Land and Sea
5x4 camera with 150mm lens. Ilford FP4
film.
Bodiam castle study 2, East Sussex.
An early morning capture around 7-30am on a November day the water was beautiful and calm. I used Adox 25 sheet film, which has a beautiful tonal range.
5x4 camera with 90mm lens.
Clearing mist, Avebury, Wiltshire.
I have taken many images of Avebury over the years but never captured the atmosphere that I was after. Avebury is a 200 mile round trip from my home so being there at the best time was almost impossible until I saw the weather forecast on Xmas eve 1997. Mist was predicted for Xmas day so my chance had arrived. I drove to Avebury on Xmas day and arrived around 10.00am and was shocked to see the mist clearing quickly with blue sky appearing. Rushing over to my favourite spot and setting up my 5x4 camera I managed to exposed three sheets of film before the mist cleared. Being Xmas morning no tourists or visitors were around. I arrived back home and had the sheets developed in time for Xmas lunch.
5x4 camera with 150mm lens. Ilford HP5 film.
Cliffs sea and sky, Dorset.
Taken near Lulworth cove Dorset, a steep descent down the cliff face was needed to gain access to this vantage point. A peaceful October morning with little sea movement.
Mamiya RB67 camera with 127mm lens. Agfa 25 film.
Frozen waterfall, study 1.
I have photographed this waterfall many times in my early days of photography but had never seen it frozen like this before. I did not have a long enough lens with me when I first saw it frozen so I returned the next day with a long lens, hoping it had not melted.
Minolta 9000 camera with 75-300 lens. Agfa 25 film.
Reeds ice.
A simple minimalist image taken in a local park near my home.
Mamiya RB67 camera with 180mm lens. Kodak tri-x film.
Seven Sisters, study 1. East Sussex.
Seven Sisters is the name given to the white cliffs near Beachy Head, East Sussex.
I had arrived in the area very early on an August morning with the Sun rising behind the cliffs. I had to wait at least 5 hours for the Sun to glance across the cliff face and for the tide to be lower so that I could gain access to the rocky shore. The cloud formation was a lucky bonus.
Mamiya C330s camera with 55mm lens. Ilford Pan F film.
Seven trees, fog.
This image was taken in Richmond park early on a freezing cold December morning .
Mamiya RB67 camera with 90mm lens. Fuji acros film.
Straw bale, East Sussex .
The bales were located above the Seven cliffs in East Sussex, with the sea out of view left of the image. It was a lovely August morning although very windy. I rotated the foreground bale around slightly for a better composition.
Mamiya C330s camera with 80mm lens. Ilford Pan F film.
I had planned a visit to Battle Abbey on this November morning but as usual was hours early for the opening time so I continued to Hastings to take some images first. I arrived about 7.00am and immediately saw the three rocks from the car park so quickly set the camera up and clambered down the beach to compose the image. It was quite dark with a fairly choppy sea with 60 seconds exposure being required.
Mamiya RB67 with 90mm lens. Fuji acros film.
Born in London, UK, living near Clapham Common, Michael's fascination with photography began when he purchased his first SLR camera in 1985. Photographing initially in colour he soon became dissatisfied with the results and took a correspondence course in photography. Inspired by the work of Ansel Adams he built his own black and white darkroom where he would spend many hours practising the art. The medium gave Michael full control of the creative process although early attempts were dull and most photographs were uninteresting. His style has evolved over the years and recent work includes his local environment either early morning or under the cover of darkness.
Michael's slow methodical approach to photography combines perfectly with his use of medium format and 5x4 cameras, which have become his main tools for creative work in recent years.
By: Michael Gray (UK)
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