I don’t often make portraits, I’m much too shy to ask people if they’ll allow me to, and it takes a real effort to overcome this and ask if I can. Even then, I often rush in my nervousness and end up with a sub-par result (either missing focus, or not watching the edges for distractions usually), so I’m quite pleased how this one turned out. I spent a while talking to the man (whose name I didn’t ask because of my socially inept brain!) before I took the shot.
Galadriel, who stands proudly conducting the music, was missing her baton on this occasion. Perhaps one of those monkeys stole it? 🙂
A few more shots from the steam rally – this time in vivid colour – including some commercial vehicles (a Leyland Comet lorry and a Scammel Showman’s Truck) and a William Foster & Co traction engine.
Fujica GW690 & Lomography Color Negative 400. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
It’s that time of year when I flood the blog with lots of pictures of traction engines and other vintage vehicles. This year I visited the Sheffield Steam Rally, as usual, but also visited the Haxey Feast, which is a new (and at present, smaller event, so I have quite a few pictures to share.
I might drop them in batches, like this roll of Tri-X, or maybe some as individual frames. We’ll see how it goes.
The last couple of medium format pictures from this year’s Sheffield Steam Rally, the first a late 60s Bedford coach, which reminds me a little of childhood daytrips with school, of on a working man”s club outing to the seaside (although this style of bus would have been dated by the time I was going on those).
And secondly, a hundred-year-old Triumph motorcycle. I’m not sure which model – either an SD or an R perhaps?
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE, & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed, home scanned, and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Well, after two-and-a-half-years, I’ve finally tested positive for covid-19. My wife too (although this will be her second time).
I’m not sure exactly where I picked it up, but the flight to Spain is probably a good bet, confined in an airplane for two-and-a-half hours, plus walking through two international airports would seem to increase the odds. That said, I might have just picked it up in the local shops. Who knows?
I first noticed the symptoms last Wednesday, a couple of days after we returned from our trip. Nothing severe, just a mild sensation at the back of my throat like there was something stuck there, maybe a bit of granola from my breakfast of something. I also had some achy muscles, but I was putting those down to all the hiking about I did in Malaga – especially a hike up a steep path to the castle – but they may well have been covid symptoms too.
By Thursday I was feeling worse and under the belief that I’d caught a summer cold. My muscles ached more and I was suffering from bouts of fever and chills although, again, nothing too severe. Friday and Saturday were similar, but paracetamol kept the worst of it at bay – a headache around the base of my skull being the most debilitating symptom. This morning my wife was feeling ill too and we pulled out some of the covid testing kits we still have at home. Almost instantly, both our tests showed two solid lines indicating infection.
I’m actually feeling quite a lot better today and haven’t needed any paracetamol, but I’m feeling somewhat pissed that my remaining annual leave – where I had quite a few things I’d hoped to do – has been blighted by illness and resulted in my doing little. It’s a public holiday tomorrow here in the UK and the weather currently looks nice so, if I don’t feel ill, I’m tempted to take a trip with my camera somewhere. It’ll be someplace outdoors and I’ll not be mixing with anyone, so it should be fine if I decide to go ahead.
It still makes me feel oddly guilty to be considering it though, even though there are pretty much zero restrictions regarding covid here in the UK anymore. Even people working in healthcare are allowed to go to work while infected in most circumstances, so a trip out somewhere by myself should be ok I guess.
Here are three more Sheffield Steam Rally pictures. 2023 was the first year the rally returned after three years away due to the pandemic.
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE, & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed, home scanned, and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
A few pictures today of traction engines (and a wooden caravan) photographed at the Sheffield Steam Rally back in June.
I did a quick tally of how many negative I currently have waiting to be scanned today and it came as a bit of a shock. I currently have four rolls of colour 135 each with approx 38 frames on each, two rolls of colour 120 with 15 frames on each. On top of that I have four frames of large format sheet film to develop and scan, and also a roll of 120 HP5+ with 6 frames left to shoot before I develop and scan it. By my reckoning that will be 201 pictures to be scanned – a daunting prospect! Plus I still have three rolls of film that I’ve already scanned that have not been seen here in any shape yet! At least I won’t run out of stuff to publish on the blog any time soon…
Obviously not everything will be worth publishing, but I expect that I will be featuring more picture-heavy posts on here to avoid falling ever further behind, chronologically.
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE, & Kodak Ektar. Lab developed, home scanned, and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Steel City Snapper photography 