October 7, 2009 by singlecoated

I remember a sentence similar to that one, attributed to the photo book guide ‘Photographing with Fred Picker’, being ironically referenced in David Hurn and Bill Jay book ‘On being a photographer’. It was used as an example of how one shoudn’t approach the whole photographic issue, and I must say that I honestly agree fully with their opinion.

That said, we all know two things: first, that sometimes rules are just meant to be broken, second, that sometimes you just don’t know when you’ll be able to be at a certain place again, or even if you will be at all.

So this is exactly the case this time. As I left the motorway I decided to take a different road to get to the village, and this is part of what I found. Sometimes I have seen some wonderful clouds and light there, as well as a gorgeous mix of warm and fresh colors from the yellowing grass. This time I had to have enough with worked fields and a plain palid sky, but helped me finish the C220 roll with the shelter shots from a couple weeks before.
Posted in arista-edu-ultra-100, sekor-65/3.5, valle del mesa | Tagged Calmarza Zaragoza Diafine | 4 Comments »
October 7, 2009 by singlecoated

I have seen and wandered around the hill on which this shelter is located hundreds of times, and every time I photographed it from the distance I couldn’t stand from thinking on how would it be to be up there and take some close-ups.

During a weekend visit last september it happened, I was told there was an old mule path reaching the hill top, but as usual, after being unused for years or decades they are impossible to find and what once were labor lands are now covered in dry and thick thorn bushes reaching up to one’s chest at some points.

I ended going the direct way, straight up the hill side, it was a bit of a matter of patience and pain but it sort of paid itself in terms of pictures, I think. Light was starting to be a bit harsh at 11am or so, so I’ll try to repeat the experience in a month or so when late morning light is a bit more gentle.
As usual in the last months, the camera was the Mamiya C220, wearing the 65/3.5 chrome shutter Sekor (which keeps surprising me as an incredible lens despite being somewhat underrated by the Internet global mind). Film was another classic for me, Arista EDU Ultra 100 souped in Diafine. That’s another combo I have happened to like, even though I admit I chose it mostly based on their affordable costs as a film-developer combination. I could go with somewhat less contrast in some scenes though.
I used a digital spot meter that I got from APUG some months ago. It has ended being a very useful device, even though my way of using it is a very simplified approach to the zone system (scan the scene looking for what I want to be represented as a middle gray, place it i zone V and go from there), I find it has provided me with a good and simple methodology that seems to work
Posted in arista-edu-ultra-100, sekor-65/3.5, valle del mesa | Tagged diafine, guadalajara, mamiya-c220, mochales | 2 Comments »
August 2, 2009 by singlecoated
Posted in ADACAS | Tagged ADACAS, Aragon, Bastarás, Cataluña, Cueva de Chaves, Denuncia, found prints, grupo excursionista ADACAS, Huesca, rural, Spain | 13 Comments »
August 2, 2009 by singlecoated

Retrato de tres excursionistas de ADACAS, la composición es realmente buena, se puede ver el efecto ‘niebla’ del agua abajo a la derecha (ya en aquellos años quedaba bien, aunque imagino que la emulsión requería de tiempos de exposición relativamente largos). Quizás tomada como las demás en la zona de Nueno / Ordás, pero lamentablemente estas páginas carecen de información.

Otro retrato de grupo, tengo que reconocer que la composición me ha impresionado, el agua oscura, la rama en primer plano y la sensación etérea del fondo por el efecto de los años sobre la copia… El detalle en estas copias también es mucho mejor que en las anteriores, quizás fruto de un tamaño de negativo mayor.

Posiblemente un retrato del grupo excursionista, con algunas poses interesantes

Posiblemente un retrato del grupo excursionista, una versión más formal.
Posted in ADACAS | Tagged ADACAS, Aragon, Cataluña, found prints, grupo excursionista ADACAS, Huesca, Nueno, Ordás, rural, Spain | Leave a Comment »
August 2, 2009 by singlecoated

Imágenes de Nueno, Huesca. Retratos, vida rural, la iglesia, algún que otro casón y vista general del pueblo.

Algún personaje importante ?

Dando de comer a las gallinas.

Trabajando en Nueno.

Nunca he visto un trillo tan pequeño, pero diría que la imagen muestra una trilla de bueyes.
Posted in ADACAS | Tagged ADACAS, Aragon, Cataluña, found prints, grupo excursionista ADACAS, Huesca, Nueno, rural, Spain | Leave a Comment »
August 2, 2009 by singlecoated
Posted in ADACAS | Tagged ADACAS, Aragon, Cataluña, found prints, grupo excursionista ADACAS, Huesca, Nueno, Ordás, rural, Spain | 2 Comments »
August 2, 2009 by singlecoated

Lo que parece ser una excursión para visitar la ermita de Ordás en Nueno (Huesca). /// What seems to be a visit to the Ordás hermit in Nueno.
www.romanicoaragones.com/3-Somontano/990402-Nuenordas.htm
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueno

Imágenes de una visita a la ermita de Ordás, Nueno, Huesca. /// Visit to the Ordás hermit, Nueno, Huesca.

Imágenes de una visita a la ermita de Ordás, Nueno, Huesca. /// Visit to the Ordás hermit, Nueno, Huesca.

Castillo de Ordás /// Defensive tower, Ordás. www.romanicoaragones.com/3-Somontano/990402-Nuenordas.htm www.castillosdearagon.es/index.php?sec=6&fort=477

Lo que parecía ser otro edificio es en realidad la ermita de Ordás vista desde otro ángulo y revelando su doble naturaleza, ermita y refugio de montaña. Ver fotos 3 y 4 en www.romanicoaragones.com/3-Somontano/990402-Nuenordas.htm /// What looked like a different buiding at first sight ended being the same hermit, unveiling its double religious and moutain refuge nature.

En esta caso el edificio no parece ser una nueva vista de la iglesia / refugio, y la construcción en tres niveles tampoco corresponderse a aquella… /// Unknown building, as this doesn’t look like a different view of the hermit / refuge.
Posted in ADACAS | Tagged ADACAS, Aragon, Castillo de Ordás, Cataluña, Ermita de Ordás, found prints, grupo excursionista ADACAS, Huesca, Nueno, Ordás, rural | Leave a Comment »
August 2, 2009 by singlecoated

Imágenes de la construcción de la carretera entre Arguis y Nueno (Huesca). Las dos primeras imágenes son una buena muestra de las condiciones de trabajo, a pico y pala. /// Images of the construction of the paved road between Arguis and Nueno. The first two images are a good sample of the working conditions in that place and time, bare hands, sweat, and mules. As we say here, these mountain roads were all built ‘a pico y pala’.

Construcción de la carretera. Interesante la imagen del chaval en primer término. Tal como dicen los mayores, esto son carreteras y puentes abiertos a barreno, pico y pala. /// Road construction in what were by then the usual working conditions – notice the little boy in first term, looking at the camera.

Más imágenes de la construcción de la carretera, varios túneles y puentes. /// Road construction, bridges and tunnels.




A juzgar por imágenes anteriores y posteriores del álbum, parece que el grupo hizo el trayecto de Arguis a Nueno, se encontró con las obras de construcción de la carretera y consideró interesante hacer algunas fotos del proceso. De todas formas otras fotos del álbum detallan la construcción de varios puentes en otras zonas, así que tal vez había un interés personal del fotógrafo o algún interés más allá de la instantánea de recuerdo. /// Judging by previous and later images from the album, it seems the group was going from Arguis to Nueno and found the road works in process, which they found interesting enough to photograph. That said, some other later images reflect construction of other bridges in different zones, so maybe there’s more to it than simple snapshooting.
Hoy en día esta carretera está en desuso (literalmente es la antigua carretera de Arguis a Nueno, ) pero aparece mencionada en bastantes ocasiones a través de webs de rutas de montaña de senderismo y Mountain Bike. /// This is a no longer used road, yet appears mentioned as the ‘old road between Arguis and Nueno’ in several trekking and mountain bike routes for the area.
Podría ser interesante arrojarse a esos montes con las Mamiyas y jugar un poco al ‘now and then’
/// Could be interesting to wander around with the Mamiyas playing a bit of now and then…
Posted in ADACAS | Tagged ADACAS, Aragon, Arguis, found prints, grupo excursionista ADACAS, Huesca, landscape, Nueno, rural | Leave a Comment »
August 2, 2009 by singlecoated

Encontré este album en una visita a la tienda ya desaparecida de Casanova Col·lecció en 2007 o 2008.
Parece ser el album fotográfico de un grupo excursionista llamado ADACAS (trabajadores de aduanas y similares de Barcelona), y según la cubierta está datado entre 1921 y 1924, aunque algunas fotos se retrotraen hasta 1912, y otras más allá de los años 50.
Algunas fotos son puramente ‘excursionistas’ mientras otras retratan zonas del pantano de Arguis o la construcción de la carretera de Arguis a Nueno, junto con momentos más ‘familiares’ como un partido de fútbol amateur en Portbou.
El hecho de estar bien anotadas hace que sea fácil encontrar información por internet de los lugares y hacernos una idea de cómo son hoy en día.
—
I picked up this album on a visit to the Casanova Col·lecció store (C/Pelai, Barcelona) sometime along 2007 (or 2008, can’t remember).
They seem to make the photographic album of somebody belonging to the ADACAS excursionist group (customs workers from Barcelona), and along the usual excursion photos there are some familiar snapshots as well as images featuring construction of bridges, roads and images from a water reservoir. The cover states ‘years 1921-1924′ but some images are dated as early as 1912 and some go up to the 50s.
Since the photos are annotated with time and place information, it’s a nice exercise to look up over the internet for information on them, their story and how they look like today.

Primera página del álbum, imánenes del pantano de Arguis (uno de los más antiguos de España, sus planes de construcción datan del siglo XVIII), en la provincia de Huesca. /// First page of the album, images from Arguis water reservoir in the Huesca province (one of the oldest reservoirs in Spain, its construction seemed to start in the 18th century).

El Forato San Clemente, en Nueno, Huesca, según la leyenda hogar del gigante local. Lamentablemente sin referencia de escala. /// The San Clemente "Forato" (literally, hole) cave in Nueno, Huesca with its associated legend, in this case, home of a local giant. Sadly no scale reference. More information on the zone and the Isuela river can be found at es.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%c3%ado_Isuela_(Huesca) and www.caiaragon.com/es/rutas/l_rutas.asp?idA=90&dias=0

Parece adivinarse la pared de la presa del pantano de Arguis al fondo. /// What seems to be a view of the Arguis reservoir with what could be a view of the dam in the background.

Vista del pantano desde un punto más elevado. /// Another view from an elevated point.
Posted in ADACAS | Tagged ADACAS, Aragon, Arguis, barcelona, Cataluña, found prints, grupo excursionista ADACAS, Huesca, Nueno, pantano Arguis, Spain | Leave a Comment »
June 10, 2009 by singlecoated

I probably mentioned about twenty times that someday I had to stop by and take some pictures of this abandoned shelter. Took 5-6 different shots of the scene with slight variations and what you have here is the very last frame on the roll. As a side note, it’s soooo easy to work with a “well” exposed negative for a change
Iskra loaded with Arista EDU Ultra 100 and souped in Diafine.
Posted in arista-edu-ultra-100, valle del mesa | 2 Comments »
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