A few days in….Milan

So last month we managed to get a short city break into Milan, Italy. Not been to this part of Italy before so a new adventure awaits.

So the first thing, the weather, it was overcast, dull, drizzly, but surprising, the temperature was mild, so with umbrellas in hand we managed to get around the city. Not the best weather for taking photographs, lot of rain spots on the lens, and with the cloud skies and low light, bright images were not on the list, so i decided to look for mainly black and white images. At least with the cloud and having to put ISO up, it give an excuse for the grainy look and feel to the pictures.

Even in the poor weather the Duomo was impressive, and well worth the climb up eh stairs to the roof. Even on a dreary day the views were good, i can just imagine what they are like on a clear cloudless day.

The shopping arcade next door, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II well worth the visit, even brought the wife something from Gucci…well from the cafe there at least, but in my mind that qualifies.

So below are just a few of the pictures from the few days, not as many as i was hoping for the weather put paid to that, and at times the rain was too heavy, just not worth getting the camera out, never even got chance to use my new travel tripod, brought especially for this trip. Oh well, just have to think if another city break to use it on.

November 15, 2016 0

A morning at Church……

Last weekend I was part of a small group who carried out a location shoot with a local model. The setting was an old church near Enville in Staffordshire.

Late C18. Roughcast brick; plain tile roofs. Gothic revival building in the form of a church with cylindrical west tower and 2-bay ‘nave’. Tower has 3 pointed windows with cast iron frames, each side of the nave has a panelled and nail studded door with 4-centred arch, and amural cupboard with acutely pointed arch and boarded door; full-height
pointed eastern entrance with double door, nail studded and formerly half-glazed.

Interior. Pointed arch to apsidal chamber within the tower.
Erected in memory of William Shenstone who worked on the landscaping of the
grounds during the 1750’s and 60’s.

It is a very atmospheric location and the model played her part well, dressing up a ‘little red ridding hood’. Images from the shot to follow in a separate post.

So for now just a few images of the building, well just some of the small details.

The building is well off the beaten track, and is one of those hidden gems, that needs to stay hidden. It is a testament to the craftsmen of the the 18th Century that it is still standing. When you consider where it is and the fact that it has been there for over 200 years, well worth a visit….if you can find it…happy hunting.

July 11, 2016 0

A new camera in the bag

During my recent visit to the Photography Show in March 2016 i decided to splash out on a brand new camera……sod the expense I had earnt it, so with no holding back i took the plunge and brought a new Konstructor camera from the nice people on the Lomography stand. Also visited the Ilford stand to splash out on few rolls of Ilford FP4 35mm film, well no good having the camera if I haven’t got a film to use in it.

So on a rainy weekend, out it came and I started to put it together. The manual reckons between 1 hour to 2 hours to build, 2 hours is closer to the mark, if you tried to do it in 1 hour, there is a chance that you could miss some important steps and screw it up.

Camera now built and loaded with film, time to find something to take picture off. I knew of a landmark just outside Warwick, and old windmill with easy access.

I enjoyed walking around and using the camera, did take some used to, there are only a few setting, either times at 1/60th or bulb mode, and a basic focusing ring. Fixed aperture at f10. It made a nice change from having a multitude of settings. Fixed lens was not an issue as I tend to use a 50mm or 90mm lens on my Canon.

Film exposed, and with developing tanks long since departed, it was off to the local lab to have the film developed and scanned onto CD, and then the wait to see if I had captured anything at all…..and surprise, i had.

So with CD in hand off to the computer and edit in Silver Efex, using the Antique Plate II setting. Kept quite simple really, no cropping no other edits.

Not all good and not all bad. Very much a learning curve.

So with another film already in the camera, time to head off again and keep on learning.

April 21, 2016 0

Forgotten Images

OK so while going through some SD cards I came across a photo shoot that I did back in July 2015, fortunately it was just for myself with no end client, probably why they slipped my mind.

The model was a local girl, Charlotte (aka Lottie). Still fairly young bit really great to work with. Her parents came along as chaperone’s for the evening, and just like their daughter they were a great couple.

The location was Brookfields Cemetery in the Jewellery Quarter, seems like a strange place for a photo shoot, but it works, there is some great architecture and late in the evening the sun is low and you get some great light and shadows.

Any way, that will teach me to take them off the SD cards as soon as get back, could quote easily have formatted them and lost all the work, a big lesson to learn.

Hope you like the photos.

November 5, 2015 0