As I am due to return to Ballarat and Melbourne at the end of this week, I’ve come down to Victor Harbor for break to allow the poodles to get into hunting mode and to look at the street style and architectural photos that I took when I was there couple of weeks ago.
I don’t have that many images on the computer’s hard disc, as I only took a few, and most of the ones that I did take were quickly eliminated. That is digital photography: edit, edit, edit.
Lydiard St Nth Ballarat
After spending the weekend in Ballarat for the International Foto Biennale I will stay in Melbourne for several days to take photos in the central business district. I plan to concentrate on skyline photos, as most of the photos that I took through the train windows didn’t really work.
How do you order the chaotic flow of the city? How do you arrange the different elements in the picture plane so that relate to one another in some coherent fashion?
I avoid “street photography”–that is, representing the everyday flow of the city — because I cannot satisfactorily resolve the above problems. I started working by sitting in a tram and taking shots but I found that very limited.
Sturt St, 5.30pm
The next step was to stand in front of a building and wait for someone to walk past. That didn’t work that well for me as I wanted to cram more urban stuff into the picture plane. The city is full of flowing stuff–eg., ever changing and moving events and situations.
I started out using the Leica with a 35mm lens (a Summicron F2-ASPH) as I walked through the dense shopping precinct that is Rundle Mall. It was just as I would have done in my pre-digital days. But I actually ended up using the Sony a lot more. I did so without thinking about it. It was instinctive in a photographic sense.
exclusivity
The film Leica with its expensive lens was basically put away in favour of the pro-sumer digital Sony because the latter was more flexible, I could get more shots with the variable Zeiss lens, and I felt a lot more more comfortable experimenting with digital than film. Film costs money. Towards the end–on the way back through Rundle Mall after having the blood test—I only used the Lecia if I thought that I had a worthwhile image.
So this confirms what I said in my earlier post about using 35mm cameras. The shift to digital at this format is a worthwhile investment. That means the film camera is used in order to get that film look. Or the Leica ‘look’.
My days of late have been taken up with scanning some of the old 35mm + medium format negatives, plus some of the medium format film that I took earlier this year. Scanning sure is a time consuming business. In terms of workflow it is probably better to shoot a couple of rolls of film, have it processed, then scan it; rather than allow the rolls of film to build up to 30 or so.
I’m not persuaded that the combination of 35m film plus a flat bed scanner, such as the Epson V700, is better than its digital equivalent. People do use a dedicated film scanner–eg., a Nikon 5000— for 35mm film to improve the quality of the scan. However, if 35mm is the format of choice, then it would probably be better to invest in a top end, full frame, DSLR and some really good glass.
Angas St , Adelaide
Maybe 35mm film would be the equivalent of a high end DSLR if I used a really top line desktop scanner (such as the Imacon Flextight 949 Film Scanner or the Flextight X1); that is, the ones the pro labs use. However, these are a big dollar investment for just 35mm, and it is hardly worth the investment for that format. Those photographers who don’t have high volume requirements will not be able to justify the cost of these pro scanners. They are designed for Photo Labs, Printing Bureaus and professionals that need to scan hundreds of negatives each week or day.
If 35mm is the format of choice, then clearly, it is more worthwhile to shift to, and work with, the new technology. It would be easy to work within, and around its limitations with good image editing software.
Whilst driving back to Adelaide from Victor Harbor yesterday I decided to stop off at the Star of Greece in Port Willunga, walk along the Aldinga beach with the poodles and take some photos of the cliffs east of the remains of the old jetty.
This time I was looking at the base of the limestone cliffs to represent the erosion–the eroding cliff base caused by the wave action from the high tides and storm surges. This erosion will continue due to the rising sea levels caused by climate change.
I spent a great part of yesterday afternoon scanning some old negatives from the archive from photos taken from a trip to the Eyre Peninsula via Port Augusta. This one of the Payford Power Station was taken on the Linhof Technika 70
Playford Power Station, Port Augusta
I cannot recall much of the time at Port Augusta other than remembering that my photographic focus was the power station. I do recall driving around looking for the best spot to take photos but it didn’t occur to me to go on the tour to get some photos inside the plant.
This study for a 5×4 shoot was done before I left for Ballarat last weekend.It is of the estuary and the mouth of the Hindmarsh River at Victor Harbor. It was taken around 4.30 pm. A few minutes later and the sun’s rays disappeared.
Hindmarsh River, Victor Harbor
I went back the next day around the same time and took a similar shot with the Linhof 5×4. Of course, the man who was fishing the day before was no longer there. It’s not a memorable image, but it is part of my exploration of the coastline in my local neighbourhood and the Fleurieu Peninsula.
As I suspected most of the photography done whilst I was in Melbourne and Ballarat over the weekend were snaps taken whilst travelling to and from Ballarat. Unfortunately I had no time for a photographic walk in either city.
Though I’ve always been seduced by Melbourne’s skyline, I’ve rarely had the time to explore it in any systematic fashion. It is difficult to do from the street level with a handheld digital camera.
I’m travelling between Safety Beach on the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne to Ballarat on Sunday (24th) and Monday (25th) to participate in workshops on photographic book publishing and portfolio reviews.So my photography is limited to what I can take whilst I am on the road.
Southern Cross Railway Station
This was taken Sunday morning at Southern Cross Station whilst I was waiting to catch the train to Ballarat for the workshop by Blurb on DIY photo books. I am thinking of doing one and wanted a bit of help.
I haven’t taken a photo all this week. The camera has sat on the table. I haven’t even looked at it. I have been busy preparing prints for two exhibition and prints for some portfolio reviews for the Ballarat International Photo Biennale. That means sitting in front of a computer screen for long stretches of time.
Gilbert St, Adelaide
Lucky for me it has been raining heavily most of the week. So I have selected a picture of shopwindow in my neighbourhood snapped on an earlier poodlewalk just before I went down to Victor Harbor. The weather was similar—rain with sunshine.
