Step into Simon Auger's world as he unveils an intimate view of his creative process and the intricate techniques that birthed this stunning architectural masterpiece in this 'How I Got This Picture' interview.

IMAGE TITLE

Downtown Toronto #2 2023

How I Got This Picture - Simon Auger

TECHNICAL INFO

Film Used

ILFORD HP5+ shot at 1600 ISO.

FORMAT

35mm.

Camera

Nikon F3.

Lens

17mm Tokina Prime Lens.

Exposure time

Can't Remember.

Location

This shot was taken looking up into the mist-covered buildings at the intersection of King street and Bay street, what is commonly referred to as the “financial district” in Toronto.

Firstly, tell us the story behind this image. What inspired you to shoot it?

I have been keeping a keen eye on the weather during the winter as often with drizzly days, we get low lying clouds which cover the tops of the buildings here in Toronto. On this particular day I remember debating whether to make the trip into town or not. It was wet, windy and (typical Canada in January) cold. Arriving at King and Bay, immediately I could see the tops of the buildings all covered in cloud and mist and  it did not disappoint. I shot about 15 or so different photographs from various viewpoints with the aim of capturing the architecture vanishing into the nothingness of the sky. With the rain not relinquishing I had to pre-visualize my shot whilst covering my camera and rapidly taking the photograph.

As with most of my photography I am very much inspired (like thousands of others)  by the photographer Michael Kenna and his use of Fog in his 35mm work. Not being able to travel back in time to the England of the late 70s/early 80s  I had to make due with the fog and drizzle of Toronto.

Did you come across any challenges?

Weather. Of course as many landscape photographers can attest, my only limitation after film supply was how much my fingers could withstand the cold conditions. The rain spots slowly gathering on the front lens element also did not make the task any easier.

What process did you use?

I took this shot on Aperture Priority with 2 stops of exposure compensation to get the clouds and fog to come out white. I scanned my negative with an Olympus camera with a 50mm macro lens using the Hi-Res function on a copy stand. Touch up and positive made using Snapseed on my phone.

How did you process it?

I used ILFORD HC 1+31 for the iso 1600 indicated times on the massive dev chart whilst listening to the soothing sounds of North Korean Pop music. Fixed and washed using standard procedures.

What about printing?

For now I have not printed it but I may in the future.

 

Images ©Simon Auger