Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
A saw this tree as I was beginning my climb back up the side of the Hope Valley towards where I’d parked the car. A small cluster of Wood Sorrel – sometimes known as Fairy Bells – had found a home in the mossy surface of the tree trunk.
On this April day
My eye was drawn to flowers
At home on a tree
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 6 April 2021
I had to pause before making the photograph in todays post. The sunlight was getting increasingly bright when I found the tree and the contrasts of light and shadow were pretty strong – perhaps too much? But it caught my eye and I felt there was a picture to be had. I think I’d have ignored it if I’d been shooting digital (and definitely if I was using slide film!), but I had HP5+ in the camera back and I thought it would handle the extremes.
It didn’t let me down and, despite the dynamic range of the scene, there is still detail in both highlights and shadows.
Out of the coner
These twists of wooden lightning
Spark up from the earth
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 6 April 2021
A lone gate leant against a drystone wall. I’m not sure where it came from – I didn’t see an empty gap – so it’s possibly a backup gate, or maybe one that’s gone feral and escaped its bounds…
In spite of a chain
This gate has escaped its place
And rests in the sun
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 6 April 2021
A week ago I posted a couple of photos of trees stood beside a drystone wall at the edge of Padley Gorge. In that post I mentioned that I had another photo made at the same location yet to come, so here it is today.
A gap in the wall
Reveals an excited birch
Waving its branches
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 29 March 2021
Today’s photo shows the view up the Hope Valley from a hillside not far from Bolehill Quarry above Grindleford.
Hope Valley descends
Taking water from rivers
Peakshole, Noe, Derwent
Fujica GW690 & Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008).
Taken on 29 March 2021
A came across this place while wandering in the Peak District last week. I’ve passed close by before and never realised it was there but, now that I do, I think I’ll pay it further visits. While I’m pretty happy with how this photo turned out, I think that – with the right conditions – there might be much better images to be had. The autumn should be very nice here, I think.
Tumbledown structure
Hidden in the old oak woods
A nice place to find
Fujica GW690 & Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008).
Taken on 29 March 2021
With the easing of the lockdown in England it has meant the ability to travel a little further afield for photography has returned, so I’ve taken a couple of trips out into the Peak District – the closest bit, nothing too crazy! On both occasions I set out quite early and the car-park I’ve used has been almost empty, but has been busy when I’ve returned a few hours later. There are lots of places to venture from the car-park though, so it’s easy to keep plenty of distance from other people.
It’s nice to go somewhere different to make photos again and I’ve a big list of destinations for when the rules ease further from next week. It’s quite easy to get caught up in the act of taking pictures now the opportunity is back, so on today’s hike I made sure to take time to take things in through my senses without a viewfinder acting as a window to everything.
Countryside hiking
Feeling fresh air on my skin
It is wonderful
Fujica GW690 & Fujifilm Superia 100 (expired 2008).
Taken on 29 March 2021
Back when I got my GW690 it arrived with a roll of Velvia 50 already loaded with a single frame shot by the previous owner. Keen to try out my new camera I hurried out on the first opportunity and shot the remaining seven shots on the roll. They were all disappointing.
Velvia is a beautiful film, but you need to treat it properly. Rushing about on a slightly overcast winter day is not the best way to get quality results. It showed, and I wasn’t happy with what I had made. My next few rolls through the camera were black and white, I took greater care with what I was doing, and the camera started to show me what it was capable of.
The disappointing Velvia photos went in my negatives (or in this case, positives!) binder to be quietly forgotten.
Yesterday, because I’ve just bought some more expired Velvia (and Sensia) reversal film, I was looking through my older E6 images and came across the GW690 set. While I still think most of them are disappointing, one of them looked like it might have some potential, so I decided to see if I could breathe some life into it, and the result is presented here today.
It’s not the best photo, but it has a nice early winter morning feel about it and I like the light on the grass and the hazy sky. I’m not one-hundred percent sure about the yellow sunlight on the bridge supports, but it was catching a warm early morning glow so perhaps they’re not too far off the mark. Anyway, here it is for you to make up your own minds. Was it worth the effort do you think?
Don’t rush with slide film
Treat it with care or you’ll risk
Fujichrome failure
Fujica GW690 & Fujichrome Velvia 50.
Taken on 1 December 2020
This photo is a potential competition entry under the theme of “shiny”. The vase is quite shiny so it should fit but there’re still a couple of weeks until the deadline yet, so I’ll wait and see if I find anything better before then.
These plastic flowers
In a shiny golden vase
Sit in the sunlight
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 12mins @ 20°.
Taken on 26 February 2021
Although I didn’t spot it at the time of making the photo, the concrete post on the left of this image appears to have a somewhat shocked expression, like I’ve caught it in some sort of compromising incident and it’s now aghast at being photographed. It has a vague look of V.I.N.C.E.N.T, the flying robot from Disney’s 1979 movie, The Black Hole about it.
Shocked looking fencepost
It seems strangely animate
Caught on camera
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Fomapan 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+9 12mins @ 20°.
Taken on 26 February 2021
