A wet morning in Blackpool

October 4, 2024 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

Back at the end of June I spent the day in Blackpool for The Big Film Photowalk, a series of events around the country that had been organised by Analog Wonderland, the UK based film stockist. I posted about the events of the day here.

While the photowalk in Blackpool took place in Stanley Park, about a mile or so from the seafront, I parked near the town centre as my wife and her sister had accompanied me for the day and were planning on wandering round the shops while I went to take photos. As I was early for the photowalk, I took the chance to go and shoot some photos on a second camera I’d brought with me – my OM-10 – loaded with a roll of expired Fuji C200.

As I said in my other post, the weather on the day was not what I would have chosen. And while the photowalk had its share of drizzle and gloom, the beginning of the day along Blackpool’s seafront was worse, with bouts of full rain and a stiff breeze to contend with. I wasn’t confident of success, especially as I would usually prefer black and white for these conditions, not expired C41 film. Thankfully though, I was wrong, and I really like these colour pictures. They certainly capture the mood, and where there is colour in the scene, it really jumps out of the frame.

I managed to get pictures of the central and north piers, some (unused!) deckchairs, the sea defences, and obligatory shot of Blackpool tower, a shelter, a slightly pitiful looking crazy golf course, and some hardy metal detectorists on the beach.

Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Fujifilm C200 (expired 2012 and shot at 100asa) . Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 29 June 2024

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Further scenes from a steam rally

September 29, 2024 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

I still have a sizeable backlog of photos that I haven’t yet published on the blog (or, in some cases, even uploaded to Flickr yet). I’ve already posted quite a few pictures that I took at this year’s Sheffield Steam Rally back at the end of June, but those were all medium format shots. I also finished off a roll of expired Fuji C200 on the day as well, and the photos below are the best from that batch.

Hopefully, in the coming days, I’ll share the rest of the photos from this roll, which were taken elsewhere and turned out better than I had expected…

Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Fujifilm C200 (expired 2012 and shot at 100asa) . Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 30 June 2024

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Diggers behind a wall

March 10, 2021March 10, 2021 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

The last shot from the roll of C200 today. Nothing spectacular, just a bunch of excavators behind a wall. You can see their colourful arms peeking up from other places on the road too, but I’m not sure there’s any way to get a closer look. I’m sure there would be interesting photos to be had if so.

There seems to be a stray fire-engine in there with them too!

These excavators
Raise their arms like dinosaurs
Behind the stone wall

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm C200.

Taken on 12 February 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Petrol station (not at night)

March 8, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Foregoing the law of photography stipulating that petrol stations (or gas stations to my trans-Atlantic friends) should be photographed at night, preferably with mist / fog and maybe using re-spooled motion picture film, here’s one shot during the hours of daylight using cheap consumer-grade film in the shape of Fujifilm’s budget C200 stock.

Most of the petrol stations I see hee in the UK are owned by one of the large franchises such as Shell, BP or Jet, or are owned by supermarket chains. I’m not sure how big an organisation Tate Oil is, but I don’t generally see many of their stations while out and about (or at least when allowed to be out and about in a vehicle in these lockdown times), so it’s a bit of a novelty.

There used to be a whole array of smaller chains around – especially when you went out into the countryside and off the beaten track – but many of these seem to have fallen by the wayside. Many of the stations I see when driving through Lincolnshire on trips to the coast are no longer selling fuel and have become forecourts for car dealerships.

Gas stations at night
Can seem to be de rigueur
Here’s one in daylight

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm C200.

Taken on 12 February 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Suburban scenes

March 7, 2021March 8, 2021 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

There are a number of these “Tudor”-style houses that I pass on the way to Rother Valley Country Park. They were built in the 80s. Most of them still look pretty well kept, but I wonder if the particular design involves additional upkeep not required by the more standard brick-fronted properties?

Would Tudor people
Have lived in a house like this?
Something tells me no

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm C200.

Taken sometime early January 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Pylon squared and lockdown blues

March 6, 2021March 8, 2021 fishyfisharcade2 Comments

I’d planned on a long walk this morning as the weather forecast was for a clear, frosty morning. As usual though, the weather forecast was bullsh*t, and the sky was grey cloud as far as the eye could see with not a hint of frost. There wasn’t even any mist or haze that might have made it worthwhile in photograpy terms. I felt dejected and the thought of a walk where I would make lacklustre, for the sake of it, photos didn’t really appeal so I took the idea off the table. I had a number of other things to do indoors anyway.

The walk will wait for another day, although – as I’m back at work on Monday – it will have to be at another weekend as it’s much too long a distance to make during a lunch-break or something. I think part of my not going out is also lockdown blues. Even though there is light at the end of the tunnel, that’s still several weeks away and the thought of wandering the same places over and over is becoming less attractive by the day. Just the chance of driving a few miles will allow me to get a bit of an inspirational re-charge and the freedom to do so can’t come soon enough.

Two images today of the same electricity pylon. the first made just beside a railway footbridge, the second made a few minutes later from atop another railway footbridge.

I’m sick of lockdown
I have an urge to go roam
And it’s unfulfilled

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm C200.

Taken sometime early January 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Yorkshire Artspace Persistence Works and the Rutland Arms

March 4, 2021March 8, 2021 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

Back in December, not long before Christmas, was the last time I visited the city centre. Less than a fortnight later the nation was placed back into lockdown and it became off-limits. The day in question was bright with sunshine and I spent an hour or two wandering around with my Texas Leica and the Sure Shot Supreme. The Supreme has been my “coat-pocket camera” for the past few months, going with me most places whereupon I would make the occasional picture when something caught my eye. Mostly, in these cases, I don’t really keep track of where and when I made each photo unless there’s something notable enough to get captured on my timeline. In this case, due to the Pandemic, a walk around town fell into that category. The roll of film in the camera was finally finished towards the end of last month (the Supreme has some Colorplus in there now).

The two images shown here are, respectively, the Yorkshire Artspace Persistence Works building, and the Rutland Arms pub. They sit opposite one another on the corner where Brown Street and Furnival Lane meet. I’ve never been inside either of them.

Hopefully I’ll get to see them (and the rest of the city centre) again before too long.

It’s easy to miss
The things you take for granted
When they’re out of reach

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm C200.

Taken on 20 December 2020