I am a big fan of the work of a photographer by the name of James Ravilious. A British photographer, he does not seem to be well known within England, much less without. JamesRavilious.com

Sadly, Mr. Ravilious passed away a decade ago. But, not before leaving an amazing archive of work documenting one part of rural England. Every now and again I go back and watch the documentary on him.

I recently wrote to express my love of his work to Mrs. Ravilious and she kindly responded to my letter. She is actively working on finding a gallery to display his work here in the US. If you know of an appropriate venue perhaps you should contact her through the website above.

Watch the video and you will see his use of Leica range-finders to achieve his look. Of particular interest to me is his use of uncoated lenses and hood modified framing. I am not sure of what aspect ratio he was changing to (if that was the purpose at all) or whether it was simply additional flare control on his uncoated glass.

A great deal of the aesthetic (atmospheric) look of his image can be attributed to the uncoated lenses. They aren't as high contrast or as sharp as modern lenses. But, what they lack in modern luster they make up for in there other-worldy fuzziness. Of course, it is obvious that he chose his time of day, weather, and subjects carefully to craft his images. I don't know how much work he did in the dark room. I hope someday to see his prints in person.