This series was shot on a walk around the new developments on the Greenwich Peninsula in late April 2021. I had been having an absolute mare of a week, felt like rubbish and wanted to get out of the house but I had been procrastinating, saying to myself that I should take my camera and try to make some photographs of the new architecture that’s starting to go up around the peninsula, but then saying to myself that it would all be awful, and not worth it.

In the end, I kicked myself into gear, grabbed a couple of rolls of Fujifilm NEOPAN ACROS 100 II from the freezer and my Fujica GL690 and went out. I metered once in reasonable conditions so I didn’t have to faff around re-metering all the time (since the camera has no inbuilt meter). Bare minimum kit, bare minimum film. Just ACROS II, just the 100mm lens. Back to the bare necessities, to take away the tyranny of choice, and the urge to shoot more than necessary (the GL690 giving a meager 8 shots per roll…).

I knew from past experience that ACROS II performs ridiculously well pushed so I decided to meter for EI 400 and get some oomphy contrast, while not introducing too much grain. And it did not disappoint. The contrast of the buildings against the sky, the clouds against the clear, the individual window frames within the buildings is simply gorgeous. Every time I shoot something with the GL690, regardless of however inept I feel at the time, I get at least half a roll — usually more — of beautiful images to take away.

For instance, the Plymouth car, parked outside the industrial unit. Massively, hugely underexposed, and yet when I brought the exposure in post-production (yes, I’m not going to lie, there was a little work done on that image), it still retains that smooth, rich ACROS II tone, without introducing too much graininess. That shot was taken very quickly and without being able to check the exposure, since the guy had just parked, left to go in the unit and looked at me rather suspiciously (rightly so, given the area) as I eyed his car with my camera. Just enough time to focus, compose and shoot. So to have been able to get a usable image (one that I have printed, framed and hung on my walls!) from that was stupendous.

The architecture shots from around North Greenwich are some of my favourite images, and reveal the beauty in the modern aspect that is taking over the peninsula (long may it continue!) — while on the other hand, I love the industrial parts of Greenwich and Charlton (and have, on other cameras, and other films, made plenty of photographs of those parts), the real joy will be when the developments have been fully realised and the Greenwich Peninsula masterplan is complete. It’s a wonderful piece of land that is just begging to be developed from the car parks, motorway, aggregates works, and other desolate parts into a thriving, bustling, and friendly neighbourhood.

I hope you enjoy the photos and thanks for reading!

~ Michael

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6 responses to “5 Frames… Of London’s Greenwich Peninsula on Fujifilm Neopan ACROS II 100 at EI 400 (120 Format / EI 400 / Fujica GL690 + Fujinon S 100mm f/3.5)”

  1. Troy Phillips Avatar

    Planning on getting this camera. I have the Fujifilm GW690 and really like it but want to change focal lengths. I’m a lens changer according to the situations. Even though I do at times like being forced into having to create with one focal length.
    Once in a groove you start to see the images in that set fov.

    1. Hmm, having had the GL690 for a while now I tend not to change on any given day, so I’ll take just one lens, and I wonder if I’d be happier with the GW690 and GSW690, except for the fact that 90mm on the GW is probably a little too wide for my liking.

      I have the 65, 100 and 150mm lenses and very rarely use the 150. The 65 is clunky because of the need to use the separate finder (good luck finding an original one though I hear that you can use a 28mm finder from a 35mm camera and get a roughly equivalent field of view).

      Given the price of a good condition 65/5.6 I’d be more tempted to get the GSW690-III instead (unless you’re really fine with the 65/8) – with the added bonus that the camera is (even) less complex with no curtain, mount or separate finder and is lighter than the equivalent GL690 with 65mm lens, and you can then have 2 cameras loaded up with different film…

      I guess it’s all personal preference… 🙂

  2. James Edward Hofweber Avatar
    James Edward Hofweber

    Great shots, and one of my favorite cameras. Did you use a filter to get the dark sky in the building shots?

  3. Fabulous images and fabulous camera;-)
    Thank you

  4. Mattias Häggströnm Avatar
    Mattias Häggströnm

    Very nice images, What developer did you use?

  5. Looking up at tall buildings makes me dizzy, and your images are having the same effect on me, so I’ll grant that you and Fujinon are doing something right 🙂 As for the (early ’70’s?) Plymouth under the ACE Security sign .. its .. just .. brilliant. So very fine. Lovely work and thank you.

 

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