THEME: This site is my personal work and centres on the Wye Valley, the Forest-of-Dean and Wales in general. It's a highly personal project, and instead of concentrating on commercial 'chocolate box' landscapes that are so expertly done by many others. I decided to try and forge something a little different.
PHILOSOPHY: The Negative is the absolute essence of purity of image, the absolute truth. It is so physical. The same can be said of the RAW file - almost.
I have a strong preference in keeping image manipulation to an absolute minimum, preferably none at all. Digital and Film sit side-by-side, I enjoy shooting both. An image generally spends no more than 20 minutes in Photoshop and is finished with a little toning, usually a split tone Selenium.
If it isn't in the scene.
In the print it isn't seen.
PRINTS: Available upon request. The images are available as archive quality limited edition prints. Only the best materials are used and every print carries a limited life-time guarantee. Please email me for further details.
ON THE GO: Another trip to Snowdon in early September. A few pix posted from the last trip.
PLEASE feel free to comment, good, bad or whatever. Many thanks to those who have taken the time to do so. Better still, come and visit wild Wales. You'll be assured of a warm Welsh welcome. Go to the blog HERE.
FUJI S5 PRO: I have two of these excellent 12 megapixel 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 Photoshop. Some of that time is often spent removing dust spots.
Rolleiflex Automat: Twin Lens Reflex 6x6. A real camera, no plastic, circa 1938. Now with a poorly sick shutter. Poor thing.
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.
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.
FILM: I like using Fuji Neopan 400, Kodak Tri-X, Ilford FP4 and sometimes Ilford Delta.
SITE: Now completely hand coded and re-written in pure css, very clean code for a faster experience. This will expidite site maintenance and updating. Please do not forget to empty your browser cache on a regular basis.
I've selected a small list of photographers whose work I respect and admire. The list is in fact quite long, but, here is the most inspirational.
THE LATE:
Barry Thornton - Guru and sadly missed. His two books "Elements..." and "Edge of Darkness" are invaluable tomes.
Fay Godwin - Stunning Landscapes and my favourite photographer.
Ansel Adams - Stunning work, rarely bettered. His books 'The Camera', 'The Negative' and 'The Print' are worth collecting and reading.
THE NOT SO LATE - THANKFULLY:
Sharon Montrose - Her books Cationary and Dogtionary are superb, beautiful photos full of character and charm.
Alistair Baird - Beautiful landscapes brilliantly executed, great mood, especially the ones on Cambodia. But all wonderful.
Chris Johnson - Author of "The Practical Zone System". The only book you'll ever need on the Zone System.
B&W Photography - the only magazine that matters. Superb quality throughout. This magazine inspired me to return to monochrome.
SUPPLIERS of MATERIALS
I mainly buy from Retro Photographic and Mailshots. Best value for money from both as well as good customer service. Please fee free to email.
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