Rethymnon harbour in Crete #1
by Paul Cowan
Title
Rethymnon harbour in Crete #1
Artist
Paul Cowan
Medium
Photograph
Description
This is one of the most remarkable photos I have ever taken. Not because the the air was so clear, the sea so blue and calm and the reflections so perfect, not because it makes almost the ideal postcard image of a Greek island city - it is Rethymnon, on Crete - what is remarkable is that the photo was taken with one of the most primitive cameras I have ever used.
The Beier Beirax is a folding camera that was made in Germany from 1936. Mine seems to be a particularly early model, as it has a loop of metal to wind the film forward (like the 1920s Welta Gloria) rather than a fancy Bakelite knob which was standard for the model. The lens, however, a Ludwig Victar generally appeared on later pre-war models.
The subject is selected by looking through a metal frame on top of the camera, so precision is not possible, and focusing is done by guessing the distance and turning the ring on the front of the lens to the desired distance.
The Prontor shutter is not capable of very fast speeds, so I set the aperture for about f/14, to give the best depth of focus and used the "hyperfocal distance" to get both the town and the boats in focus, The result is that not only are the boats nice and sharp, I can also read the name on one of the buildings behind the lighthouse, top right.
Since this was takne, in 2009, the camera's shutter has started sticking and the best efforts of an old-fashioned watch-maker could not quite bring it back to life, so for the time being this particular camera is out of action.
But I have little doubt that the last photos it took were among its best.
The picture shows fishing boats moored by the quayside where the daily fish-market takes place in Rethymnon, Crete. The city is in the background, with its magnificent Venetian era castle and the crumbling minarets from the Turkish occupation.
Uploaded
February 16th, 2013
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