Early Fog
Canon AE-1 · FP4 · 2024
Several of these were taken from the same spot near the castle hill in every season.
Some of these were taken on the walk to work, others from a ferry on the way to the river. Most frames were shot on the Canon AE-1 with FP4, developed in batches over the winter. There is a quietness to the hillsides at low tide that I tried hard to keep.
The tones in Early Fog are as FP4 rendered them, slightly soft. Most visits to the piers started during a passing shower and ended when my hands got too cold. The Canon AE-1 jammed during the autumn of 2020, so part of the series was made with a standard 50mm lens borrowed from someone at the library. Most of Early Fog was edited near the old town, with the contact sheets spread out on the floor.
Notes
Many of these frames were made within walking distance of the moor, while waiting for trains. For what it is worth, weather was the main character of Early Fog, especially the March wind, which flattened the colours. These photographs were made over several visits with the Canon AE-1, starting one autumn weekend. People in the pictures, mostly dog walkers, were all asked, and every one of them agreed.
Some days I came back from the fields with nothing, which is part of the process. With Early Fog I wanted to show the place through the year, with nothing staged.
I printed about a dozen of these for a community hall evening in Basel. The series is still open; I add a frame or two at least once a month, usually after a walk along the canal. Work on Early Fog began with a single roll and grew over most of February.
The light around the marina changes quickly, and many of the best frames were taken on grey October mornings. I returned late in 2016 with the Canon AE-1, and the whole thing cost less than expected. I kept coming back to the same few corners over the winter until I knew every shadow.