Curve

Curve, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

We begin today's page of self justification with this, a shot taken of the (recently) disused car-park on Princess Street, just by the University's John Garside Building.

It's a pretty good location for the aspiring minimalist, with some interesting lines and texture, and I've been back a couple of times since.

The film in use here is expired Kodak T-Max 400, from a bulk roll that I wanted to test - the Electro had proved itself with an earlier roll of HP5+, and as I didn't want to carry another SLR that week, it got the 10 shot test roll. The film seems to be ok, and has pretty much the tone pallette I'd expected from T-Max.

Aberystwyth #1, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

This shot is the last from a roll of HP5+, developed in DD-X...

Aberystwyth #2, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

...and this is Adox CHS50, in Rodinal. I prefer the tones of the latter, and it shows the figures and details up very well, although the HP5+ is nicely contrasty, as you'd expect. Both frames were shot with the Nikon FE and Vivitar 28-90 f/2.8-3.5 Series One, hence the vignetting in the corners, particularly extreme at 28mm in the first shot.

Aberaeron, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

One day I will take this view under blazing sun and a clear blue sky, I swear it. As it is, it shows the bridge and some of the colourful houses in the town, even if it does look (and undeservedly) a bit like the setting for a Morrisey song here.

Poppy, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

Obviously, we trendy flickr types frown upon flower close ups[1], but I love the translucency of petals and foliage against the light, and wanted to try and capture some of that in this shot. The flower itself is in the garden of Brynifor Cottage, where we were staying in Ceredigion.

Both the last two pictures are Digital, shot with the D70 and Nikkor 18-70 AF-S G DX and Tamron 28-300 Xr Di LD Macro respectively, a veritable alphabet soup of lenses.

[1]Apparently.