Like all wides with this angle of view it becomes a ‘pointless and shoot’ (tm hehe) if you are expecting something that doesn’t require thought around the composition.� The huge depth of field and wide angle of view requires and understanding of foreground/background relationships, ie a foreground subject can be right in your face and it can remain contextualised and emphasised because the background is falling away behind it to a great depth and distance. Something renaissance painters knew about. I suspect many of them would have been using wide lenses if cameras had been around in 1500. This ‘distortion’ of reality can be used to great effect on the street.

And finally a bench to round it all off

Full gallery

It was very dank and overcast but good for graveyards. Also empty…

Some of the negs have spots on them, like dust, only lots speckles. I’m wondering if the yellow filter is contributing. Could be I blew cigarette smoke/ash over them, or borked the agitation somehow, or let bubbles form in the tank, or the scanner’s mirror is dusty. Who knows. Hopefully it isn’t indicative of shutter problems However, I’ve included them because I like the compositions and textures.

The shots were underexposed because I forgot to compensate for the yellow filter, factor 1… doh. However, exposure is improving, as is zone focussing and guessing distance. Thank God for hyperfocal distance and its margin for error as you stop down.

Textures, tones and shapes

I really like this on of the ‘street’ of graves/tombs

The walls of the graveyard are lined with  gravestones like this. Lined up to die. errrr, dead already

Finally, no shoot would be complete without the obligarory bench/seat/chair etc. Except this one is pukka, not abandoned. I just like the perspective. The empty beer bottle may indicate one use for this graveyard. It ain’t mine either…

See the full gallery here