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Oxford Union: Monica Lewinsky Q&A

Thursday, November 30th, 2017

Monica Lewinsky visited the Oxford Union to speak about harassment and bullying especially online via social media and I went along to do some documentary photography. It turned out to be a difficult event to photograph because Monica was uncomfortable with cameras of any sort so I did what I could to be respectful and discreet. As a result I ended up with less than a full roll of 35mm shots and nothing from my Rolleiflex but I’m pleased with what I did manage to record. There were no video cameras present.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 40/1.4 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak XTOL stock. Pakon scans.

Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 9

Saturday, November 11th, 2017

Behind the scenes photography during filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 4. This was the final day of filming on this episode and the whole day was spent filming interiors of Cowley CID. It was fascinating to see how a space could be transformed in terms of mood and tone by subtle changes in the lighting and how it interacted with the actors. The main cast were in most of the scenes and I had a wonderful time spending the whole day documenting the cast and crew at work. Filming on series 5 wrapped yesterday (10-Nov-2017) as I put this blog post together so I won’t be seeing Team Endeavour until next year but between now and then there are many more photographic memories still to come.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, Voigtlander 35/1.2 Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock. Pakon scans.

 

Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 8

Saturday, October 28th, 2017

A day of filming inside the police station interior set for series 5 of Endeavour. I was fortunate enough to spend a day with the cast and crew and this is a little peek behind the scenes. On this occasion I took a lens with me that doesn’t usually get a lot of use – 35/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton. This is neither a small nor a light lens but it comes into its own in low light situations, even wide open.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 35/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock, Pakon scans.

Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 6

Tuesday, October 17th, 2017

Behind the scenes photography during filming of Endeavour series 5, episode 4. This was the last day of filming and it was interiors all day at the Police station. Watching how the set was brought to life with simulated sunlight pouring in through the fake windows was fascinating, add in some haze and you’re instantly transported back to the 1960’s. It was a fun day and we even managed to finish slightly ahead of schedule which always makes for a happy crew.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 40/1.4 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Xtol stock. Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 5, episode 4 – part 4

Monday, August 14th, 2017

On my first visit to Endeavour HQ the crew weren’t using the interior CID set on the day I was there so it wasn’t lit. I was fortunate enough to visit a second time when there was a day of filming taking place in the CID set on a different episode so I have pictures from that which I am working my way through. Here are some shots from my first roll of the day. On this occasion I decided to use a lens that hasn’t had much use for quite a while (35/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton), mainly because it’s designed for very low light levels and also because it’s quite big and heavy and not the kind of lens you want to be carrying around all day when there is plenty of light. The other reason is because I have taken quite a shining to the 40/1.4 Voigtlander Nokton which is tiny in comparison.

[Tech info:] Leica M6, 35/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock, Pakon scans.

The Mummy reboot filming in Oxford – part 2

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

Behind the scenes pictures from The Mummy (2017) reboot starring Tom Cruise when filming took place in Oxford. The facade of Hertford College was cleverly dressed to look like The Royal Thames Hospital complete with ambulance vehicles parked outside. I had a great chat with the lighting guys and it was from them that I discovered the movie is being shot on Kodak film stock which is always nice to hear.

[Tech info:] Leica M2, 50/1.5 Voigtlander Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock. Pakon scans.

Oxford: Shadowing Martin Parr

Saturday, July 30th, 2016

Here are some behind the scenes shots of Martin Parr at work on his project that has the working title of ‘Oxford’. I enjoy documenting all sorts of things but this is the first time I’ve shadowed a photographer at work. It was interesting to see which kinds of things caught Martin’s eye and also how many people didn’t know who he was. I’ve bumped into Martin on a number of occasions around Oxford so you’ll be seeing him again in the future on this blog. The book will be published by OUP and is due out in September 2017.

[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 800, developed in Kodak Xtol, Pakon scans.

The Oxford comma hangs on the wall in the background

Chimping

Oxford: Endeavour 4, episode 1 – part 4

Tuesday, July 19th, 2016

Behind-the-scenes photography during the filming of the first episode of Endeavour series 4 (or to be more precise, Endeavour IV: film 1). These pictures were all made before the masses of tourists turned up. To say that things ended up getting very hectic would be understating it a little.

[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton, Ilford FP4 @ ISO 400, developed in Kodak Xtol, Pakon scans.

 

Oxford: Endeavour 4, episode 1 – part 3

Monday, July 11th, 2016

Lots of activity on Turl Street in Oxford for the first episode of Endeavour series 4. The sky started out overcast in the morning but sunshine was forecast later so deciding on which film stocks to take with me was a little tricky. In the end I decided on ISO 400 for the earlier part of the morning and ISO 125 (FP4) for later. I ended up using my faster film sooner than expected so I decided to push Ilford FP4 to ISO 400 and I must say I like these results a lot.

[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton, Ilford FP4 @ ISO 400, developed in Kodak Xtol 1+1, Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 3, episode 4 – part 8

Thursday, January 21st, 2016

Some more shots from the last night of filming in Oxford for Endeavour series 3. This was close to when the crew wrapped just after midnight. I remember it feeling quite chilly out there despite this being the end of July. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this scene looks in the final episode of series 3.

My sincere thanks go to Olly Blackburn, the director of this episode, for allowing me on set to photograph. I wish more directors were as accommodating. More pictures to come.

[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander 35/1.2 Nokton, Ilford HP5 @ ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock. Pakon scans.

Oxford: Endeavour 3, episode 4 – part 7

Tuesday, January 5th, 2016

This set of behind the scenes pictures are from the final day of filming in Oxford for Endeavour series 3. It was a beautifully lit outdoor concert that took place on a summers evening in Exeter College gardens. The lighting crew did a fantastic job with all of the lights and the string quartet played for real which was a joy to listen to during every take. As it was the end of July the sky didn’t become dark until quite late so filming didn’t start until around 9pm and wrapped at almost exactly midnight.

My sincere thanks go to Olly Blackburn, the director of this episode, for allowing me on set to photograph. More pictures to come.

[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander 50/1.5 Nokton, Ilford HP5, ISO 1600, developed in Kodak Xtol stock solution. Pakon scans.

Oxford: BMX Jam, 2015 – part 1

Sunday, August 30th, 2015

This is the first set of my pictures from this year’s BMX Jam that was held at the Oxford Wheels Project skate park on Meadow Lane in Oxford. I always look forward to the BMX and Skate jam’s that are held there in the summer because the events attract a lot of talented riders and skaters. In previous years I have concentrated more on making portraits but this year I decided to focus more on the action. It can be a challenge trying to photograph fast moving action using a completely manual camera (that doesn’t have a motor-drive or a built in light meter) with a lens no longer than 50mm but I enjoy the challenge and my pictures show what’s possible when you put your mind to it.

[Tech info:] Leica M2, Voigtlander Nokton 35mm and 50mm lenses, yellow filter, loaded with Ilford HP5, developed in Kodak Xtol 1+1.