Category: Photography
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Durham Cathedral
Some time ago I proposed it would not be difficult to improve on the quality of the current photos of Durham found on the web. I photographed the Cathedral and… well, what would the Cathedral be without the potent lighting equipment that surrounds it? Here it is. By the way, my iStock collection of Durham…
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Portrait cameras
People talk of good portrait lenses, but usually forget about good portrait cameras. My Bronica SQ-A is a great camera, but not a great portrait camera. Unless used in a studio, on a tripod, with the mirror locked up and with your eyes on the model rather than in the viewfinder, what happens in practice…
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Chislehurst last year in December
If you live in New Eltham… well, first, you should not live there and, anyway, if you do, you would be not reading my post, because you’d be wasting your time commuting. Anyway, if you really happen to live there, you should definitely look around and see that, just a couple of miles away, Chislehurst High…
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“Lavoro, non ho tempo per la fotografia”
“Lavoro, non ho tempo per dedicarmi alla fotografia” è, più o meno, la scusa di chiunque abbia una professione (che non sia quella del fotografo). Questa è la foto del retro di un relè elettromeccanico: praticamente ciò con cui ho a che fare durante le ore d’ufficio. Ovviamente, posso pubblicarla solo oggi, a settimane di…
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Grainy!
Grainy images bring the memory backwards – as if grainy films were only something from the past: they are not, and indeed Ilford Delta 3200 is all but vintage – and past celebrations, Christmas on top of the list, bring memories up too (unless it’s Christmas now, that is). A nice grain scanned in a…
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A volte tutto cio` che basta e` un po’ di mare
…e che importa se e` il freddo e nebbioso mare della Contea di Durham?
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A nice place to read
Che spettacolo! What nicer reading opportunity than in the library of the University of Durham? I love this place: head down, book, journal or magazine; head up, the Cathedral. It reminds me of another wonderful reading situation: 4th floor of the library of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, with a book by Leopardi coming…
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Ghosts and ghosting
In a lens, ghosting refers to the formation of light artefacts due to reflections of the source of light. This book, “The Ghost stories of M.R. James”, published by Edward Arnold, is therefore the perfect companion. Good night. On a technical note, I can hardly think of anything more difficult than photographing in candlelight only…
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Of cameras and microwave ovens
It happened that today my trusty, bread-defroster Sharp microwave oven retired from this world. I knew I needed a new oven, and I knew I love my Nikon FM2n camera. There are not many microwave ovens suitable for users of this very fine camera. Do you see the simplicity? Shutter-speed dial: that’s all you need…
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Photography magazines
It happens too often that neophytes wishing to read and learn about photography end up by browsing through books and magazines that are just about cameras and equipment instead. This is bad. This creates generations of amateurs thinking of buying a new lens rather than approaching a new theme. I did that too. My first…
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Making or taking pictures
Most of us, most of the times, thinking of photography, think of taking pictures rather than making. It’s true for me, too. At times, however, I have an idea in mind and I need to create it in order to shoot it. The following is an example. Besides the usual difficulties of light and exposure,…