Tag: Nantes

The Opening of the Film Archives – Clisson May 2016

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Introduction

Welcome back to the film archives.  Today I’m going to share some photos of the first reel from my “new” Canon AE1.  Well, not new, but certainly new to me.  The Canon AE1s were produced between 1976 and 1984.  It is one of those iconic cameras and at the time I must have paid about 50€.  When I say iconic, I really mean iconic.  It is a shutter speed priority camera using Canon’s FD lenses. I used it an awful lot that summer.  I liked it so much that I even bought a second one that I ended up giving to a photographer friend. 

Colour

To some people of my generation they represent their first cameras, and were so popular.  Talking of popular, the photographs from this part of the archive are from the very popular and photogenic town, Clisson.  Also you will have noticed that the photos are in colour.  Which only goes to show that not all film photography is black and white photography.

Clisson, as you can see in the photos, is one of those beautiful French villages that oozes Gallic charm.  It also exudes a certain Italian charm, and is known for its Italian style architecture.  

Canon AE1

I have both a Canon AE1 and AEI Program. The AE1 is the big brother of the AE1 Program, and doesn’t have a program mode, but as you can see from the photos it still works a treat.

FeatureCanon AE-1Canon AE-1 ProgramDifferences
Release Year19761981AE-1 Program released 5 years after AE-1
Exposure ModesShutter Priority AEShutter Priority AE, Program AEProgram AE added to AE-1 Program
MeteringCenter-weighted AverageCenter-weighted AverageNo difference
Shutter Speeds2s – 1/1000s2s – 1/1000sNo difference
Viewfinder DisplayLEDsLEDsNo difference
Film Speed SettingManualManualNo difference
Self-timerYesYesNo difference
Depth of Field PreviewYesYesNo difference
Motor Drive CompatibilityYesYesNo difference
Other NotesFirst Canon SLR with microprocessor; revolutionary for its timeSimplified controls for easier use; appealed to wider audienceAE-1 Program aimed at beginners and enthusiasts
As you can see there’s not a huge differece between the two. The major difference being the Program option, and the other allowing for easier changing of the ASA film sensitivity setting.

On the day in question I must have parked just next to the river and concentrated on this picturesque  area.  You can see the castle, the bridge, and the river, all making for a peaceful spring moment.

I think the film was Fuji Superia, and I just wanted to use colour.  Thetones are slightly muted and warm, and the flowers, trees and plants were just screaming out to be photographed.  I remember the excitement of loading the film into this “new” camera, and the novelty of simply using an iconic camera.

Here is what fuji tells us about the film:

FUJICOLOR SUPERIA X-TRA400

An all-round general purpose, high-performance, high speed color negative film delivering truly fine-grain. Superb for snapshots or action, in low light with flash, outdoors or indoors. Ideal for general use with compact zoom lens cameras.

  • Excellent skin tones
    For beautiful, clear people-shots.
  • Fine grain
    Great results even when enlarged.
  • High-speed
    Superb results, whatever the shooting conditions.
  • Sensitivity and Film Sizes
    ISO : 400
    Film Sizes : 135 : 36 exp.

 When using digital, it’s so difficult to get that particular film look, and using film and an older camera just changes your whole outlook.  The fact of not having your image straight away leaves you with that anticipation that we all used to feel when we sent off our films to the lab.

Give film a try.  There are still cheap film cameras out there, and your photography experience will be totally different.  I certainly appreciate it.

Photo Editing On The Go With Snapseed

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INTRODUCTION

Twenty-two years ago, I was fired from the job that took me away from Paris to the French countryside where I now live. In hindsight, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Sometimes we need that shove beyond our control to nudge us in a different direction.

At the time, I was already into this new thing called the internet that was becoming more and more mainstream. I wanted to learn all I could before my children would teach me. So, I learnt. I even trained to be an “infographiste,” which is similar to a webmaster, now known as a web developer.

AN ENGLISHMAN IN VENDÉE

I learned how to use QuarkXpress, Indesign, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I also learned how not to be afraid of opening up a computer and getting in there with a screwdriver. I had this amazing idea of creating a website called “An Englishman in Vendée” to showcase outings with my young son around the area. I took photos with a “webcam” which was about the size of a GoPro but compared to what we have twenty years on, was anything but pro. At the time, I dreamt of having portable internet, portable editing software, and a means of sharing those pictures online.

I would have to wait a while. In 2024, I have a Samsung S20 FE and I now have all I need to do that, on the go! I can even transfer the photos from my high-end digital camera to my phone, edit the images on my phone, and publish them either on my website (no longer Geocities) or on social media.

WELCOME TO SNAPSEED

Now I use “Snapseed” for editing my photos, WordPress for writing my articles, and Chat GPT to give my articles structure and a writing plan. All this in a device that fits into my pocket.

So, what is Snapseed? It’s an app that I recommend to anyone who needs to edit pictures on the go. It is available for Android and Apple devices, so you’re all covered. But why Snapseed? Well, it’s free, simple to use, and has all the tools you need for editing. It’s intuitive and comprehensive. I particularly like the Tune Image section, where I find all the tools I use for basic edits in Lightroom on my PC. The Rotate tool helps me check horizons, and the Black and White tool gives me full control over the conversion process.

Snapseed is a non-destructive editing programme (app) that uses your original file, whether RAW or JPEG, and allows you to edit to your heart’s content. Can it do everything Lightroom can? No. Is it trying to? Still no. It adds some nice “style filters” in the tool section that allow you to have fun. The more serious photo editor will probably stick to the basic tools that still allow them to get the results they need “on the go.” I use it during shoots to give sitters an idea of what their shots will look like. These first “draft” images are perfect for sharing on social media.

KEEP IT SIMPLE WITH SNAPSEED

I’ve talked about KISS in the past, and I’m going to mention it today too. KISS – Keep it Simple Stupid! Snapseed is deceivingly simple when you look at the user interface, but it has a range of tools that help you achieve the look you want.

It starts by offering you three basic options: Styles (similar to presets), Tools (where you can fine-tune everything), and Export (where you go to export your edited photo).

STYLES

Styles are essentially presets in other software, and Snapseed offers a variety of styles:

Original
Portrait
Smooth
Pop
Accentuate
Faded Glow
Morning
Bright
Fine Art
Push
Structure
Silhouette
I have a preference for “Portrait,” but feel free to explore and find your favourite.

In the next article, we’ll talk about the various tools Snapseed offers to help you edit on the go. I will walk you through my basic editing process, showing you which tools I use and how I use them. Remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of your editing can be done with 20% of the available tools. So be patient, and you will be rewarded for your patience. See you in the next one!

The Opening of the Film Archives – Saint Cado, Belz, Morbihan

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Welcome back to the film archives, and welcome back to Brittany, that gorgeous corner of France where my in-laws live. I think I might have let it be known that my French family love camping. Yes, they’re so in tents… I’ll just let that joke sink in for a couple of seconds. In 2016 I had begun “collecting” cameras. The photos from this Breton outing in Saint Cado were taken with the Kodak Retinette 1B, a little gem of a camera from the 1960s, and HP5 Plus film.

We’ll start with Saint Cado. It’s one of those picture-perfect postcard places. It’s not easy to take a bad photo of the place. It’s photogenic. It’s quaint. It has all the clichés of a small Brittany island in the Ria d’Etel, which is an inland sea connected to the Atlantic at the Barre d’Etel… I’m thinking lobster pots, oyster beds, black and white houses with slate roofs, a local Saint, a chapel to this local saint, who was actually from Wales of all places, and a miraculous fountain that fills up with every incoming tide. Yes, it’s one of those places… Did I mention that the bridge that links the island to the mainland is a Devil’s bridge? It is said that the devil demanded the soul of the first creature to cross it. The story relates that Saint-Cado, who was a shrewd fellow, put a cat on it! It is just gorgeous!

Let’s talk about the Kodak Retinette 1B. As I said in the introduction, it is a camera from the 1960s that uses zone focusing, and the 1B as opposed to the 1A has a selenium light meter that works a treat. Zone focusing is where you focus by zones. Mind-blowing, right? If I look at my lens, I will see a distance measurement that I will use as a guesstimate. I will move my aperture dial and let’s say I’m at F8, well everything from one F8 to the other F8 will be in focus. A lot of cameras from this period used this system, and it works. If you want to open right up to F2.8, then there are little rangefinders that you can put on the hot shoe mount and there you will be able to get an exact reading for the distance from your subject. Up to you…

Why use a camera that is over 60 years old?  First of all, why not?  It works.  It’s simple to use.  It doesn’t need a battery.  You load your film and Bob’s your Uncle!  Off you go to shoot your 36 exposures.  It also looks pretty damned sexy hanging around your neck too…  It actually looks so sexy that my son nicked mine, and I had to go and get another one.  At the time of purchase I must have paid no more than £15, and even now it will cost you less than £50.  

So there you have it – a charming little island, a vintage camera, and a roll of trusty HP5 Plus. This trip to Saint Cado was a reminder that sometimes, the best photos come from the simplest tools and the most unexpected places. And who knows, maybe those old film cameras aren’t just gathering dust in the attic – they might just be waiting to capture your next adventure. (But if you happen to see my son with a Kodak Retinette slung around his neck, please tell him to bring it back!)

Smartphone Photography – Welcome to the Dark Side

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Introduction

You might have caught on to the fact that I’m a little bit the photography enthusiast. I even have a “few” different cameras, most of which are manual film cameras, with a few digital ones thrown into the mix. Over 40 years of learning have gone into getting the results you, Dear Reader, might just have seen on this blog.

Democratisation of photography

How many times have I heard people say, “Oh, I just use my phone,” or worse, “Oh, I could just do that with the camera on my phone?” These statements can really get on my wick! Don’t they just toss aside all the work I’ve put into photography with “real cameras?”

But after a lovely cup of tea and a slice of cake, my nerves have settled, and I’ve had time to reflect on the brashness of my emotions, and come back down to earth. Yes, some people do use the camera on their phone, and maybe, just maybe, unlike the microwave in the tea-making process, it might have a role in photography. Ooooooh, haven’t I just gotten controversial!

A little historical context

Just a quick interlude to remind myself of the democratisisation of photography that came with the Box Brownie in the 1920 and the purists were up in arms! Then the shock and horror of those same purists when colour photography came out with those dastardly Kodak Instamatics, and making photography even more egalitarian. Maybe the phone is just the extension of this and I should remove my own head from my arse and just chill!

The best camera?

“The best camera is the one that’s with you.” — Chase Jarvis.

While this statement might be true in absolute terms, it pains me to admit that for most of the hoi polloi, that camera might just be the one on our ever-intrusive phone. Does that mean I’d choose my phone over a film camera? Hell no! But it does remind me that photography is about capturing the decisive moment in time. I’ve often talked about balance in the photographic process, where you might have to sacrifice grain or digital noise (grains rather disgraced cousin from an inbred family, where somebody knew somebody in the family), to get more light to expose a shot. Or where I might have to sacrifice a certain amount of bokeh, in order to use a longer lens to “bring me nearer to my subject… The eternal give and take, if you will.

I think we might just have to have a little reality check here. Will a mobile phone, or even a very smart phone with a degree in smartness from the dashing and debonair university of Smartness upon Thames, ever be as good as a film camera, or a modern DSLR, even my beloved X100F? No. Sorry if I have just pissed on your bonfire. It will not. However, does that mean that it is completely useless? Far from it.

You still have to “think!”

As an avid reader of this wonderful and thoroughly informative blog, it will not have escaped your attention that I have written a couple of articles about the fundamentals of photography.  Going from the very basics of the exposure triangle, through various rules of composition that come to us from the world of traditional art, and that have been transferred to photography.  You will have found out and learnt about various lenses available for various cameras, and I have even touched upon the differences between medium format and 35mm film photography.  I talked about the advice given for digital as well as film photography.  I’ll let you into a secret, “It’s just as valid for smartphone photography!

Yes, I’ve said it.  If you put in as much effort into getting the shot on a smartphone as you do with your “real” camera, then You will get good results.  Can you have control over every aspect of the shot?  No.  But, and it’s a big but, “so you other brothers can’t deny,” there is a lot of technology in that little device that really helps you out.

Mindful always

What I’m trying to get at is that when you mindfully take photographs, even with your phone, it is always better than just snapping away like a small dog that knows it’s small.  Just a tiny bit of effort towards composition will go a long way.  Think about framing, and where the objects are in your image.  Think about where the light is coming from.  Try and get the best image that you can.  So it’s not a Leica?  You still have your kidneys and haven’t had to sell one yet.  It might be a less formal way of taking a photograph, but I would really like you to respect yourself and put in the effort to take your phone photography beyond the bare minimum.

Conclusion

It would appear that smartphone despite my frist misgivings is here to stay. It is a logical progression of the democratisation of this art. I have been asked to contribute to the website Monochromia, and one of my future colleagues reminded me that one of their contributors uses only his Iphone, and has received all kinds of accolades and has been the subject of numerous Expositions. I have seen his work and it is clear that he is a most mindful photographer, and the only thing that separates us are the tools we use to capture the image. I must not be such a photgraphy snob and so dismissive.

What’s next

I might just have to go further into this subject and talk about editing images on your phone and giving you ways of sharing your images if you so wish.  Maybe even some tips to help you get the results you want.  I will talk about the features of the phone camera, how the AI within can help you not just in photography, but also in video production.  Stick around to find out more!

The Opening of the Film Archives – Nantes November 2016

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Following our last trip to Carnac, the film archive now has a look at Nantes in the autumn of 2016. These photos offer a glimpse into how I approached photographing a city back then, and if I’m being totally honest with you, still do. I treat the city much like a model on a photoshoot. The goal is to capture not just the physical landscape, but the essence and atmosphere of a place, allowing viewers to get a feel for the city simply by looking at the images. In this series of pictures, Nantes reveals herself and her architecture, resplendent in the autumnal sunshine.

Over time, I have come to know the city and appreciate her architecture. Buildings are not only a reflection of the architect but also of the people who live in them. They add character to the city, allowing her personality to shine through.  I enjoy looking at the lines, and the shapes of them.  They inspire me.  They tell the story of the people who, either work, or live in them.  They are not just mere edifices.  

You will notice as we go through the archives, I might not respect the timeline slavishly. My aim is to give you an aperçu of my world at the time through film. I know you will be able to take this affront in your stride and not hate me!

We’ll go from the bains douches municipales, through to the Sainte Croix church, to the Stalinian 1950’s architecture of the Social Security building, passing by the odd shop, Hausmanian architecture, and even a shot looking towards the Cathedral.

Instagram’s Double-Edged Legacy: A Photographer’s Perspective

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In October 2010, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger unleashed Instagram upon the world. With its intuitive interface and playful filters, the app revolutionised how we share photos, ushering in a new era of mobile photography. However, over time, Instagram’s trajectory has shifted dramatically, raising questions about its impact on photography, the rise of influencers, and its changing priorities. This article delves into Instagram’s complex legacy, exploring its transformative yet increasingly problematic role in modern photography.

The Rise and Fall of Photography on Instagram

In its early days, Instagram democratised photography, empowering everyday users to become amateur photographers. The app’s filters and nostalgic aesthetic resonated with users, transforming personal snapshots into artistic expressions shared with a global audience. This initial period fostered a vibrant community of photographers who connected, shared their work, and even launched careers. However, Instagram’s algorithm, initially chronological, evolved into a complex beast driven by engagement metrics. This shift, combined with the rise of influencers and the platform’s increasing emphasis on video content, has had a detrimental impact on photography.

The Instagram Algorithm: A Photographer’s Nemesis

The algorithm, shrouded in secrecy, prioritises content that generates the most likes, comments, and shares. This has led to a homogenisation of aesthetics, favouring trends and viral content over unique artistic expression. Photographers feel pressured to conform to popular styles and create content that caters to the algorithm’s whims rather than their own creative vision. Moreover, the algorithm’s preference for short-form videos, like Reels, has further marginalised photography. Photos are often buried in favour of videos, making it increasingly difficult for photographers to gain visibility and reach a wider audience. This shift has raised concerns about the devaluation of photography as an art form and the platform’s changing priorities.

The Influencer Paradox: Celebrity Without Substance

Instagram’s influencer culture, where individuals gain fame and fortune through their follower count rather than their talent or skill, has further exacerbated the problem. Many influencers prioritise self-promotion and brand endorsements over genuine artistic expression, perpetuating a cycle of superficiality and instant gratification. This culture has also created unrealistic expectations and fuelled unhealthy comparisons among users, including photographers. The pressure to maintain a perfect online persona and constantly chase likes and followers can lead to anxiety, depression, and a loss of creative autonomy.

The Future of Instagram: A Photographer’s Dilemma

As Instagram continues to prioritise short-form video content and cater to influencer culture, photographers face a difficult choice. They can either adapt to the platform’s changing landscape by creating more videos and conforming to popular trends, or they can seek out alternative platforms that prioritise photography and genuine artistic expression. The latter option, while challenging, may be more fulfilling for photographers who value their craft and refuse to compromise their artistic integrity. By exploring alternative platforms and building communities outside of Instagram, photographers can regain control of their work and connect with audiences who appreciate their unique vision.

An Alternative?

While Instagram’s focus shifts away from photography, several alternative platforms offer havens for photographers to showcase their work, connect with like-minded individuals, and foster a supportive community. VERO, for example, boasts a chronological feed, an ad-free environment, and features tailored to visual artists. 500px provides a dedicated space for professional and amateur photographers to share high-quality images, participate in contests, and even sell their work. Glass is another emerging platform designed specifically for photographers, offering a clean interface, curated collections, and a focus on long-form visual storytelling. Ello, known for its artist-centric approach, provides a space for creative expression without the pressure of algorithms or ads. These are just a few examples of the many platforms available that prioritise photography and offer a refreshing alternative to Instagram’s increasingly commercialised environment.

Conclusion: Reclaiming Photography

Instagram’s legacy in the realm of photography is undeniably complex. While it initially empowered photographers and fostered a vibrant community, its current trajectory raises serious concerns about the future of photography on the platform. Photographers must recognise that Instagram is no longer primarily a platform for photography. It has become a commercialised space dominated by short-form videos and influencer culture. To protect their artistic integrity and find meaningful engagement, photographers need to explore alternative platforms, diversify their content, and most importantly, create work that speaks to their own unique vision rather than chasing the elusive validation of the Instagram algorithm.