35mm London…
Living in the very rural Cotswolds, any trip to London (or any big city for that matter) is an assault on the senses - I used to hate it, and feel claustrophobic within the tall buildings and crowds of people. Now however I love aimlessly wandering the streets of the capital with a point & shoot in hand, with an endless variety of compositions. Give me rolling countryside any day of the week, but as an adventure the city now tingles my creative senses.
Chinon 3001 - Ilford HP5
The sheer scale of the place is mind boggling, and you don’t have to look far to see an interesting scene. On a normal stroll from home I can walk for miles to find an interesting tree, or grand landscape, but here it’s easy to shoot half a roll on one street! That’s the beauty of a little compact with no settings to faf about with - just point and shoot. The only consideration is what film stock to use and what look you are aiming for. I normally carry two cameras - one colour and one black & white.
Olympus µ[mju:] II - Harman Phoenix 200
The view up here is amazing - seeing the city sprawl out as far as the eye can see - and it is a free view too, not like The Shard just over the river. This is The Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate, but there is also Horizon 22 just up the road. A great thing about shooting a compact in a busy place is you are almost invisible with everyone in their own world trying to get somewhere and navigate through the crowds. A big SLR is not only cumbersome but attracts attention, and makes you look like an actual photographer.
Canon EOS 500 - Ilford HP5 (@ISO800)
The Lloyd’s Building in The City is a great location, but my MJU couldn’t get it all in, so shot it with a Sigma 10-20mm on the EOS500. Never forget to look up. I really do like the look of HP5 pushed one stop to 800. I don’t limit myself to one style or medium, whether it be street scenes, architecture or abstract views - basically whatever grabs my attention.
Olympus µ[mju:] II - Harman Phoenix 200
My first try with Harman Phoenix produced some cool looking images, the vision for this shot was for the lift to be half way up the building, but it just stayed on the ground floor, so I had to find a new composition. Whilst trying to get a better angle from the raised area outside St. Pancras Station, I noticed circular holes in the wall - I really like this one! You really have to think on your feet, no amount of planning can predict the real world. Using tools like Flickr, Instagram, Google Earth and the like gives a basis of a plan, but it’s what you find in between that really gets through the rolls of film!
Chinon MC340 - AGFA XRG200
It is always a relief when an untried camera and expired film works out - the colours from this Agfa XRG200 are really good, and the lens on the MC340 is pretty good too. I was not expecting too much from the camera, but it is a nice little compact that looks to be the same (or very similar) to the Konica Big Mini which has a mild cult status. To be honest, it is an excellent carry-around due to it’s small size, it’s quiet, and the fixed focal length makes shooting simple.
Rollei Rolleimat F - Kodak Portra 160
The Rollei is a bit too big for your jeans pocket, but the shutter sound totally overcomes everything - it is a proper non-electronic sound that quietly reassures the user the shot has been taken. I love finding old cars on the street, but in a modern city they are not common place. You could go to the posh end of town and watch the rich kids in their supercars, but give me a beautiful oldie any day.
Minolta Dynax 5 - Fujicolor C200
Some will see views like this as their daily commute and not fully appreciate the design and architecture of the Underground, but I do enjoy travelling around on Metros seeing the different styles from dark dirty 19th Century deep level stations to vast modern underground complexes. There are obvious challenges with low lighting, and tripods being unusable unless it is an unsociable hour of the day. It would be handy to have a separate camera loaded with some 800 speed film with you, but this isn’t always practical.