Tag: Nikon F80

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Further afield

fishyfisharcade6 Comments

Today was the first time in almost two months that I’ve driven out to do some photography. The lockdown rules here in the UK now allow travel for exercise or other lesisure activities (but with social distancing enforced – you can only go alone or with members of your household, and you still need to remain 2 metres apart from other people you encounter wherever possible).

Despite so many places now being potential destinations, the location I chose is only a few miles from home. If I didn’t mind a long hike, it’s actually within walking distance in fact. Nonetheless, being able to drive there and then enjoy a walk was a definite pleasure.

I set off quite early, and parked the car at eight am, and the entire walk took me around two hours. During this time I encountered one other walker, two dog walkers, one jogger, and a couple of farmers shooting pigeons. Social distancing was easily maintained, and there were far fewer people around than if I’d visited the footpaths closer to home.

I also saw a deer, which was nice.

I took a couple of cameras with me. Firstly, the recently acquired Zeiss 6×9 folder that I shot the other day but which I believed to be faulty. I wanted to shoot another roll to confirm that this was the case before requesting a refund. Secondly, my Yashica Mat, which has just come back from being serviced, and so I wanted to give it an outing.

Snail in the heather

I’ve not developed the Yashica pictures yet, but I’m hopeful that there will be some nice photographs amongst them. The roll from the Zeiss was developed when I got home and scanned a short while ago. I didn’t have any great expectations from the photos as I didn’t spend too much time composing them, expecting them to show the same issues as before. The scans confirmed my fears, with the pictures afflicted by the same out-of-focus problems on the left of the frames. I’ll perhaps post one or two of them if I upload them though.

It’s disappointing, as I’ve been thinking of picking up a 6×9 folding camera for some time and, given the superb quality of images from my 6×6 Zeiss folding camera, I had similar expectations. Sadly, it’s not to be this time.

I’m looking forward to seeing my Yashica Mat photos though!

Snail shell

Todays’s photos are another trio from my Easter weekend in the back garden. A couple of shots of a snail shell I found perched in some heather, and one of a bag of leaves I’d swept up earlier in the day. This latter photo is one that I fully expect most people to dislike – it is, after all, just a bag of rubbish – but there’s something about it that caused me to make the photo in the first place – I think it’s probably the warm colours of the dead leaves framed by the black plastic of the bag. I dunno though, I like it whatever it is. 🙂

After the sweeping

Nikon F80, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS HSM & Kodak Gold 200.

Taken on 11 April 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Freedom?

fishyfisharcade5 Comments

This is the first weekend in England under the slightly relaxed lockdown rules, which allow people to travel for exercise or leisure. The weather is forecast to be good in many parts of the country.

Peg skeleton

This has resulted in calls from the national parks, seaside resorts, and other areas likely to attract visitors, that people should stay away. Many locations have not opened their carparks and other facilities to try to prevent visitors from coming. Despite this, there have been reports of full carparks and large numbers of people turning up at these locations. I expect we’ll be able to look forward to another full lockdown in due course…

Corrosion

Today’s photographs were made in the back garden during the Easter weekend a month ago. I was reading William Eggleston’s Guide in the sunshine and it inspired me to make pictures myself. I ended up shooting nearly a full roll of film during the afternoon, so you’ll see some more ot those in the comimg days. Some of them worked out pretty nicely, some not so much, but I’m pretty happy with the Kodak Gold. It’s the first time I’ve shot a roll of this, believe it or not, and I like how it looks.

Red rag, no bull

Nikon F80, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS HSM & Kodak Gold 200.

Taken on 11 April 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Empty skies

fishyfisharcade2 Comments

As air travel has been reduced by a huge amount in the current pandemic situation, it means the skies are almost devoid of aircraft where I live. I’ve seen a couple, but today’s clear blue skies have been exactly that – clear and blue – with nary a cloud nor a contrail to be seen. With that in mind, today’s picture is a reminder of what they look like. 🙂

Today marks the second full day of lock-down (although it’s not being officially called that by the government) here in the UK. As we’re still allowed to leave the house for exercise (only once a day, by yourself or with people from your immediate household), I managed to get out for a walk again at lunchtime. I’m treating these very much as walks first and foremost as the exercise is beneficial, but as I always carry a camera when I go out, I will still take photos while out if the opportunity arises and it doesn’t mean putting myself or anyone else at risk of unnecessary contact.

My walk today took me through an industrial estate where a number of businesses are still operating and, as it was lunchtime and the weather was nice, there were people eating their food outside at one place, albeit sat a good three or four metres apart. I’ve taken to crossing the street if I see someone approaching, and it’s noticeable just how much people are fearful of getting too close to one another. We had a delivery to the house yesterday and the driver, after seeing me coming to the door, retreated to the bottom of the drive before I opened it.

Sadly, although understandably, my local film-processing lab announced today that it will be closing it’s doors and stopping production for the time-being, so any film I do shoot wil need to be sent elsewhere – although I am still looking into home developing (though only if I can get any kit and chems delivered, I suppose).

Work remains, for me at least, much the same as it did before this started as I work from home full-time anyway. The main difference is having the boys at home now that school has closed. My wife still has to travel to work as she is in a key-worker role, although she has the next few days off.

The lock-down in the UK is scheduled to be reviewed in three weeks time, but I would be very surprised if it’s lifted at that point. I think we’re in it for quite some time.

Contrail

Nikon F80, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 2 February 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Ghost riders

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On my wander around town on a very wet Saturday morning last weekend I took a number of photos of people sat on buses. The damp weather meant the windows were fogged with condensation making the passengers within dimly rendered – dependant to a greater or lesser effect on whether they’d wiped the glass clear with their hands or not.

FILM - Ghost riders #1

These photos are hardly original – I own a copy of Nick Turpin’s lovely book “On the Night Bus” for instance, which does this sort of thing with far greater aplomb and dedication than my half-hour or so spent. And well before Turpin’s work was made, there were other photographers doing much the same – Saul Leiter being a great example.

FILM - Ghost riders #2

Nevertheless, most photographic endeavours these days is likely to involve walking in the footsteps of others to some degree, so I don’t feel any shame in my lack of originality – rather that I took their work as inspiration and made some photographs that I like on an otherwise inclement day for taking pictures.

FILM - Ghost riders #3

I was using autofocus for all these shots, and it was clearly something of a challenge for the camera. The first shot is a complete miss on all levels (although I was moving at the time I took that one) and the others seem to focus on the window, or perhaps just beyond. Whatever the case, the effect is very nice, rendering the subjects as indistinct apparitions with features hidden by a fog of moisture.

I’ve said it before on here, but once again – bad weather is very often a good time to make photographs. Next time I get similar conditions and a change to get out with a camera, I think I’ll try to make more of these.

FILM - Ghost riders #4

Nikon F80, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 15 February 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

A rainy Saturday morning

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Although I have a lot of photos in my archive that have never been featured in the blog, and which I can easily delve into if I need to, I always feel slightly unsettled if I don’t have a supply of fresh images to use. There have been time where I’ve had several rolls all lined up to be scanned and chosen from, but at present I feel I’m running a little hand-to-mouth where new images are concerned.

Partly as a result of these feelings, despite the fact it was wet, windy, stormy weather at the weekend, I took a trip up town on Saturday morning to finish off the roll of HP5+ I’d started the day before when I made my competition entries.

FILM - Rainy Sunday morning

I don’t mind wet weather – it’s far preferable to dry but flat overcast days as a rainy day throws up all manner of interesting possibilities (albeit with the side-effect of you having to try and keep your camera dry) – but as it was also windy it meant that, even getting the camera out of the bag for short periods would invariably involve a constant battle to keep (and wipe) water droplets from both the camera and lens. As a result of this several of the shots from the roll are not my best – there are a number of misses where I rushed things, and a couple of almost completely blank frames which I think might be from putting the camera in the bag without turning it off and then accidentally firing the shutter.

Nevertheless, I still have enough shots that I like to keep the blog going until I get the next processed roll back.

Today’s pair of images are taken a stone’s throw from one another (the same building can be seen in each) in Sheffield’s Kelham Island area, a former run-down industrial quarter that is now under the process of upmarket gentrification, and which I’ve photographed on several occasions.

FILM - Awaiting gentrification

Nikon F80, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 15 February 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Photos for a competition

fishyfisharcade1 Comment

I’ve mentioned the monthly film photography competition I take part in before, if only briefly, and today’s post contains some shots I’ve taken for this months theme: “Mostly black“.

I think I’m going for the first one as my entry. Although it could maybe have used a touch of exposure compenstion, and it’s more white than black, I like it best and it still fits the theme perfectly.

I could also maybe have done with ducking down when taking the shots as each marble in the second and third shot features a vague selfie.

FILM - Mostly black

FILM - Mostly black

FILM - Mostly black

Nikon F80, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS HSM Macro & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 14 February 2020

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Empties

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While I rarely witness it, a regular sight on Sunday mornings in the town centre is the detritus of the previous evening. Sometimes, if you’re in town early, this will sometimes include the people who didn’t manage to find their way home again, usually as a result of too much of a good time. While sometimes these people would make for great photos – such as the person I once saw slumped in a doorway fast asleep and wearing a suit, with a half-eaten (and long-cold kebab) still in his grasp – I don’t tend to take pictures of those scenes. I have a rule to try to not take “unkind” photos and I think images like this – as with photographing homeless people – would fall into that bracket. I’m not a photojournalist, and I don’t think I could really dress my pastime up as “social commentary”.

However, that doesn’t mean the things that late night revellers left behind can’t make for a shot or two, such as today’s collection of bottles.

FILM - Empties

Nikon F80, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D & Ilford HP5+.

Taken on 2 February 2020