A new way of doing things

August 16, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

So, as some of you who read this blog might have noticed, the gaps between posts has gradually gotten larger following the early flurry of activity when I first started. In an attempt to combat this and increase the rate at which I post, I’ve decided to change the way that I update the blog. Instead of posts containing multiple shots, I’m going to cut it back to posts containing a single image (although there may occasionally be multiple shots, and even some of the longer posts every now and again) with a concise description. This will hopefully allow me to post frequently and keep the stream of content moving. It also has the benefit of me being able to mix things up a bit and publish photos from different sessions and rolls as I feel like it, rather than posting a whole bunch of pictures from a single event, trip or location (unless I feel like it, of course!). I’ve got a large-ish backlog of pictures taken since I started the blog, plus a pool of other shots taken beforehand to choose from, so there should be no shortage of content at least. I’ve also started re-scanning some of my earlier photos to get better results (I’m now much more adept at using the scanner and software than I was back then), so some older shots have now become a bit more presentable than they were.

To kick things off, here’s a shot from the first roll I shot when getting back into film photography. It was shot on 23 July last year using my Olympus Trip 35 on Agfa Vista Plus 200 film and re-scanned recently on my Epson V550 flatbed. I’d bought the Trip to replace one I already had (given to me by my dad), but which doesn’t work properly anymore (the red flag doesn’t pop up to indicate bad exposure) and chose the Agfa Vista because it was available for £1 a roll at Poundland and, as this was my first foray back into film shooting in about twenty years, I didn’t want to risk a more expensive brand. The film was developed at a branch of Max Spielman and I was happy enough with the results, but I get the impression that film development is becoming a bit of a lost art at some of these high street outlets these days, and after a couple of subsequent rolls yielded very unsatisfying results, I switched to a pro-lab (Peak Imaging) for all subsequent processing and have been very happy with the results since.

This is the dam in Crookes Valley park, Sheffield, UK where I went with my wife and younger sons. The re-scan is far better than my original version (which was a scan of the actual print instead of the negative). The colours are better and more vivid, plus the image is sharper and has less cropping (the person’s legs at bottom left, and the child at mid-left were not visible in the original version at all).

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Some more from the steam rally…

August 11, 2017 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

As my slovenly updating of the blog continues, I thought I’d just drop in a bunch of photos to keep it alive!

These were taken back in June at the Sheffield Steam Rally ay North Anston. I’ve already posted the shots of the traction engines, but there were also some classic cars that I photographed, plus a few random shots. These were shot with my OM-1 with the F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 on Fomapan 100. I like the Fomapan, it’s a little grimy in my experience, sometimes having little back soot-like flecks on the negatives, but the results are pretty nice.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Oddshots #4

July 24, 2017July 24, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Once again, apologies for my somewhat slower paced updating of the blog. In order to at least post something to keep the blood flow going, here’s another in my occasional Oddshots posts – just a single image that doesn’t really fit in a bigger post, or perhaps something from the archive.

This one was taken a week ago following a trip to the local cathedral (which had opened it’s doors to a local photography group for the evening). After the visit came to a close I walked back to the car to find that the street where I’d parked was bathed in gorgeous evening sunshine. Hawley Street consists of a row of terraced houses that were spared damage in the blitz, and the light on them was lovely. It’s only the contemporary cars (and maybe the odd street sign and road marking) that really date this image – it might otherwise have been taken 75 years ago. I’m not disappointed by the cars in the shot – they themselves will add a nice historical air as the photo ages.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Sheffield Steam Rally

July 18, 2017 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

On Sunday 25 June I attended Sheffield Steam Rally, which is held just outside Sheffield at North Anston. I visited last year too, but have only attended one other time before that, probably sometime in the late 1990s. Like trains, classic cars, or aircraft, steam engines are not something that I have any deep interest in, in and of themselves, but as a photographer, they make for excellent interesting subjects, both of themselves, and also in the vast array of detail that they hold. There’s also a wonderful nostalgia that surrounds them and, while I don’t think I’d like to have lived in an environment thick with it, the pungent whiff of coal smoke is lovely in these situations.

I managed to take over fifty photographs on the day, but this post contains just a selection of them. These shots were all taken with my Olympus OM-1. Some shots are on Ilford HP5+, and others are on Fomapan 100. I’ll mark each shot accordingly, but the HP5+ shots will be first.

#1 (HP5+) – This was a favourite of the day. I really like the out-of-focus engine to the rear of the shot, and it feels like it could have been taken a long time ago.

#2 (HP5+) – Another favourite. I like the composition and the trio of figures.

#3 (HP5+) – A lot of the traction engines appeared to be family endeavours, with fathers, sons, wives, daughters all mucking in. I like this shot because of the foreground interest granted by the man and his dog (although I nearly cut off its feet!).

#4 (HP5+)

#5 (HP5+) – I think the human element adds to a lot of the shots. Some of the interest would be lost if were just the machines.

#6 (HP5+)

#7 (HP5+)

#8 (HP5+)- This must be a show regular, as I photographed it last year too. To be fair, many, if not all of the engines might’ve been there last year too, it’s just that I recognised this one.

#9 (Fomapan) – Another favourite. If the van weren’t in shot, this would perhaps have the look of a much older photograph.

#10-19 (Fomapan) – The steam engines take part in a drive-past event in the central “show-ring” area and I took a number of photos of this. The next two are my favourites – the size of the machines, but also the poses of the drivers, gives them something od an epic feel I think.

#20 (Fomapan) – The smoke adds so much atmosphere (both literally as well as figuratively!).

#21 (Fomapan)

#22 (Fomapan)

#23 (Fomapan) – There were other things present, apart from steam rollers and traction engines, including this organ. There were also some nice food stalls and I had a delicious pork and pulled-pork burger from one of them.

There were also a large number of classic cars, bikes and trucks present, but I’ll save those photos for another day.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

So much for at least one update a week!

July 10, 2017 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

Oh well, the sky hasn’t fallen down as yet, so I guess my self-imposed “at least one post a week” wasn’t the be all and end all (after all!).

Anyway, I’ve still got quite a mountain of pictures to post – even though, until the weekend, I’d had a break of a couple of weeks without taking a single photograph – so here’re a few more. These were all taken during the day-trip to York that I’ve already posted about, but were on a second roll of film that I didn’t finish on the day. There’s no particular theme, just a selection of things I though might make a decent picture.

These were all shot with my Olympus OM-1 on Ilford HP5+. I used the F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 for some, and a Hoya 25-42mm wide-angle zoom for the others. I got both lenses with the camera but, despite its wide-angle versatility, I’m not keen on the Hoya – it’s very bulky and heavy and the image quality isn’t a patch on the F.Zuiko. I’ve flagged the Hoya shots with a (H).

#1 – This was taken on my way back to the town centre after the morning’s visit to the National Railway Museum. I hung around at the edge of the street to get someone reflected in the puddle. I took two shots, but this is the best.

#2 – Despite their poorer image quality, I still like a few of the Hoya shots, including this one (H).

#3 – York Minster at a jaunty angle (H).

#4 – Another one of the Hoya shots I really like (H).

#5 -The Minster again (H).

#6 – And again. I like the juxtaposition of the old Roman column against the more modern cathedral here. I couldn’t have taken this without the wide-angle (H).

#7 – A couple of bicycles (H).

#8 -Another street scene (H).

#9 -And another (H).

#10 – York’s famous medieval shopping street. the Shambles, some of the buildings here date back to the 14th century. It gets its name because it used to be the home of a large number of butchers’ shops (shambles being an old term for open-air butchers and slaughterhouses.

#11 -And York’s famous tea-room, Betty’s (there’s another branch in Harrogate, which I think is the original). There was a sizeable queue outside each time I passed by.

#12 -Finger-puppets for sale on The Shambles.

#13 -And more modern digital “bobble head” clocks.

#14 -And gin (though this wasn’t on The Shambles).

#15 -There was a sizeable international food fair taking place on the day, with loads of stalls, but the only one I photographed was this sausage stand (which might be there all the time anyway for all I know).

#16 -The old BT piper logo was still in evidence on these payphones.

#17 – This is my favourite shot of the bunch. I spotted this trout’s expression on a fish monger’s stall.

#18 – Another bicycle. The city being relatively flat, bicycles appear to be a popular form of transport in York.

#19 – Not sure if these stones mark actual graves any more.

#20 – And the final shot of this batch, a small alleyway just off Stonegate. And another of the shots I quite like.

It’s a shame the weather wasn’t better on the day – there are untold numbers of things to photograph in York, and the place is well worth the visit.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

More catching up…

June 29, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Following on from yesterday’s post, here are the remaining black and white shots from Brodsworth Hall. Sorry it’s a bit of a hectic post!

I’ll start off with the classic car related photos and then move on to the others taken in the grounds.

#1 – A cheeky selfie.

#2 – Someone relaxing behind their car.

#3 – Model-T Ford hood.

#4 – A bit of bonnet bokeh.

#5 – A Browning M1919 atop the hood of a Willys Jeep.

#6 – I think this was inside the Model-T.

#7 – Under a Chevvy’s hood.

#8 – Morris 8 bonnet.

#9 – Bentley bonnet (not sure of the model).

#10 – Rolls Royce grille – again, not sure of the model.

#11 – A sunlit statue.

#12 – A large monkey puzzle tree in the gardens.

#13 – Another sunlit statue.

#14 – Pine cones.

#15 – A tree stump and footpath.

#16 & #17 – Brodsworth church.

#18 – And finally, a metal handrail on a bridge that went over a sunken garden area. I really like this shot.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Playing catch-up

June 28, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

My aim when I first started this blog was to write at least one post per week – something that I’ve been exceeding so far – with the intention of posting something about each roll of film I shot with occasional bits’n’bobs in between. And, so far, that’s been working out ok, but…

…I seem to have built up something of a backlog over the past few weeks, mostly as a result of shooting more than I normally do – a roll-and-a-half in York the other week, three rolls at Brodsworth Hall the weekend before last, and a roll and a half at a steam rally I attended this past weekend.

I’ve posted a bunch of shots from York and the classic car event at Brodsworth Hall already, but I still have a load of other shots from both outings I’d like to share, and in the interest of catching up, I think I need to do a bit of a photo-dump, so in this post and the next, I’ll show the remaining shots from Brodsworth Hall – these all on 35mm Ilford Pan F Plus 50 film and shot with my Nikon F70 with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D lens.

This post will show car portraits, the next some detail shots, abstracts, and general photos taken as I walked around the grounds at Brodsworth. Before I start though, I’d just like to comment on how happy I am with the Pan F Plus. It has a lovely character, really suited to nice sunny days, and the grain, while present, is pleasantly fine. It certainly suits shots of classic cars. Definitely a film I’ll shoot again.

Anyhoo, without further ado, here are some cars!

#1 – Vauxhall Cresta

#2 – Cadillac Eldorado. Lovely car, not sure about the registration plate though!

#3 – Ford Anglia

#4 – Ford Model-A pickup

#5 – Morris Oxford

#6 – Wolseley 15/50 (I think)

#7 – VW Beetle

#8 – Humber Sceptre Mk II

35mm · Film photography · Photography

A little family outing

June 25, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Back at the start of the month it was my wife’s birthday, and we decided we’d go for ice-creams at a place that opened recently at the edge of the town centre. Our eldest was away on the day in question, but we dragged the younger two along with us (much to their protestations at being separated from games consoles and PCs!).

Rather than go straight for the ice-creams, we decided to take a bit of a stroll first and the shots featured in this post are what I managed to grab while we walked.

#1 – This was taken close to where we parked the car. It was only after around five shots that I realised that the camera (a Nikon F70) was set to 100 ASA instead of DX mode. As I had a roll of 400 ASA Ilford HP5+ in the camera, I suspected a bunch of overexposed shots, but they all came out surprisingly well.

#2 – The film speed now correctly set, we wandered up to Weston Park Museum where we had some coffees and soft drinks, before looking around the museum. Even with the HP5+ it was still too dim for most shots, but I took quite a few family pics, and also one or two exhibit photos, such as these mugs…

#3 – …and this set of scales, part of an exhibit on how we used to live.

#4 – After the museum, we strolled through the park itself, where I took this shot of the nearby Sheffield University Arts Tower.

#5 – A little further on, and close to the old Henderson’s Relish factory, I took another shot of the brass bottle installations that have been recently added to the area. I took other shots of these and you can see a few in another recent post.

#6 – We were getting closer to the ice-cream parlour now, but I took another couple of shots before we got there. This one of the Somme Barracks building, which dates back to 1907…

#7 – …and this shot of some balconies on a much more recent apartment building.

#8 – The ice-creams were great and I polished off this tasty cherry sundae. Yum!

#9 – I took a final shot on the way back to the car of these curious hooks on the side of the Somme Barracks building.

And, finally, here are a couple of bonus pics from the end of the roll.

#10 – The only apple in the fruit bowl that still had a stalk attached.

#11 – And a fly outside on the double-glazing (shot with a macro lens).

Apart from the family photos, there were a number of other pretty decent shots from the walk, but I’ve not gotten around to uploading them as yet, so they may (or may not) pop up on here at some point in the future.

One thing is for sure though, this was the roll of film that showed me how great HP5+ is. My prior uses (on 35mm at least) had all been slightly dull and lacking in contrast and texture, but I think it’s safe to say (as I think I have before) that this was down to operator failure. 🙂

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Oddshots #3

June 23, 2017July 24, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Another of my occasional quickie posts featuring just a single shot. This time taken in York’s National Railway Museum with my Olympus OM-1, F Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford HP5+. The subject is a selection of glassware from the Great Eastern Railway Company which was housed in an exhibition case in the Flying Scotsman area of the museum. It was very dimly lit in there and so a wide aperture and slower shutter speed were required (1/30s handheld) to get a sufficient exposure. I’ve cropped the photo slightly as there was a distracting bit of silverware encroaching in from the right of the frame that I didn’t like.

The shallow depth of field lends it a bit of an abstract air and it’s a photo I like (I am a sucker for these sorts of pictures though).

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

More classic cars at Brodsworth Hall

June 21, 2017 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This is a follow on post from the previous entry, this time containing the Kodak Portra 400 shots taken with my Yashica Mat 124 G. The film was slightly expired (although the date on it was 2016, so it’s still more-or-less fresh really).

Brodsworth Church is not actually part of the English Heritage site and, as far as I could ascertain from my brief walk around it, not accessible from it either. There were a couple of gates that I suppose I could have climbed over, but they were padlocked shut, so I didn’t take the chance.

A couple of close-ups of the Willys Jeeps that were on display:

And finally, a bunch of car shots, my favourite being the elderly couple looking at the Bond Bug, which I think has a quirky “Martin Parr” feel to it.