Tag: Derbyshire

35mm · Film photography · Photography

No more golf

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The photo today is of the clubhouse at Renishaw Golf Course. Or should I say the former Renishaw Golf Course, because it closed last year. The course is bordered by the River Rother at its eastern boundary and as such is subject to flooding. I would often drive past following periods of heavy rain and see some of the fairways submerged, perhaps due to the rainfall alone, but perhaps also when flood defences have been engaged on the river, causing it to flood in certain areas to protect others.

I don’t believe the club house ever flooded as it’s at a higher elevations, but it’s now up for sale.

I have more photos from the golf course that I’ve taken in recent months. It’s amazing how quick nature begins to reclaim such places when they are no longer actively maintained.

Something good that happened today…

Our house (just to be clear, not the Renishaw Golf Course clubhouse!) is currently up for sale as we’re hoping to move to a bungalow (albeit a large bungalow suitable for the four of us). Someone who came to look at our house last week has offered the asking price, which is good. We now have the challenge of finding somewhere that we would like to move into which, given the dearth of such properties on the market at present, may take some time..

No more golfing

Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 @ 20° 9mins.

Taken on 26 October 2024

4x5 Large Format · Film photography · Photography

A millstone beside a tree

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Another picture taken in close proximity to those posted over the last couple of days.

This is a bit of a “tripod holes” scene, and you can probably fine a large number of alternative (and probably better) photographs of the same location. It sits beside one of the main paths leading through Padley Gorge so, unless you take the path on the other side of the gorge, you can’t really avoid it.

Still, I’m quite happy with how it turned out. I’ve cropped in a little to remove some additional brightness where the grey and overcast sky was visible through the branches at the top of the scene.

Millstone tree

Chamonix 045n-1, Schneider-Kreuznach Super-Angulon 5.6/90 & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 30 October 2024

4x5 Large Format · Film photography · Photography

Burbage Brook in Padley Gorge

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Today’s picture was taken just a stone’s throw from the one I posted yesterday, but shot a year later. Thankfully the Kodak Ektar sheet fil, already expired by a few years when I loaded it into the holders, has stood the extended wait quite well, especially as it was just sat in my office and not refrigerated during this time. I wonder if we sometimes get overly concerned about the longevity of film if it’s not cold stored? I expect that, unless you’re in particularly adverse conditions, it will fare quite well at normal room temperature in a temperate environment.

Burbage Brook

Chamonix 045n-1, Schneider-Kreuznach Super-Angulon 5.6/90 & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 30 October 2024

4x5 Large Format · Film photography · Photography

Sometimes it’s not as bad as you thought…

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Over a year ago, I wrote this post about a disappointing outing with my large format camera. You can read the post for the details, but the gist of it was that I wasted a sheet of very expensive 4×5 format Kodak Ektar by not paying attention and messing up the exposure.

I remember thinking at the time that I might as well just pull the sheet of film from the holder and throw it in the bin, such was my certainty that I’s messed it up beyond salvation. In the end, I decided to leave the sheet in the holder until I shot the remaining three sheets I had loaded on some other outing. It took almost a year before that next outing with the 4×5 Ektar came around.

Tempting fate somewhat, I returned to the same location – Padley Gorge – although the weather wasn’t particularly inspiring, it being a typical UK dull and overcast autumnal day. Nonetheless I decided to shoot the remaining three sheets I had loaded into my film holders. This being the first time I’ve shot colour 4×5 film, and as I don’t have the chemicals or equipment I’d need to develop the film at home (as I do with black and white), I had to find somewhere to send the film to be processed. I also had to locate a spare film box that I could use to send the sheets (they need to be sent in a light-tight container, usually a double box with a lightproof bag inside). It ended up being a month before I managed to post them out to the lab I chose, then another week to get them back.

When I saw the negatives, the original badly exposed shot looked a little thin, so I was expecting a bad result. Imaging my surprise when the picture you see below appeared from the scanner! It’s the best of the four sheets by far, I think. Yes, I’ve done some post-processing to make it look its best, but nothing too dramatic, and I’m extremely happy with the result. If you click the photo you can see the full-size version on Flickr, with all the lovely detail that a large format photograph provides.

There’s a lesson here about not giving up on things, even when they seem a lost cause…

Autumn in Padley Gorge

Chamonix 045n-1, Schneider-Kreuznach Super-Angulon 5.6/90 & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 30 October 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

An emporium and some of the things within (but no cloth cat)

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This will probably mark the last of my Castleton trip photos, and it’s another shot of the Carlton Emporium, but this time with a glimpse of some of the things available for purchase within. I got strong Bagpuss vibes looking at this place – I wonder if a girl named Emily works there? 🙂

Carlton Emporium-2
Venus and friends
Safety lamp

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 18 May 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Dandelion gravestone

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I wasn’t sure how this photo would turn out when I took it. The lighting was quite challenging, with a dark, backlit gravestone, with a bright halo of leaves and a bunch of glowing dandelion sugarbabies in the foreground. It worked out better than I expected, with the F80’s meter making a good job at balancing the scene and capturing the lichen on the gravestone.

Dandelion graveyard

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 18 May 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Cement works

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In the midst of the picturesque Hope Valley stands the cement works. This used to be owned by Blue Circle Cement when I was younger, but the plant has been in the hands of multiple businesses since it was first built in 1929. The current owner is Breedon.

Despite the structure being quite a contrast from the otherwise scenic agricultural surroundings, it provides quite a striking focal point and the sight of the building and chimney features frequently in landscape photographs of the area.

I have a memory from a long ago school trip to the area where someone mentioned that it was an eyesore and spoiled the scenery, whereupon the teacher explained that, while that might be the case, the operation also provides a large number of jobs for the people who live in the area.

Hope cement works

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 18 May 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Photography with friends

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My recent day trip to Castleton was shared with a group of online friends who I know from a photography forum. I’ve been on similar outings in the past, but this was the first one since the covid pandemic.

I’m normally a lone-wolf when it comes to photography. I can immerse myself in what I’m doing without distraction, and I find I rarely make my best pictures if I’m with company. However sometimes it’s nice for photography to be a shared experience, especially when your companions share the passion and (sometimes) the disappointments. Even more so when they are fellow film shooters.

It was a good day and I hope to repeat it before too long.

Togs in the wild
Towards Peak Cavern
Halfway to the castle
Towards the Devil's Arse

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 18 May 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

The outskirts of Castleton

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Another shot made with my 28-300mm zoom lens that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve before. Actually, that’s probably not strictly accurate – my Zuiko 75-150mm might have done a decent job had I been shooting with one of my Olympus SLR’s. Still, I wouldn’t have been able to make this shot previously with my other Nikon gear, the longest lens I have for that format being a 105mm macro lens.

The conditions could have been better for this picture. Although it was still quite early in the day (before 9am) the sun was already beating down and there was a lot of haze and otherwise clear blue skies.

I like how Peveril Castle is perched up on the hillside in the background though.

Peveril Castle in the background haze

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 18 May 2024