Croydon Town Hall

It may have something to do with the fact that I am quite severely astigmatic or just poor technique. The nearest corner of the building is vertical in the photo as is the streetlight. If the building was orientated differently they would be leaning instead.....

Beautiful building. There is nothing about this photo that is objectionable, and the clouds are way cool. Really this is a really nice crisp well-toned photo of an amazing building. Glad you used the light yellow filter. My two coppers - first the tree there does not help as photographed. If you had the bottom of tree in the frame it may help get a level horizon, don't know if that was possible, then make the tree vertical. second, mostly there is not an optimum way to do this, so i just carry around a small circular bubble level, lay on the top plate of camera and just level the camera and take what i get. I have a bubble in the tripod head i use for my 35mm and always use it. Here, your other option would have been to vertical the clock tower, and let the rest do what it will do. The clock tower is so "out there" that it may be the best approach. If the clock tower were centered that may help too, if there is not too much going on the left side of building or road. The branches on the left might actually help if more in the frame too rather than being cut off but not eliminated. My rule of thumb normally has been if i can't eliminate then i include more to avoid the "chopped" look.

Thank you for the tips. Yes, I like the idea of a small bubble level. There is an accessory plate on the top of the camera. The foreground was rather cluttered with some youths drinking cider and being noisy so I wanted to avoid that but it would have been better if there was some foreground for reference. I actually stood on a bench to avoid the foreground and I was also too captivated by the beautiful clouds so the original, before cropping version of this photo had way too much sky. This building is only 10 minutes' walk away so I can easily try again but there are limits to the view that I can get.

I recall that 7Dayshop used to sell an electronic level that had green and red lights that it claimed you could see while looking through the viewfinder. Two green lights and the camera was level. This seemed to be a big advantage for hand-held shots to me. It was more expensive than the spirit level that fits the hotshoe but wasn't that much higher in price.

For some reason 7Dayshop ceased to stock it after a short time and I have never seen it on sale again for whatever reason.

I never bought one so cannot say how good it was in practice

pentaxuser

@pentaxuser That sounds like a useful device, if it works in practice. The trouble with a spirit level on the accessory shoe is that it is not a lot of good for handheld shots (but would work with the camera on a tripod).

I've ordered an accessory shoe 3 axis bubble. Less than £5. Of course, it isn't always desirable for the camera to be level but it's a good start for people like me!

Yes I did a bit of research on where-else this electronic level might be bought but drew a blank. There appeared to be no other sellers or none I could find. It just seemed to disappear. If I were in need of straight horizontals such as in architecture shots I'd be tempted to have another search.

It just seemed to me that a electronic device with lights that indicated the camera was level would not be that difficult to devise so I suspect it worked OK but the market wasn't big enough to justify production beyond what may have been an initial batch quantity. The demand wasn't enough to justify full scale production but this is all speculation on my part

pentaxuser

There is something similar to what you describe listed on the B&H website based in the USA. It has mixed reviews with some saying it isn't sensitive enough and others saying it's great. I'll try the low tech spirit level and see where that gets me. I'll be fit and back to work soon so I won't be taking so many photographs.

Once again, great building...seems to be nice architecture in Croydon. The bendy verticals are a bit off putting, but the tones are lovely. Time to invest in that 5x4 with a rising front standard

Yes it is a bit off putting. I wasn't sure I was even going to scan this negative. I will have another go sometime. The architecture of the few remaining buildings that weren't blown up by the Luftwaffe or demolished by the postwar planners is rather nice but it is scattered throughout the town with some really hideous stuff in between.......and they are still building that hideous stuff. I look at these tower blocks of flats rising up and would rather live in a dog kennel in the garden than a concrete prison-hutch.

I do like the tones of this photo but I can see why some people feel Ilford Delta 100 is bit "sterile" and too perfect. I do think FP4+ is probably going to end up my favourite all-rounder for 120 but for 35mm it may be the Delta 100 as it is enlarged more. I had some nice pictures on HP5 as well. I probably should be using something a bit faster. It would give me more depth of field and allow the old lens to be stopped down. Since I have had the camera it has been Winter coming into Spring and I have never had a chance to use a really stopped down aperture.