Venice June, 2011 : Lost in Venice #1

Camera Leica M4    Lens : Elmar C 90mm f4    Film : Ilford HP5+  Developer : Ilford ID-11

One of the most common sights in Venice is a tourist reading a Venice street map.

One of the most common frustrations in Venice is the realisation that Venice street maps don’t include the names of all Venice streets.

One of the most common discoveries in Venice is that Venice street maps almost certainly will not include the name of the street, square or bridge that you’re currently standing in / on or trying to find.

The gentleman in the photograph walked past us as we were sitting at lunch, or rather, as we were sitting at lunch and I was viewing passers-by and mentally categorising them into “people I would like to photograph” or “uninteresting” (and therefore not worth my expenditure on film materials). He had been placed firmly in the former. However, lunch on holiday is a leisurely affair and I hadn’t expected to see him again, given the time between the first sighting and the end of the food.

It was a pleasant surprise, then, to see him again just a couple of hundred yards away from the restaurant. Standing on a small bridge, map open, looking first in the direction he’d just come from, then in the direction he was heading, then at the map, then at the name of the bridge fixed high on the wall of the adjacent building. This cycle was repeated several times while I watched. I stood at the foot of the steps of the bridge and took two photographs of him during the repetitions.  He seemed, like so many in the medieval maze that is Venice, to be lost.

I moved up the steps and stood opposite him, intending to take at least one shot with a wider-angle lens. At this point he noticed me and, apologising for getting in the way of my photograph, ducked and walked down the steps on the other side of the bridge. I followed him and asked if the needed help. “Are you offering to help me?” he asked.  I noted his accent and thought that he might be German or Austrian. “Well, I know that the Rialto Bridge is in that direction and the Railway Station is that way,” I said, indicating the relevant directions with a wave of my hand.  “They are the two most prominent landmarks on this street.”

“I’m trying to find the name of this bridge,” he said. His English was excellent.  “I have been in two restaurants, one was good, one was bad. I want to tell my friends the name of the bad one so that they don’t go there when they arrive.”  I wondered briefly whether he was going to include the name of the good restaurant in his advice, which I thought might have been more useful i.e. knowing where to get a good meal would be better than knowing where not to get a good meal. 

“I’m from Switzerland,” he went on, “Have you been there?”  “Only once, on business,” I said, “Many years ago. A very brief visit and no time for sight-seeing, I’m afraid,”. “I came here by canoe,” he said.  My eyebrows rose involuntarily, “All the way from Switzerland?”  “Yes,” he confirmed, “And every year I spend three months in Canada canoeing in the wilderness there. It’s much better in the wilderness if you are on your own.”  Three months solo in the Canadian wilderness sounded even more impressive than the Switzerland to Venice trip.

We examined his German language Venice street map, but there was no clue as to the existence of the bridge where we stood, let alone its name. I took out my English language Venice street map (never leave home without it…).  Again, no reference to bridge, street or canal could be found.

“When I left Switzerland and navigated here, the Pole was always the Pole,” he said. “I managed to make my way to Venice with a compass and a map of the sea. Canada’s wilderness is full of rivers and lakes, it’s easy to be lost. But the Pole is always the Pole. Now I’m standing here in Venice with a street map in my hand and I can’t find the name of this bloody bridge!”  

We shared a few comments and laughed at this absurdity. “Thank you for helping me,” he said as we parted, reaching out to shake hands – although the grin we gave each other was in clear recognition of the useless nature of my contribution.  “No problem,” I replied, “If you don’t ask questions, you’ll never learn anything!”

Regards

Eddie

Glasgow, 2012 : Still not a bargain...

Leica M4   Lens : Summaron 35mm f3.5    Film : Ilford HP5+    Developer : Ilford ID11

Glasgow Sauchiehall Street at winter sale time last year.  Unfortunate, but fairly prominent, positioning of graffiti between two BHS window displays.

Still didn't seem like a tempting offer to me - but to each his own...

Eddie

York, July 2013 : A Crack In The Seat

Leica M9   Summicron 50mm

Fashion and functionality are rare bedfellows, more often they are poles apart. In the days of "Oxford Bags" a trouser belt would be fastened around chest-height, giving a man a feeling of safety and security - not to mention preventing chilblains in areas they are definitely not required.

The current trend seems to be for trouser waistlines to sag around hip level, revealing the fashion follower's undergarments - preferably with an embroidered designer monogram such as "Calvin Klein" or similar - the whole effect causing the crutch of the trouser to hang approximately halfway down the inner thigh.  Thus giving the walking wearer the appearance of a nappy-wearing toddler who has had an unfortunate toiletry experience.

My 80-year-old mother-in-law, still as bright and brisk as a good Autumn morning, was sitting to my immediate left when I took this photo. She was writing a postcard home at the time.  During a pause for thought (it's always difficult to know what to say and to compress the events of the holiday into the small space provided) she was looking for a place to put her pen for a moment.  I remarked it was a pity we weren't sitting in the seats in front of us, since there seemed to be an ideal pen-holder available there.  No doubt other options for practical uses are available - which would, at the very least, provide a much-needed link between functionality and fashion ...

Eddie

A few comments on comments

Bruce over at The Online Darkroom (a blog well worth viewing, if you haven't been there already) kindly gave me a rather long mention on one of his posts recently, following which someone - who wishes to remain anonymous - asked why he (or she) couldn't leave an anonymous comment on this blog. It seemed they had attempted to leave a much-valued comment, but weren't allowed to without a profile of some sort.

With complete understanding regarding why anyone would want to remain anonymous on the internet (although I'm pretty sure the NSA and a whole load of other three-letter-acronym-type-agencies already have more than enough information about any of us...) I checked to see why anonymous comments were being rejected.

Using my IT skill (that's singular, not plural) I quickly found the fault, which I can summarise for the even-less-IT-skilled-than-me as follows:

1. I'm an idiot when it comes to IT stuff.
2. See 1.

There is a very clear list in the Template for a blogger to select re' ID's for comments - including "Anonymous". For some reason (hmm... see 1 and 2 above, I would suggest...)  I had picked an option limiting who could leave comments - a bit silly, really, considering they are one of the most useful  things in the blog, and I welcome any feedback, however brief.

I have now ticked the correct box, which should enable all readers to leave a few (or many) words without revealing an ID or needing a profile.

Hopefully, Anonymous will leave that comment sometime...

Best Regards

Eddie

Rome 2010, Plaza Nuovo

 

Headless in the Plaza

Camera : Leica M4        Lens : Summaron 35mm f3.5        Film : Ilford HP5        Developer : Ilford ID 11

The life of a street entertainer is a curious one. The passer-by sees only the end result; the singer and the portable amplifier / guitar / microphone, the juggler with his props. Hidden to the non-participant is the background organisation, the co-ordination, the transport arrangements for awkwardly-shaped-but-necessary pieces of equipment, the assistance from the assistants.

Setting up presents us with another range of opportunities. Most of us ignore these activities, preferring to wait until the finished product is performing in front of us before we pay any attention – and sometimes, not even then. Some of us are mildly curious. Particularly when it’s not absolutely clear what the finished product will be.

Here, the headless figure will, after a few more minutes of assisted dressing, become the Invisible Man. Encased in a framework of clothes, head and hands hidden from view, he will sit motionless in the chair, posed under the hat tied to the lamp post on the right. A pair of sunglasses suspended from the hat will help to complete the illusion. On the occasions when a passer-by is sufficiently impressed to stand, look and donate a few coins, the artist will make a novelty noise to signal his thanks. Throughout, he will remain still. Whether this is due to restrictions imposed by the clothing, posture or, perhaps most likely, the risk of becoming misaligned with the hat and sunglasses – thus ruining the “act” – is not known.

However, it’s not easy to perceive all of this just by watching the female assistant dress what appears to be an oddly proportioned very tall headless male. So we are given the chance to exercise our imagination and attempt to guess the end result, or, as someone did on this day, to simply walk by and wonder, just for a moment.

Eddie

Rome, October 2010, Piazza Nuovo : Liberty breaks...

Liberty breaks

Camera : Leica M4     Film : Ilford HP5     Lens : Summaron 35mm f3.5      Developer : Ilford Perceptol

The Statue of Liberty was not something we had planned to see during our holiday in Rome. In the event, we were not disappointed – nor were we surprised to have missed the opportunity to see said Statue.

I arrived during a break. 

The gentlemen on the left of the picture is a “living statue”. Like all living statues, he stands, for periods, costumed and, for the most part, immobile. Occasionally, particularly when potential donors pass by, he moves; beckoning them closer for a photographic oppor-chance-ity.  Where such invitations are accepted, the guest is encouraged to a place close by the Statue. A brief comical moment ensues, where the Statue of Liberty takes on an unexpected and humorous pose for the benefit of the camera and the guest. Completion of the photo-shoot is followed by a gesture towards “the tin” with the unspoken expectation of a small – or perhaps a little more – remuneration for the time, effort and overall pleasure passed on by the experience. Lastly, but not leastly (?), there is a gesture of thanks for any donations received. All this is done with no spoken word, for as we know, statues rarely, if ever, speak (I leave the subject of statues moving within this context to your own thoughts). For reasons best known to himself, and certainly not shared with me, the gentlemen chose the Statue of Liberty as his ideal representation for the City of Rome.

However, the question of applicability of statue to city is irrelevant. Everyone needs a break – including Liberty. Obviously not a full “remove costume, make-up, props, pedestal etc” break, but a short period away from the hustle and bustle of stationary Statuary Life. That’s when I arrived; the Statue of Liberty was sitting, robes raised (though not in a way that would bring scandal to bear upon the original), props cast aside for the moment on the fountain rails and on the floor. Silver-painted tiara removed, leaving only the white-painted face as scant clue to his chosen occupation.

Then the gentleman in the suit turned up. He leaned for a moment or two on the concrete pillar before noticing the strangely-garbed figure on the left. Unaware of the remarkable resemblance to any famous statue that this person may take on with just a few deftly-placed additions and a strangely reminiscent pose, he looked, then looked away, thought, looked again.

I caught his gaze on the first look. There’s no hint of emotion in his face, no obvious immediate clue as to his thoughts – other than perhaps mild curiosity at the sight of a male in a white over-garment and with a white-painted face.

Like the old “candid camera” trick where one man looking skywards causes, eventually, a small crowd of passers-by to gather round, all following his eyes skyward, so the viewer is bound to follow the gaze of the man in the suit.

  

We live in the same societies that have existed for thousands of years.  Human groups gather together and set norms – anything outside of the norm is worthy of attention. Different groups set different criteria – these become the “culture” for that group and may be very different from other groups.

Is there something more unusual about wearing white robes and props than donning a dark suit? After all, only the shape and colours differ…

Eddie

Estimating Exposure – A Little Light Relief…

Of the plethora of photographic subjects confusing both to the novice and experienced film photographer, few can be a greater source of torment than that of “exposure”.  “What aperture are you getting?”  “What shutter speed are you using?” “Will the Auto’ setting cope with this scene?” “What Zone should I put the shadow / light / mid-tone into?” All are commonly heard conversations between photographers of any standard.

In a bid to assist those of us who may have limited knowledge in the subject, I list a few of my own experiences in finding methods that have worked for me with, for the most part, some degree of success.

1. Manual estimation 

For outdoor photography, I use the “Heavy Overcast 4” rule. This is a seemingly simple method.  Take the ISO setting you’re using e.g. – ISO 250 – and set this as your shutter speed i.e. 1/250^th. Then set your aperture to f4.   The result will be perfectly exposed pictures.

I should point out that this is a derivation of the universally-recognised and implemented “Sunny 16 Rule”. All I’ve done is to  calibrate it for the Scottish climate, where humidity often reaches 100% (or “rain” as other parts of the UK call it).

As a reminder, the “Sunny 16” rule states that, if it’s sunny, take the ISO setting you’re using e.g. – ISO 250 – and set this as your shutter speed i.e. 1/250^th. Then set your aperture at f16.   The result will be perfectly exposed pictures.

In Scotland, adoption of the “Heavy Overcast 4” produces almost identical results, i.e. perfectly exposed pictures, but with less depth of field than those taken in a sunny country.

2. Phone Bill

No, not that dreaded envelope asking for money, or your latest contract update tariff details.  I refer to Bill, my BFF, photographic advisor and general all-around good guy. Bill has been taking photographs longer than I have. To be a little more pedantic, I have taken photographs longer than he has, but this was mainly due to those panoramic shots I had enlarged to about 36”, he’s never done anything bigger than 20” x 16”.  But he has taken photographs for a longer period than me (let’s not get into night-time photography and lengthy exposures, I’m confused enough by the first part of this paragraph).

Bill has an uncanny ability to accurately measure light values without the aid of any mechanical device.  If I’m in any doubt with regard to manual estimation of exposure (see 1 above) I know I can ask Bill for advice and he’ll fine-tune it to within a ¹/₃^rd of a stop – very useful if I’m using slide film.  

Bill’s expertise became even more available with the advent of the mobile phone. Now I don’t even need to take him with me on photographic outings to get the benefit of his remarkable lux-calculating gift.

Bill’s capacity extends beyond visible light, too. I’ve called him from some remote locations in the USA when it’s been night time in the UK where he was and day time where I was and he’s given me some incredibly accurate advice re’ exposure and  light zones, even though he couldn’t see the conditions.  He also gave me some advice related to phone calls and world time zones (which I think was uncalled for – I don’t know how anyone could that angry so quickly, especially in the middle of the night).

I'm pretty sure he wouldn't object to me handing out his phone number to interested parties, so PM me if you're having difficulty and I'll get his number to you.  Expect a response as soon as he's completed his Anger Management course.

3. Organic method

Thread a natural quartzite crystal* onto some linen string. Holding the string lightly between thumb and forefinger of one hand, suspend the quartz pendulum-like over the palm of the free hand. Then state clearly your estimated exposure loud enough to register with the crystal’s harmonic vibrations e.g. “1/125^th @ f8 @ ISO 200”.  The pendulum will swing in a clockwise circle if the exposure is correct, anticlockwise if it’s not.  Obviously, if it’s wrong change one or more of the variables and state the new exposure. Repeat the changes in variables etc until the correct exposure is indicated by the pendulum.

Pros :

• Easy storage
• Lightweight (depending on the size of the crystal)
• No battery dependency issues. 

Cons :

• Accuracy within ²/₃^rd of a stop means it may not do for slide film**
• Needs concentration
• String can sometimes get tangled
• Upcoming Pagan Festivals can sometimes adversely affect accuracy 
• Any area where Ley lines converge can cause underexposure (I normally allow +2 stops for this).

*Use quartzite for black and white negative film only.

**For colour work – especially slides – I use onyx and cobblers’ twine (waxed) for more accuracy.  For night photography, try moonstone (yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s given me consistently good results) and string made from the fibres of young nettle stems.

4. Homeopathic method

Drink up to a half pint of evening primrose anti-stress cure diluted in ion-free water at 1 part evening primrose to 1,000 parts ion-free water.  Your pupils may dilate a little initially – particularly if it’s dark – as they become more sensitive to changes in light levels. Allow at least 45 minutes to elapse before estimating exposure settings.  When the 45 minutes is up, go with your gut instinct for shutter speed and aperture (NB : set the shutter speed first, then aperture, for obvious reasons).

NB : You may suffer prolonged nausea and one or two severe rashes on various (unpredictable) parts of your body as a result of mild poisoning or allergic reaction from the primrose.  However, consider this a small premium to pay for such well-exposed negatives. 

5. Use a hand-held* light meter

Using a hand-held light meter opens up a whole new range of problems.  Do I point it at the subject? At the camera? At the light source? Do I calculate a point where all three intersect and point it at that? Do I measure reflected light bouncing off the subject? Do I measure incident light falling on the subject? Do I take a spot reading? If Yes, which spot?  A light spot? A dark spot? Both and divide by two?

In my opinion the whole thing  just isn’t worth the weight of one of these things in the bag. 

Personally, as far as light meters go, I have vast experience gained over a long number of years in estimating the light without one, and even greater experience in finding plausible excuses (many of them used more than once) re’ why I got it wrong, so I don’t usually bother with one of these contraptions.

*Other parts of the body may be used for gripping the device as a no-cost option.

6. Auto setting

Auto-exposure is good for 98% of the photographs I take.  Unfortunately, the ones I want to keep usually fall into the other 2%, where it makes a complete mess of the whole thing.

I had high hopes that this inability to predict what’s going to be good / not good would be somewhat diminished by the advent of digital photography and the availability of the preview / review screen.  Although I can now see what went wrong much quicker than I used to, I haven’t yet seen a corresponding increase in the quality of my output – a fact which I lay squarely at the feet of the digital camera manufacturers in a large box already near-full to capacity and clearly labelled “Broken Promises”.

The ultimate auto setting identifies scenes / people worth photographing and categorises them as suitable for magazine / journal / National Geographic / newspaper / stock photography / prize-wining competition / domestic use only etc etc. This would be really useful and I’m pretty sure would sell like hot cakes (although the “Hot Cakes Shop” in our local High Street went out of business recently, so perhaps that’s not the best analogy).  Of course, this degree of advancement of auto-exposure has yet to be achieved. Until such time, take my advice and leave auto-exposure well alone.

7. Bracketing

By far the best solution and available to all photographers at zero cost since the digital revolution.  Set your auto-bracketing camera to take 6 or 7 shots with 1 stop intervals either side of whatever it thinks is “normal”.  Your journey may be delayed slightly as your picture-taking will take 7 times longer – but it’s your hobby anyway, so no loss there.  Additionally, you’ll be able to tell all your friends – photographic or not – that you visited (place the name of country / city / event etc visited here) and took 700 shots where they would have taken 100 (or any other number multiplied by the 7 shots you’re now taking).  This automatically promotes you to their superior in the photographic world and, potentially, opens up the professional scene and a new source of income.

The downside, if it can be called that, is that you have to view all the shots and discard the under / over exposed ones.  However, I’m sure there’s a setting in Photoshop that can do that automatically while you get a coffee or something.

Pros :

• Photographer thinking eliminated
• May even be able to produce one of those HDR (Horrendously Digitised Rubbish) images from a merge of seven below-par images.

Cons :

• Digital photography promises in general.

  

8. Lucky Dials

You’ll need a piece of stout card about 6” x 3” (150mm x 75mm), a pair of compasses for drawing circles, a pen, two strips of card about 3” long x ½” wide (75mm x 12mm) and a pair of scissors.

Draw two circles about 2½” (62mm) diameter on the card. Using the pen, mark a series of your preferred shutter speeds around the circumference of one circle (they don’t need to be in any order and you can repeat a speed if it’s a particular favourite).  Mark a series of your ideal apertures around the circumference of the other circle – again if there’s one or two you really like, repeat them a couple of times.

Using the scissors (NB : you may want to get a non-photographic person to help you) cut the card strips into arrow shapes.  Make a small hole about half-way along the arrow.

Now attach each arrow to the circles so that it can spin freely (one of those old-fashioned paper clip thingies is good, but, come on, you can improvise for this bit, you can’t expect me to do everything for you).

Load the camera with film, hold the card with the circles horizontal and spin each arrow. When the arrows stop, note the speed and aperture they indicate and set these on the camera (no need to bother with ISO for this method – that stuff’s over-rated anyway).

You can use these settings for the whole day or you can re-spin the arrows at any time during a photo session – entirely up to you.

Pros :

• If you’re the lucky type, this is the method for you.
• Eliminates worries regarding ISO settings
• Works equally well for flash, ambient, incident and reflective light without changing position
• No battery dependency issues.

Cons :

• If you’re not the lucky type, this method may be prone to error.

• Small amount of exertion in spinning the dials.
• Waiting for the arrows to stop spinning means it may not be suitable for action photography.
• If your handwriting is messy, there may be a bit of difficulty in reading the results on the dials.
• In wet weather ink can run and the card can get a bit soggy. NOTE : There is a commercially-available carbon fibre set available (with titanium arrows) with inset-silver ring engraved with speeds and apertures which is lightweight and waterproof. Call me if you’re interested.

Results I’ve had from this method vary, but then again, what part of “Lucky Dials” didn’t you understand?

These are just a few of the methods I’ve used which I trust you’ll find helpful. As your experience grows, no doubt you’ll develop equally good techniques for getting that ideal exposure.

I wish you good shooting…

Eddie