Moe my artist friend in Wakefield Que
If you’re looking for dramatic perspectives to set shots apart from the conventional, then look no further, this super wide Laowa is the one for you.
Laowa 14mm f/4 Zero-D DSLR
Scenic view of art structure across the Rideau River
Steps to the entrance of The Supreme Court of CanadaSpeaking from professional experience I’ve shot hundreds of rolls with super wide angles. This is an all-out pro quality lens in every aspect. It’s sharp edge to edge with excellent contrast across the entire frame and there’s not a hint of barrel or pincushion distortion. The finish is an attractive matte black with the focusing silky smooth. It’s field of view is an awesome 114 degrees. It weighs in at 369g and takes 67mm filters.
Plaque on historic Minto Bridge girder
A manual focus lens requires undivided attention. I believe auto focus along with a camera’s CPU making most of your decisions depersonalizes the final image in my opinion. For better or worse I want to make the decisions not a CPU. I’m NOT saying the incredible technical capabilities of digital cameras should not be acclaimed for shooting outstanding world class images.
Ilford Multigrade print on light table
So, I’m off with the Laowa mounted on my Nikon F4 loaded with HP5 Plus to enjoy a drive to some familiar spots for some shooting. The shot of Moe in Wakefield was a 30-minute drive with the covered bridge only 2kms away. Another an hour and I was shooting the ’38 Hudson, closer to home was the Minto bridge and a 2-minute walk I did the scenic of the Rideau River. On the way home I stopped to shoot the steps the entrance of The Supreme Court of Canada. Back home I finished up with the tabletop shot. The print is silver gelatin from a shot I recently did for a commercial client.
Interior of 1936 Hudson
Grill of ’36 Hudson
Rear trunk lid of the Hudson
Nine reasonably good shots from 2 rolls of HP5 Plus, not too shabby.
I processed in undiluted ID-11 for 9 minutes with 3 tank inversions every 30 seconds…beautiful negs! You’ll perhaps notice the light is “Notan”, it’s a Japanese term meaning “light-dark harmony”. My interpretation is shadow-less light which I’m in love with.
Covered bridge in Wakefield Que
I very much hope you like the perspectives this super wide produces and consider adding one to your bag.
Good shooting!
About the Author – Crombie McNeill
Crombie McNeill is a unique artist. He’s a world travelled photographer with numerous awards and has been recognized as one of the best editorial photographers in North America. His credits include Time, Newsweek, ELLE, Life, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Chatelaine, Paris Match, McLean’s, En Route to name but a few.
His Odyssey lead him from the Arctic to high fashion magazine shoots to Olympic Games, World Cup events, the depths of the Great Barrier Reef to the altitude with the Snow Birds, interwoven with civil war in Africa, Royalty, presidents to paupers world wide. Not to mention frozen toes at the North Pole.
His photography has been exhibited in galleries across Canada, the United States and Europe and has three books to his credit.
Not one to leave behind the uniqueness of traditional film he’s evolved a blending of photography with both hand applied and computer processing to produce truly unique images.
“The art of photography for me” says Crombie “is to convey a timeless essence with a hint of mystery”.
The National Archives predicts he will be credited as one of Canada’s most significant photographers and is on the list for The Order of Canada. The National Art Gallery of Canada has some of his fine art b&w prints included in their permanent collection.
Crombie is now happily retired, in that he no longer accepts editorial or commercial assignments He now lives in Aylmer, with his wife Sue. “This retirement”, he’s delighted to says, “allows me the freedom to search for those magical b&w images, and to determine the ideal technique by which it should be captured and presented.
Crombie often returns to the peaceful amber glow of his wet darkroom as a respite from his extensive digital lab and art board.
Please enjoy!
