Here are some images from my visit to the Brompton factory in December 2017. I've been using these magnificent folding bicycles for about 20 years so I thought it was about time that I made a pilgrimage to the factory to hear a bit more about the history and technical challenges associated with the Brompton's unique design. I also set myself a photographic challenge to depict the repetitiveness of the manufacturing process and hopefully capture the graphic forms that can result from many items of the same type being stored together. Where possible I tried to include the Brompton name or the graphic/marketing image of the bicycle itself. For some reason I missed the scene of bicycles in their final build stage where components are attached to the frame. I was obviously trying to keep up with the informative and entertaining tour guide! Another aspect of the photographic challenge involved my decision to use a Pentax Super A SLR with one lens (35mm f2) and Ilford Delta 400asa black and white film. Would there be enough light to hand-hold at about 1/30th of a second? Would the depth of field be long enough? Eventually the processed and scanned pictures (thanks go to Film Dev in Stockton on Tees), with some tweaking in Lightroom, revealed that most of the 36 exposures from the day seemed fit for purpose. Using film is a good exercise for people like me, who have also embraced digital cameras, to slow down and not shoot multiple shots of the same scene! The look and feel of the results can be different too, so film is just another image making tool.
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