Mikeinlagardette's photos with the keyword: monochrome

Looking upwards to the top of Porte Saint Jean, from rue St Jacques. Much of the gatehouse we see today is from the 15thC, but the foundations date from the mid 13thC. The upper level was used as a prison in the middle ages. The buildings in rue Saint Jacques are much later - 18th/early 19th century, with Mansard roofs & stylish dormer windows. 1953 Agfa Ventura 66 Deluxe, f4.5/85mm Agfa Solinar, X2 yellow filter. Fomapan Ultra 200 @ 400 in Diafine, 4+4 mins@21C. Scanned @120dpi on Epson V500.

Following on from the last pic, here's another church doorway from the 12C, this time in central France, and we can see that although it is more stylish than the one in Guiting Power, it has many similarities. Like St Michael's, the church was drastically altered, here in the 17thC, but again the doorway was incorporated in the later work. The decoration of the arch orders is very elaborate, and it's remarkable to think that it was done more than 800 years ago by men who probably lived in little more than mud and straw hovels! The style of decoration with the polylobal inner arch is quite common to this area, whereas the ball ornaments in the fourth order are more unusual. Taken with the Welmy Six a few years ago. 1952 Tasei Koki Welmy Six, f4.5/75mm Terionar lens, X2 yellow filter. Fomapan 100 in Caffenol C, 10 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

The previous two photos were taken with folders, but this was with a TLR, my ancient and battered Mamiya C2, which I still have. Although heavy and rather unwieldly, these are one of the best tlr's ever made, and the only one with interchangeable lenses, which are world class ! Guiting Power is a village in the Cotswold Hills, north of Cheltenham, and the church is a little way out of the town. Originally 12thC, it was extensively renovated and much altered during the 19thC, but the restorers kept this rather grand Norman doorway. Mamiya C2, f2.8/80mm Sekors. Shanghai GP3 @ 200, developed in Thorntons Two Bath, 4 + 4 mins @21C

Had to be a train photo in this little set! Taken with a 1952 Welmy Six, - another regrettable sale - which had a wonderful Terionar lens, a triplet of remarkable sharpness. This locomotive has now left the area for more northern parts of France, but I enjoyed several trips behind it when it was based in Limoges. 1952 Welmy Six, f4.5/75mm Terionar lens, X2 yellow filter. Fomapan Ultra 200 in Caffenol C, 10 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

For my sins, I have been made administrator of the group Vintage 120 Camera - not an onerous task, since the group has currently less than ten members !! Which is a pity, because there are a lot of lovely old 120 cameras, most of which are capable of making wonderful pictures. I haven't done too much photography recently, so here are three pics taken a while back, with some of the vintage cameras I have owned, all 120 format. This beautiful doorway which dates from the late 15th century, is in the former presbytery at Bénévent-l'Abbaye, and the little Voigtlander Bessa 46 which I used has captured much of the lovely workmanship, and the careful restoration of this feature of the building. The lens was an uncoated f4.5/75mm Skopar, a real jewel of a lens - I bitterly regret selling this camera !! 1940's Voigtlander Bessa 46, f4.5/75mm Skopar lens, Moment yellow filter. Foma Ultra 200 developed in Diafine 4+4 mins A&B. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

Chateau de La Roche. The Department of Creuse is not famous for it's chateaux - you need to go to the Loire to see the most beautiful examples, - but there are a few here, and this is an impressive building, by any standards Here is a view of the front facade of the chateau, which is surrounded by a very formal, strangely five-sided moat, ornamental, rather than defensive. The original building was built for Gabriel Foucauld, between 1533 and 1588, but only a little of this remains, and we are looking at a largely late 18thC rebuild, by the architect Pierre Berthomier, and the result of further restoration during the 19thC. Taken with a 1942 Voigtlander Bessa 66 some years ago, in fact the very first roll of film I exposed in the camera, which came from the late Robbe Keppens, in exchange for a very strange 35mm Agfa Flexilette! 1942 Voigtlander Bessa 66, f3.5/75mm Heliar lens, X2 yellow filter. Fomapan 100 @200 in Diafine, 4+4 mins @21C

This was the end of the last stage of this little steam excursion, up into the western slopes of the Massif Central, to the town of Commentry, and the train was hauled from Montluçon by two of these American built locomotives, one at each end. It's a steep gradient from Montluçon, and the sound of the exhaust of the two locomotives reverberating off the rock faces as they climbed was truly spectacular! Over a thousand of these locos were built in America and Canada at the end of WW2, to replace French locomotives destroyed during the war, this one was built by Alco in Schenectady, NewYork in 1945, and is one of only four still serviceable. 1952 Welmy Six, f4.5/75mm Terionar lens, X2 yellow filter. Fomapan Ultra 200 in Caffenol C, 10 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

To continue this "excursion in reverse," this is where I joined the train. Taken six years ago, here is TD 141 740 arriving in Guèret station from Limoges, ready for the run up to Montluçon. Notice that there is no diesel back up locomotive, which it seems is now mandatory for steam locomotive hauled trains on public lines in France, but not when this photo was taken. I used a Welmy Six folding camera, which I have since sold, and regret doing so, - it was a delightful little camera, made in Japan - an excellent copy of a Zeiss Ikonta. 1952 Welmy Six, f4.5/75mm Terionar lens, X2 yellow filter. Fomapan Ultra 200 in Caffenol C, 10 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

To get to Parsac-Gouzon the line must first cross the deep, densely wooded valley of the river Creuse, and it does so on this spectacular structure. Opened to traffic in 1863, the steel girder viaduct carries the line from the junction at Saint Sulpice Laurière to Montluçon, and onwards across the Massif Central towards Lyon. Built by the Paris Orleans Railway, the total span is 339m (1,112ft), and the height above the river Creuse is 56.5m (185ft). Local people often understandably attribute this work to Gustave Eiffel, but it was actually designed by another eminent civil engineer, and contemporary of Eiffel, Wilhelm Nördling. When it was built it had two tracks, but one of these has now been lifted. Taken with a 1948 Kodak Tourist 620, converted to 120 film. f4.5/105mm coated Kodak Anaston, X2 yellow filter, Rollei RPX400 @800 in Caffenol C + iodized salt, 20-20-6-6 Scanned @1200dpi on Epson V500

In contrast to the previous picture, this is how the station at Parsac-Gouzon usually looks! It's a lonely little place, some way between the two towns of it's name, and I think only a couple of trains a day in each direction actually stop here. It is on the single track line from Guèret to Montluçon, which is part of a longer cross country route from Bordeaux to Lyon, although direct services between those cities have been suspended for some time while this section of the route is completely re-signalled 1948 Kodak Tourist I converted to 120, f4.5/105mm Anaston lens, x2 yellow filter. Shanghai GP3 in Divided D23, 5+5 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson 500

Following on from the last photo, this is how I travelled up to Montluçon! Of course, this is not the usual motive power used on this line, (!) but a special train going from Limoges, to the annual Festirail meeting in Montlucon. This locomotive was built by SFCM de Denain in 1932, for the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l'Est, it was one of 42 locomotives built for hauling heavy suburban trains in the Greater Paris area, which it did until it was finally taken out of revenue service in 1967. Steam trains cannot go very far before they need to have their water supply refreshed, and here we have stopped at the little station of Parsac-Gouzon to re-fill the tanks, which also gives people a chance to walk about, - and take photos of the locomotive! 1948 Kodak Tourist I, f4.5/105mm Anaston lens, x2 yellow filter. Shanghai GP3 in Thornton's Two Bath, 4+4 mins @21C. Scanned @1200dpi on Epson 500