A farm above Miller’s Dale

June 24, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

While most of the photos I made on my walk around the Tideswell area were black and white images shot on HP5+, I also took a couple of colour photographs too. These were courtesy of my Canon Sure Shot Supreme, which I’d tossed into my coat pocket before I’d left the house. I kinda wished I hadn’t taken it along as it continually banged, worryingly and annoyingly, into limestone rocks every time I climbed a stile. Luckily it didn’t seem to take any critical knocks though.

The two photos were shot on a roll of expired Fuji Sensia 100 reversal film. After successfully shooting my previous roll of expired slide film (some Kodak Elite Chrome) with the Sure Shot Supreme, I decided to use it again with the Sensia and shoot it at box speed. As with the Elite Chrome I have some more rolls of this same film so this was essentially a test to see how it fared. Most of the roll was shot over the following couple of days on trips out with my wife, but these two pictures of a farm on the hillside above Miller’s Dale were the first ones I made.

As withe my previous rolls of 35mm expired slide film, I seem to have lucked out with some decent results. Although a little bright in places (the white painted farmhouse was in full sunlight), nothing has been blown out and the colours are pleasing.

More expired slide film
To be well tried and tested
And prove it still works

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujichrome Sensia 100 (expired 2003).

Taken on 24 May 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

The descent into Tideswell

June 23, 2021 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

The final three photos I made during my walk around Tideswell Dale, Miller’s Dale, Monk’s Dale and then across the meadows back to Tideswell itself. The final three photos from the Yashica Mat at least – I also shot a few more frames with the OM-2n which had spent most of the day tucked in my backpack.

The skies were beginning to get more threatening by this stage and veils of rain could be seen falling to the south and west. Luckily though, I managed to avoid all the showers. Unluckily, the chip shop where I thought I might treat myself to a well-deserved lunch, was closed. 😦

I wanted some chips
But instead had to go for
A tuna sandwich

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 May 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Look both ways

June 22, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Another couple of photos made near the village of Tideswell. I found this location on Google Maps while planning my walking route and decided it would be a good location for a photograph or two.

The puddles on the track add interest but also meant slick mud and, if you look closely, you can see evidence of my passing in the middle of the lane.

The pictures depict the lane in both directions, although not from the same precise point.

Muddy puddle track
On a day with atmosphere
A draw for my eye

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 May 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Howdy cow

June 21, 2021 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

Walking across the fields towards Tideswell was something of a test. The footpath passed throught a whole bunch of fields with a stone stile forming part of the dry-stone walls to be climbed between each. While I’m not getting any younger, stiles dont generally pose me much of a problem, but on this day I discovered that my hiking boots don’t grip very well on limestone, particularly that which has been worn smooth by countless other feet! This meant I had to be super careful climbing over each and every one.

The route took me past a field of cows though, and one of them walked over to look at me with a curious gaze, so I made a portrait.

A curious cow
Walked away from its herd mates
To see what was up

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 May 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Too much food and not enough photographs

June 20, 2021June 20, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

I’ve had a bit of an indulgent weekend, having dined out for lunch with my wife two days running. The food has been good on both days, although we ate too much yesterday and felt stuffed for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It means that I’ve not been out making any photographs this weekend thoug. In fact, against my general rule of alway carrying a camera, all I had with me was my phone – and all that got used for was some pictures of out food to share with family members, plus some selfies. Not the sort of subject matter I generally go for.

But, while I haven’t made many new pictures this week, this is offset to a degree by the fact that I have a decent-sized backlog of unpublished images made over the preceding weeks. In fact, ignoring the Yashica Mat images I’m currently uploading, I have five full rolls of 36-exposure negatives to publish (although not every shot, of course!). Four of the rolls are scanned (or nearly scanned) already, and the fifth roll was developed and sleeved ready for scanning today. I’ll probably get started on those later in the week.

Because I don’t tend to bulk-upload images, instead uplaoding just two or three to my Flickr account each day, it’ll likely be some time before many of these photos are featured here on the blog. Whether I’ll let this continue, or if I’ll choose to try and catch up somehow, I don’t currently know. Given I’m not using the photos as some sort of cutting-edge, up-to-the-minute viewpoint on what I’m doing though, it probably doesn’t matter.

So, for today, here’re a couple of photos from Miller’s Dale taken almost four weeks ago.

My photography
Can sometimes feel a bit like
A compulsive need

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 May 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

In Monk’s Dale

June 19, 2021June 19, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

A few weeks ago I wrote about my exhausting hike through Monk’s Dale. Today I’ll share a couple of photos from the hike – or at least the most difficult part through the steep-sided and heavily wooded limestone gorge.

This first image was a point of great relief. It looks back into the gorge that I had just exited through the gap in the wall. Ahead of me lay only a short section of grassy fields before I reached the road (although I then had to hike up the steep incline to the top). The photo is nicely atmospheric but doesn’t really convey the sweat-dripping tiredness I felt at this point.

This next image was taken part of the way through the thickly wooded area and shows the thick, dripping moss that covered the stones and trees at the foot of the valley. What it doesn’t convey is the autumnal orange colour that this moss displayed.

The valley is a very interesting place photographically, but I’m not sure if I’ll venture back just yet.

My path wandered through
A place of rocks and woodland
Humid and mossy

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 May 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

The bridge on the River Wye (not again!)

June 18, 2021June 18, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This “amusing” play on the Alec Guiness WWII movie title has been forced upon my readership once before. But this is a different bridge, so I’ll wheel out the rubbish joke once more. 🙂

Cross the River Wye
Prisoners of war might not
Have built this one though

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 May 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Pandas

June 17, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

New Era Square is a recently completed development to the south of the city centre, just the other side of the ring-road that circles the middle of town. It consists of three building surrounding a pedestrian plaza and has been dubbed in the local press as “Sheffield’s Chinatown”, and “Sheffield’s very own version of New York’s Times Square” apparently, although the latter would seem a little on the ambitious side.

One of the features of the development is a family of three eye-catching panda statues. A public campaign sought names for each of the trio from the readers of the local paper, The Star. The final names chosen were Little Mester, who sits on a bench – named in reference to the small cutlery workshops which used to be numerous in the city; Coe Coe, a small panda climbing one of the building columns – named after Sebastian Coe, the Olympic athlete who lived in Sheffield as a boy; and Hendo, the largest of the three pandas which was mounted on the roof of one of the buildings for a while, but who now sits in the plaza, and is named after Sheffield’s much-loved local delicacy, Henderson’s Relish (or Hendo’s as it is generally known).

I don’t have a close-up photo of Coe Coe, but he can be spotted in one of the images featuring Hendo and Little Mester if you look carefully.

Not Winnie the Pooh
Nor Baloo. But pandas are
A type of bear too

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

Taken on 16 May 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Covid-19 protection

June 16, 2021 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

Even the Women of Steel statues in Sheffield city centre are taking precautions. Well, one of them is at least. The one on the left is showing blatant disregard for social distancing guidelines while not wearing a mask. Perhaps the anti-vaxxer movement has even found a hold in the staue community…

Finding some humour
In a public health crisis
You have to laugh, eh?

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

Taken on 16 May 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Sharp lines from the XA3

June 15, 2021 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the images from the tiny Olympus XA3. Given the zone focus system I wondered if they might not have the sharpness I might expect in comparison with a camera that allows full focusing and control of aperture, but it makes tack-sharp photos.

I’ve often heard said
That you might find some good things
In small packages