B&W Cragside

Southdowns

Southdowns

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Mark
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These are the best of the set from my first B&W film. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm disappointed with the graininess of this HP5 400 film (though it works in some shots), so most of these are not SOOC.

The indoor ones are all handheld - no tripods or flash allowed.

#1
20140425-004421-Edit.jpg by MarkBerry1963, on Flickr

#2
20140425-004412.jpg by MarkBerry1963, on Flickr

#3
20140425-004403.jpg by MarkBerry1963, on Flickr

#4
20140425-004326.jpg by MarkBerry1963, on Flickr

#5
20140425-004317.jpg by MarkBerry1963, on Flickr

#6
20140425-004232.jpg by MarkBerry1963, on Flickr
 
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Mark, I know Cragside well but haven't photographed inside the house much. I'm very impressed by your interior images, particularly the patterns of light and shade in number 2.

I've never used HP5 myself, but a lot of images I have seen made with HP5 seem to be grainy. For finer grain, Ilford XP2 is worth a try. If you're having your images lab developed then the processing is cheaper as it uses the C41 process like colour film.
 
Mark, this is a brilliant set, you must be very pleased! I particularly admired the depth of field you managed in no 3, implying a slow shutter speed but still sharp. No 6, the view of the house, is also brilliantly evocative. Most of them have a wonderful range of tones, too. Tremendously atmospheric. Great stuff. The film doesn't seem to have held you backat all (other than presumably som PP time doing noise reduction?). I don't remember what camera you were using...
 
Thanks Kevin, Chris. I am pleased with them, especially #2 and the others above, it's just that some of the others are pretty much ruined by the grain. Then again, that's part of the skill and fun isn't it; recognising which shots will suit which film :)

Fortunately Chris I had a door frame to lean against for number 3; from memory (can't find the exif data to help me!!), speed was about 1/20 second with a 50mm lens, so by the rule of thumb too slow to avoid shake.

You're right about the PP too; noise reduction, though not too much on most of the above, a little bit of contrast adjustment, and crop, mainly to get rid of the vignette from using crop sensor lenses on 35mm.

Chris, camera is a Minolta SPxi. All of the outdoor ones were taken using the Sigma 70-210 UC, and the indoor ones were using a crop sensor Sony 50mm prime, in an attempt to grab a bit more light! It was a bright day, but they keep the blinds down to protect the fabrics.

I've got to work out where my crop lenses do and don't give me a vignette; I can't see one in the viewfinder when the lens is wide open, so it must creep in at smaller apertures. The camera has no DoF preview.
 
I don't understand how you can be disappointed with these, I think it's a cracking set, particularly 4&5 from the first post. I'm not usually a great fan of HP5 but I think you've got the best out of it, it seems to work well in the low light conditions. Carry on doing what you're doing.
 
Thanks guys!! Nick I guess I'm not disappointed with these shots, more with the complete set. But then that's partly because the HP5 hasn't given such good results in bright sunlight (I agree it does well in low light), partly because the lab dramatically over-sharpenned them, and partly because a few (not above), weren't what I expected them to be.

And Shadz AND Nick, I think this is a problem most photographers have. It's lovely to hear that my shots are in any way aspirational, but to me I still feel exactly the same now as I did when I started; mostly it's a very frustrated "why the hell can't I get that?" :(. I go on meets, and come away with what I think is an OK set, then look at other people's shots from exactly the same place at exactly the same time and with exactly the same light, and think "wow, just wow, why didn't I see that?".

I thought I'd get to a point where I felt I'd "arrived", that I "can do this", but I feel as far off now as I did when I got my first serious camera 3 years ago :(
 
the vision < that other person might be thinking same about yours as you think of theres.
 
Southdowns said:
... I think this is a problem most photographers have. It's lovely to hear that my shots are in any way aspirational, but to me I still feel exactly the same now as I did when I started; mostly it's a very frustrated "why the hell can't I get that?" :(. I go on meets, and come away with what I think is an OK set, then look at other people's shots from exactly the same place at exactly the same time and with exactly the same light, and think "wow, just wow, why didn't I see that?".

I thought I'd get to a point where I felt I'd "arrived", that I "can do this", but I feel as far off now as I did when I got my first serious camera 3 years ago :(
Click to expand...

I got my first serious camera in the 70's and I still feel the same way, one day I'll crack it, one day....
 
I tell you what Mark,I would like to be disappointed more often with my B&W if I got those results.
 
Hey Shadz, you could well be right!!! Now, to flip the compliment, I've just been listening to some of your music. Not my style I'm afraid, BUT you have a real talent :)

Nick I think that's encouraging.

I think?!

Richard, thank you :)
 
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