Landscape | alan frost photography

Posts tagged ‘Landscape’

Leica M Monochrom – the good news, bad news sandwich!

Clouds over Prinsted

Shortly after I acquired my Leica M Monochrom, I became aware of an issue relating to the CCD sensor; not only to this camera but also the M9 and the ME. The problem was one of corrosion on the sensor which could manifest itself at any time. Leica was quick to respond to this news when it broke a few years ago and guaranteed that for the lifetime of the camera a faulty sensor would be replaced. In fact they went further and said that even if a sensor was replaced the guarantee would apply to the new sensor as well.

This is old news really, but aware of the issue I have always been on the lookout for the problem. The good news being that I had comfort in knowing that if ever I discovered any sign of corrosion, the camera could and would be repaired at no cost. But I would of course have to suffer the inconvenience of being without the camera for several weeks as the work can only be undertaken by Leica in Germany.

When processing the above image of ‘Clouds over Prinsted’ I was cleaning the picture for sensor spots and noticed a number of marks which were not typical of dust on the sensor. In fact they were more like ‘flying saucers’ – a dark spot with a light and dark halo. (See the screen grab below of the offending article – just above the tree line).

The mark on the sensor which is almost certainly the sign of the corrosion issue.

Fearing the worst I did some research which only confirmed that the dreaded ‘corrosion on the sensor’ issue had finally reared its ugly head. Yes, I could clone out the marks, but assuming the corrosion might spread the camera would have to be repaired. Bad News!

I rang the Leica Store in Mayfair in London and they said that whilst the camera could be collected by courier, if I took the camera in personally, they would provide me with a loan M Monochrom for the duration of the repair at no cost. They informed me the turn round time would be approximately six weeks. Having access to a replacement camera was Great News! I would have it for my planned trip to Pembrokeshire in Wales which comes up shortly and by the time I travel to Scotland the repair should have been carried out and my Monochrom would be back in my hands.

Leica M Monochrom with 50mm Summilux and 28mm Elmarit lenses

So yesterday I caught the train up to London, swapped cameras at The Leica Store in Mayfair and took the opportunity to visit Tate Modern, specifically to see The Radical Eye exhibition. A superb collection of photographs owned by Sir Elton John. I will write about this exhibition in a future post. All I would say is that if you can get to London do go – it continues until 21st May 2017.

Exhibition – my parameters

Although The Image Circle exhibition does not take place until November, preparing a portfolio of images ready for curation at a later date has to begin now. In fact it started some weeks ago when I decided my theme would concentrate on the landscape and environment of Chichester Harbour. Now, whenever I am out walking in the area, my camera is with me. I am very fortunate, as this is an almost daily occurrence, otherwise our dog complains!

Whilst I have never exhibited my work before, I felt it was important to establish some parameters at an early stage, in order to focus my intentions and concentrate the mind. Over the last week or two these guidelines have become well established and are as follows –

All photographs will be taken in the clearly defined area of Chichester Harbour.
All the images will be taken using just one camera with one prime lens – the Leica M Monochrom and 50mm f1.4 Summilux lens.
I envisage the vast majority will be hand held, as this is my preferred way of working, although I will not rule out using a tripod in certain situations.
I doubt that I will be using filters, although shooting wide open in bright conditions, it is obligatory to use a 3 stop neutral density filter to manage the light reaching the sensor and exposing correctly.
All the images made will be cropped to square format and be in black white. (I have no choice, it’s a black and white only camera!). I have already established a workflow for processing as I need to present a coherent set of printed images.
I have yet to make a final decision but they will almost certainly be toned in Lightroom.
The photographs will be printed on Canson Platine Fibre Rag. A 310 GSM archival paper. Without question it’s my favourite paper for this type of work.
The size of print, mounting and framing considerations are still in the melting pot but I will write about this in a later post, once my thoughts have come together.

So what are my intentions? Chichester Harbour is a beautiful and intriguing place, with a great deal of variety for image making. By walking the many footpaths that cover the area, a more intimate knowledge of the landscape becomes possible. I see the same locations at different times of the day; the weather and the light is constantly changing and in the months ahead Winter will turn to Spring, followed by Summer and Autumn, all of which will give me plenty of opportunity to capture the area as I see it. It will be my personal view of Chichester Harbour; an intimate portrait of a place I know well but will get to know even better as I explore locations which are less familiar.

The images which form part of this post were all taken very recently in and around one specific location – a small pond on the western side of Fishbourne Creek. One or more may or may not be included in the exhibition, but these and the many others I have made in recent weeks will start to make up a body of work from which a final selection can be made. Curation is a topic in its own right and I will doubtless be writing about this in the future.

To see the work of my fellow exhibitors, do visit and follow our website –

www.theimagecircle.com

Frost covered grasses

I often walk past this particular area and have never given it a second look, well certainly not with the intention of taking a photograph. However a change in weather when coupled with the right light, and a dull scene can be transformed.

This frame was taken last week, when a harsh frost covered the landscape and the low angle of the early morning sun made the grasses sparkle.

Do click on the image to view a larger and more detailed version.

Frosty morning looking towards Bosham

Although I am often awake early, I have to profess that getting up and heading out with the specific intention of taking photographs is not one of my strong points. Probably because up until recently I would either have to get ready and go to work or walk the dog, neither of which are conducive to taking pictures. Now my circumstances have changed; I took early retirement in April, there are more opportunities to venture out, particularly at this time of year when it doesn’t get light until nearly 8 o’clock.

Earlier this week the weather forecast predicted cold nights and a harsh frost. That was enough to persuade me to put on some warm clothes and enjoy a crisp cold morning with my camera.

This is just one of a number of images from that outing. A view towards Bosham Church from the foopath at Chidham. The sun had just risen and it wouldn’t be long before the heat of the sun would melt the frost. After about an hour in glorious surroundings it was time to return home, but it did convince me that I need to get up and get out with my camera more often!

At the end of the day

At the end of the day

There is something rather magical about the light at the end of the day. It is of course often referred to as the ‘Golden Hour’. It can be a lovely mix of warm tones in the sky, contrasting with the cool tones in the landscape.

Instinctively you almost know this photograph was taken at a time of year when Autumn merges into Winter. Most of the leaves have fallen to the ground. It has been a cold, clear day; with little or no wind and you begin to wonder what tomorrow has in store.