"Night Views" – the Mannheim Water Tower

Exceptional light situations cannot be found – they find themselves.

The Mannheim Water Tower is one of those buildings whose nocturnal beauty is particularly fascinating. This is why I considered it for my series "Night Views".

The subject determines the camera; I generally prefer to work with a 8x10 inch large format camera in black and white. For exposure times of 5 minutes of more – and generally for colour shots – I prefer a 4x4 inch camera.

If a nocturnal motif appeals to me, I start making sketches. Spontaneous shots are not out of the question, but they seldom happen.

A total of four attempts were necessary for the completed photograph
of the Mannheim Water Tower. I began with a 4x5 inch study and staggered exposure times. The Super-Angulon 5.6/72mm XL proved to be the ideal focal length.


Important factors were darkness, a cloudless sky and no wind in order to obtain the mirror reflection of the fountain and to avoid camera shake.

First attempt: The criteria were all fulfilled, but examination of the negative under a magnifier revealed a barrier fence that spoiled the Jugendstil ambience. I had not noticed this because of the darkness. The exposure times are not quite right; I must expose for longer and develop with greater compensation.

Second attempt: Weather good, a calm, cloudless evening. So more exposure tests. Everything on the focusing screen looks good, just the Amphitrite figure on the top of the water tower seems rather dark, almost imperceptible. The reason is obvious: the compendium protrudes a bit too far into the upper section of the picture. If I reduce the compendium just a little I have exposure to side light. I try exposure bracketing. It shows in developing, but it is just slightly too much and the Amphitrite is slightly shadowed.

Still, thanks to the test shots I have been able to determine a good exposure time and thus get a grip on the reciprocity effect and development. From now on I can work with the 8x10 inch.

Third attempt: Weather optimal – but at the Water Tower itself there is a classic car meeting with a merry-go-round...

Fourth attempt. The weather conditions could be okay. From a distance I can see a few storm clouds over the Odenwald mountains, but the light westerly wind is driving them away from Mannheim. At the location I realise that this is "my day". I slowly set up the 8x10, it is still early and the fountain is still running. The focusing screen image shows me the motif in splendid size. A slight shift to the left to hide an unwanted water jet on the second fountain figure. With vertical standards the strong upward shift is a matter of course. And here in particular, the Super-Symmar 5.6/150mm XL with its extremely large image circle is an ideal choice. I do not have to make full use of it and therefore have almost no light fall-off. Using the 4x magnifying glass I can determine my depth of field and the necessary aperture very precisely on the focusing screen: 22 1/3. This relatively low f-number for 8x10 inch allows me to remain in the more favourable reciprocity area.

I have left my watch at home, great. However, I know my exposure time from the tests with the 4x5 inch. So I count. While I am standing there, exposing and counting, passers-by repeatedly try to engage me in conversation. I give short, but not impolite replies and continue counting with the left side of my mouth; the fingers of my left hand help to prevent me from losing the rhythm. I expose a total of 8 sheet films. After the last exposure a light wind ripples the surface of the basin. 
 

Development reveals that the best photograph is the one during which two passers-by engaged me for too long in conversation and I miscounted. This resulted in a somewhat longer exposure – which made it exactly right! In addition, this shot contains a very nice compositional element: there are two people sitting on the water tower steps, slightly out of focus due to the long exposure, thereby "enlivening" the ensemble.

Result:

Mannheim Water Tower by night in black and white
Original ( pdf: 5MB )

Technical details:

My standard tool is a Linhof Technikardan-S 4x5 inch camera with which I also took the trial shots. On this camera I used the Super-Angulon 5.6/72 XL  at f/16.

For the final picture I worked with the Toyo 810M and the
Super-Symmar 5.6/150 XL Aspheric at f/22 1/3. The aspheric lenses allow extreme shifting possibilities and unrivalled image quality at the same time! As I must often make substantial shifts there is no alternative to these lenses.

When it comes to exposure I orientate myself to zones, but I do so without being dogmatic. I am looking for maximum shadow detail and a compensating development on the lights. In addition to D 76 or HC 110, I prefer PMK developer (a self-preparation made from Pyro-Metol-Kodalk, according to Gordon Hutchings).

Tmax 400 is the film I work with almost exclusively.

I make my hand proofs in my own laboratory, enlarged using the
Componon-S 5.6/300 or the Apo-Componon 4/150, on baryta paper.

I am a confirmed follower of analogue large format photography and am convinced that, particularly in the artistic area, the renaissance of the large format camera has already begun. Martin Blume.