Bullitt

Another test roll from the Flexaret VII, this beautiful Czechoslovakian TLR made by Meopta between 1966 - 1970, is an impressively solid machine. It's Belar ƒ3.5 80mm lens is really sharp and has a max 1/500 Pentacon Prestor shutter. Around the lens is a toothed ring, that locks the shutter speed and aperture together for EV type exposure. Focusing is done by means of a swinging anchor at the front of the camera. Other than that operation is pretty straightforward. My only reservation is the faint and dark focusing screen, this made composing the subject a lot harder than I'm used to. 

In keeping with the age of the camera, I took some photos of one of Bill Shepherd's 60s classics, this superbly restored 68 Ford Mustang 390GT features modern brakes, suspension and power. It's all expertly restored to replicate the car driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 film Bullitt. The iconic highland green car was used during one of the most memorable movie chase scenes ever shot. 

 

All shot with Meopta Flexaret VII and expired Fujicolor NPS 160Pro

Down in a tube station...

A series of photos taken in and around the Elephant and Castle tube station and for me, inspired by Paul Weller’s Down in a Tube Station at Midnight. It was the second single taken from the album All Mod Cons by British band The Jam released in 1978.

 

All photographed with Mamiya 6 on Fuji Neopan 400 film.

Mercado De La Cebada

Mercado de la Cebada, La Latina, Madrid.

For me, walking around this indoor marketplace was a wonder. It felt as though the stalls were clinging for their commercial lives. Most of the viable traders were centred on the ground floor, closest to the street for convenient access; they still provide excellent meat, fresh fish, fruit & vegetables. On the upper floors and outer edges stood many unoccupied kiosks, lining the long corridors of shutters and patchy lighting. The building was almost like a time warp, its age was evident, but in many ways, I could see that it was a place held dear by its traders and the community it serves.

 
 
 

All photos taken with Sigma SD15 and Sigma EX ƒ1.4 30mm lens. Foveon RAW files processed with Sigma Photo Pro 5.5 and post processed with Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Urban Maze

Like vital arteries, these access and service passages exist in every town and city. For me, they are a sort of backstage, an opposite to the often sparkling and gleaming front of house that they serve. Like multi-story car parks, warehouses and subways I find myself attracted by their unremarkable and ubiquitous nature. Maybe the challenge is to find some interest in these mundane but essential pieces of banal infrastructure.

 
 
 

All photographed at ƒ8 and ƒ11 with an exposure of 1 to 2 seconds. Shot with CONTAX S2 & Carl Zeiss Distagon T* ƒ2.8 28mm lens on Kodak Portra 400 film.

Dreamland

Margate, Kent

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The area around All Saints Avenue with its brutalist 1960s tower Arlington House and its former seaside amusement park Dreamland offered a fascinating vision of how times change. The whole area patiently awaits renewal and so these images offer only a transient glimpse into their story. 

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All photos taken with Sigma SD15 and Sigma EX ƒ2.8 17-50mm lens. Foveon RAW files processed with Sigma Photo Pro 5.5 and post processed with Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Fogbound

Looking through the window a shroud of heavy fog blanked out the view. It was 6 am and I stood to think for a moment before I grabbed my camera... Spring will be here soon no time to lose.

All photos taken with Sigma SD15 and Sigma EX ƒ1.4 30mm lens. Foveon RAW files processed with Sigma Photo Pro 5.5 and post processed with Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Winter Pool

I regularly walk past this small park with its empty paddling pool and really like the turquoise colour and texture of its worn concrete surface. And so, on a cold Sunday afternoon with the light fading fast, Mary and I shot some frames on both Kodak Portra 400 and Fuji Neopan 400. 

All photos were spot metered on CONTAX S2 and either ƒ2.8 or ƒ4 at 1/60 or 1/30.