Fujica GW690 & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 28 July 2024
Tractors
Month: October 2024
A landing and an ascent
The undoubted surprise highlight of my visit to the Haxey Feast, was when a helicopter landed.
I’d overheard murmurings from some of the people with displays that it was due to take place, including one guy who was battening down the hatches for fear that the downdraft would blow away the items he had on display.
Sure enough, a number of the event stewards asked people to vacate an open grassy area and formed a loose circle to keep people back from the landing area. I checked the direction of the light and positioned myself where I though I might have the best chance of getting a shot or two – as simple as it is to use, the rangefinder on the GW690 isn’t the easiest to achieve focus with, especially on moving subjects.
Happily, both the pictures I shot came out well. The first was the helicopter’s descent. The second as it was flying away again (it only stayed on the ground for a few minutes).
For anyone interested, it is apparently an Airbus H120.
Fujica GW690 & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 28 July 2024
Classic cars at the Haxey Feast
When I visited the Sheffield Steam Rally back in June, I noticed that some people had been given leaflets for “The Haxey Feast”, another vintage rally taking place at the village of Haxey in North Lincolnshire. Having never visited this before and as it’s not too far away, I marked it in my diary.
It was a much smaller event than the Sheffield Steam Rally but it’s quite a new thing, being in just its second year (according to someone that I talked to who had a display), so it will hopefully grow in coming years, especially now that the Lincoln Steam Rally is no more.
I shot three rolls of medium format film with my Fujica GW690 while there: one Kodak Ektar, one Fuji Pro 160NS, and one Fuji Velvia 50. The pictures shared today are from the latter.
I don’t shoot a lot of medium format reversal film, although I have quite a few rolls, and it can be tricky to get the metering right. I don’t think I’ve done too bad a job here, although maybe the shadows are a little dark, but I guess Velvia 50 is pretty tricky in that regard. I’ll try to shoot more reversal film if I get a chance when the autumn colour comes through more.
There are a few other shots from this roll that look nice too, but I got some scanning artifacts and haven’t had chance to re-scan them yet.
I believe the cars are, in order of appearance: a Chevrolet Stylemaster, a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, a group of Beach Buggies (is there a collective noun for these? 🙂 ), and a Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL.
Fujica GW690 & Fujichrome Velvia 50. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 28 July 2024
Finishing a roll in Retford
As a direct follow-on from yesterday’s post, here are the remaining shots from the roll of Kodak Gold that I finished off during a walk through Retford.
The first two pictures show Trinity hospital, which has served as an alms house since the 17th century, although the current building was constructed between 1832-1834. It’s a beautiful looking place and one that I’ve admired whenever I drive past (usually on trips to Mablethorpe) but this is the first time I’ve taken the opportunity to photograph it.
The next picture is some grand looking house peeking up above a wall across the road from the hospital.
Then some new houses under construction…
A big tree that looked nice in the sunshine.
Some older residential properties.
And finally, another attractive old building that now houses a barbershop and a beauty parlour.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken 8 June 2024.
The Chesterfield Canal in Retford
About a week after returning from Dubrovnik, I drove to Retford (a town in Nottinghamshire about 25 miles to the east of Sheffield) with the intent of using up the last of the Kodak Gold in the camera after the holiday. It was a beautiful early summer day with blue skies and fluffy cumulus clouds.
I parked the car in the town centre (where I had to scrounge a pound from a passerby as the parking meters didn’t take card payments and I didn’t have enough coins) and then headed out to where the canal passes to the east of the town. From there I took a leisurely walk westwards along the Cuckoo Way, making a number of photos, a selection of which are included below. Eventually I left the canal and took a few more pictures on my way back into the town centre, but I’ll post those tomorrow.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken 8 June 2024.
Beach huts with the Rico GR III
I have some beach hut photos taken on film too, which I’ll post in due course, but in the meantime, here are a few more digital pictures taken on this year’s Mablethorpe pilgimage…
Ricoh GR III
Taken on 21 September 2024
Nothing Lasts Forever
I visited Leeds Art Gallery today to see Nothing Lasts Forever, a retrospective of the photographer Peter Mitchell’s work.
I had just intended to view the photographs, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out that, not only was Peter Mitchell there in person today, but that there was also space on the walking tour of the exhibition given by Peter himself. I was also able to get my copy of his book, A New Refutation of the Viking 4 Space Mission, signed. 🙂
The exhibition is well worth seeing but I only just got there in time. Although I’ found out about the exhibition a few months ago when I visited this year’s Photo North event, I had completely forgotten about it and it was only by chance when I saw someone talk about it on YouTube that I remembered. Just in the nick of time too as it finishes tomorrow!
I made a few photos of Peter as he told us about the work, what had inspired it, and the things it had involved. It was a very worthwhile visit.
Ricoh GR III
Taken 5 October 2024
A wet morning in Blackpool
Back at the end of June I spent the day in Blackpool for The Big Film Photowalk, a series of events around the country that had been organised by Analog Wonderland, the UK based film stockist. I posted about the events of the day here.
While the photowalk in Blackpool took place in Stanley Park, about a mile or so from the seafront, I parked near the town centre as my wife and her sister had accompanied me for the day and were planning on wandering round the shops while I went to take photos. As I was early for the photowalk, I took the chance to go and shoot some photos on a second camera I’d brought with me – my OM-10 – loaded with a roll of expired Fuji C200.
As I said in my other post, the weather on the day was not what I would have chosen. And while the photowalk had its share of drizzle and gloom, the beginning of the day along Blackpool’s seafront was worse, with bouts of full rain and a stiff breeze to contend with. I wasn’t confident of success, especially as I would usually prefer black and white for these conditions, not expired C41 film. Thankfully though, I was wrong, and I really like these colour pictures. They certainly capture the mood, and where there is colour in the scene, it really jumps out of the frame.
I managed to get pictures of the central and north piers, some (unused!) deckchairs, the sea defences, and obligatory shot of Blackpool tower, a shelter, a slightly pitiful looking crazy golf course, and some hardy metal detectorists on the beach.
Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Fujifilm C200 (expired 2012 and shot at 100asa) . Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 29 June 2024
Reflection
Since I posted about my film stash the other day, it has now grown from 168 rolls to 189 rolls! I did mention in that post that I had 15 rolls on their way to me but, as I was also given the opportunity to buy some more, I did…
It’s all colour 120 format film: 10 rolls of Ektar, 5 rolls of Portra 160, 3 rolls of Ektachrome E100, 2 rolls of Portra 400, and a single roll of Velvia 50. It was also all better than half-price (although some of it is just past expiry), which was why I bought it despite knowing how much film I already have.
Most of it will be frozen and not used until next summer comes around, but I hope to be able to shoot some of it this autumn if favourable weather and free time align. We shall see, I guess.
Today’s picture used the sum total of zero frames from my stash, being a digital photo, but I quite like the cluttered double-exposure-style image that was visible both through, and reflected in, a bar window. My shadow self is in there too! 🙂
Ricoh GR III
Taken on 15 August 2024
Shot through the heart
A window in this clothes shop had been broken and then reinforced with plastic film prior to replacement. It made for a cool photo opportunity…
Olympus Trip 35 & Fomapan 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°
Taken 15 June 2024.
Steel City Snapper photography 