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| Sanderson Regular hand & stand 5 x 4" plate camera c1902, results |
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The Sanderson was taken to Tuscany in April 2008, but the plates were stored undeveloped until Jan 2009. Lugging such a bulky camera around proved to be an interesting exercise.... and one that nearly killed the old Sanderson completely. In use I found that the lens wasn't quite wide angle enough for most of the sites I chose. One plate carrier turned out to have a leak. However it was an interesting trip with just fourteen exposures being made. This is, of course, the bell tower in Pisa - otherwise known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Choosing this angle earlier in the day avoided the vast crowds that develop and illustrates the lean quite well, even though it is partially leaning away here. |
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This is actually my favourite image from the trip taken the day after the first one, above. I'm always keen to avoid too many modern encumbrances, trying to achieve an un-datable image if possible. This close up image appealed and, by using a wide aperture , I kept the depth of field shallow to keep the background people out of focus. This image also shows the lean well, as it can be compared to the vertical lines of the cathedral beyond. The lean started developing as soon as the tower was started and construction was halted twice. Such that the builders corrected for the lean on restarting, giving the tower a slight banana shape. The lean has been reduced in modern times to ensure the longevity of this famous structure. Knowing full well that I would be looking at the architecture, as befits the Sanderson's origins, I was using the lens movements on every shot - so please note that the verticals are all parallel in these images, and it was with delightful irony that the movements were used in this shot too. |
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Oh poo!!! The delights of using cameras over a century old. Light has streaked down the dark slide slot during withdrawal. It appears to only happen with one plate carrier, but I have yet to find out which one..... Should have kept a note at the time. |
The vaulted ceiling of the Pisa Baptistry, seemed like a good idea at the time, although the final result was disappointing. The shot was hand held for a quarter second exposure, it was impossible to use the tripod |
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Torre del Mangia which dominates Piazza del Campo in Sienna. I was struggling to get the tower in and was backing up an alleyway, whilst trying not to block the thoroughfare with the tripod legs. Despite the apparent light leak (again) I quite like this image with the strong black band up the side, echoing the tower itself. The parallel verticals are very apparent here. |
It would have been so much better had the car not been there.... The same tower viewed from a side street. Sienna is quite hilly and carting a Sanderson 5x4 plate camera plus period tripod , hood and plates ... not to mention the ubiquitous Pentaxes, was getting quite tiring... |
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The motor car.... the scourge of urban scenery. How much better it would have have been had these all been horse drawn carts.... |
One last look along a Sienna side street, shortly after this the Sanderson conspired to unscrew it self from the tripod as I was walking back down the hill. The impact with Sienna's cobbled street, ended the Sanderson's photographic outings until it could be rebuilt. |
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Eagle atop a fountain in a Sienna . |
Looking up towards Torre del Mangia from the outskirts of Sienna. |
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