This is my good friend, Allan Fair; Allan is the resident coffee aficionado at Noa Bake House. Noa Bake House has, over the years, become the unofficial creative hub of the Isle of Man, it started off as a bakery but has since expanded into a cafe/eatery/bar/gig venue/art gallery and general meeting place. I sometimes get in there early, bag one of the comfy leather sofas and turn the corner into a temporary office.
A cup of coffee is a cup of coffee, right? Wrong. It’s always perplexed me how one person can take two ingredients, a handful of coffee beans and some milk, and produce something that tastes so good, while another person, well, just can’t? But Allan can, and I don’t ask him how he does it – he’s the goose, and his cups of latte, Americanos and flat whites are the golden eggs.
For this shoot with Allan, I used an abandoned house, simply because I like the light. I made the images using two cameras – a Pentax 67 with 105mm lens and a Fuji GA645. Film stock was Fuji Pro 400H in the Pentax (top 4 images) and Kodak Ektar 100 in the GA645 (last 3 images)
PHIL KNEEN 
I think we mere mortals just need to accept that our photographs are never going to be anywhere near to this calibre… not even a small amount of the way there!
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Too kind, thank you 🙂
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Awwww! Allan, you look like a pro model! I love these shots! Phil, the way you use natural light is gorgeous. X
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He’s a looker. Thanks, Amy 🙂
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This is very impressive work
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Thank you, Geoff!
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So human !
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🙂
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That is some seriously masterful use of light and analogue media! WOW!
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Thanks Hank 🙂
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Awesome natural light images. Lovely.
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Thank you!
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Incredible! Simply perfect. You are a lights-smith 🙂
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Thank you, Juliet 🙂
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I venture into this world after a forced hiatus and again, your images are just awesome.
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Thank you! Glad you’re back!
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Fantastic work Phil – Hard to pick my favourite, but if pressed – 2nd from last.
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Thank you! That was actually one of those ‘bang it off at the end to use the film up’ shots – it has grown on me though
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The last few times I have surfed…in less than magical conditions; people have approached me and they began to laud us with compliments. I really can not explain how I surf good and what I see compared to someone who is not at my level. But…
In other subjects, I marvel at a photographer, a person playing guitar,or an artist and I am like the people who come up to me. As I admire your photography skills and you are awed by a man and his ability to cook or create a great cup of coffee.
A lot of crafts and skills to learn…or admire!
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It’s good to see that you’re not only back on form, you’ve returned better than you ever have been – these images are stunning.
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life in the raw and untainted….love the emotions being captured
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I loved the chosen setting and all the portraits here.
Using two cameras of different size, weight and (especially) format with roughly similar lenses in terms of angle of view… Do you remember which camera/lens you liked more in this particular shoot?
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Thank you! That’s a really good question! To be honest, it’s hard to say – I love the quality of the Pentax, but I think I’d like a slightly wider lens to the 105mm, probably the 75mm. The GA645 is a great ‘little’ camera and I like the way it renders tone and colour, but I find the focusing very ‘hit and miss’. I’m going to try shooting the GA645 on a tripod, with 400 film and use smaller apertures.
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Thank you, Phil, much appreciated.
I always liked the 6×7 more than the 2×3. Yet, I find shooting with Pentax 645N somehow more productive, if that is the correct word. Now… You have motivated me to visit the deep frezer and get a roll of film after months of contemplating… The camera? Not yet certain!
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