Pentax Espio 120mi

Grasses

The photographs above and below were taken on Morte Point using a Pentax Espio 120mi and Ilford HP5 Plus a 35mm black and white film. More on HP5  here?

The Pentax Espio 120mi ‘point and shoot’ camera is a mid-range, 35mm film, auto-focus compact Design initiatives make this small but flexible (notably the physical size and overall quality of finish). It houses a good quality zoom lens (38-120mm), with plenty of features that enable a variety of picture taking options. The focus and exposure system on this easy to use camera is an improvement on earlier Pentax compacts, giving sharp results with a decent contrast of image. One of the most useful applications available on this model is ‘backlight compensation’, which enables you to take a photograph using natural light in the background and flash in the foreground, giving an even tone across the image. Panorama mode is included in this little package which gives a different (from the norm) aspect ratio.

Grasses

Both images were taken using the ‘backlight compensation’ mode.

These images below are of the same subjects, taken at the same time, using a Pentax K1000. The quality of these images is far superior.

Grass on a dry stone wall Morte Point

The panorama mode on the Pentax Espio 120mi only uses half of the 35mm film (height) creating a letterbox shape in the middle of the negative. The K1000 uses the whole of the film.

Grass on a wall Morte Point

Morte Point – #photography

Photographs of Morte Point, North Devon

Photography = Art?

I am an old dinosaur – I am very confused. What is painting?  Leave a comment at the bottom of the page and set me on the right course.

— Peter Bright (@thiswindow)

Contemporary artists have extended the boundaries of painting considerably to include;  collage, different materials such as sand, cement, straw or wood for their texture. Juxtaposing images and materials, either as a collage, printing or painting is not simply a decorative act… Continue reading ?

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Art – sunset

There have been some great evening skies recently – Autumn is here.

The photographs below have been taken with a Pentax K1000 35mm film camera.

The Pentax K1000 is an almost all metal, mechanically (springs, gears, levers) controlled, manual-focus SLR with manual exposure control. It was completely operable without batteries. It only needed batteries (one A76 or S76, or LR44 or SR44) for the light metering information system. This consisted of a center-the-needle exposure control system using a galvanometer needle pointer moving between vertically arranged +/– over/underexposure markers at the right side of the viewfinder to indicate the readings of the built-in full-scene averaging, cadmium sulfide (CdS) light meter versus the actual camera settings. The meter did not have a true on/off switch and the lens cap needed to be kept on the lens to prevent draining the battery when the K1000 was not in use.

Pentax K1000. (2012, May 31). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:26, June 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pentax_K1000&oldid=495230110

Clouds over Morte Point
I’m still not sure what Art is – but I’m sure photography isn’t.

The problems of fragmentation and confusion that exist within more traditional art practices, such as painting and sculpture (in the broadest possible milieu) are mirrored in new art practices.

Ilfracombe harbour

Within these technological and new media categories, diverse concepts and imagery has been lumped together to form a hodgepodge of non-related methodologies and artworks.

Limes in a bowl

What is this direction? Rediscovering the printing process after nearly 40 years has been an interesting process – disappointingly modern inks are not as rich in colour (earthy colours are very plastic like) and modern water based inks don’t become part of the surface … Continue reading ?

This is not #ART

Sheep Skull

The meshing together of processes, unrelated imagery and the breaking down of barriers cannot be seen as a shortcut to intellectual credibility. The dedicated thought process that goes with the creative procedure should be one of intense reasoning. It is therefore unrealistic to expect the uneducated masses to use the computers prescriptive decision making to create ‘real art’. The birth of Photoshop has enabled everybody to create ‘non-intellectual’ versions of Rauschenberg (and Warhol) – this is not ART.

Carol - Scilly Isles 1977

Painting exhibited at the West Buckland Festival 2012

Onions

oil paint on paper

I very rarely get inspired to paint these days but I saw a painting by Renoir entitled ‘Onions’  at the Royal academy last week and decided to give it a go.

My painting ‘Onions’ is nothing like the Renior but… The skin of the red onions were iridescent like the back of a beetle, shimmering and layered in colour.

The picture above is of my painting exhibited in ‘The Gallery’ of the West Buckland Festival.