This is the personal website of Richard Hartley, a collection of photographs, notes, news that interests me about film and technology and ideas to share with friends. Work information can be found here.
My passions are photography and cinematography. I’ve collected films from the last century of cinema and try to balance re-watching old favourites with catching up on the latest releases. I try to have a few nights a week watching films with friends at home and try to get to the cinema as often as possible: Home in Manchester and BFI Southbank or Prince Charles Cinema in London.
It was a sad day when my trusty Canon IXUS L1 APS film camera fell out of the car after 10 years of service on the drive back from Moscow. It was quick, small enough to always be on hand and did long exposures so you didn’t need a flash. My new favourite stills camera is a Sigma DP1. Compact like the Canon, with an unusually large digital sensor, similar in size to the Canon’s APS classic film negative. Megapixels are not the full story and this camera makes tremendous images – though sometimes the best images are the fuzziest.
Italy is a favourite holiday destination – especially Naples, Capri, Amalfi, Rome and the region of Puglia.
Drove with Sue in 2008 to Russia via France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland over two weeks. The Atomium in Belgium; Copenhagen and Stockholm were highlights. St Petersburg is down for a return visit and I’d like to explore more of Moscow on a future visit.