photography – Page 2 – Late Developer

Northern Exposure: Chiang Rai 1

April 3, 2020Ian McCLeave a comment

I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not to start going over travel photos from the previous year or two in the middle of a lockdown but I’m more determined to get back to Asia in summer 2021 as the planned 2020 trip to China may have been overtaken by events….

So Thailand. My favourite place in Thailand is probably Chiang Rai. It’s smaller and a bit more relaxed than Chiang Mai, has a few extraordinary temples – maybe not for the purist, but certainly ones for the tourist with a camera, a delightful premier league football ground and the most entertaining and exotic Saturday night market.

Here’s a few random shots for a intial feel of Chiang Rai.

mopeds — More Mopeds – including two shy ones

You’ll find no shortage of cafes and restaurants in Chiang Rai. A particular mention to this one – the Bhucheedeun coffee shop ร้านกาแฟภูชี้เดือน, a few minutes walk from Wat Phra Kaew. We called on a Monday – it seemed to be open only for take-out but they let us stay for super iced coffees and they popped out to another cafe to bing us cake. You don’t get that in High Street Costa..

And a random bloke in a vest happily fishing.

All shot on the Canon 6D.

Spotmatic for the People

March 9, 2020Ian McCLeave a comment

Actually the SP500, a budget Spotmatic from the early 1970’s whose shutter speed only went as fast as 1/500th. But actually it did 1/1000th but it wasn’t shown on the dial – you just move it round.

I got this for a tenner on the eBay with a Tessar 50mm/2.8 lens, all working except for the meter. So Sunny 16 for using what is an aesthetically pleasing, delightful to handle and well build classic.

The SP500 is a no-frills M42 SLR but it’s useful to compare with the Eastern European counterparts. The Pentax looks and feels smoother and lighter, it handles really well and there’s no recoil from the shutter like the Praktica MTL3.

One of the factors contributing to it’s overall sleekness is the absence of a hotshoe, but there’s sockets for normal flash sync (X, 1/60th) and FP (focal plane) for higher speed fill in flash, not that I’ll be using this much with flash.

On top there’s the basics including the unmarked 1/1000th shutter speed setting. I’m sure Pentax had a good reason for that… Shutter release (threaded for a cable) and a pointless film identifier ring around the rewind crank finishes off the lo-fi feature list of the SP500.

Using it though, with Sunny 16, is a delight. It’s got a bright viewfinder (complete with non-functioning exposure needle), Olympus-OM-levels of ergonomic niceness and is a suitably admirable film camera for the inevitable Instagram post. I took it on a photowalk with a roll of expired Kentmere 100 which was developed in Ilford ID11.

Donaghadee lighthouse, Co Down — The Lighthouse, Donaghadee

Harbour nets, Co Down — A pair of fishnets

The SP500 – a basic budget M42 Pentax – has no unique selling point other than it’s a delight to handle, looks great and you can pick them up for a song on the eBay. It’s a sleeker alternative to the DDR and Soviet M42 SLR’s and there’s a ton of lenses out there.

The Gig Economy: Conscious & The Goodness

April 10, 2019Ian McCLeave a comment

Most of my gig photography has been in local venues, usually small sweaty bars in the greater Belfast area. In stark contrast to this I stumbled upon a free gig in the more picturesque and exotic location of the Singapore Esplanade Theatre on the Bay. Performing in the Jazz in July concerts were Philippine jazz and funk band Conscious & The Goodness. The band were happy for me to walk around shooting during the sunny afternoon soundcheck and then I was back for the post-sunset evening gig. Quite the difference from death metal night at the Goat’s Toe pub in Bangor.

Afternoon soundcheck

and once darkness fell…

All shot on digital – the occasion, lighting and Singapore colour too risky to lose the moment for B&W film – Canon 6D with 50mm and 70-300mm lenses

Birkenau – Photographing the Holocaust Pt.2

March 28, 2019March 26, 2019Ian McCLeave a comment

Birkenau is a horrific place, a scene of unspeakable brutality and a constant reminder of where nationalism, racism and bigotry can lead to.

From a photographic perspective, it’s best to document what’s there for one’s own memory or reflection – certainly not a place for selfies. The visual imagery of course is instantly recognisable so I kept it simple especially in a harsh winter’s afternoon light.

Over the years there has been media reports and online discussions over the conduct of student groups visiting Auschwitz/Birkenau with Israel flags and chanting, sometimes with reported unruly behaviour. I was visiting with a group of Irish students including those studying video/ photography and we had a lot of discussion before the visit on how to approach using cameras as well as discussion afterwards on the content we shot. The photos below are of a group of Israeli students who were behaving in the manner described above. I took a picture but didn’t video it. Is the behaviour appropriate? Coming from Northern Ireland where we’re also in a permanent state of dealing with sensitivities of recent past and 300 years of turbulent history, we wouldn’t condone such behaviour from our own students.

Auschwitz – photographing the Holocaust pt. 1

March 27, 2019March 26, 2019Ian McCLeave a comment

Auschwitz is somewhere everyone should really visit – to witness the scene and symbol of the descent from civilised society to the depths of human depravity in less than a decade. This wasn’t my first trip to a concentration camp – I’d been to Buchenwald and Begren-Belsen in Germany – so the shock to the system was a bit subdued compared to others in my group experiencing this for the first time.

Like most visitors, I brought my camera but how should you go about photographing what is a memorial, a museum, a crime-scene albeit one on most tourist itineraries to this part of Poland. The debate on taking selfies at Auschwitz has of course broken the internet over recent years, but photographing what’s there to try and capture its impact or simply to document what’s there now is as valid as writing about it. A bit of sensitivity goes without saying.

The two sites are visually very different. Auschwitz 1 is the better-preserved site and has more of a memorial/museum feel to it while Birkenau is unrelentingly bleak and appalling. To compare I’ve shown Auschwitz 1 in colour and Birkenau in monochrome.

When you enter the camp, the first striking visual is the sign. It’s a replica to replace stolen the original but doesn’t lessen its impact. We all know the context.

As you walk round the site, the barbed wire and lookout posts are all around.

Even the shape of the posts and the street lamps lend to the sinister feel of the place

Several of the blocks retain their designation with some explanatory signs. Block 10 was notorious for medical experimentation.

Inside the blocks there are some restrictions on photography. The office looks innocuous until you see the Hitler portrait. I’ve often found the bureaucracy and industry behind the Holocaust to be especially chilling.

Many blocks have exhibits of possessions taken from those killed at Auschwitz. One of the better known exhibits is of the shoes

I’m not sure if photography was permitted in this area but the crematorium below – interior and exterior – is a reminder of the industrial brutality.

And that’s Auschwitz 1. Next, was the quick bus ride to Birkenau.

Photos shot on the Olympus E-450 DSLR

Hol18: and that was it

March 23, 2019March 21, 2019Ian McCLeave a comment

Last few shots of Munich. It was my favourite spot on the European tour – the beer, the weather, the very German signage, the beer, the architecture, the metro (clean and punctual) and the fact that every green space contains a beer garden. I’ll go back.

a wee kiosk — Shopping for the Touristen

peters tower — Peter’s church ticket booth

mezzomix — Mezzo Mix – the genius of adding coke and fanta

alone in the alter hof — a quiet part of Munich

And finally – lederhosen, sex and falafel all under one roof. So German

Ricoh KR5 and Agfa APX

Hol18: Munichers..

March 22, 2019March 21, 2019Ian McC1 Comment

Munich was worth the wait after a three week tour around Europe. It’s one of the more photogenic cities I’ve visited with plenty going on. Here’s a few more shots

two old blokes — two oul blokes and a fountain

munich scene1 — one oul bloke and a fountain

Ricoh KR5 and Agfa APX100 from DM

Hol 18: Marienplatz

March 19, 2019March 17, 2019Ian McC1 Comment

As a central square and meeting /arrival place, Marienplatz is hard to beat. There’s the large Rathaus, S-Bahn station, shops, all the beer you can eat and all the tourist tat you can buy.

marienplatz old new — the new Rathaus on the left

reel around the fountain contrasty — Fountains

Smoking at kiosk with Pretzel — Tat and the Giant Pretzel

In the Rathaus courtyard there is a pricey restaurant (I didn’t) and plenty to photograph.

rathaus inner 6 contrasty — Inner Rathaus

rathaus exhibition — Rathaus Photo exhibition space

Shot on Ricoh Kr5 and Agfa APX100

Hol18: Munich – Daytime Drinking

March 18, 2019March 17, 2019Ian McCLeave a comment

Munich is all about the beer – there are countless places to drink – indoor and outdoor, particularly outdoor and even on a Sunday, when shops are all closed the drink continues to flow.
Viktualienmarkt round the corner from Marienplatz is a great palce to start.

munich beergarden 2 — Viktu-alien-markt. Very ‘day-earth-stood-still’..

munich beergarden 4 — Drunk and orderly queue

munich beergarden 6 — Beer Garden and… pole

munich beergarden 3 — bring the baby for a pint

Away from the main beer garden,you can always find somewhere for a beer when you see that exquisite signage or well turned out staff.

or if you don’t fancy a beer, there’s aways the traditional Bavarian Coffee Haus..

All shot on the Ricoh KR5 and Agfa APX100 – €4 a roll from Drogerie Markt

Hol18: Munich and Beer #1

March 12, 2019March 10, 2019Ian McCLeave a comment

Munich or München (but why is it FC Bayern Munich in English and not FC Bavaria Munich ? – we need to know) has long been on the bucket list despite around 25 trips to Germany over the years. Finally I got there as the final stop on my 2018 European tour with a few days to kill before heading back to Dublin. And of course as the least hipster tourist in the world, my first stop was the Hofbräuhaus. The world famous beer hall and tourist trap. And it was magnificent despite the crowds and tourist prices.