Push up the Peninsula Tour, Part 4 Speed Graphic

Rick_van_Nooij · October 2, 2011

The final photos from my weeklong tour through Normandy and Brittany. These are the results from my Graflex Anniversary Speed Graphic with Graphic 23 roll film back.

For the previous parts click here: <a href="../leica-rangefinders-forum/00ZL47">Part 1</a>, <a href="../leica-rangefinders-forum/00ZLvn"> Part 2</a>, <a href="../classic-cameras-forum/00ZP1k">Part 3</a>

The lens is a coated 1946-dated Kodak Ektar 127mm f/4.7 in a Supermatic shutter.

I carried 4 rolls of Ilford XP2 with me on the trip. The film was scanned at 2400dpi, as a B/W negative and using the generic color film preset in Vuescan.

Halftrack "Catch-All" having its carburator overhauled in Carquebut.

The vehicles lined up at Portbail

M8 Glacis Plate detail. A cookie for the person to pick out the historic oops.

The guy in the flipflops just wouldn't get out of the friggin' pictures. Convoy parked up at La Feuillie waiting for the Ward La France to bring up the broken-down M8.

Recon crews doing some more waiting at the Water Wheel House. Nice mix of goggles, from left to right looks like a pair of B6, a pair of Skyway goggles on second helmet from the right. And lastly reproduction "M1938" Resistal Goggles

Unfortunately my repro resistals did not survive the trip when a fellow Dutchie accidently trod on them while dismounting the jeep.

Halftrack "Czech-Mate" driver and armored infantry squad at the Pont de la Roque

Halftrack "Catch-All" driver and crew, featuring some of the 'real' Americans.

Lined up at Mont St. Michel

Observing the island city

Mixing with the locals at Pleine-Fougères

The Mayor and French veterans at the town of St.Guinoux

Listening to the speeches by the Mayor and the Major at the Vin d'Honneur in St.Guinoux.

Unfortunately I ran out of 120 film in St.Malo before the groupshot on the bunker complex. Must invest in more 120 film next time!

Well that was it. The final part in the Push up the Peninsula Photo Tour. I hope you enjoyed the photos, though I know the can't all be zingers.

The Vintage effect of the Lucky film in the previous part achieved what I wanted more or less, shame I can't squeeze more sharpness out of this film. I've got about 8 rolls of the stuff left. I can think of a few cameras to run them through.

Cheers,

Rick

JDMvW · October 2, 2011

Nice work.

I've got mixed feelings myself about XP2. We probably would have really liked it in the day when film was the only thing. Yet, as you say, it doesn't lend itself to a 1940s 'vintage' effect. I suspect that it might do for an even more vintage effect of the old printout images (as Polaroid Type 52 did) given that it seems to me to have more dynamic range than many films. Or am I just confused?

Since I got a couple of dozen outdated rolls of it free at my photo collective, I shot a lot of it last year, but I haven't decided which way to go in future. I tend nowadays to shoot color negative and convert to B&W (when wanted) using the B&W filter controls in Photoshop. The stuff I use (essentially Fuji 200) is grainy enough that it captures the 'film' effect.

gnashings · October 2, 2011

Fascinating as usual, great work - minus flip-flop man:) I'm super curious about the "historic oops" - I can't pick it up!

Rick_van_Nooij · October 3, 2011

Peter, I'll give you a hint; it concerns one of the Submachine guns. ;)

JDM, I like Ilford XP2 in Medium format, but it's no BW400CN (curse you Kodak!). Unless I start developing myself XP2 is the quickest way for me to get B/W film developed. You've got a point about converting color film to B/W though (like I now do with the Lucky film).

kris-bochenek · October 3, 2011

Amazing shots!. If it wasnt for the people in today's clothing I would think those were taken during the war.

chauncey_walden · October 3, 2011

Great shots in the whole series. You're having too much fun at this. Does that M3 have the August 1944 changes?

Rick_van_Nooij · October 3, 2011

Chauncey's won a cookie. It's in fact an M3A1, it was approved around December 1944, but never reached the European Theather until after VE-day (As far as photographic evidence can prove).

chuck_foreman1 · October 3, 2011

Well I was on the right piece...but no idea about details... Great stuff. I think the Ektar 127 performed really well. I think you would probably get a different effect using TriX or Acros 100 or any other "B&W" film. I have been after the XP2 and think it would suit my needs for something "convenient" Rick D has used this in the past to a good effect but I'd say lately he does what JDM is proposing simply converting the color image to B&W. I did some scans once of a B&W photo and of course the scan in color was true to the image I had. When I converted it to B&W I got an idea of how maybe the original might have looked before being toned and printed . Hard to say, but gutsier. I'd like to see these images with more contrast. I think the XP2 negs are dense and come away a bit light! Anyway .. the series is good and I get a feeling of having been there in 1944!

Rick_van_Nooij · October 4, 2011

Thanks everyone for the replies so far.

Chuck, yes exactly. The XP2 scans are very light, I turned down the white point to zero when scanning it with vuescan so the image would be a little darker. If you leave the white point at 1 and then use auto correction on the levels large clear areas like the sky will show some artifacts like on this one:

I know I've said it before; I got to invest in some 4x5 sheet film for this camera. ;)

doug grosjean · October 5, 2011

I don't always comment, but do always enjoy these images from you. Nice to see old gear (the cameras, and the gear used by reenactors) get used once more in modern times.

I do have one question, but it's not photography. How long after the end of WWII was it before people began to do the re-enactments over there? Just kinda curious.

Here in the States, Civil War re-enactments are popular with some people. But aside from Japanese balloon bombs, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese invasion of an Alaskan island, and German submarine actions off our East coast, nothing really happened here in WWII. People just built stuff - planes, bombs, Jeeps.... and shipped them off to Pacific and Europe.

donnie_strickland · October 5, 2011

Excellent work as always, Rick!

Rick_van_Nooij · October 6, 2011

Thanks Donnie and Doug,

I think re-enactment and Living History events started to appear in the 1980s. I've seen photos of the 29th ID being re-enacted in Belgium and a big mock battle event in the UK in the early 80s.

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