On one level, it seems appropriate to make images of steam locomotives and their environment with Retropan. ‘Retro on Retro’ right?
Yet, I know many old-school black & white photographers would object to the essential qualities of Retropan black & white film, which by design is comparatively soft and grainy.
Yes, there are sharper films; and of course there’s colour, not to mention digital, but the reason I chose Foma Retropan for these photos was because of the gritty quality it offers.
Someone might ask why does the RPSI run a steam locomotive, when there are more efficient diesel railcars available?
Psssst! I also made some colour slides, and a whole bunch of colour digital image on the same day.
Tracking the Light Posts Every Day!
My new book ‘Brian Solomon’s Railway Guide to Europe features RPSI trains in its section on Ireland.
It is due out in May 2018 and may pre-order the book from Kalmbach Books: https://kalmbachhobbystore.com
For details on RPSI and passenger excursions see: https://www.steamtrainsireland.com
When it’s snowy, everything becomes pretty black and white anyway, even when filmed in colour, so why not just go directly to black and white on film. That Glasnevin Jcn shot is really good, also the through the bridge view at Maynooth.
Nice images, they seem to “come alive” and be “real world” in a way that color photography just wouldn’t work, odd as that sounds.
Nice pics of a difficult day for RPSI but it’s not about efficiency, it’s about heritage.