War Time Sound Reflector (M)

G.K.Jnr.

G.K.Jnr.

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George.
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Just a simple Snapograph taken of a "War Time Sound Reflector". These constructions were used to give an early warning by picking up the sound of aircraft etc approaching across the channel during the war.
I've done a bit of messing about during PP to give a slightly grainy/gritty effect to this presentation.

X-T1, 18-55mm Lens, 1/640th @ F8, ISO-200, Handheld.
War Time Sound Reflector (M)-03163M by G.K.Jnr., on Flickr

:ty: for looking., (y)

George.
 
I think the post processing is over the top. I can never remember so much grain from B&W film and you got a clearish white line round the concrete structure and then a halo effect. :(
 
TLR-330 said:
I think the post processing is over the top. I can never remember so much grain from B&W film and you got a clearish white line round the concrete structure and then a halo effect. :(
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Thank you, appreciate you taking the time to reply.

George.
 
TLR-330 said:
I think the post processing is over the top. I can never remember so much grain from B&W film and you got a clearish white line round the concrete structure and then a halo effect. :(
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I can remember as much grain as that from grainy B&W film, such as Ilford HP4, which I used a lot. You could also get a certain kind of edge sharpening and a halo effect from local developer exhaustion if you deliberately used low agitation development to get that effect. Of course I may well have been guilty of pushing my B&W film development processing over the top :)
 
chris malcolm said:
I can remember as much grain as that from grainy B&W film, such as Ilford HP4, which I used a lot. You could also get a certain kind of edge sharpening and a halo effect from local developer exhaustion if you deliberately used low agitation development to get that effect. Of course I may well have been guilty of pushing my B&W film development processing over the top :)
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Thank you kindly Sir, sure is appreciated.(y)

"I too have had this sort of grain from 35mm such as HP4 & Tri-X when I've pushed processing, and sometimes I used to deliberately under expose and over develop for effect just to get high grain like cricket balls as they say. Incidentally I still shoot a whole lot of film in my studio but mainly on 5x4 inch monorail cameras":D

George.
 
These are actually sound mirrors, they date from the late 1920s and early 30s. By the war they had been superceded by radar.

The problem with the grain on this is that it doesn't look like film grain, but oversharpened digital noise. The grain engine in Nik SilverEfex/ColorEfex is very effective, and is derived from samples of the actual film types. If you have Lightroom or Photoshop, it is free from google.
 
horrocks said:
These are actually sound mirrors
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Sound mirrors or sound reflectors who cares whatever you want to call them, they amount to exactly the same thing in my book.:rolleyes:


horrocks said:
The problem with the grain on this is that it doesn't look like film grain
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I didn't say it was a film type grain in my original blurb, I just said a grainy/gritty effect, which is exactly what it is.;)
 
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These acoustic mirrors fascinate me.
I like the shadow across the concavity.
 
viv1969 said:
These acoustic mirrors fascinate me.
I like the shadow across the concavity.
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Thank you kindly Ma'am, sure is appreciated.(y)

George.
 
Hi George

Where did you take this image. I've heard these mirrors can be found near me In Kent and your image has prompted me to go look for them!
 
Sniffer said:
Hi George

Where did you take this image. I've heard these mirrors can be found near me In Kent and your image has prompted me to go look for them!
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Up on the cliffs Sir, east of Capel-Le-Ferne Nr Folkestone within walking distance if your fit. If you want exact directions and the easiest way of getting to them then just PM your cell phone number and I'll call you.(y)

George.
 
Thanks George - I had thought they were further down the coast. This one is much closer by the looks of things. Appreciate the info..
 
I went there once, you could hear sounds of small planes before you could see them.
Not sure of the processing, nor to be honest the composition. I think I'd like to see it as less central or placed in the landscape from further back
I like the shadow across the dish and it's a shame to see the graffiti, although that's got another message, but the processing loses it's impact on this monument to invention.
 
Byker28i said:
I went there once, you could hear sounds of small planes before you could see them.
Not sure of the processing, nor to be honest the composition. I think I'd like to see it as less central or placed in the landscape from further back
I like the shadow across the dish and it's a shame to see the graffiti, although that's got another message, but the processing loses it's impact on this monument to invention.
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Thank you kindly Sir, appreciate you taking the time to reply.(y)

George.
 
Byker28i said:
No problem, I like to try to provide some sort of detail in feedback.
Got any other images from the set?
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I do have some other snaps from this set Sir, but felt this one was my personal preference.(y)

"Unfortunately others that I have from a different set, time, and equipment I cannot use, as I shot them under contract for the tourist board"

George.
 
G.K.Jnr. said:
Sound mirrors or sound reflectors who cares whatever you want to call them, they amount to exactly the same thing in my book.:rolleyes:
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Fair enough. But, in the event, they still had nothing whatsoever to do with the war. Just sayin'...:)

G.K.Jnr. said:
I didn't say it was a film type grain in my original blurb, I just said a grainy/gritty effect, which is exactly what it is.;)
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Forgive me. I was responding to the subsequent conversation (in which you took part and was about film grain) as much as the original post.
 
G.K.Jnr. said:
The link below says they did, I didn't say which war.


http://www.centenarynews.com/article/first-world-war-sound-mirrors-restored-on-white-cliffs-of-dover
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I hate to be pedantic, but I have this thing about historical accuracy. The article you linked to, whilst it shows a photo of your mirror at Abbot's Cliff, is actually about the recently excavated Fan Bay mirrors, one of which (there are two) was indeed constructed in WW1. The sound mirror at Abbotts Cliff was built in 1928, 10 years after the end of the First War, and 11 years prior to the Second, by which time it was obsolescent due to the advent of Radar.

http://webapps.kent.gov.uk/kcc.exploringkentspast.web.sites.public/SingleResult.aspx?uid='mke17880'
 
horrocks said:
they still had nothing whatsoever to do with the war.
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Have it your own way if that makes you feel better. "HAPPY NOW".:rolleyes:

But seeings as you obviously want to nit pick, your quote as above clearly says "They" had nothing whatsoever to do with the war when in actual fact "They" (at least some of them) did.

End of conversation !!! Not even worth the effort to respond any more.
 
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