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 same bridge that featured in yesterday’s post (and also the post about Retropan 320 the day before).
This is my favourite of the three pictures – the wider angle and format shows more of the bridge’s structure than the 6×6 Yashicamat photo did, plus the people in the shot are well placed in the frame, have well timed gait, and also similar hairstyles, all of which contribute I think.
Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins 20° .
Taken on 26 February 2022
I’m pretty happy with how this picture turned out. It was a spur-of-the-moment effort quickly taken when I spotted the girders and their reflections as I walked beneath this bridge over the River Aire in Leeds.
Apart from framing the photo as I wanted, my only real concern was that there might be some camera shake due to lack of light and my inability to control shutter speed or aperture on the little Olympus XA3. There was a railing just out of frame and so I leant on that to give a little extra stability. I was happy to see that the shot came out well, and better than I actually anticipated.
Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins 20° .
Taken on 26 February 2022
I’d planned to come up with a longer piece for today’s blog but then my eldest son and his girlfriend came to visit for a few hours, so I’ve not got the time now. Maybe I’ll farebetter tomorrow.
This picture was taken pretty much adjacent to the one that featured yesterday, this time looking up the path beside the river rather than down into the water.
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & & Ilford FP4+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10mins @ 20°
Taken on 15 January 2021
I’ve spent this afternoon developing a roll of Ilford FP4+ that I shot last weekend, and also scanning a roll of Fujichrome Provia 100 that I also shot suring the same session (but which I had developed by my local lab as I don’t have the gear for developing E6). I’m pretty happy with the Provia scans, and they’ll start to appear on here after the weekend. The FP4+ negatives look nice too, although I can never truly tell until the scan appears before my eyes.
Today’s photo is another from the foggy morning’s walk a few weeks ago and was shot beneath the viaduct that featured on the blog a couple of days ago.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 13mins @ 20°
Taken on 15 January 2021
Two quite similar photos today, both of the A57 viaduct where it crosses the River Rother and railway lines. There was thick fog on the morning they were shot and it just disappeared into the blankness. I’m not sure which of the two I prefer though. I like the composition of the first, which is quite clean and layered, but I like the interest of the foreground grasses in the second (although they’re maybe a little messy). Anyway, both here to see, whichever you prefer.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 13mins @ 20°
Taken on 15 January 2021
I can’t hear the word “underpass” without it bringing the sound of John Foxx’s 1980 electronic classic song of the same name – although I still always have a childish urge to switch the chorus to “Underpants!” :).
I’m really happy with how this shot turned out. Again, the vignetting has added some grit to an already nicely gritty scene. I’d just walked beneath the underpass myself and was out the other side when I saw someone going the other way. So I about-turned and grabbed a picture of their silouhetted form as they reached the light at the far side of the tunnel. The 35mm lens focuses pretty slowly for some reason on the F80 so the figure isn’t totally sharp, but I don’t think it matters at all in this picture.
Figures pass below
Under the traffic above
Echoes of John Foxx
Nikon F80, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 24 July 2021
This fella was pottering about on the edge of this canal boat and tinkering with the ropes. I have no idea about boats so don’t really know what he was doing – he could have been tidying for all I know.
I used my APS-C 35mm for most of the roll that this picture was taken from. Although designed for a crop-sensor, it has a large enough image circle to work on a full-frame / 35mm camera, albeit with vignetting. The vignetting becomes pronounced as the lens is stopped down, but at wide apertures it’s acceptable (well, to me anyway). The autofocus seemed exceptionally slow on the F80 with this lens though.
Fast lens, slow focus
It’s not meant for a camera
That shoots 135
Nikon F80, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 24 July 2021
The railway viaduct at Knaresborough carries the line to Harrogate across the deep valley containing the River Nidd. It opened in 1851 and cost £9,803 (which equates to around £1.4m today – a figure that seems nonetheless quite low. I wonder how much labour and other costs would otherwise inflate a modern day similar construction?). The viaduct had originally been intended to open three years earlier but it collapsed shortly before completion necessitating a complete re-build.
Across the river
Carrying passengers to
Harrogate and on
Olympus XA3 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 26 May 2021
This “amusing” play on the Alec Guiness WWII movie title has been forced upon my readership once before. But this is a different bridge, so I’ll wheel out the rubbish joke once more. 🙂
Cross the River Wye
Prisoners of war might not
Have built this one though
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 24 May 2021
The Ball Street bridge crosses the River Don a little upstream from Kelham Island and is immediately adjacent to Kelham Weir. The bridge dates to 1856 and was built by Milton Iron Works at Elsecar. The bridge holds grade II listed status.
The bridge is now only open to non-motorised traffic (although maybe motorcycles too). I believe that this is to manage road traffic around the area.
Red and green iron
Spanning the flowing river
Now blocked to traffic
Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Kodak Colorplus.
Taken on 9 May 2021
Steel City Snapper photography 