Bramley Apple

Feeling low.

The Leica SL2-S has been a disappointment concerning the low light performances, and already at 1.600 ISO (like in this photo of Cristiana), the whole structure of the image is falling apart.
It is still a pleasant photo overall, but the promises made by Leica about the higher ISO capabilities of this camera were lies, as far as I can see.
Actually, even the Panasonic Lumix S1 was better than the Leica in this respect.

On the other hand, an experiment I accidentally made with the ...

The lens I've been dreaming about for over 30 years.

I started with photography when I was 21, and I bought a Yashica FX2000 so I could mount the Contax Zeiss lens when I had enough money to buy them.
This never happened in the film era, and I never had a single Zeiss lens for my Yashica or for the Contax 139 Quarz I acquired later, because I was young and broke back then. 
But the Contax-Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f1.4 was always on top of my desire list, as it was the most iconic portrait lens for the system.

I'm now 54, I have a r...

Read and remember.

This is exactly what I've been doing in the past 8 years, 9 in November to be precise.
That is when I started the Bramley Apple Project: enjoying myself taking pictures of the best looking n4ked young ladies available on the scene.
Photography has been my preferred art for most of my life, and finally I closed the circle portraying nude models as I used to do in art school, when I was 15 years old, but with my digital cameras instead of pencils and paper.

Of course, I also need to...

Empty places.

The factory in Carvico is no longer available for shootings, and I'm always in search for new abandoned places, but few are open.
The closed ones are difficult to enter, and I can't make the models come in with me, both tor the dangers, as well as for the legal implications.
The bonus photo of today shows a place in Olginate, near Lecco, that would be a magnificent location to shoot in with any of my models, but not even I managed to get inside.
This photo was shot from one of the wi...

Martina's Friday.

Today is dedicated to Martina, in July 2019, with 2 more photos on my regular social media feed and on DA Subscriptions.
Definitely a moment to remember forever, fortunately we're helped by photography!

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@yahoo.com

Nasty reflections.

One of the reasons I avoid shooting in bathrooms is for the ugly color cast the surfaces appear to provide, inevitably.
I'm not sure bathroom colors are going to improve with the new Fujifilm GFX camera, they surely improved with the flashlight on the Nikon D810 (I'm thinking about Paulinepastel's shooting), but not significantly.
I believe it is down to harsh reflections from the glossy and hard surfaces in this room.
It must be the same effects these surfaces have on sounds, makin...

Important document enclosed.

The idea of my project is to create an Archive of the best contemporary beauties for posterity (and for our current enjoyment as well!)
But some shootings are already part of our history, like the first I made with Cristiana in March 2020, and we can look at these 5 years old photos as precious documents, the kind we are happy to preserve.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on&...

Regular camera.

About Klara, I showed you only photos shot with the Fujifilm X100VI, so far, the wild card during this shooting.
Because I needed to get acquainted with the Fujifilm files, and help me to take the decision to buy the GFX.

But now it's time to introduce you to the pictures we made on the other camera, the "regular" one I've been using for a long time now: the Leica SL2-S.
A camera I've learned to love despite its quirks, as it is a pleasure to use.
A very special camera it is ha...

Fragile.

Annalisa is a strong contemporary woman, but she can act like a delicate and small bird.
I love how expressive she can be with her entire body, not only with the face.
And this is exactly the kind of poses I'm in search for from my models: I don't want seduction or provocations, I want to create art with true muses, and Annalisa has been one of my best so far.

Today you can see 2 more examples of her great talent in posing on my regular social media feed and on DA Subscriptions. 2025-03-17 08:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Fly on the wall.

I like my models to look directly inside the lens, but sometimes it is a good idea to make them look elsewhere, because it appears as if we were not there looking at them, as if we were the proverbial fly on the wall...

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@yahoo.com

Speaking about next shootings...

The end of March is going to be pretty intense, with one shooting scheduled for the 26th in Bergamo, and another one for the 29th in Milano.
Both shootings are with new models, one from Ukraine I just found out about, and the other from Sweden I've been following for a long time.
And both shootings will see the new GFX medium format as the main camera, mainly combined with the Contax-Zeiss Planar T* 100mm f2.
But I will still take the Leica SL2-S as a backup camera, as it is reliable...

Touch wood.

Not sure why it is said to bring luck, but it is surely making us feel lucky when we see Anneth leaning on this wooden wall.
Today 2 more photos of Anneth leaning on this same wall, one on my regular social media feed, and the other on DA Subscriptions.
So let's keep in touch with this wood!

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on  2025-03-14 08:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Uncomfortable look.

Fished out 3 photos of Ary from our first shooting in her Ferrara house, and I will post them all today, so keep an eye also elsewhere...
The one on Patreon is an intense portrait looking in camera, something she doesn't like to do, because she does not like her face, but I like how she looks, even if she appears uncomfortable.
Her expression makes her more human, and we feel a connection with her.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or ...

Shooting season is starting.

May was a hot enough month to allow £lisandra to stay seated on the floor and with the window opened on the balcony in Merate.
And she looks sweet and cute in this position.
The season is starting and I may have a new shooting coming up...
So in March I may be shooting both on the 26th and on the 29th.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on 2025-03-12 08:30:02 +0000 UTC View Post

Experiments in the background.

Still making experiments with the GFX medium format camera and my collection of lenses.
This last Weekend I tried the Leica Summicron-M 50mm, which is heavily vignetting, so much so that I had to shoot in square mode.
It is possibly due to the fact it is a lens for the Leica M system, and it is supposed to be placed very near the sensor, but the vignetting is not only a darkening caused by the edge of the lenses, it is actually a mechanical vignetting caused by the barrel of the lens it...

Long way away.

Brescia is not around the corner, but no travel is long enough when you have to meet with Martina!
This was way back in October 2018, our third shooting together, but I was already hooked!
And now I look forward to trying the new medium format GFX camera on Martina.
I think next time she comes to Milano I'm going to grab the opportunity, whatever apartment she is staying in, because it is time to start the shooting season in a serious way.

I'm not progressing very well with the...

NOT set in stone.

My project is based upon creating an Archive of the best nude contemporary beauties for posterity.
And I was sure that, whenever captured, these beauties would remain in the project forever, set in stone, but unfortunately it is not so.
Some girls ask to change the rules for the time being, and some get out of the project altogether, this happened twice in the last couple of weeks.

You might have noticed the disappearing of one of my all time favorite model, I had to cancel both o...

Another great location is gone.

This abandoned factory is no longer available, some work is going on inside and they cleaned up all the "forest" surrounding the buildings.
Fortunately I managed to use it twice before it was too late, once with Sugar and once with Ania.

What is still available for me is the lens I used for this photo, the Contax-Zeiss Sonnar T* 85mm f2.8, and i will try it also on the new GFX mediun format camera... but not for my first shooting on the 29th, for that I think I will try the bigger br...

All day in bed.

Today I'll post 3 photos of Rabbit, all 3 on the bed, variations on the same theme.
So check out also my regular social media feed and DA subscriptions.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@yahoo.com

Don't hold back.

Useless to keep our treasures hidden, they must be shown to the world.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@yahoo.com

Living in 4 boxes.

BentBox is too expensive, for the percentage they ask on sales, but sometimes I upload my shootings also there.
But I uploaded this one, knowing well it is not hot enough for that audience, but I hope the eyes of Paulina will attract some customer...
For the real connoisseurs, my Archives remain the best option to see Paulina, and the most convenient.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscripti...

Pleasant distractions.

Life is made of positive things and negative things, but looking at Martina on a bed, at least for a moment, we forget about everything else, good or bad.
I hope my photos have the same effect on you, because we need some distraction, at least once a day.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@ya...

Fine tunings.

Finally managed to remove the first lens from the new Camera and have been experimenting on Sunday with the mighty Nikon 135mm f2 Defocus Control.
It is a difficult lens to use because of the longer focal length, but I found another help selecting the Acros BW film simulation, and this is letting me see the red focus peaking inside the electronic viewfinder much better.
This is something I was doing already on the Leica SL2-S, but when you get acquainted with a new camera, it is like st...

Sophy's smile.

Sometimes I'm sorry I've not managed to make another shooting with Sophy, but then I think I have done 2 already!
This photo is from the first one, by the way.
I don't have to be too greedy, I will just wait patiently for the third one to come in the future... and you will keep me company with our fingers crossed.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on 2025-03-02 08:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post

What makes a good photo?

Is it the lens, or the camera?
Maybe the light, after all the word "photography" means painting with light.
Or the framing skills?
Or the subject, because when I see the photos shot by YouTubers to try out cameras, they look pretty boring, useless, possibly because they couldn't hire model like Slim every time they review new gear, surely because YouTube would ban the video anyway...

The truth is a good photo is made by a combination of many elements, you need a lot of them to...

The GFX is here!

Finally put my hands on the GFX 50S II, but I still remembered I had to make a post for my Patrons!
First impressions on the camera are positive, but I have to study every function before the next shooting.
First lens I tried on it, the Nikon 85mm f2 AI-s, is the lens I used for this portrait of Martina.
With the new camera and on the larger sensor, this lens is going to show a larger frame but, in the first photos shot at f2, I can't see any vignetting, so we might be very lucky and...

Play it again, Sam.

This is the level of detail one would expect by one of the best wide angle available, the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G ED AF-S Nikkor.
You could look at this pictures for a long time and still find new details, but I suggest you concentrate mainly on Ania's backside!

This kind of quality on medium format would be lovely, and I will try also this lens on the new Fujifilm GFX, but it is unlikely to cover the whole surface of the sensor...
Possibly the best location to try agai...

Under the sun.

Harsh sunlight is never the best solution for portraits but, in this case, the hot light is making love with the skin of £lisandra.
No mercy is shown by this light, and yet, the model stands up to the task and her beauty is even more dazzling.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@yahoo.com 2025-02-26 08:30:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Last touches.

I've been finalizing Paulinepastel shooting on Sunday, and now I'm going to save it in Archives.
It took much longer to work on this set, compared with Dottir's, but we're talking about 343 photos, + the BW versions, a lot more than usual, and I couldn't bring myself to be more selective than this, so good looking is this model.

One more photo of her today on my regular social media feed.

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archive...

New possibilities.

This forgotten lens, the Nikon 200mm f4 AI, is one I want to try on the new Fujifilm GFX 50S II.
On the Panasonic Lumix S1 it worked very well and was very sharp indeed, but I had to stay in the furthest corner of this apartment to fit Martina in the full frame sensor, and only in this crouched pose!
On the bigger medium format sensor of the GFX camera, the lens will include a wider image, hoping the lens can fully cover the whole surface of the sensor, so I may be able to use these ext...