GEAR
Over the years I've had more gear than I care to mention, but currently the line up is:
Fuji film S5 Pro
I have two of these excellent 12 magpie cameras along with Nikon 18-35mm f2.8, 24-85mm and 70-200mm f2.8 lenses. I shoot in RAW, develop in Capture One and spend no more than 20 minutes in Photo shop. All of my commercial work is undertaken with the S5, I chose it for the superb colour, skin tones and that superb and unrivalled dynamic range. Fierce highlights in wedding dresses - not even a problem.
Nikon 1Dx
An excellent pro body still capable of delivering the goods. A semi-retired back-up body.
Ricoh GX100
When I am hauling my fat unfit bum over Welsh mountains the last thing I want is to carry all my DSLR gear with me. The GX100 actually delivers stunning 10MP pictures that are totally suitable for professional A3 printing.
Rolleiflex Automat
Twin Lens Reflex 6x6. A real camera, no plastic, circa 1938. Now with a poorly sick shutter. Poor thing. The film cranking gears are still wonderfully smooth.
Yashica Mat 124G
A twin lens reflex 6x6 medium format camera with 80mm lens. This camera is unashamedly based on the above. A pleasure to use, its small, light and you can hand hold down to 30th of a sec. It sounds like a coffee grinder when you cock the shutter, but, the results are stunning.
Canonet GIII QL17
I can't afford a Leica so I have to make do with this great camera. It has a good solid metal body a fast focusing rangefinder and a superb quality 40mm lens. I very much enjoy using this camera. At least one can pretend to be Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Pentax LX
Probably the best 35mm camera Pentax have produced.
Olympus XA
Fantastic little camera with a very sharp fixed 35mm f2.8 lens. High resolution results equal to an SLR. Fits in your pocket too.
Busch Pressman D 5x4
A finely crafted American camera. I've been meaning to get this into action for some time. Made somewhere in the 1950s.
Rodinal
Patented in 1891, Rodinal yields great tone, good grain, is sharp and compensates contrast. Will push or pull a film two stops with ease - even on the same roll. I usually use Rodinal dilute 1:100 with 30 seconds agitation and leave to stand for two hours. The dilute solution quicky exhausts in the hightlights where there is a greater intensity of halides to reduce naturally holding back the highlights from over development. While in the shadows, where there is the least reaction, the solution gradually builds up detail.
Tanol
I have been using TANOL quite exclusively recently. An excellent tanning and staining film developer from Wolfgang Moersch in Germany. Good everything (grain, sharpness, compensation). I agitate for 30 secs, leave for 1hr inverting twice at the 30min mark.
Prescysol
An excellent developer. I don't use this as often as I should. It makes great easy to print prints. Exactly as it says on the tin.
Film
I love using Fuji Neopan 400, Kodak Tri-X, Ilford FP4 and sometimes Ilford Delta. Of these I think FP4+ is my favourite.
Paper
When it comes to making a paper print, which unfortunately is becoming an increasing rare occasion, then I like to use Ilford Warm Tone RC and Fibre. The paper developer I have used for years is AGFA Neutol WA and Moersch chemistry when the Neutol is unavailable.
Other consumables
...and finally we come to Fix, Stop and the enlarger. In order it is Adofix, H20 and a Durst condenser enlarger with a Minolta Rokkor f2.8 enlarging lens. And not forgetting photoshop CS2, Pixelmator, Lightroom, Capture One, Wacom, Vuescan and my trusty Mac with OS 10.5.5
