35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
Now effectively a pond, I wonder if this was once a part of the river’s route in the past? It’s current oxbow-lake status make for still waters, where anglers can be found from time to time.
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 16 May 2026
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 16 May 2026
Another hawthorn tree. It has two main trunks, but the short branch makes it look like two trees hugging.
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 16 May 2026
Hawthorns are a very ubiquitous tree. They seem to thrive in varied situations, including land that is polluted, so they can often be found beside rubbish tips , on current and former industrial sites, and beside busy roads and railway lines. There are many Hawthorns on Woodhouse Washlands and when they flower in spring they look almost snow-covered due to the masses of white flowers they sport.
Because of the time they traditionally blossom, another name for the Hawthorn is, in fact, the May tree, although climate change is causing them to go into bloom earlier..
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 16 May 2026
Another subject I’ve photographed on a number of occasions is this willow tree situated on the Woodhouse Washlands flood plain. Most of my other shots feature the tree with it’s branches but, at some point, it has lost them. I’d assumed the tree was already dead even when it still had its limbs, but even in its new, curtailed form, there are signs of fresh growth near the base of the trunk.
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 16 May 2026
I took a few shots of this scene, including on film, but I like this one where the guy’s red hat matched the shirt of the person beside the pool.
Ricoh GRIII
Taken on 28 June 2026
I noticed the way the light was passing through the curtains in our hotel room one day and took this picture.
Ricoh GRIII
Taken on 1 July 2026
My plan for today had originally been to meet up with a bunch of other photographers for a wander around a midlands heritage museum. Alas though, due to the continuing hot weather, it was decided it was best to postpone until later in the summer. So, with time on my hands, I decided to drive instead to Newark where I knew there was an exhibition on featuring the work of a photographer whose work I enjoy: Paul Hart.
The Gathered Leaves exhibition is in the newly opened Vibrant Matter gallery, and details can be found here. While there were some framed prints from artists featured, the exhibition was focused on publications rather than prints – you can see where it got it’s title – and I browsed most of what were on display as well as having a nice chat with the owner, Daniel Rapley, whose work was also on display (in the shape of experimental images formed from found photographic images, creating a colourful and eyecatching display of overlaid scenes. There was a feeling of Christopher Nolan’s Inception in some images, where inverted cities loomed above foreground figures). While there were a number of photography books present, the scope was wider, and there were publications dealing with more experimental art, design, and typography.
After my visit to the gallery I wandered around Newark taking pictures of my own, finally finishing a roll of Kodak Pro Image that’s been in my Olympus XA-3 for a couple of months now, as well as starting on rolls of Portra 160 (which I’d forgotten was in my camera bag – not sure how long it’s been cooking in there. It’s a good job Portra doesn’t cost much, eh..?), Ektar (in my Yashica Mat 124 G), and some expired Ilford Delta 400 in my Olympus OM-10). I took a new camera bag with me which has space for more stuff. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing just yet…
Newark is a nice place to wander around. The architecture is pretty, with lots of charming red-brick buildings, a colourful market square, the River Trent, and the ruins of a castle (although it is currently undergoing some sort of renovation so could only really be viewed from across the river).
I also bought myself a new book from a used book seller in the market. They had a few photography books, but none that really interested me, so I bought a book on the life of Edward Seago which is full of his beautiful paintings. I first came across his work while admiring the work of fellow blogger -N- on her Ink, Yarn, and Beers blog. She’s posted about being inspired by Seago’s work on more than one occasion, and I thank her for bringing it to my attention. Go check out her blog and her lovely paintings.
Because all my pictures from Newark today were shot on film, I don’t yet have any to show, so here’s a picture from a previous visit back in 2022. I shot a very similar image today!
RETO Ultrawide & Slim & Kodak Gold 200
Taken on 18 March 2022
It’s a whole degree cooler than yesterday’s 33.9°C in my home office today. That’s still over ten degrees hotter than I’d like it to be.
My expensive new fan arrived this morning, and is doing a decent job of taking the edge off the heat, but it’s not an air conditioner and there’s only so much that moving air flow can achieve, so it still feels oppressive and it’s been pretty hard to get motivated while working today.
Thankfully the temperatures are forecast to begin dropping over the weekend to a much more manageable mid-20s range (and, more importantly, overnight temps below 20°C, so there’s a chance to open the windows and flush out the hot air).
The sub-tropical climate of Madeira felt more manageable than this, mostly due to infrastructure designed to deal with it – air-con, tiled floors, window-shutters and the like, most of which go against the standard UK building methods that are designed to keep heat inside. If the summer temperatures in the UK continue to rise in future, then there is going to be a real need for change to prevent severe disruption.
But anyway, this is meant to be a photography blog, not an essay on climate change, so here’s another shot from the holiday. It’s another digital picture (although I have received four sheets of film negs back in the post today, so plenty of those to share too when I get around to it).
Being a Portugese territory, you’d expect to see plenty of Portugese flags in Madeira, but there were probably more than usual due to the World Cup tournament taking place while we were there (Madeira also being the birthplace of their famed striker, Christiano Ronaldo – there’s even a museum in Funchal dedicated to him). At this stage Portugal had not yet been knocked out…
Ricoh GRIII
Taken on 27 June 2026
It’s currently 33.9°C where I sit in my home office, so this will be a quick one.
Here’s a picture of a woodpecker. A woodpecker made entirely from flattened Pepsi and energy drink cans.
Ricoh GRIII
Taken on 27 June 2026
Steel City Snapper photography 