Shooting colour? then shoot Ektar..

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If you’re a lover of colour stock to shoot with, then look no further than Kodaks Ektar. Its an epic film and handles colour so, so well. The more vivid colours you can find, the better. It mops it up. On a recent 48 hour trip to Faro my film choice for me was simple. Marry that up with one of Nikons most solid rigs, ie the F2, then what a partnership. Portugal is full of those solid mediterranean colours alongside great light and those beautiful blue skies.

The skies whilst I was there were just as you’d expect, bright and blue. Again, Ektar just loves this. Ive yet to find a colour stock that delivers for me in so many ways. I have in the past been a lover of Portra but that stock has a very netural and clinical look to it. I still love shooting it though.

Throughout Faro there are pockets of really decent street art along side some not so nice amateur juvenile tagging which spoils the towns good looks. It wasn’t long though before I came some sweet examples of quality street art. I was surprised though by their location, in the old town.

Film photography is all about what suits you best. There no such thing as the best film, just the best film that suits your needs. Enclosed below are a few more shots I took during that 48 hour trip.

As always, no PS, LR, presets or filters were used in any of my work. Something I stand by and will never change.

I thank you. RD

its auction time.....

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I was really grateful recently to be given access to document an area that the general public don’t often see. Im referring to Truro’s main livestock market. One of only two now remaining in Cornwall. I was under the impression that such markets might be a private space for bidders and buyers but with the help from Andrew, Lodge & Thomas’s main auctioneer, that was far from the truth. Ive wanted to shoot and document the behind the scenes look at one of these markets for some time now this what I saw and documented in black and white of course and on film. Timeless look you might say.

Truro livestock market is held on a Wednesday just outside of Truro. The sales are a mixture of cattle, sheep, pigs of all types brought in from the local areas and being sold throughout the UK. Prior to the sale getting underway, farmers, buyers etc get the opportunity to preview the livestock. Bidding gets under way at 10am and the bidding ring begins to fill up just prior. Andrew stands in what I guess is called the bidding box overlooking the buyers/sellers and the cattle sale gets underway.

If you’ve ever had the chance to listen to an auctioneers voice once bidding gets underway, then you’ll know they make no sense to you whatsoever. The buyers, they understand it all as does Andrews admin assistant that sits next to him writing down all of the winning bids. Andrews decades of knowledge and experience see’s all that goes on. The nod of the head, the roll of the eyes, the slight raise of the finger, all of these signals he picks up which adds to the vocal bidding process.

In an others area of the market which is vast, some of Andrews colleagues are fronting the sale of other livestock auctions to include sheep and calves. These follow the same format but my apologies here Andrew, I understood them to some degree in terms of the price and how the bidding was progressing. I was very difficult to understand your auction banter. You knew what was going so no issues there.

It was really interesting to watch and to document and shoot the whole process of the auction from the delivery of the livestock, their care, the movement of all of the cattle/livestock on the day and their well being. It was helped along the way by the professionalism of all of the staff involved alongside side Andrew. A big thank you to all concerned… RD

olympus trip 500 review

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Ive lost count the number of times Ive wittered on about the fact that you should never underestimate the power of a cheap little point and shoot rig. Inexpensive but a whole heap of fun to just point and shoot without having to fanny about with all those settings. Afterall, thats what they are all about. On this occasion, I went for a Olympus trip 500 which I picked up at a car boot for £2. Loaded with a roll of Kodak Proimage 100, I just pointed and shot.

Be under no illusion here, this is not a camera with a fine glass lens. Plastic is what you get but if Im honest, Im really happy as to how these images came out. The colour is helped along the way with the help of a roll of Proimage 100. First time Ive used it and yes Id use it again.
Cornish light helps I reckon and I did wait for some finer weather to test this little plastic fella.

No, you dont get pin sharp images unless you’re a PS, LR freak and enjoy sharping up your images. Me! never have and never will. The camera will always be about just pointing and shooting, nothing more. However, I love how these shots came out. They all have a misty, slight blur to them and full of grain. One major fault with the Olympus trip 500 is the very annoying flash. You cant turn it off. Very annoying

One major fault I will point out on the Olympus trip 500 for me was the annoying flash. You cant turn it off. So annoying. To summarise, its a great little rig, fun to use and super easy to shoot with. Plastic, yes, cheap, yes but very functional. Additional shots below…..RD

and so the harvest came

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I always look forward to our summer harvests when the Combines work the fields and lift their crops. The crop this season in the fields that surround us was spring barley. I know, its summer time but the barley is planted in the spring, hence the connection. I always have the best view and on this occasion I shot what I saw on medium format with a roll of expired Velvia. It was a windy and dusty day with low cloud.
I so wished for our Cornish blue skies that day but it was not meant to be.

The Combine worked the fields in a similar pattern with the tractors and trailers not too far away ready to catch the ears of Barley. The driver radio’s the tractor drivers and they pull alongside the Combine and the grain is off loaded. The farmer told me that this was one of the driest harvests that he could remember

Within a few hours, all of the 21 acres of barley that surround us had been harvested, leaving behind fields full of straw for them to return at a later date and bale for the winter months. They make the whole process look so easy.

I shot this on a roll of well expired Velvia, one of my fav E6 stocks. Always at box speed as I dont believe in that one stop per 10 years rule. Colours and grain, excuse the pan, were good although there was an element of redish/pinkish tones to the skies. That the beauty of expired. Love it….

Out in the Bay, fishing away....

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There are a number of things that Cornwall is renowned for, the surf, the cream tea, the pasty, our glorious beaches and Sardines, yes, Sardines. Historically, the Cornish Sardines industry was once regarded as the global leaders during 18th and 19th centuries. Cornish sardines today are still considered among the best in the world.

Today, the Cornish Sardine industry still thrives and comes out of the port of Newlyn but clearly not in the same volumes that use to be landed. There are a handful of commercial fisherman such as Danny, the skipper of the Golden Harvest, which continue to fish for sardines as his family has done over the generations.

I got the opportunity again recently to join Danny and the crew fishing out the Mounts Bay area one evening. I guess you’d expect that you can fish any time but there’s a reason behind why you’d fish that time. “Its the light” Im told. The evening light is that time of the day when the sardines tend to sit closer to the surface making it easier to catch. When I say easier to catch, Danny still has to hunt for them via his radar/fish finder for help.

If not not aware, commercial fishing is widely recognised as one of the most dangerous professions due to the high risk of injury. Having said that, Its very obvious to see that Danny’s and his crew are very experienced and professional throughout the whole trip. Each and every time they fish, they have to be. The slighest mistake and god only knows what might happen.

So how does this work then? Bear with me here Danny, I think I remember what you told me. If not then I should of paid more attention.
How does one set out to catch these little beauties then? Well, its called ring netting. Danny searches for the fish, once he spots a shoal of size, he shouts to the crew and they sling the net. Then its all about Andy’s skill as a skipper to position his boat and en circle the area as such forming a ring like structure, hence the term, “ring netting. I think I got that right. The crew then start to haul in the net alongside the boats winching gear.

Once the full net is alongside the boat, it’s time to get the tons, yes tons of Sardines on board. That done with a huge vacunm type set up which is dropped into the net and the suction begins and then fills the tanks below. Now when I say tons, that varies on the size of the catch. Danny will casts his nets several times an evening with the aim to catch as many fish as he can. The evening ins’t over then. They”ll return to port and then the off loading of the catch begins. Long hours indeed. The skipper and crew are paid on the basis of what they land. The guys do this six days a week for approximately eight months of the year. Cornish sardines still remain the best in the world. Thanks again Danny and the guys for your time and allowing me once again to come aboard. RD

you'll always find colour in St Ives

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15 minutes down the road from where live is the town of St Ives. Probably the single most visited town in Cornwall by our lovely tourist, whilst also drawing, excuse the pun, would be Artists here as we have some of the best natural light in the UK. Thats something we photographers love too……

Ive lost count the number of times Ive shot content here for both work and play, but I have a rule in place that I always stick to providing in the weather is on my side. Shoot before 10am and after 3pm. Nothing in between. Why you ask?, well those are the times when I find the best light to shoot with none of the whiting over haze you often see in between those hours. Im not saying that this happens all of the time but I do know how the weather works down here and if there’s any haze, Im off.

The selection of the images I shot below are all with coastal colours in mind. You’re never short of finding colour here but if I may, a tip for you all, arrive early as you can as the place gets packed and those colours might get obscured by our lovely visitors

Choice of film stock that morning. Well, bearing in mind my first statement, “you'll alway find colour in St Ives” it had to be a roll of medium format Kodak Gold. Id run out of Ektar that morning and thats always my go to colour stock but Gold certainly came up with the goods that day - Shot on my Hassy 500. The perfect match…..




OptiColour 200 review

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I cant remember the last time I read or even listened to a new film review without someone bleating on and saying, “ its like……, and the colours are like…… The grains similar to……. Blah, Blah, Blah. Surely the whole idea of a new stock coming to the market is that it sits alone.
Its not anything else other than what it is. I judge a new stock on its own merits as to what it is, rather than what its like.

So, whats Opti colour 200 all about then? Well, its available in two formats, 120 and 35mm and I will be shooting both. Now, Im not going to witter on about stuff such as colour tones, saturation and shadows etc etc. That’s for the nerds and those who understand all that tech stuff.
Im just going to shoot it and see how it comes out and I certainly wont be making comparisons. It is what it is….

The first roll I chose to shoot was the 120 shot on my Pentax 6x7. I shot the enclosed images with a selection of mixed colours in mind. A cross section if you like to see how it stacks up on that front.

For me, there are some mixed results here. Firstly, the grain. I like it. Now for the colours. Please bear in mind that when I did shoot these the light was great, cloud free and blue skies that day. As for the one interior shot, lovely natural daylight lite up the sushi shot.

Colour. On three of the four outside shots the colour looks fine. A little flat I might say but on the automotive shot, there’s some really noticeable reddish tones creeping in there, as does the header image of the box/film shot above.

My conclusions in brief then. I like it, and I’ll certainly be looking forward to shooting it on 35mm with a certain subject or content in mind, rather than just shoot it for the sake of it. It certainly wont be replacing any of my key stocks such as Ektar, Velvia, Provia and Portra to name a few, but Im sure I’ll find another use for the 35mm roll.

As with all of my film shots, straight out of the box with no use of PS, LR, filters or presets. Dont have them, dont need them. RD


Other opinions are available and their findings might differ. Good for them

I don't have a favourite, but.....

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I think its a really difficult question to answer if I have a favourite when referring to a single one of my camera’s. Its like saying, who’s your favourite child. All my camera’s have their own qualities both positive and negative but if Im shooting stills & portrait, I guess it would have to be my Hassy.

The Hasselblad 500CM is a big lump and for me, it’s not the rig I would use every day. Thats down to my 35’s and my 6x7. My Hassy does require some stability when shooting with it but believe me, once you’ve got your hands round it, its a killer rig to work with. It’s certainly not a camera Id use for motion related media, so thats why is so well suited for me when is comes to stills & portrait. Others might disagree but it’s all about which camera and set up works best, and on the MF front, this is the one for me

I came close to the idea of selling it recently when I was thinking about the last time I used. A stupid thought indeed which was further endorsed by wifey - “don’t you dare sell that”. She’s was so right. If Im honest, Id never find another one as good as this one if I’d sold it, I’d really regret it. Stupid boy! It’ll never be for sale….Im dying with it by my side.


So, what makes my Hassy so good for stills and portrait work then? Well, I love how solid it is and easy to handle. It feels like quality which it is and then there’s that rather engaging element I love so much, looking down into the viewfinder where everything comes into view. And then there’s the lens. One of the very best pin sharp 80mm Zeiss lenses out there. Im still amazes me just how sharp it is. All my work is “out of the box” meaning that its shot how I shoot it. None of that after processing with PS & LR, filters, presets and sharpening modes. I don’t have any need for that, never have, never will. I keep my photography real. Others out there enjoy those elements of photography and good for them but it simple isn’t for me. Afternoon bleat over…

Enclosed below is a gallery of just a few of my portrait, stills and other related content that Ive shot with the Hassy on a variety of film stocks




"Hit the north" Belfast street art festival

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Whilst recently walking in and around Belfasts Cathedral Quarter area, I stumbled across the “hit the north” Festival. The biggest street art festival in Belfast. Over 60 artists from across the UK, Ireland and internationally were invited to display their skills on a series an hoardings and walls throughout this area

The location and central to the festival was the famous Sunflower pub. The only pub left in Belfast with the steel cages from the “Troubles” still in place. A cracking pub by the way.

The quality of art was amazing as was the colour and it was great to enguage with the artists and ask about their work, before opening and closing my shutter I might add. Alongside the Irish blue skies that day, this was indeed a cracking find for me and my camera. Consequently I thought it was only right for me to consume some alcohol based beverages that day, responsible of course, whilst viewing this collection of incredible street art

There was one piece of art that I must say did stand out for me that day and it was the one that had a very current and sombering connection to it. That was the art titled “Know their names”. The artist which designed this name escapes me but he wrote down 1,000 children’s names who have been killed by the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Everyone who view had the same opinion as me. Shocking….

Because I didn’t expect to find the festival and I was in Belfast for another reason, I came ill equipped with film. One roll would you believe! So, I searched for 35mm film locally, grabbed some more and returned to shoot some more content. I’d love to post all of the shots I took that day but I think the gallery below sums up the content and experience for me. Hope you think so too! RD

PS: I reckon I know where the “hit the north” title came from. Manchesters finest, The Fall


Foto app review - Finally some great news

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Over the past few years, we’ve seen quite a few of new photo related apps spring up such as the likes of Grainery/Newgrain which is great to see but after a short while they generally seem to either run out of money to support their R&D plans or just sit there and never gather pace. Consequently, us real photographers out there have really struggled to share our work the way we’d like to socially.

Forget about Instagram, its an utter waste of space unless you enjoy the elements of endless pushed advertising content, reels and other valueless content. Its go longer a place for photographers.

So, whats the choice then? Well, I think Ive finally found one in the shape of Foto app. This platform is ace. Ive only been on it a few weeks now but its has all the qualities of a real game changer on the photography front.

Image below: design layout

Easy to use? Yes. It current runs on Android and iOS, great for smart phone and Ipad users. Desktop users will have to wait a little while for that experience but the guys at Foto app are looking at that this summer. I cant wait!

Uploading is easy, the design is great and the sharing of content is immediate. What I love about this app in relation to the others out there is that you cant see others followers or who they are following, you can only see your own. Who give a toss about that numbers anyway.


So what are your options then?

Well, you can go down the “free” option front. That will of course limit your uploads but its still a good choice. Or you can become what they call a Foto Ambassador · $5/month · $50/year · $500 For Life. If Im honest here, its not a lot on the $50 a year choice, my choice. Im not sure about the $500 tag though. I think i’d like to know a little more on the future of the app and their final goal before I opted for that kind of payment.

To conclude then

Great start, great design and great interaction with other real photographers. Foto app already has a premium look and feel to it which leads me to believe that this might very well be what we all been looking for. Chronological, ad-free, and uncropped. RD

Update: They just keep coming! bug fixs, new features. This is such a great app

The faces of Mumbai

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There’s one thing certain about shooting portrait content in Mumbai, you’ll never be short of it. Wherever you look, wherever you turn, there’s another face you’ll notice and yet another one you’ll spot out of the corner of your eye, or perhaps they might even be one staring at you. After all, as a white European, we’re somewhat of a novelty.

Remember this though, don’t assume that everyone likes the idea of have a camera raised and pointed at them. You need to connect with your subject first. I was fortunate enough to have some language skills to help me along the way as well as a local fixer gifted in the art of explaining in detail to the subjects who I was and what I’m was doing in Mumbai.
A freelance documentary film photographer working alongside UK & European media outlets. On this occasion, searching for print based media content to share with us all.

Please note: All of these shots were taken with the subjects consent

only shot once before by..........

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I got the opportunity some time back to shoot a quality example of a Ferrari Dino 246 GT. A local car to us here in Cornwall and a car that has a one owner history attacthed to it. A very rare example indeed

So, we agreed a location in advance which took sometime as did the request to shoot it. It was of course local location and on the day of the shoot, the weather couldn’t of been any better. Classic Cornish early evening lovely blue skies off setting the beautiful Ferrari rosso red colour which turned out to be a superb match. The choice of film on this occasion had to be Ektar. A stock that always brings the best out in colour. Matched with my Konica Hexar and my Pentax 6x7, they all worked so well together

As the shoot progressed, the owner said he had something to show me and produced this framed photo from his car. Who was it in the image I asked, only David Bailey. If you don’t know who he is and your a film photographer, shame on you. Anyhow, this framed photo, see below, is of David shooting the owners car back in the 80’s for a German motor related magazine. Ironically, the location was Cornwall. St Austell in fact. How nuts is that.

Yes I did get to go out in it, owner at the helm of course but what and experience that was as well as the opportunity to shoot it along with David Bailey. The only two times it ever been shot in its lifetime. Additional gallery shots below. RD