Month: December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Views of the River Wharfe

fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

A few more images from Boston Spa, taken last Sunday. These show the River Wharf, which was flowing with some force on the day, and there was clear evidence of it having recently breached its banks – flattened grasses around the footpath and debris in the trees much higher than the waterline. The weir was also making a great deal of noise as the water poured over it, and the area below the fall was boiling and churning away from the force.

Sat atop the weir was an entire tree that had been swept downstream at some point and become lodged there. It’s possible to get right to the water’s edge next to the weir and a fence prevents people from accidentally falling into the water below the weir, but the river above the weir is not similarly guarded and was moving with unnerving swiftness, so I stayed well back from the edge. (instead just risking fractured limbs on some slippery rocks).

FILM - Wharfe weir

Thorp Arch Bridge spans the river just downstream from the weir, and again there was significant noise caused by the water passing the piers and notable turbulence and whirlpools just below the structure. The bridge opened in 1760, has five arches and is Grade II listed.

FILM - Thorp Arch Bridge

The final image is looking downstream from atop Thorp Arch Bridge, this time shot with the Zuiko 75-150mm zoom.

FILM - Downstream

Olympus OM-1, Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 (and Zuiko 75-150mm f/4) & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 800asa).

Taken on 15 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

House with a curved drive

fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This house was close to the camera fair I attended last weekend. The fair is in Boston Spa, which is around 40 miles from where I live and I’ve visited a few times in the past (it’s held around five or six times each year). I quite fancied the idea of picking up 6×9 medium format folding camera, but while there were a few for sale, I wasn’t certain and decided against purchasing any of them in the end. All I came away with was a circular polariser that will fit my ETRSi 75mm lens. Well, that and a bunch of photos.

I shot several frames around Boston Spa, some of which will appear here in the coming days and then finished the roll at Ferrybridge on the way home (again, stuff from that to come soon). For today though, here’s a nice looking house with a photogenically curving driveway. There’s also a squirrel if you look for it.

FILM - House with a curved drive

Olympus OM-1, Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 800asa).

Taken on 15 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

In a hut at Bletchley Park

fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

As a direct follow on to yesterday’s post (there will likely be a few more – I have other Bletchley photos), here’s a picture taken in one of the huts at Bletchley Park museum. I *think* this is Hut 8, which is where German naval Enigma codebreaking took place. It’s also where Alan Turing had his office. None of this can be seen in the photo however, and I took it mostly because I liked the way the coridor was lit by the overhead lights, with the door at the end of the corridor forming a focal point.

Even with the HP5 pushed to 800asa I still had to shoot wide open at f/1.8 and 1/30s, and brace myself against a door frame to prevent camera shake. I took three shots of this scene, looking in both directions. One still suffered from shake, so isn’t included here.

I prefer the first shot, as I think it’s cleaner without the equipment and fire-extinguisher (and smoke alarm), but the other is nice too. The primary difference is in the point of focus, the first being on the door at the end of the corridor, the second on the closest ceiling light. Oh, and the first shot was taken from closer to the door.

FILM - The way out

FILM - The way out #2

In other news today, my Emulsive Secret Santa parcel arrived – it’s a large, heavy box all the way from the USA, and I can’t wait to see what’s inside.

Olympus OM-1, F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 800asa).

Taken on 11 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

In the garage at Bletchley Park

fishyfisharcade2 Comments

I was fortunate enough to visit Bletchley Park last week, the site of Great Britain’s code-breaking activities during WWII, and now a museum. I’m still in the process of scanning the roll of HP5+ I started on while there, but today’s post contains a couple of images from the initial strips of negs.

These are a couple of vintage vehicles housed in the garages at the rear of the main hall building. The light was pretty dim – the weather forecast that morning predicted thick cloud and overcast conditions, though they’d managed to get it somewhat wrong as it was brilliant sunshine all morning. The bright light meant many of my outdoor shots now had to be shot at f/22 & 1/1000s due to the sensitivity of the pushed film! It was advantageous in the dimmer indoor areas such as this though.

Anyway, here we have an Austin Six ambulance, and a Sunbeam-Talbot 2-litre Sports Tourer.

FILM - Austin Six Ambulance

FILM - Sunbeam Talbot

Olympus OM-1, F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 800asa).

Taken on 11 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Winter sun

fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Low winter sunshine is a wonderful thing. It makes scenes you might otherwise walk on past simply glow. This is a relatively ordinary terrace of houses, but the light is gorgeous. It illuminates things with a crisp, warm light and casts relief onto every surface. Lovely.

FILM - emedies

Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008).

Taken on 5 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

St Peter and St Paul’s

fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This is St Peter and St Paul’s church in Eckington, NE Derbyshire. I spotted the glorious light falling on it while I walked around getting images of suburbia (see the last two days’ posts for those).

I’m really happy with the way this is lit – the brightly illuminated tower and spire sitting atop the shaded entry, the light and shadow on the left-hand tree, and the lovely greens of the Yew tree – and all topped off by the blue sky and orange/brown fallen leaves.

FILM - St Peter and St Paul's

Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008).

Taken on 5 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

In suburbia #2

fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

A second trio of shots taken while walking around local suburban areas. The first was taken on the same day as those in yesterday’s post, the others a couple of days later. I’m not sure that these scenes would work under different conditions (although I guess maybe in fog, or at night could be interesting), but the low winter sun (and the long, deep shadows it casts) that we get in these northern latitudes makes things nicely photogenic.

While posting yesterday’s images I had the Pet Shop Boy’s “Suburbia” running through my mind. Today it was “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire.

FILM - In suburbia #4

FILM - In suburbia #5

FILM - In suburbia #6

Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008).

Taken on 2 & 5 December 2019

35mm · Film photography · Photography

London skyline

fishyfisharcade3 Comments

Jumping back six or seven weeks for today’s image, a shot of the City of London skyline taken from the South Bank at Blackfriar’s Bridge.

I like the way this has turned out – there’s a very slight haze on the tall buidings that gives a nice tonality to the shot. Even with a somewhat flat sky, I still think the image works well.

The handily-placed boat doesn’t hurt either. 🙂

FILM - City skyline

Olympus OM-1, Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 & Fujifilm Acros (pushed to 400asa).

Taken on 23 October 2019