What does four of my very British pounds get me? Well, I'll tell you. It got me a Weston Master V meter and a Soligor UF meter. Absolute bargain! Where? My local car boot sale. Both came with the original lanyards and the Western came with its original Leather case. One happy chap
35mm on a budget
A great budget introduction into the world of 35mm point and shoot photography market has to be the Olympus Trip 35. The Trip is a 35mm compact camera, manufactured by Olympus from 1967 to 1984. The "Trip" name was a reference to its intended market, those who were looking for a compact, functional camera for holidays.
So, what do you get for your money? Well, you get a wide 40mm f2.8 Zuiko lens with 4 elements in three groups. The lens is coated and stop reflections and flare which helps to increase sharpness and contrast. The viewfinder is standard Albada with parallax marks. There's a sweet little feature the trip has in the form of a red pop up indicator to show you there's too little light. There's also this tiny peephole so when you look through the viewfinder it shows your exposure and focus settings on the len. The ASA settings on the camera runs from 25 up to 400.
For 35mm on a budget, the trip is a craker...
For those of you who know of the legendary British photographer David Bailey, then you'll remember the amusing TV Advertising campaign he put his name and face too. Check it out below. "David who"
What sort of money can you expect to pay?
There's a really good selection out there at the moment. Expect to pay between £20 to £30 depending on condition. I grabbed mine for £15...
Does buy cheap mean cheap?
The UK high streets are packed with pound shops these days offering cheap deals. Part of that boom gives us photographers the opportunity to grab films such as the Agfa's 200 Vista Plus for just a £1. So, does buying cheap mean cheap. Well, here's the results of my first roll I shot on my Yashica Electro. Im pretty dam pleased if Im honest. I dropped the speed down from 200 to 100 to slightly overexpose it and its really worked for me. Lovely deep grain and some impressive tones. Very organic just like film should be
Following on with the "coastal" subject matter theme, I rolled off a few more shots whilst I was on an recent automotive shoot, just to give me some comparisons. What Ive found with these is the film gives such a great period retro look to them. Very 1950's
The answer to my question then is easy. Buying cheap doesn't mean cheap results. Far from it.
If your looking for a film with great grain and lovely tones, the Agfa Vista 200 is for you and its super cheap....
Inside the world of Ken Howard OBE
It was a Saturday afternoon, just before lunchtime. Ken had just finished putting paint to canvas. We met in Mousehole harbour and I followed him to his studio chatting on the way. He invited me into studio and his personal space that he shares with his wife Dora.
Kens world is unique. Surrounded by volumes of canvas and paints of Cornwall and all that he loves to paint. The walls were filled to the brim. Oils, brushes covered most of the surfaces inside his studio. I spotted a self portrait of Ken to one side. It was so life like. I only knew of the portrait work he did when he painted the Queen. Id also associated Ken with landscapes if Im honest.
His studio is more than a studio, it's his and Dora's very personal space and his lovely home.
Huge vaulted ceilings,large exposed wooden beams and skylights that throw natural light into the space below
Marrakech:a photographers guide
Ive read a series of interesting and helpful photographic articles over the years on guides & tips about taking photographs in Marrakech. All of which are helpful in there own way and offer some good advice. However, I thought Id put together a definitive photographic guide to help you along the way. You might be a budding travel photographer, a street photographer or perhaps just a tourist with a camera looking for a selection of holiday snaps. Ive put together a few helpful hints and guidelines that I hope you'll find useful whilst capturing Marrakech at its best.
Its obvious when you arrive in Marrakech that it has very different culture & lifestyle that you might normally be use to. Please be aware of that. Islam is the dominant religion in Morocco, the Sunni varinat in particular. First pointer for you is Don't think about rolling off a few shots once you have arrived. You'll automatically draw attention to yourself by either the local police or airport security. They'll ask you to stop!
Once you've exited the airport terminate, its time to release your shutter! But, beware. This could be your first experience of being charged for taking the most basic's of shots. All walks of life are switched on to the fact that if a tourist happens to raises a camera in their direction, that equates to 'money'. This is something your going to experience in Marrakech time after time. Travelling to your Riad or Hotel is an experience in itself and is a great opportunity to grab yourself a shot.
A good point to remember here is that if a local does catch you pointing the camera at him/her, lower the camera straight away and turn away from them. Try and be quick with the shot you'd like to grab. It will save you a lot of hassle
Useful phrases that will help
They have two main languages in Marrakech, Arabic and French. Ive found in the past that if you take a little time to understand their language it shows you've taken a little time and effort to understand them. So here's a few Arabic words/phrases that you'll find useful. Check out Linda's You Tube top 10 common Arabic phrases.
Exploring
So, Your ready to go. Its time to roll off some film or digi. There are several main attractions that everyone heads seems to head for. The square (Jamaa el Fna) and the souks. You'll find snake charmers, monkeys, medicine men, local dentists. Remember this, everything has a price include the shots you'd like to grab. All of the locals are pleased to see you as you generally have a large sign above your head saying 'money'. Lift or point your camera anywhere in this square and you'll be charged. What ever you give them, they'll always ask for more. Be strong and say 'La' No.
Be a little stealth in your approach. Lower your camera down by your side of your leg and grab a shot this way. If your running manual, my preference, pre set your settings prior to rolling off a few shots. You can get some great results with a little patience. Bear in mind that you'll have to be quick. The locals eyes are everywhere. If your seen grabbing that sneaky shot this way, they'll come after you for money. The two shots below were taken using that lowered camera method I mentioned . Personally, I think the square is far more interesting in the evening
No matter where you go in Marrakech, there's always sometime that will catch your eye. I found the more interesting subject's away from the general tourist spots. My broken Arabic helped me out with these shots. I asked them if I could take a shot of them and then offered them a small fee in return for their time. That worked! Don't be surprised if locals wave their hand and so 'LA' - No. Respect that...
So, take care where you point your camera. Carry plenty of coins and expect to be hassled where ever you travel in Marrakech. Its all part of the experience.
a quality affordable 35mm Rangefinder
Ive been on the look out for a compact 35mm camera for sometime now. Ive not necessarily been looking for a rangefinder but something thats is built well, reliable & retro. So after researching a little bit on line, I came across the Yashica Electro 35mm Rangefinder. Its often referred to as the 'poor mans Leica'. Clearly not on the same level as a Leica in terms of the build quality but nevertheless a cracking little affordable unit. Yashica produced over 8 million of these camera's. You can pick one up in the US for silly money but here in the UK, they tend to be somewhat more expensive. I managed to grab this one of Ebay last week for £76. I was prepared to pay a little more if Im honest as this example was one of the best Ive seen advertised for some time. Getting hold of an instruction booklet was a bonus too. Cheers Shaun
So, now Ive sorted the camera out, its film time choice. Im starting off with a few rolls of Kodak Portra 400 & 800. I reckon this will be a pretty good choice given the fact I love vivid and colourful imaging. Portra is a high speed daylight well balanced film offering a natural palette with vivid saturation and low contrast. Lets see how it goes....
Industrial and modular
I called over to see the guys at Kyst last week. They design, create and build modular designed spaces.They've commissioned me to shoot their imaging for the business and their forthcoming new web site. A brief which Im delighted to take on. Commissions such as these are so interesting to shoot. I think you'll get some idea from the imaging below. All very industrial and different.
Cornish patina - The RMS Mulheim
On 22 March 2003, the RHS Mulheim was on a sailing from Cork, Ireland to Germany with a cargo of scrap car plastic. The ship ran aground at in Gamper Bay, between Lands End & Sennen Cove. It was discovered that the chief officer,who had been on watch at the time caught his trousers in the lever of his chair when trying to get up, causing him to fall and rendering him unconscious. By the time he regained consciousness,the ship was already bearing down on the shoreline and the rest is history. She ran aground and broke up on the rocks.
Cheers for the tip off Ben....
Today she's a wreck of her former self. What remains is part of the hull and a collection of colourful twisted steel with amazing patina.
When you start looking around the wreck, there's something quite ghostly about it. Even though there's nothing there, you can sort of connect with the feels of the crew of impending doom as she bore down on the rocks
Mat McIvor. Artist, illustrator,designer and retailer
If you take a walk down Chapel St in Penzance, you'll come across a cracking little independent retailer by the name of Fishboypz. Thats Matts shop!! Hidden away on the second floor of the shop is his studio where he designs, paints and screen prints all of his work. I called in the other day for a chat about his work and to roll off a few shots.
Don't forget to check out Fishboypz Chapel St, Penzance. Without doubt the best indi clothing retailer Penzance has
the retro man
I came across this random bloke yesterday hidden away in the back streets of Marrakesh and sandwiched between a flower and chicken market. Completely random stall selling all that is 70's ish retro kit. Cameras, radios. hifi's and more. I loved what he had for sale, but also he had one of those well worn faces that I love shooting.
Shukraan....
The 88 year old obsessive collector
This is Ken. A 88 year old Cornishman with a passion for Jaguars. He's a humble man and real gentleman with an immense amount of mechanical knowledge when it comes to cars. Ken started his collection at the age of 19 and since then has amassed over 20 different models.
From XK124/140's, Mark V11'S to E types, Sovereigns, to XJS's and even two rare SS Models.
I was fortunate enough to be invited into his world recently. He has this vast showroom where all keeps all of his cars. There on public view but its not often you'll get the opportunity to be shown round by him. Age hasn't effected drive as he continues to restore them as we speak.
Age hasn't effected his drive as he continues to restore this XK120 as we speak.
After the tour of the showroom, Ken invited me into his home to view the other side of this avid collectors world. I couldn't quite believe I was seeing. He showed me to this room, protected by his dog, joking, completely full of of Jaguar memorabilia. Amazing! Models, brochures, manuals, key rings, the list went on and on. I didn't know where to look. I was lost for words
A massive thank you Ken. Respect.....
the other side of Salzberg
From a historical point of view, Salzberg has to be worth a visit. Its Austria's fourth largest city, its a world heritage site, the birth place of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the setting for the "Sound of Music" film. It has some great Baroque architecture but there's another side to Salzberg. The not so attractive side.
I refer to the influx of organised begging gangs fuelled on by the current Europe refugees crisis. At first, they're great from an photographic subject point of view, but then it becomes a little more rehearsed.
Every 100 yds or so you'll find the same looking individuals begging day in day out. Don't get me wrong, I love the challenge of grabbing interesting street photography content, but after a while the interest wore off....
