Tag: Barcelona

35mm · Film photography · Photography

A tiring day

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It’s been a good day today. Not only did I have the time to take an outing with my camera(s), the weather was also perfect too. This sort of alignment of the fates is a rarity!

I decided to take a day trip to Lincoln. Lincoln is a nice city to wander around with plenty to see and photograph, and it has the added bonus of only being about an hour’s drive away.

The weather forecast had given the impression of clear blue skies which, while better in many regards to flat grey skies, can also be a little uninteresting, but I was blessed with blue skies full of streaks of thin high-altitude cloud, meaning I got the benefit of the good light with the bonus of interesting textures.

I managed to shoot three-and-a-half rolls of film – two-and-a-half colour, and a roll of B&W.

Although it was a great day, there was one small hiccup – I forgot to change the ASA dial on my Olympus OM-10 and shot the entire roll of Agfa APX 100 at 400ASA. This normally wouldn’t be a problem as I’ve pushed film on many occasions before (even if this time it was accidental), but it seems there is very little data out there on pushing Agfa APX 100 beyond 200ASA.

It looks like I can develop it for 25 minutes(!) in Rodinal 1+50, but there are no times for Ilfotec DD-X. There are calculations that can be used to get a rough idea of how long to push films, but I prefer to use tried and tested methods – I think there will be some nice photos on the roll and I don’t want to ruin them with ham-fisted experimentation.

Other alternatives include stand or semi-stand development (but, again, it’s not something I’ve done before, and I’m a bit worried about maintaining the temperature to avoid bromide drag), and splashing out on a bottle of Ilford HC (or HC-110, or one of the other variants) – which also has a recipe for pushing the film two stops. Or rather for pushing Kentmere 100 by two stops (I believe they are the same film stock).

Anyway, I’ll be sure to let my reader know what I decide to do and how I fare. Wish me luck!

When you just need a good sit down

Olympus OM-10, E-Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 & Kodak Ultramax. Lab developed, home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 22 December 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Big wheel

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One of the Barcelona Christmas attractions was situated beside the marina and consisted of many more food and drink stands, plus attractions such as a large Ferris Wheel, which can be seen in both of today’s photos. There was a circus too, but I’ll post a picture of that on another day.

It’s been a somewhat sad day today. It was the last day for most of the people impacted by the wave of compulsory redundancies that hit our team after Christmas. There are still a couple of people here until the end of March, but I had to say goodbye to the others. I’m still in contact with most of them on social media, but it’s not the same as being able to reach out to them as part of the team.

I’m sure they will go on to better and brighter things, and I wish them every success, but I’m gonna miss them.

Leaning on a lamppost
Ferris wheel

Olympus OM-10, E-Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 & Kodak Ultramax. Lab developed, home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 20 December 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

El Caganer

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My wife and I took a trip to Barcelona the weekend before Christmas. The main reason for the visit was to go see the festive markets, although this actually didn’t take up much of the three nights we were there.

The markets were nice enough, and importantly, different to those that we tend to get in the UK so there was some novelty in seeing different types of stalls. This being said, there was a lot of duplication in the stall types in the Barcelona Christmas Markets, with there being a lot of repetition of decorations, miniature nativity figurines and dioramas, and El Caganer figures.

The latter were something I’d not experienced before. El Caganer is roughly translated into English as “The Pooper” and is a peasant figure in traditional dress squatting down to poop (with a significant deposit made!). In Spanish Nativity scenes (which can be large dioramas depicting entire towns, rather than just the stable scene), the figure is positioned somewhere out of the way to be discovered (I expect it might be frowned upon to place him beside the manger…). While the original figure wears traditional garb, the tradition has also evolved to take account of the multitude of celebrities and mascots we have in modern times, and you can find pooping figures in the guise of almost anyone: pop stars, movie characters, videogame figures, royalty, politicians – including one stall which had a crapping Donald Trump complete with a bleeding ear from the assassination attempt! – and more. The range was certainly considerable and diverse!

You can browse a range of Caganer figurines at the official website even.

Today’s picture is of a Caganer stall at one of Barcelona’s Christmas Markets.

Something good that happened today…

I think I might rest this section of my daily blog. Not because it’s a bad idea – I fully intend to keep recognising the good things in my life – which is a good thing to do. But I’m considerate of the fact that sometimes they can maybe feel a little trivial to post about, so I think I’ll save these bits for when the “something good” is a bit more notable than my having eaten a nice pastie for lunch or something.

Caganer

Olympus OM-10, E-Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 & Kodak Ultramax. Lab developed, home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 21 December 2024

Digital · Photography

Marina

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Another digital shot from Barcelona.

Something good that happened today…

I went out for a drive with my son who starts his new job on Monday. As it’s a considerably longer drive than to his previous place of work, I chaperoned him on a test run to make sure he was happy with the route. All went well.

Marina

Ricoh GR III

Taken on 20 December 2024

Digital · Photography

In a plaça with a guitar

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Another digital shot from Barcelona today.

Something good that happened today…

I had a chilled couple of hours lying on the bed watching episodes of QI while the cats snoozed beside me. It’s really nice to relax like this (especially as my legs were aching a little from yesterday’s hike) and it’s something I don’t do often enough, always being busy with other stuff that can probably wait a little while.

In the plaça with a guitar

Ricoh GR III

Taken on 20 December 2024

Digital · Photography

Shadow lamps

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I’ve not had chance to write up my new “Expiriment” post today as I went out for a hike and didn’t get back home in time. Maybe tomorrow, time allowing…

Instead here’s another digital shot from December’s Barcelona trip.

Something good that happened today…

I went out into the Peak District with the intention of wandering around Baslow, one of the closest villages in the park to Sheffield. I think there are plenty of subjects there and, while I’ve driven through the village on many occasions, I’ve never actually stopped to explore.

However, when I arrived, I instead decided to walk to Chatsworth House, which stands a mile or so down the Derwent Valley from the village. I ended up hiking for miles, but the weather was bright and clear, I shot a roll and a bit of Tr-X through my Yashica Mat 124G, and had a good time doing it. It’s nice to get out and get some fresh air and exercise.

Shadow lamps

Ricoh GR III

Taken on 22 December 2024

Digital · Photography

Lady Dumpling

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We walked past this place selling dumplings on a number of occasions while in Barcelona (although we didn’t get chance to purchase any). I thought it made for a nice picture.

Something good that happened today…

I’m still struggling to find something to put in this section on some days. I did have some good personal news, but it’s not something I want to talk about on here, so I’m clutching at straws a little otherwise. I think that the fact I tend to worry about things a lot can mean the good stuff gets obscured.

So I’m going to go with my weight. Not that it’s great – I’m overweight and at least a half-stone over what I was back in the autumn – but I’m still over a stone lighter than I was this time last year and, while my weight is not really dropping much at present (still some Christmas treats hanging around the house that need to be defeated!), it’s not increasing either, which bodes well for when I make a proper effort to get it under control soon. Hopefully I might hit my target this year!

Lady Dumpling

Ricoh GR III

Taken on 22 December 2024

Digital · Photography

By the skin of my teeth

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Although we booked our pre-Christmas trip to Barcelona several months ago, it was only a week before we were due to depart that I realised that my passport was close to its expiry. Checking the entry requirements for Spain I became pretty concerned when I realised my passport needed a minimum of three months until expiry from the date we returned home. Looking into this further on the Spanish consulate website, I got the slightly more specific “90 days, minimum” figure.

Thankfully, my passport just squeaked through the requirements, but there were definite nervous moments when going through border control where I wondered if they might refuse my entry and put me on a plane back home!

I’ve now sent off for a new passport so at least I’ll not have to worry about this again for the next decade!

Airport scene

Ricoh GR III

Taken on 23 December 2024

Digital · Photography

Bars on the window

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Clear skies in Barcelona meant there was some gorgeous light about, although the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter mean that this only falls on locations at certain times of the day. When you catch it though, it’s lovely.

Another misty day here in the UK today, so I got out for the third time in as many days with my Yashica Mat 124G and a roll of Tri-X. I’m hoping to start developing the three rolls on Monday.

Lamplight

Ricoh GR III

Taken on 20 December 2024