All Saint’s church, Hooton Pagnell

April 7, 2023 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

As I’ve been posting pictures of churches over the past few days, I might as well post another. This one wasn’t shot on 4×5 large format, instead it’s a small-by-comparison 6×45 medium format ratio. Despite the smaller negative, the Bronica ETRSi still produces very nicely detailed photographs, such as this one of All Saint’s church in the village of Hooton Pagnell.

I managed to get out and make more photos today. Amazingly, given my usual poor luck when it comes to the weather, it was a beautiful spring day – all blue skies and (later on) fluffly little cumulus clouds. I had a momentary mini panic this morning when I woke to see the lovely conditions but without having a clue where to go to take advantage of them. In the end I decided to visit Newark Air Museum and take some large format photographs of the old aircraft they have there. I exposed 8 sheets of 4×5 and also managed to finish off a roll of 35mm HP5+ in the Canon Sure Shot Supreme that I had in my coat pocket. I’ll try and develop some of the 4×5 pictures tomorrow all being well.

All Saints church, Hooton Pagnell, South Yorkshire, UK

Bronica ETRSi & Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford Delta 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10 mins 30 secs @ 20°

Taken 5 February 2023.

4x5 Large Format · Film photography · Photography

St. Peter’s Church, Thorpe Salvin (including an exciting hidden pigeon challenge!)

April 6, 2023April 6, 2023 fishyfisharcade9 Comments

Another church, and another named after St. Peter just a couple of days after I posted a photo of its namesake at Elmton.

Quite a difference in architecture between the two buildings though.

When dust-spotting the scan I spotted a lone pigeon hiding in the scene. Can you spot it? You’ll probably need to click through to Flickr to see the full resolution version in order to find it though.

I’m now very much looking forward to the four days off work that the extended Easter weekend will bring. I’m hoping to do some more photography if the weather remains decent.

Chroma 4×5. Fujinon NW 135mm f/5.6 & Fomapan 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 12 mins @ 20°

Taken 2 April 2023.

4x5 Large Format · Digital · Film photography · Photography

The School Room at Elmton

April 5, 2023 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

I can’t say that I know very much about this building beyond that it was renovated in recent years for community use and that, in the past, it was almost certainly and actual school building.

It’s an attractive structure though.

Although this picture below was shot on 4×5 sheet film, I have a very similar picture that I shot on a Ricoh GR III back in the summer of 2021. While the large format film photo is sharper and has more detail, there’s not a lot in it considering the GR III is an APS-C crop-sensor camera. This should all be balanced out by the fact that my large format negatives are scanned at home using an Epson V700 flatbed scanner at 2400dpi. It produces scans that meet my needs admirably, but I doubt it really compares to something like a Nikon Coolscan or, at the top end of the scale something like a Flextight or a proper wet-mounted drum scan.

I don’t shoot film for it’s sharpness though. I like nice sharp images, and 4×5 certainly provides that over and above medium format, and certainly 135 format, but it’s really about the experience, how I feel when using and shooting film, and the pleasure I get when I see the results. So, while I like the pictures my GR III makes, and it’s a very convenient camera to carry, it’s not usually the one I reach for when I want to go and make photos.

Chroma 4×5. Fujinon NW 135mm f/5.6 & Fomapan 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 12 mins @ 20°

Taken 2 April 2023.

And here’s the digital picture:

4x5 Large Format · Film photography · Photography

Working with the limitations of a prime lens

April 4, 2023 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

The picture today is of St. Peter’s church at Elmton. The church (including a similar photo on 35mm film) has featured on the blog before (here, here, here, and here).

On this occasion I had my 4×5 large format camera with me. I only have one lens for this camera at present – a Fujinon 135mm f/5.6. The lens is roughly equivalent to a 40mm focal length on a 35mm or full-frame digital camera. It’s a nice focal length and one I use a lot – many of my compact cameras have focal ranges that are similar, so the field of view it affords is one that I am used to, and I’m a regular proponent of the “zoom with your feet” school of thought.

Sometimes though, a fixed prime lens has it’s downsides – noteably when the ol’ zooming with your feet option doesn’t work. I’ve yet to find a way of zooming backwards through walls, or floating up and over unavoidable obstacles obstructing my field of view. I’d an idea of getting a picture of the church incorporating the low tower, either side on, or from the fron of the building but, alas, the 135mm wasn’t wide enough for this and the church is a little awkwardly positioned in terms of available longer vantagepoints.

And so the composition you see below was the best I could get on the day. I might have gotten something different from the other side of the church, but that would have meant most of the visible part of the building would have been in shadow. I think this composition still works though. You can just see the tower peeping up at the left of the structure, and the rear of the church has plenty of interest, including the weathered gravestones. The angle also means I got some nice contrast and relief shadows that I wouldn’t have had from a side-on view of the church.

Chroma 4×5. Fujinon NW 135mm f/5.6 & Fomapan 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 12 mins @ 20°

Taken 2 April 2023.

4x5 Large Format · Film photography · Photography

Half a picture

April 3, 2023 fishyfisharcade3 Comments

The weather yesterday was good for once. Paired with the fact that it was a Sunday and I wasn’t at work, I felt almost duty bound to make use of it and go out with a camera.

As I’ve not shot the 4×5 for a few weeks and I’m still in the “getting to know you” phase of figuring out how to use it while still trying to make interesting pictures, I got the kit together and headed out. It was late morning before I had chance to set off as my dad came over for his usual Sunday visit first thing so I decided to stay relatively local and headed out to a couple of villages and other places I’ve photographed previously, albeit not with large format.

I only shot four sheets, although, given how long it takes to shoot 4×5, I was still out for over two hours even though I shot two of the pictures walking distance apart, and the other two were at locations not that far away by car.

I had a chance to develop the photos this lunchtime (the benefits of working from home) and they all looked good apart from the picture featured today – which had a large light leak down the left third of the image. I’m not sure if one of my film holders is a bit tempremental and prone to light leaks, or if I’d not been sufficiently careful when removing or re-inserting the dark slide when taking the photograph.

Luckily for me, the image could be salvaged with a crop. The original frame has all the house in the composition, plus a garage and part of a tree down the left of the property. The crop removes that completely but still manages to leave a pretty nice picture. At least I think it does. The 4×5 format means there’s still an absolute ton of detail in the remaining part of the image too.

The wheelie-bin isn’t the most attractive thing, but cropping that out too unbalanced the picture a bit too much for my taste.

Chroma 4×5. Fujinon NW 135mm f/5.6 & Fomapan 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 12 mins @ 20°

Taken 2 April 2023.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Above then beside

April 2, 2023 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This village sits on a hillside, with the road running through the top part of the community being approximately fifty feet higher than the bottom part. While not a huge difference in elevation, it means that nice views across the rooftops and over the landscape beyond can be had.

The first shot shown here today was taken from the high road (which you can see in the picture posted yesterday) looking down onto the lower part of the village. The second picture shows the house at centre left in the first image but from a lower footpath.

Bronica ETRSi & Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford Delta 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10 mins 30 secs @ 20°

Taken 5 February 2023.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Random village scene

April 1, 2023 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

A few weeks ago I visited the village of Hooton Pagnel. It’s a place I’ve never visited before and had not even heard of until recently. I “discovered” it after a random news article popped up on my phone talking about South Yorkshires most attractive places where, if I recall correctly, it came in first place.

As it’s not that far from home – about 30 minutes by car – I decided I’d pay a visit and see what I might find in terms of photographs. The weather was a little overcast when I left home but, by the time I arrived, it had changed to broken clouds with some sunshine and the occasional spot of rain.

The photos from the blog over the past few days, and the coming few as well were all made in the village. I shot a couple of rolls with the Bronica ETRSi. The second roll – Ilford Delta 100 – are the better images I think, partly because I like the look, and also because the light had improved by the time I started shooting it.

The village itself was quite small, but with plenty of things of interest. One thing I didn’t photograph was the Grade II listed Hooton Pagnell Hall, mostly because I don’t think it’s open to the public except as a wedding venue. The estate dates back to the 11th century though, with the core of the current hall being built in the 14th century.

The picture today was taken close to the driveway that featured in yesterday’s post – it’s a mere 180° turn from where this photo was shot.

Bronica ETRSi & Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford Delta 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10 mins 30 secs @ 20°

Taken 5 February 2023.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

At the end of the week

March 31, 2023March 31, 2023 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

It’s been a long week. I’ve been very busy at work but managed to complete the main task I had yesterday, leaving today feeling somewhat more relaxed and, as a small reward, I’ve treated myself to an earlier finish than usual.

The weather for the coming weekend looks to be mixed. Tomorrow is forecast to have heavy cloud and perhaps rain but Sunday looks brighter with sunny intervals. If the forecast is correct (we’ll see…) then I might try and get out with the 4×5 camera on Sunday afternoon, though I’ve not yet given much thought as to where to go.

Tomorrow will be utilised to develop the roll of film I shot last weekend while visiting Photo North and possibly scanning some E6 positives that should be on their way back to me in the post. I’m also hoping to watch some stuff on TV, do some reading, and maybe continue playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on my recently acquired Nintendo Switch. Does anyone have a four day weekend going spare?

After a long week, here’s a picture of a house with a long driveway (which is also a public right of way).

Bronica ETRSi & Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford Delta 100. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10 mins 30 secs @ 20°

Taken 5 February 2023.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Over the hedge and behind the gate

March 30, 2023 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

More farm stuff today, this time another silo / tank seen from two vantage points. While I was unsure as to the specific use of the silos and equipment in yesterday’s pictures, the one featured today I feel I can be more certain about.

The silo features the branding of “Yara” which, after a quick search on Google, is a company that specialises in providing fertilizers, including liquid fertilizers (which is what I believe is stored in the tank seen in the pictures today).

I promise more exciting (and incredibly undetailed) farm-storage equipment posts to come, but not for a few days. Don’t get too excited. 🙂

Bronica ETRSi & Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9 mins @ 20°

Taken 5 February 2023.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

On a farm

March 29, 2023 fishyfisharcade3 Comments

As a city boy I know little detail about farming beyond the basics – the sort of stuff that I imagine most people will know. I pick up additional knowledge from watching TV shows like Countryfile on BBC One (although I don’t watch that nearly as much these days), or Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime Video which, despite it’s host’s tomfoolery, has a surprising amount to say about the challenges facing farmers in the UK today.

The structures in today’s photos then are slightly mysterious. There are silos in both shots, and I expect that these will hold harvested crops or possibly silage or animal feed. But I don’t know for definite.

The second image shows a structure that wouldn’t look out of place in a chemical plant, and is to my ignorant eye, even more mysterious. There are a whole host of pipes and ducts, some connected to the barn, and a huge vent poking out the side. What is this for? I’m guessing that perhaps it treats harvested crops in some way, perhaps drying them, or perhaps helping to ferment grass into animal feed. Againthough, I really don’t know.

What I do know is that they can make for interesting photographs.