Month: October 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Private Benjamin

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It’s been a lllooooonnng time since I watched the movie Private Benjamin – it was most likely as a VHS rental sometime in the 80s, where I remember a bedraggled, helmet wearing Goldie Hawn peering out from the box on the video shop’s shelves. As a result I have no idea if a truck the same, or similar to this one featured in the film, or if the owner named it by some other association. It’s an impressive looking vehicle whatever the case.

In VHS days
Persusing the shelves of films
For that night’s viewing

Private Benjamin

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Donkey work

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I’ve spent a large part of the day prepping my office for when it’s decorated and has new flooring laid the week after next. It’s been a complete PITA, I’m exhausted, and there’s still loads to do. Mostly it will be a case of moving things out off the office for the decorating etc. and then moning them back when the flooring has been laid. If it were just my office being done then this wouldn’t be too bad, but we’re also having all the other bedrooms and staircase decorated the same week, so I’m going to have to replicate a lot of the work across three other rooms while trying to figure out where everything will go when it isn’t in it’s normal place. I’ve got the week booked off work, but can’t see it being much of a break.

I really hate this stuff…

Decorating time
It’s about as much fun as
Having my teeth pulled

Donkeys

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Remembering the bikes I once owned

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I was quite pleased when I came across this set of Raleigh pedal-bikes recently. I was the owner of two of the models seen in the picture – the Budgie (at the front), and the Chopper (third one along). Despite having the Budgie first, I never progressed beyond the use of stabilisers with it, and it was on the much larger Chopper that I actually learnt to ride a bike. I think at the time the Chopper was still a bit too big for me, but I had one anyway (2nd hand initially, and later a brand new one for Christmas one year).

I learnt to ride it when one of the bigger kids on the street took me out with it. Promising to hold the back so it wouldn’t tip over while I got my balance he proceded to let go as I rolled down a hill on it. It was a ride-or-die type situation, and I rode.

I never had a Tomahawk, which can be seen nestled between the other two bikes in the photo – although one of my friends did, if I remember correctly. It was like the kid brother to the chopper, sharing the same large rear wheel / smaller front wheel design, but on a smaller scale and lacking the three gears of its sibling.

Carefree times gone by
We would ride our bikes all day
Then back home for tea

Bikes

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Atomic. Bacterial. Chemical.

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I found this scene to be somewhat sinister, perhaps a hangover from growing up under the shadow of a potential third world war during the 80s. The mannequin with its gas-mask and rubber gloevs reminiscent of a scene from countless post-apocalyptic dramas.

The title of today’s post is nicked from the 2000AD comic strip, ABC Warriors.

The place I grew up
Was the scene of the film “Threads”
‘Twas scary as hell.

Sinister

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

My blogging “streak”

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For the last few months I’ve had a notification from WordPress about my “streak”. As of today I’ll be told “You’re on a 1,009-day streak on Steel City Snapper photography!“. I can’t remember exactly when it started, but it was probably a month or two before I hit one-thousand consecutive posts. I expected it to stop when it reached the 1k figure, but it hasn’t. Instead I get a little system-generated reminder that I haven’t had a day off posting in nearly three years. There might be some way to turn it off in the site settings, but it’s not yet gotten quite annoying enough for me to be bothered to find out.

Anyway, with no connection to my ramblings whatsoever, today I’ll share a picture of the back-end of a Mk II Ford Escort. Enjoy!

I once nearly bought
A Mk II Escort in blue
With black vinyl roof

Escort rear end

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Parking for Italians

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The owner of this little Fiat 500 has added a few humerous signs to their vehicle.

The car and the “Parking for Italians only” sign remind me of the time my wife and I (well, it was still before we were married back then) visited Rimini on the Adriatic coast of Italy. It would have been the best part of three decades ago now, which seems incredible!

Anyway, one of the things I noticed when there was the number of cars with dents, scrapes, and prangs of one sort or another. It seemd not a sigle car remained unscathed, like they’d been used as bumper-cars.

So the “Parking for Italians” sign conjures an image of some driver nonchalantly ramming his car into a space at the side of the road, shunting aside other vehicles in order to fit.

I can’t say I noticed many damaged cars when I visited Sorrento a few years ago, so maybe it was just the drivers in Rimini.

This tiny Fiat
Has escaped the scrapes and dings
Witnessed in Rimini

Fiat 500

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Classic cars at a vintage rally

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A couple of photos showing wider scenes at the vintage rally I attended last month (I can’t believe it’s October already!). If you like making photos of vintage and classic (and some not so classic) vehicles, then these are great places to visit to do so.

It’s one of those days
Where I wish I’d not started
Writing these haiku’s

In the classic car section
In the classic car section-2

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

1970 Plymouth

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Google has been my tutor again here, filling in my lack of automotive knowledge. If I’ve done my job right, I think that this is a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner. As always, please correct me if I’m wrong.

Kneeling on the grass
Getting face-to-face with this
Vintage Roadrunner

'70 Plymouth

Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 4 September 2021