Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
This is the lifeboat station on the promenade at Mablethorpe. If you look closely in the circular window to the right of the building, there’s a small, knitted caostguard figure peering out. You can see them better in this picture I took a few years ago.
These men and women
Who volunteer their efforts
To save people’s lives
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Lomography Xpro Chrome 100 (expired 2012)
Taken on 16 September 2021
My photography has dwindled over the past few weeks, coinciding with the new kitchen we’ve had fitted and ten the decorating that is still ongoing. I had hoped that I might be able to grab a few outings this week while I’ve been off work but, alas, there has been too much other stuff to be done unfortunately. Except for yesterday that is, when I had most of the day free.
Unfortunatley the weather wasn’t ideal – a mixture of boring grey skies punctuated by the odd rain-shower and glimpse of sunshine – plus I was tired from all the other stuff that has been taking place. Still, I didn’t want to waste the opportunity while I had it (I’m fast running out of new photos for the blog!) so I made the effort to go out. I dug the Yashica Mat from a box where it was being stored, along with my light meter, a cable release, and a tripod quick-release plate. I took four rolls of film (better to be prepared, eh?) and, as I was leaving the house, grabbed my XA3 too, which has an almost full roll of HP5+ rated at 800asa loaded.
This last item proved fortunate as, despite all my preparation (and remembering to take the Arca-swiss plate), I forgot to take the actual tripod, leaving it leaning in the corner of the kitchen where I’d placed it! If I’d loaded a roll of HP5+ or something in the Yashica this wouldn’t have been too much of a problem as I could have shot it handheld at box speed, or even pushed it, but I’d instead loaded a roll of 80asa Ortho Plus instead. Because of the dull light, unless I fancied shooting the whole roll at f/3.5, it was rendered pretty much useless without the tripod to hold the camera steady. So, instead, I took shome pictures with the XA3 – maybe ten or twelve frames, not enough to finish the roll. At least I made some photos though.
I might get the opportunity to shoot some more on Monday or Tuesday, but I’ll have to see how things go.
This decorating
Is not helping to push my
Creativity
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Lomography Xpro Chrome 100 (expired 2012)
Taken on 16 September 2021
This was taken as I sat with a cup of tea and a flapjack on a bench near the cafe. Sadly the flapjack was a little melted from being in the full sun and, to my dismay, a small insect decided to take it’s own life by drowning itself in my tea before I could finish drinking it. Nontheless, as I sit typing this after a full week of complete and upper upheaval while we have the whole of the the upstairs and the staircase decorated, a melted flapjack and insect-polluted tea on a sunny day beside the sea would be quite welcome.
I mustn’t grumble
Despite things I didn’t like
I ate fish and chips
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Lomography Xpro Chrome 100 (expired 2012)
Taken on 16 September 2021
On Mablethorpe promenade used to sit a number of unusual beach huts. Sadly I think they’ve fallen prey to vandalism and at least one has now been demolished, while the others are boarded up. This one was a functioning camera obscura.
Standing by the sea
A camera obscura
Its eye is now closed
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Lomography Xpro Chrome 100 (expired 2012)
Taken on 16 September 2021
As I might not have full access to my PC to post for a few days while we’re having some decorating done, I’ve pre-written a few posts with older pictures that I haven’t posted before (I hope!). As I’m a little stuck for time to write them, they’ll each have this same boilerplate text. If I get back on my PC earlier than usual I’ll probably put the remaining ones back into the drafts folder for emergencies.
You’re not going to escape the crappy haiku’s though…
Estuarial beach
A feeding ground for the gulls
As strangers pass by
28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 20 February 2019
As I might not have full access to my PC to post for a few days while we’re having some decorating done, I’ve pre-written a few posts with older pictures that I haven’t posted before (I hope!). As I’m a little stuck for time to write them, they’ll each have this same boilerplate text. If I get back on my PC earlier than usual I’ll probably put the remaining ones back into the drafts folder for emergencies.
You’re not going to escape the crappy haiku’s though…
Although it looks cold
It was very warm this day
Ice creams in winter!
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 20 February 2019
As I might not have full access to my PC to post for a few days while we’re having some decorating done, I’ve pre-written a few posts with older pictures that I haven’t posted before (I hope!). As I’m a little stuck for time to write them, they’ll each have this same boilerplate text. If I get back on my PC earlier than usual I’ll probably put the remaining ones back into the drafts folder for emergencies.
You’re not going to escape the crappy haiku’s though…
Put it to your ear
And hear the sound of the sea
But it’s just your blood
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 20 February 2019
As I might not have full access to my PC to post for a few days while we’re having some decorating done, I’ve pre-written a few posts with older pictures that I haven’t posted before (I hope!). As I’m a little stuck for time to write them, they’ll each have this same boilerplate text. If I get back on my PC earlier than usual I’ll probably put the remaining ones back into the drafts folder for emergencies.
You’re not going to escape the crappy haiku’s though…
Hey crappy haiku
Why assault my senses
With your rubbish verse?
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f.3.5-5.6 AF & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 20 February 2019
The informal photo competition I take part in each month had a theme of “Tempting” last month, and I made a few photos that might fit the bill – the picture I posted here yesterday of the seaside cafe was the one I chose to enter and it got me second place.
The photo in today’s blog was another potential entry, and one I’d had high hopes for, but I was disappointed when I received the developed film as the ice cream cone was off to the left of the image. I quickly realised that this was due to me not using the parallax correction lines in the camera’s viewfinder. I’d had to hold the ice cream at the limit of my reach in order for the camera to focus correctly, and this meant the subject was close enough for parallax error to creep into the composition. The camera does have a macro mode, but that uses a partial zoom which meant the subject fell well outside the image edges when viewed.
After looking at the photo again I decided that it might work with an off-centre viewpoint, so I cropped in a little to get the picture you see here. I’m pretty happy with it now.
Offset ice cream cone
At the limit of focus
The end of my arm
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Lomography Xpro Chrome 100 (expired 2012)
Taken on 16 September 2021
The Mermaid cafe sits on the small promentory on Mablethorpe’s prmenade, just to the north of the Pullover – the main access point to the beach at the end of High Street. The cafe has been there as long as I can remember, although I can’t recall if it’s been known as The Mermaid all that time. It stands adjacent to a small crazy golf course (which can be seen to the right of the photo). The course is now pirate themed, but I remeber it in its slightly ramshackle and homemade guise from when I was younger, with obstacles that looked like they had been built in some inventive creator’s garden shed. It was great fun.
Games of mini golf
The sound of waves and seas breeze
Acompanied play
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Lomography Xpro Chrome 100 (expired 2012)
Taken on 16 September 2021
