A Road trip on Film - Visiting the South Coast with Ektachrome 100
Belle Tout Lighthouse, which was converted to a private residence in 1902 after the building of Beachy Head Lighthouse. Amazingly this 850 ton structure was already moved back on the cliff using a hydraulic jacks in 1999. It looks like it won’t be long until it needs moving back again from the crumbling cliff face. 1/60s 110mm F8.0 with polariser.
Everyone who shoots film knows how expensive it is now (and sadly, is becoming), so when I use it, I want to make sure I choose my subjects carefully, so I don’t waste it. My five pack of Kodak Ektachrome (120) had been sitting in my fridge for many months, waiting for the right moment to be loaded into my camera. What better way to prompt its use than a work trip down to the South coast of England, with its giant white cliffs and rocky shores. Though, this wasn’t the first roll I shot, those were the images of Alexandra Palace you can see in last week’s blog.
The brilliant white chalk cliffs give the coastline a striking presence. Despite the limited dynamic range of slide film, Ektachrome has handled it well here and many of the issues of blown out highlights were introduced during the scanning process. 1/60s 110mm F8.0 with polariser.
Beachy Head has some of the tallest cliffs in the country. The tiny figure at the top gives some perspective on scale. 1/60s 110mm F11.
A rather unsuccessful attempt at a unset beach shot. There’s good detail but the composition is all wrong and I struggled to get the colour balance right when scanned. The bottom left hand side is correct but the top has come out too green. 8s 50mm F22 with 5 stops of ND filters.
Stairs leading down to the shore at Birling Gap. The use of a polariser really brought out the blue tones in the sky. 1/60s 110mm F11 with polariser.
With a great range of lighting conditions, both inside and outside, this trip gave me a real feel for what this film stock is capable of in medium format. I had been impressed when I shot it in 35mm, and it didn’t disappoint me here either. Providing a very different colour balance to that of Fuji’s Provia or Velvia, this substitutes vivid purples for truer to life colours. I hope you enjoy the collection of images and let me know in the comments down below, what your thoughts are on the images or Ektachrome itself.
Away from the coast I explored the village of Piddinghoe I was staying in. This is the village church - St John’s Church. Again despite the wide dynamic range Ektachrome has held up very well here. 1/8s 50mm F11 with polariser.
Inside the church. 8s 50mm F8.0.
Highlighting one of the wonderful stained glass windows. 1s 50mm F11.
Round the back is a small jetty that sits high and dry at low tide on the estuarine river. 1/8s 110mm F9.5 with polariser.
One of the main attractions of Newhaven is Newhaven Fort. Built in the 19th century as part of a wider network of coastal defences, it is now a museum. This 6-inch Mk VII gun was installed in the 1980s to replace a previous one and is typical of what what have been installed during the First and Second World Wars. 1/60s 50mm F11.
Inside Newhaven Fort where shells and ammunition was stored during the Second World War. 2s 50mm F11.
Standing at the top of the fort gives great views of Newhaven Marina. 1/60s 110mm F11.
The coastal cliffs are a geologist’s dream and certainly make for good photography subjects. 1/15s 50mm f11.
Getting down onto the shore at Newhaven, I found what looks like part of an old structure or perhaps even the old remnants of a boat. 1/15s 50mm f11.
The shore as covered in huge amounts of these rocky outcrops and ridges but I just couldn’t find something that worked despite the golden light shining down. 8s 50mm F19 with 5 stops of ND filters.
This image with its yellow and blue tones worked better but it’s just missing that pizazz to really make it work. 1/8s 110mm F16.
As the sun was setting I went to the top of the cliffs to overlook the shoreline and Newhaven Lighthouse. 8s 110mm F16 with 5 stops of ND filters.
The local National Coastguard Institute (NCI) Watchtower which like all the others is manned by volunteers to monitor and keep the seas safe. 1/8s 110mm F11.
I was hoping dramatic lighting would show up over Newhaven Lighthouse as the sun set but it didn’t materalise. Instead I settled for this calm blue hour image as the last of the trip. 2s 110mm F11 with polariser.
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