I have been meaning to shoot some of Madrid’s new skyscrapers for a while, and a very bright and sunny December day brought the perfect weather to shoot a roll of the wonderful Ilford Pan F 50 film. Come enjoy some futuristic architectural views in a very classical city!
I have actually only shot Ilford’s Pan F 50 film once, and that was way back during my 52 roll of film project (see post here). That time I shot it on medium format film and I was curious as to how 35mm film would shape up, and indeed I was not disappointed. I’ve always been a big fan of architectural shots, although I lack the patience for tripod setup and long intensive deliberations as to the best overall composition.
During an unusually bright (but quite cold) sunny December 24th day, I managed a few hours in the early afternoon to go for a walk around the Plaza Castilla area of Madrid an a bit further outwards to where the new skyscrapers are (also known as the “Four Towers Business Area”, because yes, you guessed it, there are indeed 4 skyscrapers there!). In fact I had never been up close to this area (built in 2008) and was keen to shoot some Ilford Pan F 50 film.
A bit more about the film
Ilford Pan F 50 film has is one of the sharpest black and white films I have seen, although at a very slow ISO 50 you will be wanting plenty of light. It is not as near-digital sharp as Kodak TMax film, but close and it does have a really nice contrast to it. According to Ilford:
35mm, ISO 50, high contrast, super sharp black & white film with very fine grain. Ideal for studio photography and bright, natural light.
Slow speed ISO 50Exceptionally fine grainOutstanding resolution & sharpness35mm & 120 Roll Film available
A bit more about the shots
I started off at Plaza Castilla, which is home to the Gate of Europe twin towers (standing, well leaning actually, at a respectable 114m), which I remember being built through my childhood. Eventually finished in 1996, their construction was started in 1989. They are also known as the Torres KIO, presumably after the Kuwaiti Investment Office which funded them.
All shots are taken with my Leica M2 camera and Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 lens.
A great shot of the Torres KIO, which incidentally were the first inclined skyscrapers in the world. I really like the reflection of the sun in many of the shots.
This is the view as you start approaching Madrid.
‘Torre Cepsa’ standing at 248m with 45 floors. I like the random streetlight in this shot for no other reason that I thought it looked cool.
A view through Plaza Castilla and down towards the business area with the new skyscrapers.
Not a skyscraper but a classic building nonetheless: Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium, nestled between apartments right in the middle of the city. I really like the shadows in this shot.
I like layers in photography and this is what I was trying to capture here. I like the different shades of black & white, also vastly different textures.
The middle tower is called ‘Torre de Cristal’ (Glass Tower) and is the tallest building in Spain standing at 249m. Funnily enough it just beats the ‘Torre Ceps’ by ONE metre!
One of the many landscaped art in the business area - I knew this would be a good shot when I saw the low afternoon sun casting a nice soft shadow.
Just opposite the Bernabeu Stadium. I can’t remember the name of this building, I believe it is a bank. I liked how the trees framed the shot.
One of my favourite shots and definitely one I will get printed. This is actually the Torre Cepsa, it looks very different from this angle.
Love the reflections and crossing lines in this shot.
A closer more cropped shot with my 50mm lens. Really nice sharpness in this shot too.
Cool reflection of one building onto the other - they really do have a strong inclination!
Love this shot too - especially the blinding light from the sun. Really nice tones with Ilford Pan F 50 film.
Pity about the dusty negatives, although it makes it look a bit ‘old school’. Dusty negatives aside, I like how the image becomes brighter/lighter as you move upwards towards the sky.
I was tempted to photoshop out the tower on the lower right but decided to keep it as is.
PwC tower standing at 236m with 52 floors.
I really like reflections!
Overall observations
I was really pleased with the results I got given they were shot over a very short period of time and with just 1 roll of film and mostly 1 lens. I could easily go back with a medium format camera and tripod and take loads more photos, there are so many different angles to explore in this part of Madrid.
I was pleasantly surprised with the Ilford Pan F 50 film. I was expecting shots more akin to Kodak’s TMax, which sometimes can have too much of a digital look to them due to such high sharpness. The shots were very sharp but also had very strong blacks and high contrast, “with personality” (if that makes sense). A bit less clinical than the Kodak film, although it’s hard to make a strong conclusion based off of one roll of film and changing light conditions through the afternoon into early sunset.
Actually the Voigtlander 35mm lens I used for most of the shots is known to have a more classic look to it and does show vignetting at certain apertures. I believe the closer cropped shots of the Torres Kio (the leaning towers) were taken with my Leica Summicron 50mm lens, which is much sharper overall.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that if you have not tried Ilford Pan F 50 film, then definitely give it a go, just make sure you have plenty of light!
There are more posts on the way, as I make my way through scanning quite a few rolls from the December/New Year break, so see you soon!
Thanks for stopping by,
Neil
