Leica | alan frost photography

Posts from the ‘Leica’ category

Light and shade in Chichester

The Cathedral City of Chichester in West Sussex is a very special place. It also happens to be my home town; so I count myself very fortunate that I can easily photograph the streets and buildings at various times of the day without too much inconvenience.

The light at the end of the day is in my view when the city looks at its best and this entry includes a few images taken recently in and around the Cathedral. As a black and white photographer I am always looking for light and shade, contrast, texture and tone. Chichester provides me with a wealth of opportunities.

Last light in West Pallant

Shadows in the Cloisters

Chichester Cross

Candlelit Cloisters

Light and shade in East Pallant

Sometimes it’s all to easy to forget what’s on your doorstep and plan excursions far and wide to take that extra special shot. Whenever I photograph the City of Chichester I am reminded that long trips are not necessary and that the familiar can be just as rewarding.

Morning glory

There are many occasions when my wife and I will take our dog for a walk in the beautiful countryside which surrounds us, when shortly into the walk she will say –

“Did you bring your camera with you?’

To which I will reply

“No, I haven’t.”

Almost inevitably a few minutes later a scene worthy of capture will present itself and I curse myself for not having bothered to pick up my camera and thrown it over my shoulder.

Many a missed opportunity, but this morning was the exception and I must learn the lesson to always have a camera with me. It’s an old cliche but a very true one.

Within five minutes of leaving our car we came across this scene. The sun was rising, the morning mist lifting and the dew on the ground added another attractive element to this autumnal scene. The birds flew around the lone tree in the field and the distant farm buildings to the right completed the composition. I took the shot and we continued our walk. I am guessing but I would think that five or ten minutes later the early morning mist would have been burnt away and this glorious view would have been lost.

For me this is a very special time of year and I am looking forward to the weeks and months ahead. Needless to say I will try and remember to have a camera with me at all times.

Goodwood Revival – the cars and the people

Jaguar C Type

For many years I have been to the Goodwood Revival – a wonderful annual event, staged over three days in the middle of September. It’s pure theatre, from the cars, to the racing and of course the people, the vast majority of which enter into the spirit of the occasion and dress in clothes appropriate for the post war era.

Trying to select what to photograph and what not to, is far from easy, as there is something of interest round every corner or should I say bend.

All the photographs were taken with the Leica M Monochrom and 50mm f1.4, Summilux lens. Restricting myself to one camera and one lens, is not inhibiting. If anything it allows me to concentrate far more on the subject and not be distracted by the question ‘which lens shall I use?’ In the short time I have been using the Monochrom, I have been forced to slow down, really consider what I am doing and what camera settings are required to give me the ‘look’ I am wanting. As a consequence I took far fewer photographs than I would have done in the past. The photographic experience is very different to any other camera I have ever used and I think it will be sometime before I feel at ease using a rangefinder.

I so enjoy working on the files from the Monochrom in post processing. The screen on the back of the camera does not do justice to the image, to the contrary it’s so poor it’s hardly worth looking at. Fine for a quick check for composition and exposure, using either the histogram or highlights and shadows warning, but not much else. Back at home the sheer pleasure of downloading the files in all their glory is well worth waiting for.

Enough about the equipment, here is a selection of photographs from the Goodwood Revival.

Firstly the machines which is what draws the crowds in the first place.

Starting Grid

In Admiration – of a Blower Bentley

An icon of British Cinema – James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5

Jaguar XK 140

Wing mirror

Helmet, gloves and scarf

VIP’s Only

And now for the people.

The Gent

Glam Cab Taxi Girls

Stolen Milk Bottle

1960’s Girls

It’s only two weeks since the Revival and already I am looking forward to next year’s event. I hope you can see why.

St Albans Cathedral – a quick visit

South Aisle of Nave, St Albans Cathedral

Vaulted ceiling of the South Aisle of Nave

A couple of weeks ago I needed to make a round day trip to Chelmsford in Essex, a journey which is almost impossible to do from my home without joining the M25 at some point or an other. On the way up from the south coast I headed east knowing that I would have to wait in a long queue of traffic to go through the Dartford tunnel. True to form the cars moved at a snails pace, but the queue coming back the other way looked even worse, so my return journey would take me along the northern section round the M25 in a westerly direction and through Hertfordshire. A longer route home but hopefully I would keep moving.

Journey sorted, I took a detour to the rather attractive town of St Albans, specifically to look round the Cathedral and take some photographs. Most cathedrals offer a wealth of photographic opportunities. Architectural features are plentiful and the light can be very special. St Albans is no exception. It has a very long history and is thought to be the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain. According to the official website the cathedral stands in a place where Alban, the first martyr, was buried after giving his life for his faith over 1700 years ago – more than 200 years before St Augustine arrived in Canterbury.

I have never visited St Albans before, so I was looking forward to visiting another of this country’s wonderful Cathedrals. Limited for time before driving home, I was able to take a number of images which I hope show the splendour of this great building.

Lady Chapel

High Altar Screen

Chantry

Presbytery Door

Looking towards The Lady Chapel

One of the three West Doors of St Albans Cathedral

I very much enjoyed my brief visit to St Albans Cathedral. Sadly there wasn’t time to explore the town itself but if I find myself in the area again then St Albans will definitely be on the list of places to explore and to photograph of course!

All the photographs in this entry were taken with my recently acquired Leica M Monochrom and 50mm Summilux and 28mm Elmarit lenses.

Leica M Monochrom – first outing in Kingley Vale

Into the woods

Ever since my photographic style turned away from colour and into black and white, I have been curious to know more about a camera which only takes monochrome images – that camera is the Leica M Monochrom and was announced in May 2012. Ever since its release I have read numerous reviews and downloaded some DNG files just to see what all the fuss was about.

As my appreciation for black and white photography has grown, together with my knowledge of this particular art form, my understanding of the Monochrom and what it might offer has also expanded. So earlier this year I went up to the Leica Akademie in Mayfair for a ‘test drive’ of both the M240 and the M Mononchrom. You can read about my experience and first thoughts here.

After many weeks of agonising; should I or shouldn’t I?…..my mind was made up when I came across a second hand Monochrom in virtually mint condition being sold by Red Dot Cameras, a specialist Leica dealer situated in Old Street, London. It only had 1,100 actuations and the saving in cost over a new one was quite considerable. I travelled up to the City and returned later in the day with the camera and two lenses – a Leica 50mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH – M (6 bit) and a 28mm Elmarit F2.8 ASPH (6 bit). I also bought a spare battery and a second hand ‘Thumbs Up’ grip which already had a lovely patina.

Having read so much about the M Monochrom I am already aware that this rangefinder camera and its manual focus lenses will take time to master, but with patience and much practice, coupled with my desire to improve my photography, the learning experience should prove worthwhile. Only time will tell.

I took a few test shots in and around the house but last weekend I finally had the opportunity to go out with the camera to see how I would get on. The late afternoon light was excellent so I drove to Kingley Vale Nature Reserve which forms part of the South Downs National Park.

I decided to restrict myself to the use of just one lens – the 50mm Summilux. I did though take a 3 stop ND filter, which would allow me to shoot wide open in the bright light. I also set the exposure compensation to -2/3rds, in the hope that this would prevent any blown highlights, particularly given the lighting conditions.

Here are a selection of the images taken that afternoon. They have all been processed in Lightroom 5 and some have been further worked in Silver Efex Pro2. They may not be the best shots I have ever taken but for a first try I am delighted with the results. Already I am convinced my decision to buy the Leica M Monochrom was the right one. I just ask myself why I took so long to make up my mind?

Light on the crop

Fence post

Evening sun

Summer grasses

Trunk and ivy

Woodland path

This is definitely not a review but I will just say that the files it produces are astounding in their detail and tonality. They are very malleable in post processing and I guess are everything I expected them to be from all the reviews I had read, only more so.

The Leica M Monochrom is a very niche and specialist camera – and my photographic journey in black and white continues!