Fahrenheit 451, Fire Photos on Film

After the digital tests shown in a previous post I did a series of fire photos on film. Here are the results.

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 80mm Planar lens

Some of the test strips used to make the above prints.

Monolith

Opposite to the site of the ruin shown in the last post there was a concrete 'monolith' just sitting there.

Hasselblad 500C/M with 50mm Distagon lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 50mm Distagon lens

More Photos From The 'El Torcal' Ruin

Hasselblad 500C/M with 150mm Sonnar lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 50mm Distagon lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 50mm Distagon lens

Fahrenheit 451, Digital Test

The title of Ray Bradbury's novel 'Fahrenheit 451' (1954) comes from the fact that paper burns at a temperature of 451 fahrenheit. In his story books are banned by the state and 'firemen' are employed to seek out and burn all remaining books. Its a fantastic story and is the starting point for a new series of photos about fire.

Below are images of some old test prints stuck onto a rough concrete wall and set on fire. What I find fascinating is the combination of the wall surface, the image on the photo, the bubbling of the resin coated paper and the pattern of the flames. These shots were made with a digital camera but I am now making similar shots on film so I can make some prints (on the same resin coated paper).

Drainage Tunnel

As part of the construction works for the AVE high speed train around my home are a series of new drainage tunnels. I took these shoots before they are buried forever.

The Adventure of the Empty House

Close to our home is an empty farm house. Its simplicity always fascinates me so I took some photos.

Ruin On The Way to 'El Torcal'

The old factory building has been abandonded for some time. On the day I decided to go out and shoot there were near hurricane force winds blowing. I decided not to enter the building but just took some photos through the windows. Below is one of the interior shots and a contact sheet still to be printed up.

Kittens Arrive At La Chacona

Extreme Darkroom Tricks

The photo above was shot from the base of the structure with the camera tilted up. This causes the vertical lines to converge towards the top of the negative. Perspective correction, or 'keystone' correction, was done during printing by tilting the baseboard under the enlarger. This is a normal darkroom trick, a small aperture is used to keep all of the print in focus. However is this case the tilt of the board was extreme, about 45º. I used the enlarger lens stopped down to f32 and remarkable the print was in focus. This was a 18cm x 18cm print. I am curious if this will work at a larger size!

The same structure photographed from the hill with the camera set horizontal.

More animal remains in another part of the building complex.

Goats, more from the Canon 35mm SLR

Watering the Fields At 'La Chacona'

Our neighbour, farmer Antonio, has just got the watering system going in the fields around our house in Antequera:

Printing High Contrast Negs

A few weeks ago I took some shots inside some empty buildings in Antequera. Some of the photos had very bright areas of sunshine combined with relatively dark interiors. The high contrast between sunlit areas and the rest of the picture was quite difficult to print. The negative (TMax 100 developed in HC110) has a higher dynamic range than the paper. You can see all the information on the neg. put to get the same details in the print is quite a challenge. Below are my best attempts so far and some shots of the darkroom with the many test strips made before the final print.

Smoke blackened interior with sun patches on floor



Test strips showing 'burning in' of sun patch with different contrast grade filters.




Reprint of 'Rocks', higher contrast filter for overall image and more even 'burn in' for rocks outside windows.

Still life in bright sunshine, attempt to hold detail on the ball and keep detail in the shadows.

The new darkroom in Antequera, a big mess of pipes and cables but it seems to work!

"Los Enamorados Abandonados"

I recently found a group of abandoned buildings at the base of a large mountain called 'Los Enamorados' (The Lovers) near to my home in Antequera. Below are the first shots from a series taken in and around the buildings. 3 of the photos are currently on show at the AIA exhibition 'Something Different' in Malaga, see Current Exhibition on the right side of this page.



Bones

Wall with football impressions

Holes 1

Rocks

Stair

Frame

Holes 2





Forest, Sippersfeld, Germany Dec. 2011

Here a few photos taken on a recent trip to Germany. Two of the images feature in the exhibituion 'Diversidad' currently on at the hospital of Antequera:

Hasselblad 500C/M with 50mm Distagon lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 50mm Distagon lens

Hasselblad 500C/M with 50mm Distagon lens

The Marbella Guide features the latest AIA exhibition 'Diversidad' that opens this Monday evening:
Opening: 18:00, 16.01.12
Exhibition: 16.01.12 to 15.04.12, daily
Location: Hospital Antequera, C/ Poeta Muñoz Rojas, Antequera.

Exhibition: 'Dos Calles' Review in the Sur in English.

Here is what Peter Edgerton had to say about our show at the Ateneo in Malaga: