Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
I’m quite surprised (and happy) by how many of these light-leak-affected photographs were able to be rescued by some creative cropping. While none of the cropped images reflect my originally intended compositions, most of them still manage to retain a level of quality that I’d worried would have been lost when I first saw the negatives. High-res scans certainly help too
Nikon F80 and Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D on Ilford Type-517. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 14.5mins @ 20°.
Taken on 14 March 2026
Nikon F80 and Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D on Ilford Type-517. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 14.5mins @ 20°.
Taken on 14 March 2026
There has apparently been a spa building on this site since the early 1700s following the discovery of springs with supposedly medicinal properties. Mineral spa’s were big business and the places they were located quickly capitalised on them as a means to draw visitors.
The spa at Scarborough has undergone a number of changes over it’s history, including when a landslide obliterated the original wooden spa house, and in the 19th century grand new buildings were erected along with gardens, funicular railway, and a concert hall. The building was once again destroyed, this time by fire, in 1876, but little time was wasted re-constructing and it re-opened three years later.
By the end of the 19th century the venue was used more for entertainment than as a spa, and eventually in the late 1960s, public consumption of the waters ceased.
Nikon F80 and Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D on Ilford Type-517. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 14.5mins @ 20°.
Taken on 14 March 2026
One of multiple footpaths descending (or ascending) the cliffs of Scarborough’s south bay. Again, I had to crop this (to a 6×7 ratio) to get rid of the light leak, so part of the path goes out of shot at mid-left, but I think it still tells the story of its travel.
Nikon F80 and Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-D on Ilford Type-517. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 14.5mins @ 20°.
Taken on 14 March 2026
I’m going to continue to post pictures from my Scarborough trip, but I’m moving onto some black and white photographs now.
These are shots from the two rolls of Ilford Type 517 film I shot on the day which suffered severe light leaks (which I originally posted about here). Not being one to waste anything, especially two rolls of film(!), I’ve managed to rescue quite a lot of the frames through the use of cropping (although there were also several full frames that somehow escaped the light leaks altogether). So, while not the compositions I originally intended and framed in the viewfinder, I think I’ve still managed to get pictures that work pretty well.
The shot below didn’t have any light leaks, but there was some sort of uneven development or film problem going on that made the sky somewhat blotchy, so this is a quite significant crop from the original portrait orientation 35mm frame (although, even when cropped, it’s still over 4,000 pixels on the long edge). It’s smaller than a half-frame negative and the grain is quite prominent as a result, but it think it still works.
Nikon F80 and Nikkor 70-200mm f/4 ED VR on Ilford Type-517. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 14.5mins @ 20°.
Taken on 14 March 2026
Minolta X-300, Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 14 March 2026
This sculpture, situated on the seafront of Scarborough’s north bay, is titled Freddie Gilroy and the Belsen Stragglers. It was created by sculptor Ray Lonsdale and depicts Freddie Gilroy, an old soldier who helped liberate the Bergen‑Belsen concentration camp during the second world war. Lonsdale created it as a tribute to Gilroy, who was his friend, and as a broader reflection on war and the Holocaust.
It was only meant to be displayed in Scarborough for four weeks in 2011 but a local resident stepped in to buy it so it could stay in the town.
What isn’t apparent from my picture is the scale of the figure, which is twice life size, and dwarfs people as they pass by.
Minolta X-300, Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 14 March 2026
This Morgan was parked in front of a big white hotel atop the cliffs of Scarborough’s north bay. I’m not sure what vintage the car is – they were made from the 50s to the turn of the century, with a new version being released more recently.
Minolta X-300, Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 14 March 2026
Minolta X-300, Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 14 March 2026
Scarborough’s has had, at one time, five separate funicular railways to transport people up and down from the seafront to the clifftop areas. Two are still in operation today, including the Central Tramway, which is featured in today’s picture. This originally opened in 1881.
The other still-operating funicular is the South Cliff lift, which runs from the spa to the hotels and residential areas above. This is a little older, first running in 1875.
One more still exists and is only a stone’s throw from the Central Tramway. The St Nicholas Cliff Lift was opened in 1929. It operated until 2007 when the local council, who now owned it, could not afford the upgrade costs to meet health and safety standards. Rather than demolish the railway (which had a hefty price tag also), the two cars were both moved to the top of the slope, secured in place, and now operate as seating areas for a cafe. The station at the foot of the tracks is currently an ice-cream parlour.
The other two funiculars no longer exist, at least not in Scarborough. The North Bay Cliff Lift, which opened in 1930, operated until 2007 when it was decided to close and dismantle the structure due to corrosion and mechanical issues. Much of the dismantled railway was donated to the Launceston Civic Society and is currently in storage at the Launceston Steam Railway.
The final of the five was the Queens Parade Cliff Lift, opening in 1878. It was, however beset by misfortune, including on it’s opening day when one of the cars broke loose and crashed, forcing the railway to close until the following year. Then a series of mechanical issues and landslides meant it was deemed untenable to operate and it closed less than a decade later in 1887.
Minolta X-300, Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 14 March 2026
Steel City Snapper photography 