Tag: Pylon

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

First light – testing new cameras

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Using a new film camera for the first time often brings me a sense of apprehension. Will it work as expected? Where should I test it? How much effort should I put into the pictures?

Even when buying a camera from a trusted source, there’s still a risk of some sort of fault. Most film cameras are getting long in the tooth – some very much so – so I tend to avoid travelling too far afield when using one for the first time. That way, even if there is a fault, I’ve not wasted too much time and, should I want to, I can probably re-visit the location to recreate the shots if necessary. The same goes for the time and effort spent composing a picture. Do I really want to wait for the perfect light, the perfect moment, when the picture might be blighted by a mechanical fault of some variety?

With regards the location aspect, the camera I used to take the pictures shared here today (and in the coming days) did let me down. It had a shutter issue which caused missed frames that I described in a previous post. As a result, I missed a number of photo opportunities at a location that I don’t travel to often (and the hike I did was one I’ve never undertaken before, so that was all new sights to me). This was obviously disappointing.

The road to the scrapyard

In terms of spending time on composing and timing shots with a new camera, I still try to do my best. I know that some people will test gear by shooting test cards or a fixed scene, but the thought of using a whole role of film on that sort of efficient and controlled testing doesn’t inspire me. I’d rather try to get pictures I’ll find artistically pleasing, even if there’s some risk that they might be lost.

I now have a replacement for the faulty camera, but I’ve yet to test it. I’m planning to do so this weekend. While I will still try to get the best shots I can, I’m certainly not risking a trip to a more distant location this time, so the new camera will see first light on a visit into town, or maybe in my local area. If all goes well, then it can become a trusted travel companion.

The two shots shared today were the first two on the roll and before I had realised there was a fault. I shot them on a walk in the local area during my lunch break, so only had time for a couple. Maybe if I’d had more time I’d have discovered the fault earlier and saved myself the later disappointment.

Looking to the other side

Yashicamat 124G & Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°

Taken on 9 January 2024

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Autumn road

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Just a few metres from the picture in yesterday’s post but facing the opposite direction, the morning sun was beginning to be snuffed out by cloud-cover when I took this photo. The trees are not glowing as much as they had been when I’d driven past on mornings with clearer skies. Nontheless, there’s still a hint of autumn in the leaves and I like the damp road and it’s slightly reflective surface. And it has a pylon. 🙂

Autumn road

Fujica GW690 & Kodak Portra 400. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken on 15 October 2022.

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

From here to Timbuktu

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Timbuktu, according to the pointer on this signpost, is 2,811 miles from this location. A fair distance for sure, but not a patch on how far it is to Cairns, Australia – a much further 9,423 miles distant. Luckily, the signpost – near the Meadowhall shopping mall in Sheffield – is less than 10 miles from where I live.

From here to Timbuktu

Yashicamat 124G & Kodak Plus-X (expired 2008). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 6mins @ 20°

Taken on 20 September 2022

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

A pylon in the fog

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It’s been a while since I posted a power-lines picture I think, so let me rectify that. If you’ve read this blog for a while you’ll perhaps realise that I find pylons and power lines an appealing choice of subject matter. Not to the extent that I go looking for them purposefully, but they often draw my eye. This pylon, stood like some metallic sentinel on the foggy and frosty Woodhouse Washlands certainly caught my attention.

I took myself off for a trip to the seaside today. I don’t often tend to go there on cold January days, but I figured that a change of scene would get my creative juices flowing (plus I could eat some fish and chips while looking out at the sea…). The day was sunny and bright, but bittely cold with chill winds – the remnants of storm Malik that was now headed east out to sea – so a hat, gloves and a fully zipped up jacket were a definite necessity. I’m feeling tired now, and ready to hit the shower when I finish typing this, but my belly is full of my fish and chip dinner, and I have two rolls of 35mm film to be developed, so the day counts as a success. The pictures will turn up here in a bit, although I’ve got two other rolls of stuff to root through before that happens. It’s nice to be back in the black again, photographically speaking.

Back to the usual routine of work tomorrow.

Analog sentinels

Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+ (pushed to 1600asa). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 13mins @ 20°

Taken on 15 January 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Out of town industry

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I’ll be stepping back in time a few months for the next batch of blog posts as they’re all shots from a roll of Kodak Colorplus that was in tha camera I’ve been carrying in my coat pocket. Often these rolls are spread out over a few weeks or months before I complete them and get them developed.

Today’s photo was from a walk along the Trans Pennine Trail back in February. I shot a couple of rolls of black and white film with the Yashica Mat on that same day AND finished some Fuji C200 that was in the Sure Shot Supreme. The roll of colorplus was loaded after the C200 but took a while longer to be used up.

On the edge of town
Industry in the landscape
New Topographics

Town-edge industry

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Kodak Colorplus.

Taken on 12 February 2021

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Pylon squared and lockdown blues

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I’d planned on a long walk this morning as the weather forecast was for a clear, frosty morning. As usual though, the weather forecast was bullsh*t, and the sky was grey cloud as far as the eye could see with not a hint of frost. There wasn’t even any mist or haze that might have made it worthwhile in photograpy terms. I felt dejected and the thought of a walk where I would make lacklustre, for the sake of it, photos didn’t really appeal so I took the idea off the table. I had a number of other things to do indoors anyway.

The walk will wait for another day, although – as I’m back at work on Monday – it will have to be at another weekend as it’s much too long a distance to make during a lunch-break or something. I think part of my not going out is also lockdown blues. Even though there is light at the end of the tunnel, that’s still several weeks away and the thought of wandering the same places over and over is becoming less attractive by the day. Just the chance of driving a few miles will allow me to get a bit of an inspirational re-charge and the freedom to do so can’t come soon enough.

Beside the footbridge

Two images today of the same electricity pylon. the first made just beside a railway footbridge, the second made a few minutes later from atop another railway footbridge.

I’m sick of lockdown
I have an urge to go roam
And it’s unfulfilled

River bend

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm C200.

Taken sometime early January 2020

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Pylon through the trees

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A shot that might have been better in colour had I had the opportunity. I think the blue sky and the sunlit brown of the dead bracken at the bottom of the frame would have worked nicely together. I still quite like it in mono though. The branches frame the pylon well.

A gap in the trees
Framing a nearby pylon
Standing in the sun

Power amongst the trees

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.

Taken on 21 January 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

White lines

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I’m tempted to start throwing in the lyrics of the Grandmaster Flash classic. 🙂

Today’s photo is one that I’ve made before, from almost exactly the same spot, using the same camera and film. Apart from the fact that I pushed this roll by a stop, the technicalities of the picture are almost identical. The only real difference is the conditions when the images where made. I’ve published the original picture before here, but will add it to this post too so they can both be easily compared.

Two pictures the same
But seperated by time
Such differences

First the new image, made a couple of weeks ago:

White lines

And the older image, made in April 2020:

Lines

Holga & Ilford HP5+ (@800). Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10mins @ 20° – older shot made at 400asa and devved for 9mins.

Taken on 14 January 2021