Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
Muchos grain in today’s photos, both Holga shots on expired Tri-X which resulted in pretty thin negatives. As a result I increased the exposure in Lightroom which has increased the noise in the images by a considerable amount.
Both images depict a wooden footbridge across the River Moss, where I took a walk last weekend.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tri-X (expired 2012).
Taken on 27 December 2019
When I saw these ponies behind a gate, I took a detour from the footpath to make a photo. At first only one was there, but others soon became curious and joined the group – possibly with the expectation that I might have some sort of tasty snack for them. I felt oddly guilty for attracting them to the gate, even if unintentionally, with no reward other than a photograph that they will never see.
I’ll take this walk again at some point though, so perhaps I’ll take along an apple or two next time.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tri-X (expired 2012).
Taken on 27 December 2019
A quote from John Masefield’s “The Box of Delights”, or at least the BBC television adaptation – I’m not sure if the quote is in the book or not – has been used for today’s post. It seemed to fit the image.
While the tree stump (and living tree that frames it) most likely don’t date from pagan times, I think the image is evokative of ancient woodland and has an air of mystery about it. The spidery, blood-vessel-like branches work very well to add to the feel and, once again, the Holga adds it’s own brand of unique beauty to the scene.
The photo is underexposed as a consequence of the Holga’s limited aperture and (even more limited) shutter speed choices, and also the fact that the film was almost 10-years expired. I do like this sort of moody, high-contrast look though, and it’s one that the Holga carries off with aplomb in a way that I think would be disappointing had I used one of my other medium format camera,
Holga 120N & Kodak Tri-X (expired 2012).
Taken on 27 December 2019
This photograph was taken from almost the same spot as yersterday’s image – atop a railway bridge – that one depicts the view to the right from here.
I stood atop this bridge waiting for a train to enter the scene for almost 15 minutes, but none made its presence felt. As I’d walked to this location, three trains had passed in quite close proximity, so I’d hoped for another, but nada. After a while, my legs began to feel the chill so I decided to move on, sure that as soon as I got beyond range I’d hear the sound of another locomotive and curse my decision to move, but (surprisingly, given my usual luck) I didn’t.
Before I left though, I took this photo. Part of me thinks it’s better without a train anyway.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tmax 400.
Taken on 18 December 2019
While I’ve not listed any new year’s resolutions this year (I’ll only go and break them anyway), one thing I do aim on doing is losing some weight (ha ha ha) and part of this process will be to try and get out and walk more often. I’m fortunate in that I have a country park within easy walking distance of home which has a footpath that makes a circuit around two of the lakes there. In all it’s around four miles to walk from home, around both lakes, and back home again (although a mile can be shaved from that by skipping the path around the smaller lake).
While the park is a good thing to have on the doorstep, it’s not the most inspiring location for photography – or at least the sort of photography that I favour. The park has been in existence for almost forty years now and was built on reclaimed mining land. The trees and shrubs planted at its inception are well into adulthood but, despite this, the way that they are arranged (in small, impenetrable, copse-like, groupings) means that most of the park is open grass that slopes gently to the lakeside. While this gives good lines of sight across the water, the views aren’t ones I find especially inspiring, especially as the park sits in a bowl of hills, most of which have easily visible and bland-looking suburban housing or industial buildings on them.
Despite my moaning here, I’m grateful the park is there, and it will undoubtedly be the venue for some of my walks. I think it’s only fair that I challenge myself to achieve some nice photos on my visits.
I’m also fortunate to have a number of other pleasant walking locations within 5-15 minutes drive from home, and I plan on making use of those too. The agricultural land where these lie is criss-crossed with public footpaths and rights of way and I’ve found that even the most unlikely looking paths can throw up some surprisingly beautiful photo opportunities if you take the time to look for them.
Today’s photo was taken just above Renishaw golf course. The hills in the distance have plenty of buildings, but the mist on the day did a great job of obscuring them and making the scene look far more rural than it is. The power-lines and farm track make for a couple of great leading lines, and it’s the sort of scene that works a charm when photographed with the Holga.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tmax 400.
Taken on 18 December 2019
My initial plan for today’s post was to publish 12 photos that were taken this year but which haven’t featured in the blog, but on second thoughts I’ve decided to take the more traditional route. There might still be some that never appeared here before though – I tend to upload more stuff to Flickr than gets featured here – so aren’t you the lucky ones. 🙂
Today also marks the 365th consecutive blog post of the year – a target I attempted once before but which fell through when other events in my life took precedence. Not every blog was written on the day it was posted – in situations where I’ve been away from home I’ve pre-written blogs and then scheduled them to automatically publish (or made them live from my phone). Because of the way I link my photos from Flickr, I’ve found it’s a complete PITA to try and write and publish from mobile devices.
Anyway… Before I get on to the pictures, I just want to take the time to thank all who’ve viewed, interacted or commented on my blog over the year and to wish everyone a happy new year.
So, the photos…
January – This tree sits on the moors just south of Sheffield and is just a few metres from the roadside. It’s distictive shape made for an easy composition. Sadly the tree has now suffered damage – the last time I passed all that remained was the trunk as the upper branches have been broken off. 😦
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 AF & Fomapan 400. Taken on 20 January 2019
February – Eyes in the back of his head? One of the tenets of street photography is to be prepared and ready to catch that decisive moment when it occurs. Sadly, this is rarely the case for me and I’ve missed loads of potentially nice shots due to fumbling with the camera. This was one of the times I didn’t.
Olympus 35 RC & JCH Streetpan 400. Taken on 15 February 2019
March – Portraiture is not something I have much of an interest in, particularly studio portraits (although I do enjoy looking at environmental portraits), so when an opportunity arose to photograph some models at the local camera club I wasn’t sure whether I’d enjoy it or not. While I can’t say it ignited any desire to take more portraits, I was very pleased with my results, one of which is below. It isn’t prefect (the creased backdrop lets it down a little), but the way the Sigma 105mm lens and the Kodak P3200 rendered the images is lovely.
Nikon F80, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS HSM & Kodak Tmax P3200. Taken on 19 March 2019
April – A gate on a public footpath through Edale in the northern Peak District National Park. I think this photo has a certain charm to it, there’s a sense of mystery as to where the path leads and what might be beyond the gate. This is from the penultimate roll of film through my Yashica Mat 124G last year. I shall have to rectify this situation and shoot with the camera again post haste!
Yashica Mat 124 G & Fomapan 100. Taken on 20 April 2019
May – During May I visited New York with my family. It’s the second time I’ve visited (and I’d love to return – although I think my wife would prefer somewhere else in the US if we get across the Atlantic again) – I could have spent all day, every day just walking the streets taking photos. It was a family trip though, so I grabbed whatever I could. This is just a view down 7th Avenue after a rain shower, but it screams New York to me.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Ilford HP5+. Taken on 28 May 2019
June – A box of pre-owned pool balls on a stall at the Sheffield Steam Rally. I think I might have said at the time that colour would have been a more obvious choice here, but I love the contrast given by the HP5+.
Nikon F80, Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 D & Ilford HP5+. Taken on 30 June 2019
July – The beach at Scarborough. My wife and I took a trip to the seaside and I shot a roll-and-a-half of film during the day. This is just a snap of the beach, the people enjoying themselves there, and some yachts in the sea beyond, but it has a nice “Martin Parr” feel to it that I like. It was also an opportunity to test the little Pentax Espio compact that I’d bought for £1 a fortnight before.
Pentax Espio 140M & Fuji Superia 100 (expired 2008). Taken on 13 July 2019
August – Taken at the Lincoln Steam Rally – the first time I’d attended this event, but it was huge and I hope to go again in 2020. I shot four rolls of film on the day, but this Ektar shot of a vintage truck is a favourite. The almost 70-year-old Zeiss Mess-Ikonta continues to impress with it’s superbly sharp lens.
Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Kodak Ektar. Taken on 17 August 2019
September – A day trip to my childhood seaside haunt: Mablethorpe. It’s a place I’m always drawn back to, even though I’m always slightly disappointed that it hasn’t remained frozen in time as I remember it from when I was a child. Another day where several rolls of film were shot (including three botched rolls through my Holga because I had it set to bulb mode!). I’ve many photos from the day that I like, but this is the one that always springs to mind when I think back.
Olympus 35 RC & Kodak Portra 400. Taken on 13 September 2019
October – I took a trip to Doncaster racecourse with my dad, and this is one of the photos from the day. The weather was awful, with heavy rain all day, but oftentimes bad weather makes for good photos.
Olympus OM-1, Zuiko 75-150mm f/4 & Ilford HP5+. Taken on 25 October 2019
November – This shot is potentially my favourite of the whole year. The simple but beautiful charms of the Holga coupled with a wonderfully foggy day made for some amazing photographic opportunities.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tmax 400. Taken on 30 November 2019
December – December is a little difficult as, as I type this, I have three rolls of film waiting to be processed still and there might be a showstopper on there (or possibly not), but this image that I took just before Christmas on a lunchtime walk is definitely worthy of the spot. It’s another Holga 120N image, but cropped to a 4×3 ratio (the bottom of the frame has a river in it, but it didn’t add a lot to the overall image and the landscape crop works much better. The way the Holga renders out-of-focus details is wonderful, and almost impressionistic in style.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tmax 400. Taken on 18 December 2019
So there you have it. Twelve favourite shots from 2019. As with any list like this it’s subjective, and if I were to do it again tomorrow several of the selections might change, but for now it will do.
One final word – I’ll proof read it later, so apologies in advance for any typos or grammatical goofs. 🙂
A couple of days ago I posted a photo of some waterfowl at the edge of Elsecar reservoir and spoke about how a lady came and fed them while I was there. Today’s picture shows them in full feeding frenzy!
Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 30 November 2019
This is the railway station at Elsecar Heritage Centre. It forms the departure point for trains running on the Elsecar Heritage Railway, the only heritage line in South Yorkshire. At this time of the year the line runs “Santa Specials” where you are able to enjoy a trip on a train (consisting of vintage carriages usually pulled by steam locomotive) and the children are visited by Santa who gives them all presents during the journey (adults get a hot-chocolate or a mulled wine). While my own children are too old for such things now, I have fond memories of taking them on these trips when they were younger.
There was no sign of the steam loco on the day I took this and the station itself was closed, so this photo was taken through the gates at the level crossing just beyond the station. Fog and mist always adds a wonderful quality to photos, I think.
I took an almost identically composed picture with the Zeiss Mess-Ikonta just before this one. That’s a nice photograph too and much sharper due to the Zeiss glass, but I think the Holga shot just pips it to the post. Maybe because it’s more contrasty – the Holga’s single shutter speed and limited aperture control largely dictates the final exposure of the image, and I think this slightly darker one wins out in that respect. The Holga’s vignetting and soft edge focus also works very well to draw your eye into the frame, which is often an attractive compositional feature.
Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 30 November 2019
After yesterday’s flooded field photo, today I present a field that is merely waterlogged.
The photograph has some similarities to the previous one beyond the water, namely the powerlines marching across the fields into the distance.
See! I told you I had a thing abouth photographing powerlines – this is three days on the trot that they, or similar transmission equipment, has featured.
As it no doubt will again.
Holga 120N and Kodak Tmax 400 (expired).
Taken on 9 November 2019
I mentioned in yesterday’s post about my trip out to photograph the saturated fields that have resulted from the recent period of heavy rainfall, and here’s a picture of one of them. I have a number of others that I hope to post soon, but as my job has involved a trip across the country, I’m tired, so it’ll be a somewhat truncated piece today.
Holga 120N and Kodak Tmax 400 (expired).
Taken on 9 November 2019
Steel City Snapper photography 