35mm · Film photography · Photography

Industrial streets

The tall chimney of the Veolia Energy Recovery plant stands sentinel over these walls on industrial streets to the east of the city centre. I was shooting a roll of expired film on the day and, when I left the house, the sky was clear and full of light. Unfortunatley, by the time I’d parked and started walking, the sky was mostly covered by cloud. This wasn’t ideal – I don’t like shooting colour film in overcast conditions at the best of times, but even less so with expired film.

As it is, the results aren’t too bad and the grit of the film perhaps suits the conditions. I have more shots from this same roll to come – mostly shot in good light – and the grain is equally prevalent on those too. I have a second roll of this same stock left to shoot and think I’ll overexpose it next time, which is what I normally do with expired C41 film (using the one stop of over-exposure per decade of expiry guidance). I didn’t do that on this occasion as I’d been told the film was fridge stored and wanted to see how it looked shot a box speed.

Concrete fence
Sussex Road

Nikon F80, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D & TruPrint FG+ (expired 2005). Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 2 April 2022

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Another short post and a picture of a riverside path

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.

The other way

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & & Ilford FP4+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10mins @ 20°

Taken on 15 January 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Preparing to cast off?

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

Preparing to cast off?

Nikon F80, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 24 July 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Making the same picture

The photo posted here today is a composition I’ve shot on quite a few occasions. It’s one that just seems to work and always catches my eye. I’m not sure how many times the scene has featured on the blog (at least once before, here), but I know I have several different versions. This one is, I believe, the first time I’ve shot it on 6×9 though.

Again

Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 4 July 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Pleasley pit

I bit of a bumper set of pictues today, by my normal standards at least. All of them made during a walk around Pleasley Pit country park.

The park stands on the site of Pleasly colliery, which operated from the 1870s until 1983. The buildings were saved from demolition and in 1996 designated as an ancient monument. The surrounding land was reclaimed and regenerated into a park and wildlife habitat.

The remaining buildings now operate as a mining museum.

On the day I made these photos my intent wasn’t to visit the museum, but to browse the nearby car-boot sale that operates on Saturday mornings in the hope that there might have been some cameras to be had. Sadly, no cameras were to be seen (apart from some early-noughties digital point-and-shoots in a box on one of the stalls. As I had a my OM-2n with me, I decided to have a walk around the country park and take some pictures of the pit buildings. I only had a 50mm, so some foot-based zooming was required, but it worked out well. The museum wasn’t open this early in the day so I didn’t get to see inside. Perhaps another day.

Down there at Pleasley
A monument to mining
A reminder still

Pit buildings
At the pit head
Hiding
Near the exit
Smokestack once more
Three birds over the pit head
Colliery
Behind the trees
Coal facing
Backlit colliery

Olympus OM-2n, Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 12 June 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

More blue skies and smokestack

Almost the same subject matter as yesterday’s photo, although this one was made a little further up the road from that one. Once more the gorgeous blue skies rendered by this out of date slide film, countered by the warm tones of the buildings.

I went out for a walk this morning to finish off a roll of Colorplus in the Sure Shot Supreme, but also to have a test run with the recently acquired Olympus XA3. The tiny camera is great for dropping into a pocket, and the simple zone-focusing design means it’s easy to concentrate on the composition rather than camera settings. I had a moments panic where I thought the film had jammed part way through the roll, but it quickly resolved itself (the winder started to move smoothly again, plus the rewind crank turned too, so hopefully the film didn’t snap). Still more than half-a-roll left to shoot, but I’m looking forward to seeing the results.

I also developed my first roll of film in what feels like ages today, although it’s probably only three or four weeks since the last one. I think it’s the fact that I usually have rolls to develop most weeks that’s made the gap seem so large.

Chimney again

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Kodak Elite Chrome 200 (expired 2003).

Taken on 17 April 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Kelham Island

I’ve been out to the cinema this evening (to see Spiderman: Far From Home) and so don’t have much time to write a post unfortunately.

This is a shot I took last weekend of the Kelham Island museum in Sheffield. I posted a similar shot from a slightly different vantage point about eighteen months ago.

FILM - Kelham Island

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Fujifilm Pro 400H.

Taken on 7 July 2019