Bristol by Night

Happy New Year!

In case you were wondering where I’d got to I just took it easy for a few weeks. My bad back was the worst it’s been in 12 years through 2015 with 4 really bad episodes. So I’ve had to slow down a bit to build it up and get it back under control. I’m walking the hills for at least an hour a day and another hour or two of workouts and exercises before breakfast. So far I’ve lost 6kg and am a shadow of my former self!

Instead of going skiing we are having a few days away in the West Country and tonight we are staying in Bristol. Never been to Bristol before!

Our hotel overlooks the Clifton Suspension Bridge and we arrived in time for a few photos at dusk, before it went dark. The bridge is well lit and there is a high viewpoint that looks down on the bridge from the Clifton side. After the first few dusk shots I settled for 2 minutes at f5.6 for most of my photographs, on Ilford FP4 at ISO 125.

There was another photographer there when I arrived, taking time lapse photographs to make into videos. He showed me a very impressive one of Barcelona. It took him hours, moving a few metres at a time. I wouldn’t have the patience for it! He also added that he took 30,000 shots on his recent short trip to Barcelona. I pointed out that in my whole life I have taken less than 60,000 negatives!

Here’s a phone picture converted to black and white to give you an idea of what I’ve taken on my proper camera (Mamiya 7 with 43mm lens). Had to use my widest lens to fit the bridge in. We also wandered around the quays and I took a few shots around Millennium Square at night.

Tomorrow we’ll take some more photos around Bristol before heading down to Exmoor where we’re staying for a few days. Good weather forecast too, yippee!

Dave Butcher
www.davebutcher.co.uk
www.darkroomdave.com