Bolehill Quarry Sheffield - Drystone Wall

I

ian barber

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Despite what may appear to be a simple composition, getting the large format camera in position was a challenge because I was knee deep in snow covered brambles and to top it off, I had left my reading glasses in the car so it was difficult to see clearly on the ground glass.

Knowing I wanted to retain detail in the snow, I based my exposure for zone VII on the brightest snow I could see with the spot meter and decided to let the shadow values fall naturally.

The exposure was 1 second at f/32 on Fomapan 200 film and a normal development of 6 minutes in Kodak Xtol at 20° C

Bole Hill Quarry Drystone Wall.jpg
Bole Hill Quarry Drystone Wall.jpg
 
I love the "act of seeing" of this picture. Something so easily taken for granted captured and seen so well, so that others can see.
 
I like this, though some of the mid-grey tones in the wall look rather washed out. Dare I say that it feels as though technique has won out over 'soul' somewhere. It's there, but I feel you almost need to let your hair down a bit.
 
Toby Webster said:
I like this, though some of the mid-grey tones in the wall look rather washed out. Dare I say that it feels as though technique has won out over 'soul' somewhere. It's there, but I feel you almost need to let your hair down a bit.
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I am at a loss to understand what you mean by 'washed out' grey. It isn't black, it isn't white it is grey! Look at the surroundings, a stone wall that is almost certainly grey in real life, little real black tones, but an awful lot of the white stuff which will lift the darker shades and perhaps make it look as if it is/was 'washed out'. But almost certainly when the tones are converted to grey-scale via a scanner, it is almost certainly an accurate representation.
 
As I said...

Toby Webster said:
I think I did. Maybe a bit more boldness in the wall tones, Ian, a touch more contrast.

Happy to put my hands up if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

I suspect the dusting of snow on the stones is contributing to what I perceive as a slight tonal flatness. However, I should have said that I still like the picture. I like it more the more I look at it too.
 
It looks like the snow could be shifted a zone higher and then the bricks could have a chance to separate totally and then maybe a little more contrast in the stonework would be achievable...
 
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