Moored on the Cuckoo Way

August 18, 2020 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

I took this shot while using up the final frames on this roll of Shanghai GP3. The walk along the towpath beside the Chesterfield Canal is known as The Cuckoo Way and can be followed from Chesterfield all the way to the point where the canal enters the River Trent, approx 50 miles away.

Although it was a very hot and bright day, the place where this canal-boat was moored was in shadow from the trees beside the canal towpath and I had to open the Zeiss to it’s widest aperture to get a decent shutter speed on the 100asa film.

I don’t normally shoot the camera wide open as it performs better when stopped down, plus the uncoupled rangefinder design can make it a bit of a best guess for fine focusing.

In this case though, the boat was far enough away for the focusing to not be too much of a concern and I quite like the way the lens has rendered the scene. It’s hardly some kind of “bokeh monster”, but has given a nice hint of seperation in the focus.

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Shanghai GP3. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 10 mins @ 24°.

Taken on 31 July 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Another church – Grove St Methodist church, Retford

August 17, 2020 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

After mentioning yesterday that I seem to photograph a lot of churches, here’s another one. I didn’t realise that this was a church until just now, when I looked up the location on Google maps. On the day the photo was made, I just noticed an impressive looking building. I didn’t actually go around the front of the structure, where the purpose of the building would have been revealed, instead turning right and heading towards the town centre after taking the shot.

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Shanghai GP3. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 10 mins @ 24°.

Taken on 25 July 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

North Wheatley methodist chapel

August 16, 2020 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

Another place of worship. I make quite a lot of photographs of churches and similar, despite rarely visiting them for their intended purposes. Despite this, I find them to be interesting locations, visually, cultually and historically, and they are often strikingly beautiful.

This chapel is in a village that I have driven past countless times in my life, but never before this occasion actually ventured within. The village (actually North AND South Wheatley as they’re pretty much joined together now) is skirted by the A620 Gainsborough Road, the route that I always take when visiting Mablethorpe on the east coast – a place I’ve been visiting since I was a young child. While it’s obvious that the village is there, it’s not a place that I, or my grandparents when they drove us as children, ever sought to stop off at.

While this was the first time I’ve ever visited the village, it was still a last minute decision while driving home from North Leverton windmill, and I didn’t really explore the place properly. There is a church, but I didn’t look there, instead taking a few photos down near the methodist chapel, which stands beside a small brook. Maybe I’ll visit again one day, or maybe this will have been a once-in-a-lifetime thing and I’ll simply go back to bypassing the place en-route to other destinations.

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Shanghai GP3. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 10 mins @ 24°.

Taken on 25 July 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

North Leverton windmill

August 15, 2020 fishyfisharcade3 Comments

I mentioned my photos of North Leverton windmill a couple of days ago, so here are a few of them

The mill was built in 1813 by a collective of local farmers to grind their corn. It was also agreed that the mill would grind corn from other farmers and “industrious poor persons” for an agreed fee.

The windmill is completely without electrical power, relying on the wind to operate – although there are a set of engine stones for use when the wind is too low to turn the sails.

The windmill still sources locally grown grain to produce flour and animal feed, using traditional millstones to grind it.

I had a couple of cameras with me on the day – my Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & my Canon Sure Shot Supreme (plus my phone). Because of the hedges and fences that surround the mill, it was sometimes difficult to frame shots with the fixed focal length lenses of both cameras. Ironically in the next shot, I could have used a longer lens perhaps.

The final shot is of the cottage beside the mill, which had a group of chickens roaming about the place – presumably the source of the eggs in the photo I posted the other day.

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford Delta 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8 mins @ 20°.

Taken on 25 July 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

A window on work

August 14, 2020 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

I sometimes wonder at the purpose of these windows placed in the barriers that surround construction projects. Is there a specific purpose for them? Or are they there, as might seem obvious, to allow passers by to have a nosey at what’s taking place on the other side of the fence?

It seems that the obvious reason in this case is the actual reason. The windows are there for public engagement to allow them to see what’s happening on the construction site from behind the safety of a barrier.

I’m not sure that I would want someone to have a little window to peep in on me doing my work whenever they felt like it. Then again, my work is likely far less interesting to the average passer by. Perhaps I should buy an excavator…

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Agfa APX100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10.5 mins @ 20°.

Taken on 23 July 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

August 13, 2020 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

…Clearly the chicken, because I posted a picture of her yesterday! 😀

This self-service dresser full of fresh eggs was in the driveway of North Leverton Windmill, which I visited three weeks ago. Time really flies! – it only feels like last weekend that I made the trip!

There will be a bunch of photos of the windmill over the coming days and weeks as I made several photos on both my Zeiss and my Sure Shot Supreme.

Who knew there was a national egg-box shortage!

Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford Delta 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8 mins @ 20°.

Taken on 25 July 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Big chicken (it’s too hot!)

August 12, 2020 fishyfisharcade6 Comments

It’s still ludicrously hot here today. Well, compared with the normal temperature at least. It’s undoubtedly positively cool in comparison to many places, but we’re not prepared for it. Whereas it would be the norm for people to have air-con units, or buildings designed specifically to keep cool in locations that regularly get heat, we don’t generally have the need for that in the uk – It’s usually cold and rainy. 🙂

Anyway, it’s too hot to type for long and I’m almost finished scanning a strip of negatives and very much looking forward to a cool shower, so another quick post today I’m afraid.

So, somewhat randomly, here’s a big chicken…

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Agfa APX100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10.5 mins @ 20°.

Taken on 23 July 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Street art

August 11, 2020 fishyfisharcade4 Comments

It’s too hot to sit at my PC typing this evening, so this will be quick post.

A couple of pieces of street art a stone’s throw from each other – you can see the second piece in the first picture if you look closely.

I’m not sure of the artist of the first, but the second is by Phlegm and decorates the rear of the building that housed the now sadly departed Rare & Racy store. It closed because the building was compulsorily purcheased for re-development, but years have passed and not a sign of this has yet appeared.

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Agfa APX100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10.5 mins @ 20°.

Taken on 23 July 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

An abandoned church

August 10, 2020 fishyfisharcade8 Comments

This is the entrance to the former Christ Church Central building in Sheffield city centre. The building is no longer used by the church – it appears they’ve moved just across the road to what looks like a bigger location.

I’ve never been in either building but used to work nearby when I was younger and also found it interesting how the church resided in a low-rise building mostly indistinguishable from the other small industrial units that surrounded it.

Now it looks like a group of weeds are awaiting the doors to be opened.

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Agfa APX100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10.5 mins @ 20°.

Taken on 23 July 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Denby Dale again

August 9, 2020 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

As with yesterday’s post of 35mm photos of Emley Moor, today here are a couple of 35mm shots of Denby Dale (or, more specifcally, the viaduct) taken on the same visit as the medium format pictures I posted here.

Of the two pictures, the first one (above) is my definite favourite. I also have a medium format version of the same scene but, despite it’s increased resolution and detail, I prefer the more gritty look of the 35mm image. It would perhaps have been nice to have a train crossing the bridge, but my time was limited and I didn’t know the running schedule.

The second shot is another variant of one of the medium format pictures I made (which can be seen in the linked post above), but taken from a vantage point a little further up the road.