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Canary Warf Tower
This building is visible all over London. It is clad in what looks like stainless steel. On the day I visited the Docklands I was fortunate with the weather and this picture has benefited from the fluffy clouds. I decided to go for a dramatic vertical shot with a wide angle lens and achieve some serious converging verticals. So I tilted my camera back about 45 Degrees and aligned the building in the view finder. I compensated by an extra stop to help counteract the effects of the bright sun on the buildings surface. I think it could have used an extra one or even two stops. I decided to print this picture using Tetenal silver bronze toner as it is very sympathetic to the original image which also gleamed in the sun. I think the print could do with being a little darker. The print was ok. before being toned, but the toner has reduced the density a little too much.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/200s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f22 |
|
Height |
85cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
|
Aperture |
f5.6 |
| Film |
TMAX 100 |
|
Basic Exposure |
4.2s with +1stop burning centre |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
|
Grade |
5 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
|
Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Tripod |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Toner |
Tetenal Silver Bronze toner |
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Canary Warf Station Roof
From the outside, this roof looks like it is suspended between two skyscrapers. It is constructed with an array of tubes and glass along with sections of opaque material which form wonderful patterns. I took this picture handheld, which is testimony to the portability of the Mamiya 7 as the image is sharp. I have pushed the contrast up and the exposure time down, during printing, in order to remove a skyscraper which was in the background. I am very pleased with the symmetry in this image but the high grade has lost a little detail which I think would have improved the overall effect.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/30s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f16 |
|
Height |
98.5cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
|
Aperture |
f8 |
| Film |
TMAX 100 |
|
Basic Exposure |
7.8s |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
|
Grade |
5 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
|
Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Hand Held |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Stop bath |
Ilford odourless stop (15 seconds) |
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Fixer |
Ilford Hypam rapid fixer (1minute) |
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La Defense
La Defense is a truly spectacular building. It is in line with the Arc de Triomphe and several mile out of town. It combines regular cube windows along with the highly irregular canvas tent structure within it. I took many pictures of the Arch, but this one appealed to me because it seems to convey the enormous size well. I also like the feeling of the entrapped sky with the Arch acting as a window or doorway into another place. Although I took great care at the time, there is an alignment problem with the top and bottom. It seems that I was not as square onto the building as I had thought. I tilted the camera again to give the feeling of scale with the arch sides disappearing off the picture. I also ensured there was no sky around the edges to keep the focus on the central area.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/125s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f22 |
|
Height |
81cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
|
Aperture |
f8 |
| Film |
TMAX 100 |
|
Basic Exposure |
12.5s + 1 stop in the sky |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
|
Grade |
3 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
|
Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Tripod |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Stop bath |
Ilford odourless stop (15 seconds) |
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Fixer |
Ilford Hypam rapid fixer (1minute) |
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The Louvre
This internal detail shot shows the main entrance to the Louvre in Paris. As you enter the pyramid at the top, you are presented with this spiral staircase down to the main concourse. This area is especially interesting as it combines curves with the regular patterns of the roof and honeycombed ceiling areas. I was not allowed to take my tripod into the building, in fact they stopped me taking pictures outside using a tripod as it was deemed to be professional. Therefore, I hand held the camera with a medium aperture and fairly slow shutter. I am pleased with the results as the range of focus extends from the closest stair to some distance into the picture. Unfortunately, the sun was very bright and the range of contrast was too high. This has prevented me retaining good detail in the roof. I could burn the roof in but this would be quite difficult without making the picture look false.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/60s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f11 |
|
Height |
80cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
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Aperture |
f8 |
| Film |
Ilford Delta 100 |
|
Basic Exposure |
14.6s +2 stops on the roof |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
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Grade |
2 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
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Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Hand Held |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Stop bath |
Ilford odourless stop (15 seconds) |
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Fixer |
Ilford Hypam rapid fixer (1minute) |
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Lloyds Stair
This external detail shot of the stairwell which runs down the side of the Lloyds building caught my eye as I was taking other wide angle shots. I really like the simple pattern which is created by the steel reflecting the bright sky and the black voids between. When I first printed this image I found the metal work was in quite poor condition with stains running down the sides of the panels. Although this is what the actual stairs look like I decided to print on a higher grade in order to reduce the effect of this. I think the use of my wide angle lens in portrait mode could have provided enough image to produce a very dramatic cropped vertical panoramic picture. Unfortunately I didn't think of it at the time!
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/60s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f32 |
|
Height |
82cm |
| Lens |
150mm |
|
Aperture |
f8 |
| Film |
TMAX 100 |
|
Basic Exposure |
5.5s |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
|
Grade |
4 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
|
Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Tripod |
|
Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Stop bath |
Ilford odourless stop (15 seconds) |
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Fixer |
Ilford Hypam rapid fixer (1minute) |
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Ball at Cite des Sciences
This detail shot is of an interesting construction outside the Science museum just outside Paris. The picture was taken on the gantry between the ball and the entrance to the museum. The triangular white section in the centre is the gantry heading into the museum. The small blob on the gantry is me! The ball is constructed from a huge number of reflective triangles. At the corners of each triangle a screw attaches it to the structure below. The screws have stressed the triangles and at these points the reflections are beautifully contorted. I decided to use the silver bronze toner again on this shot as it closely represents the actual image before the camera.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/125s |
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Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f22 |
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Height |
85cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
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Aperture |
f5.6 |
| Film |
Ilford Delta 100 |
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Basic Exposure |
23.8s |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
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Grade |
5 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
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Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Tripod |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Toner |
Tetenal Silver Bronze toner |
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Waterloo Roof
As I was getting onto the Eurostar train to Paris, I spotted the roof of the station. The station is constructed on a curve and it is a combination of opaque materials, metal tubes and tent style coverings. This shot was taken across the roof of the train, which was just below the bottom of the picture. I took several pictures and boarded the train. As I was putting the camera away, I realised I had left the lens cap on! This is one of the problems with a range finder camera. I quickly leapt off the train and took a couple more just in time before the train left. The roof is not entirely intact and there were holes letting the light through. There was also a light on one section which appeared as a large white blob. I have "doctored" the negative to remove these as they were distracting. Again, although the building is like that now, I'm sure the architect would agree with my artistic modifications.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/30s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f22 |
|
Height |
82cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
|
Aperture |
f11 |
| Film |
TMAX 100 |
|
Basic Exposure |
11.9s |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
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Grade |
4 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
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Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Hand Held |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Stop bath |
Ilford odourless stop (15 seconds) |
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Fixer |
Ilford Hypam rapid fixer (1minute) |
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Pyramid Inverse
This inverted glass pyramid is found at the metro entrance to the Louvre. It descends from ground level in the middle of a traffic island down into the museum. It does not quite meet the ground and a wooden pyramid is placed underneath it to prevent people trying to walk under it. It is a complex of glass and supporting structures which must be a nightmare to clean! I had to take this hand held again with a slow shutter speed and medium aperture in order to get a reasonable depth-of-field. You can see the blurred legs of passers by. When I printed the picture the contrast range meant that I was not able to have a range of blacks in the pyramid and be able to see the people. I think the people are important to this image so I decided to split grade print it instead. My control of the masking was not too good as there is a dark border around the pyramid.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/30s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f16 |
|
Height |
81cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
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Aperture |
f8 |
| Film |
Ilford Delta 100 |
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Basic Exposure |
7.8s then an extra 15.6s on the glass +1 stop burning at the top |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
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Grade |
1 basic then 5 for the glass |
| Lighting |
Natural |
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Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Hand Held |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Stop bath |
Ilford odourless stop (15 seconds) |
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Fixer |
Ilford Hypam rapid fixer (1minute) |
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Steel Towers
These towers were at the Cite des Sciences. They appealed to me because of the reflections, especially at the base. The gantries at the left hand side are access ways into the museum. This picture was taken with a long lens (70mm equivalent) to focus in on the steel and the reflections. Again the silver bronze has been used to enhance what would have been a poor black and white representation of the original.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/125s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f22 |
|
Height |
82cm |
| Lens |
150mm |
|
Aperture |
f5.6 |
| Film |
Ilford Delta 100 |
|
Basic Exposure |
25.8s |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
|
Grade |
5 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
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Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Tripod |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Toner |
Tetenal Silver Bronze toner |
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Lloyds "Rocket"
I took several pictures of this building but this is my favourite. I had wondered around and taken some details and some wide angles, then I suddenly saw this. The building is quite asymmetrical and so all the other angles I had found were quite odd. But on the corner of the building this, almost symmetrical and rocket like profile can be seen. I was quite lucky to have a good sky again, however the contrast was very high and resulted in me having to burn in 6 stops on the sky. This has caused the typical halo effect, but in a way that almost adds to the atmosphere of this shot. Again the resolution and smoothness of tone available from a medium format negative really stand out on the railings at the base.
Technical Details
| Camera |
6x7 |
|
Enlarger |
Durst M670VC |
| Shutter |
1/125s |
|
Enlarger lens |
Nikon EL-Nikkor 105mm f5.6 |
| Aperture |
f22 |
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Height |
93.5cm |
| Lens |
43mm |
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Aperture |
f5.6 |
| Film |
TMAX 100 |
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Basic Exposure |
7.2s Dodged bottom 1stop, burn left sky +4, right sky +6 |
| Film developer |
TMAX |
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Grade |
4 |
| Lighting |
Natural |
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Paper |
Ilford Multigrade IV - RC Glossy |
| Camera support |
Tripod |
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Paper developer |
Ilford Multigrade (1.5 minutes) |
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Stop bath |
Ilford odourless stop (15 seconds) |
|
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|
Fixer |
Ilford Hypam rapid fixer (1minute) |
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