Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
While not the first time I’ve taken a photograph on this particular road, it’s the first time I’ve photographed this particular scene.
I like the rows of power and telephone lines that run down either side, they make me reminisce on the time when most roads had rows of telegraph lines beside them, even though they were likely mostly defunct when I witnessed them.
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 July 2025
This house was just down the road from the irrigation hose in the shot I posted yesterday. I liked how it rose from behind the hedge. I have quite a few shots of scenes like this that are slowly spiraling around the germ of a project idea.
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 July 2025
I spotted this irrigation hose through a gap in the roadside hedge as I drove past. Something about the way the light fell upon the reel made me feel it might be worth photographing, so I turned around, found somewhere to park, and walked back to get the image. There’s a slight, but easy to miss, juxtaposition between the crops in this foreground field, and the solar farm just visible in the middle of the frame.
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 July 2025
Another photo from my mini road-trip. This was a deliberate destination though, rather than my happening upon it by chance. I’ve driven past this water tower in the Derbyshire town of Bolsover a few times in the past and thought it might be a good subject for a photo, and on this day I finally got a picture. I like the shot but I’m a tiny bit disappointed that the figure in the centre of the image is in a slightly awkward pose rather than catching them mid-stride. still, they aren’t the subject of the picture, so I guess I can live with it.
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 July 2025
I shot this whole roll of Ilford HP5+ while driving randomly around the countryside. I’d love to do a proper roadtrip where I just set of and explore the country but, alas, it’s not something I have the time or resources to do at present. Maybe when I retire at some point I’ll get more of an opportunity.
But even without an extended trip, it’s still possible to just head out into the unknown, taking random roads with no particular destination in mind, and just stopping and photographing things that catch my eye. Both photos from the last couple of posts were made in this way, as was today’s picture.
The house pictured is painted a pastel pink but I had black and white film loaded, so you’ll have to take my word for it, and it was a combination of the colour, plus the house standing solitary on a bend in a country road (not a quiet country road, but not racing with traffic either at the time I was there) that caught my attention.
I drove past the house and saw a place to park a short distance further on, so stopped and walked back along the verge to take my picture. As I got closer, I noticed a solitary woman just across the road from the house and said hello when I got closer. She was stewarding some sort of fun-run event that was taking place in the area and we chatted for a few minutes as I explained why I’d suddenly appeared from nowhere to take a photograph.
I’m posting these shots out of order for some reason, and this was the penultimate picture from the roll (the final phote being the one of the pylons I posted yesterday. The day before that was the first shot of the roll.)
Another random picture to come tomorrow…
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 July 2025
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 July 2025
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 5 July 2025
Some more pictures from my wander around Tickhill – mostly taken after I visited the church.
I’m fond of the old-style road sign (or “fingerpost” as I believe they are called) and I’ve had it in my mind to maybe do some sort of project on them. I just need to pull my finger out and get on with it. 🙂 There are many of them still dotted about, mostly in rural locations (although there’s one five minutes walk from where I live, in the suburbs).
The second picture shows the market cross (although market temple feels more apt in this case), with the fingerpost hiding in the background.
The light had become a bit drab when I took these pictures, it being after the rain shower that had forced me to take shelter, so the pictures are a little flat (especially the last shot, of the butcher’s shop), I think.
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 22 June 2025
As I wandered around Tickhill, I walked past the church: St. Marys. The building was open, so I went inside and took a few pictures.
It was quite dim inside and I didn’t have a tripod, so these were the best I could do hand-held (and leaning against things to steady myself where I could). The first shot below was with my Olympus OM-10 and is a little soft (although not too bad if you don’t look closely). The shot after is the same scene, but shot with my Yashica Mat 124G. It’s much sharper, but not as sharp as I know the camera is capable of. Both shots required wide apertures too, which reduces the depth of field.
This final shot is probably the sharpest of the batch as I was able to stand the camera on the back of the pews, but a wide aperture was still required and so the DOF is again reduced.
Olympus OM-10, Zuiko Auto-S 35mm f/2.8 / Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 22 June 2025
Following directly on from yesterday’s post where I had a short wander around Oldcotes, today’s pictures are from the walk I took around Tickhill on the same day.
Tickhill is a small town in Nottinghamshire a few miles north of Oldcotes. It’s quite a pretty little place with what appears to be a busy high street (certainly without the usual array of charity shops, tattoo parlours, vape shops and the like that tend to appear where a place is struggling). I’ve driven through the place on a number of occasions, but have only stopped when we’ve been strawberry picking at a farm just to the northern edge of the town. This was the first time I’ve had a walk around the place.
Tickhill has the remains of a castle, although it’s in private ownership so you can’t see much of the place other than a few sections of the wall and it was close to there that I parked my car. Walking towards the castle led me to a millpond where an ice cream van was parked and it was in this area that I took the first of the three pictures below.
After this I set off to the east following a public footpath, taking the next three images along the route. I was getting close to the end of the roll of film and had planned on finishing the remaining frames, but then a sudden heavy rain shower made its presence felt and I had to seek shelter, at first beneath a tree, and then in a cafe on the high street.
I shot the remaining few frames in the church, along with a bunch of medium format pictures too. Those will appear here soon.
Olympus OM-10, Zuiko Auto-S 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 22 June 2025
Steel City Snapper photography 