An impromptu shot I grabbed while walking back to the car with my wife last weekend.
Olympus 35 RC & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 21 July 2019
Tag: Olympus 35 RC
Rare and Racy no more
Rare and Racy was a second-hand book and vinyl records shop that traded on Devonshire Street in Sheffield. It had been in business for as long as I could remember (in fact it had been trading since long before I was old enough to visit – since 1969 in fact). It wasn’t a place I frequented all that often, but I went in on a number of occasions and it was a real treasure-trove of stuff – filled with interesting shelf-lined nooks and crannies and every inch of free wall-space covered in photographs, artworks and other ephemera. The outside building was also decorated by a range of interesting street-art pieces by local artist Phlegm.
Sadly, the decision was taken by the local council to re-develop the row of building in which Rare and Racy (and several other quirky independent shops) were located and, despite a large public outcry and a petition signed by 20 thousand people, it ceased trading a year or two back. So far there is little sign of any re-development work having begun, and it’s a sad sight to behold now. Given the homogenisation of the high street in Sheffield (and across the country), with ubiquitous and interchangeable chain-stores taking up ever more space (plus the invevitable decline in footfall as a result of online shopping), it’s a crying shame that independent retailers that can bring a sense of interest and diversity to our city centres are not given the opportunity to thrive.
I remember a time when visiting another town or city would be a bit of an adventure with a whole array of shops, bars and restaurants that were completely different to what you had at home. But it’s now increasingly the case that most places are just the same set of retailers arranged in a different street layout.
So, here’s a photo of Rare and Racy as it looked last weekend, and if you want a bit of a virtual look inside as it was a few years ago, here’s a video.
As an aside, I’ve only noticed today just how tall the girl at the left of the image is! Either that, or the couple at the right are small!
Olympus 35 RC & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 21 July 2019
Odd acoustics
The annual Tramlines festival took place in Sheffield last weekend and so I went for a walk around the town centre on the Sunday morning. I ended up taking very few photos of subjects directly related to the festival, but there were a number of other related events taking place around the town centre too. As I walked through Barker’s Pool I saw a bloke sat on the City Hall steps who I though might make for a nice subject. As I was sizing up the composition I heard the sound of approaching music and turned around to see a pair of decidedly unusual bicycle-mounted instruments approaching, so I took some photos of them instead.
Olympus 35 RC & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 21 July 2019
Sleeping in the bookshop
This chap was having a sly forty-winks in the bookshop right next to where the photo books are. I’m not sure how asleep he actually was because he opened half an eyelid when I first walked past him, but then, sensing no threat, he let his guard down again, so I pounced and took the shot!.
Thankfully the 35 RC just makes a quiet click when the shutter fires. I’m not sure I’d have taken it had I been carrying an SLR or something. 🙂
Olympus 35 RC & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 21 July 2019
Manchester town hall
The clock tower of Manchester town hall. At first glance I thought there was a scratch on the negative to the right of the lamppost, but it’s actually a passing aircraft. The same with the two lesser marks at top left. I thought about removing them in Photoshop, but decided against it.
Olympus 35 RC & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 15 February 2019
Arch
Taken on the way back to Manchester Piccadilly railway station the other week.
Olympus 35 RC & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 15 February 2019
Man on a walkway
There’s a pedestrianised area beside this building that leads through the courtyard, under this footbridge, and down to where the buses stop, and that’s where I was when I spotted the lone figure up above. The flag atop the building was fluttering in the breeze, but I missed capturing it fully unfurled unfortunately.
Olympus 35 RC & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 19 February 2019
Cathedral glow
Following on from yesterday’s photo, here’s a shot I took just a few minutes later and in the same location. I liked the way the reflected sun was casting these rays across the paving, so waited for someone to walk into the frame and add a bit of interest.
Olympus 35 RC & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 19 February 2019
The shadow circle
It was a lovely sunny winters day when I took this (and a number of other ) photos, and the low light was casting great looking shadows all oer the place. I thought the circular arrangement of paving-stones outside the cathedral would make for an interesting shot, so I staked it out and waited for people to walk through the frame and add interest. I took three shots and think this is the best one.
Olympus 35 RC & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 19 February 2019
Ballroom dancers
Four chaps outside the ballroom entrance at Sheffield City Hall. It always surprises me when I look at a scanned negative and see that I’ve been “caught” taking the photograph. I think I was so engrossed in trying to catch the moment when the two guys embraced, that I didn’t notice the other two fellas watching me take the photograph.
The photo has been cropped – the original has a dark doorway off to the right of the frame, but the image looks better with the crop.
Olympus 35 RC & Fomapan 400.
Taken on 19 February 2019
Steel City Snapper photography 