35mm · Film photography · Photography

A swan and a goose

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Last month I wrote about how I was unsatisfied with the quality of the Tamron 28-200mm lens I had and how I’d traded it in for a Nikon 70-200mm.

So far I’ve shot the Nikkor on a few occasions and the results have been noticeably sharper than those from the Tamrom, which is good. The downsides that I also discussed (size, weight, and lack of flexibility mostly) have also been borne out, but I knew this would be the case, and the improved image quality win out.

I’ve already posted a digital picture I took with the lens, but these are the first film shots I’ve shared on the blog. They were taken during a walk around the local country park, which has a healthy population of waterfowl.

Swan
Goose

Nikon F80 and Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR on Fomapan 400 (@320asa). Semi-stand in Rodinal 1+100 for 1 hour @ 20°.

Taken on 8 February 2026

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Gainsborough Old Hall

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Gainsborough Old Hall began as a 15th‑century manor built by Sir Thomas Burgh II before later passing to the Hickman family, who modernised. Over the following centuries it fragmented into workshops, tenements, civic spaces and even a theatre, before falling into decline. Restoration efforts in the mid‑20th century ultimately saved it, and it now survives as one of England’s best‑preserved medieval manor houses, owned by English Heritage.

I’ve been inside on a previous visit, back when I had a one year English Heritage membership, but this time I just took a few pictures of the exterior.

Again, these are Lomography Color Negative 800 images that I’ve converted to black and white.

Gainsborough Old Hall
Old House rooftop

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC / Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC & Lomography Color Negative 800. Lab developed, home scanned & converted with Negative Lab Pro. Converted to B&W in Lightroom.

Taken 30 November 2025.

Digital · Photography

Trees in the fog

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As promised yesterday, here are some more pictures from my foggy day walk yesterday.

These were all shot on the outward leg of the walk. They would have been very different had I shot them on the return, when the thinning mist had increased the visibility enough for distracting background details to emerge.

Foggy day tree
Foggy day tree-2
Foggy day tree-3
Foggy day tree-4

Ricoh GRIII

Taken on 21 March 2026

Digital · Photography

Foggy avenue

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After dropping my son of at work this morning, I drove out to the Welbeck estate to undertake another of the walks that wind through the grounds. This time I chose the walk to Cuckney Water Meadows which, while the longest of the four official trails at 6.28 miles, was also much easier than the Belph Brook walk I did a few weeks back (photos to come from that in due course) because, for the most part, it is along paved, gravel, or concrete footpaths and roads, with only the final stretch to the water meadows being over fields.

The walk was made much more pleasant from a photographic point of view by an abundant blanket of mist and fog that hung around for most of the morning, only beginning to lift when I was well into my return leg of the walk.

I shot a roll of Tri-X, but also shot a bunch of pictures with my Ricoh GR III, including the one shared below.

Avenue lamp

It will probably be a while before I share the Tri-X pictures, but I’ll share some more of the digital images in the next day or two.

Ricoh GRIII

Taken on 21 March 2026

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

The Pilgrim Woman

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Standing beside the river Trent on its east bank, this statue is named The Pilgrim Woman.

On 10 May 1608, a group of Separatists, mostly women and children, escaped Gainsborough to find religious freedom. They left town along the River Trent on a small barge called The Francis, heading for Stallingborough near Immingham. Their plan was to meet a bigger ship there that would take them to Amsterdam in Holland where they would be able to worship freely. A few years later in 1620, they traveled on to America aboard the Mayflower.

Although not visible in my picture, the plinth upon which the statue stands is engraved: “Steering our Future Informed by Our Past“.

Statue

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC / Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC & Lomography Color Negative 800. Lab developed, home scanned & converted with Negative Lab Pro. Converted to B&W in Lightroom.

Taken 30 November 2025.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

More Gainsborough industry

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Another food production factory in Gainsborough, this time the AB Mauri (former Rank Hovis McDougall) works.

Beyond lie rows of terraced houses, and the spire of the Trinity Arts Centre (which resides in a Grade II listed former church , hence the spire).

On Thornton Street

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC / Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC & Lomography Color Negative 800. Lab developed, home scanned & converted with Negative Lab Pro. Converted to B&W in Lightroom.

Taken 30 November 2025.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Riverside industry

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This is the view south where the River Trent flows through the town of Gainsborough, looking onto the Kerry food manufacturing plant and then, a few miles further upstream, West Burton power station.

While I wasn’t satisfied with the colours I achieved with the Lomography Color Negative 800, the film has quite a fine grain structure – at least in this 120 format – and it’s produced some quite nice B7W conversions.

This frame is not only converted to black and white, but also cropped.

Trent-side industry

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC / Zenzanon 150mm f/3.5 MC & Lomography Color Negative 800. Lab developed, home scanned & converted with Negative Lab Pro. Converted to B&W in Lightroom.

Taken 30 November 2025.