MorseBlog

Last night the forecast was for the possibility of fog and with that in mind I got my film holders out of the freezer and pulled my large format kit together. I did not have expectations for much fog however but there would be some frost as well.  Last time I was at Holme Fen I arrived before sunrise. This turned out to be a mistake. As I went about shooting those frosty scenes I became worried that there was not enough frost on its own to make a good image. When the sun did come up the forest got a lot more interesting. The warm morning light combined with the vapor the sun's rays were driving off the forest floor added misty sunbeams. By this time I was out of film and decided to go home however. I did linger and watch in wonder the beauty around me. Something one can regret while photographing is not taking time to be in the surroundings and absorb and appreciate the mood. I often stop and have some coffee and a snack just for this purpose (Moll...

(Note: This has the black and white photos I processed today while I wait for the color film to be processed. The color should be here in about 10 days. Placeholders for color photos marked <<>>)  With the forecast for frost at -7C, Mollie and I got up early and got the car defrosted, extra warm clothes for me. Hot coffee and energy bars for me, Steaklets for Mollie. I had brought the film out of the freezer the night before. A real mix of Hp5+, 1 sheet of Ektachrome EPN, some Astia, 2 sheets of Portra 160, and some Ektar.  We loaded up the car and got going. One would hope for some hoar frost but the weather was blowing in from the west so a long way from moisture here in East Anglia. We slipped down the dark salt-wetted roads against the prevailing commuter traffic. High beams flicking up and down in acknowledgement. As we got closer to Holme Fen the sky lightened in the east and was mostly cloud free but for a gossamer of thin patches.  I had an idea of whe...

I took Mollie to Holme Fen again this last week. She enjoys these woods especially much and I go there now for her preference as much as mine. She sprints down the trails and takes in the heady scents of this moist woodland. It seems to bring her more energy.  We were following some fainter trails grown over in some areas with now-brown bracken. She is a short rather sausagy terrier mix so her short legs present a challenge in thick undergrowth. She adapts however and tunnels under where she can but has also innovated a spy-hop where she jumps over the bracken. She leaps over a section with her body nearly vertical and this raises her head and she surveys where to jump next. In this way she can follow the trails deer have left with a series of these spy-hops. As her confidence has grown she enjoys jumping on the springy matted bracken as she romps about the forest.  We carried on down one of these trails for a while not really finding anything photographic. I had my Intrepid 4...

Just returned from holidays on Lake Pend Oreille Idaho. My dad and his wife live on the lake in the summer. It is very scenic and relaxing but I have found it a challenging subject to get good dramatic photos of. There are two reasons. The lake is surrounded by hills and mountains and as such golden hour is not very golden. The light is eclipsed by the mountains before it has a chance to sink through the atmosphere and eliminate the lake, shore or mountains. The second reason is sociological as the best time is very close to the dinner hour. Of course the primary purpose of the visit is to spend time with family. Normally we visit in August which is drier but also has had the attendant problem of forest fire smoke some years. We opted for June this to avoid it. This meant we has a little rain but also made for better clouds for photographing. I brought my Fuji G617 6x17 camera and a variety of film (Velvia 100, Portra 400, Portra 160, and Ilford B and W). I managed to get out t...

I just returned from holidays and brought back a supply of Kodak film. My recent use of Colorperfect SW and successful use of it has renewed my interest in color negative film. This should last me awhile!

I am always on a quest to improve my photography. Recently I have been watching YouTube videos from the likes of Justin Lowery or Nick Carver . Young guys who cut their teeth on digital and found film; landscape photography in particular. Working in medium and large format and they put their experience and knowledge on video. The area I wanted to explore more is getting good exposures in difficult situations. Typically this involves some adaptation of Ansel Adams’ Zone System.  This article is a summary of what I have learned in researching the topic and my limited application so far. One should not hold this as authoritative by any means but it might be a helpful resource to introduce the subject. I have attempted to synthesize some sensible summary from the various sources I have researched. At the end I list some additional resources.   Zone System Having read in the past about the Zone System as promoted by Ansel Adams it seemed inaccessible to those working...