Milk float

March 25, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

I had a longer post planned today about my experience with a film stock I’ve not used before but, as time is ticking on and I have that chilled out Friday feeling, I think it will have to wait until the weekend.

Instead one of my shorter form posts, this time with another of the RETO Ultrawide & Slim pictures from my first test roll.

When I was young most people would have their milk delivered by a vehicle similar to this. Electric powered milk floats whirring around the early morning streets, crates of glass milk bottles clinking about on the back, stopping for the white-coated “milkie” to deliver each home’s order to the doorstep where it would wait to be fetched inside. Sometimes, on cold days, the milk would freeze and the foil tops would be pushed off the bottles by the expanding ice. Sometimes greedy birds would peck at the foil to get at the rich cream at the neck of the bottle (none of the homogenised stuff that we get today back then).

Reto Ultrawide & Slim & Agfa Vista Plus 200. Lab developed.

Taken on 6 March 2022

35mm · Film photography · Photography

More colour from the Reto Ultrawide & Slim (and a new colour film choice from Kodak)

March 21, 2022 fishyfisharcade10 Comments

I was pleasantly surprised to hear today that Kodak is introducing a new 120 film choice. Or rather an existing film in 120 format in the guise of it’s consumer grade Kodak Gold. I’ve wished for a lower-cost alternative to Kodak (and Fuji’s) pro-grade films for medium format use so this is great to hear. Of course, here in 2022, Kodak Gold in 120 format is more expensive than Portra or Ektar were just a few years ago, but that seems par for the course at present.

I quite like Kodak Gold in 135 format (although I’ve tended to use Colorplus more), so I’ve splashed out on a pre-order of the 120 format Gold to see how it fares. Hopefully it’ll be in my hands sometime in early April. All things considered though, if colour film maintains its high price point then I’m likely to err even more strongly to my preferred black and white choices purely from an affordability standpoint, with my colour film use limited to where I know it’ll really be worthwhile. I tend to shoot much more black and white anyway so my current stocks of colour film are likely to keep me going for a while yet.

Another colour photo from the Reto Ultrawide & Slim today, and one which exemplifies how much of a scene is omitted when seen through the camera’s viewfinder. In this shot I had composed the scene to include the main arch and the smaller arch to the right. The leftmost arch, the person walking into frame left, and the rear of the car on the right were not present in the viewfinder. I guess I will begin to factor this in as I become more familiar with the camera over time.

Reto Ultrawide & Slim & Agfa Vista Plus 200. Lab developed.

Taken on 6 March 2022

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Riverside reflections (and a new camera – the LETO Ultrawide and Slim)

February 10, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

When I visited Kelham Island the other week I decided to follow the river downstream to where it skirts the edge of the town centre and shot a number of black and white photos on that leg of the walk. The photo in today’s post shows the scene just upstream from Lady’s Bridge (which you can see peeking into the shot at the lower right).

I received a new film camera in the mail today. An actual, bona-fide brand-new film camera to boot and, no, it’s not a Leica. Quite the opposite infact – it’s a RETO Ultrawide and Slim, which is a copy of the Vivitar Ultrawide & Slim. It’s a toy camera made almost completely out of plastic, including the lens, with the distinctive feature that the lens is a 22mm focal length, hence the “ultrawide” in the name. There have been a number of copies of the original Vivitar version, of which this is the latest.

I’ve not had chance to try it out yet, but the lens is supposedly quite sharp (although what that means in real terms, I’m unsure), but with a dropoff in quality to the edges of the frame, and with a vignette too. I’m a fan of my Holga and the images it produces, so thought this might be fun to try out. It cost me £30, which is probably more than it is worth (especially considering some other cameras I could buy for the same or less) but, well, I’ve spent money on worse things.

When I get around to shooting with it I’ll post some results and maybe a review.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & & Ilford FP4+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10mins @ 20°

Taken on 15 January 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

The same subjects

February 9, 2022 fishyfisharcade1 Comment

Today’s photo is of The Fat Cat pub in Kelham Island. It’s a place I’ve photographed on a number of occasions as it always seems to catch my eye, especially if the conditions are nice, as they were on this day.

I think that, because I tend to choose Kelham Island for photography outings quite often – it’s close and easy to get to and I can usually find free parking. Plus it’s undergoing gentrification so change is taking place all the time – that an element of over-familiarity might have set in and that I’m drawn to the same compositions that attracted me on previous visits – the more obvious ones at least.

There will be countless other pictures to be made, but I need to look more carefully and draw them out I think.

A couple of earlier posts featuring The Fat Cat can be seen here and here.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & & Ilford FP4+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10mins @ 20°

Taken on 15 January 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

City Life

February 8, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

The City Life church sits on a back street in the Kelham Island / Shalesmoor area of Sheffield. It’s a multi-cultural church although, not being a religious person, I know little about the place other than what I’ve read online before typing this post. What I do know is that it is housed in an attractive building, more akin to a mock castle than a church in some ways. On the morning I made this picture, the low sun was casting some lovely shadows across the masonry and features of the building, setting it into sharp relief.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & & Ilford FP4+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 10mins @ 20°

Taken on 15 January 2021

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Ship Inn

February 7, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

A short post today I’m afraid as I’m short on time. Sorry!

Here’s a bit of the Ship Inn pub with a lovely blue sky.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Fujichrome Provia 100. Lab developed.

Taken on 23 January 2022

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

I developed some film today

February 6, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

After yesterday’s post about how I really don’t enjoy the process of developing film, and how I’d put off developing a roll for a somewhat weak reason, today I pulled my finger out and got the job done. It wasn’t urgent, so I could have left it another week – after a period where I was running out of new photos to use in the blog, I now have three full rolls of stuff, two of which were waiting to be scanned even without developing this new roll – but if I’d left it, then the job would have been hanging over me like a cloud, and I might even have ended up with a backlog if I shoot more stuff in the interim.

Anyway, it’s done now. All developed. All cut and sleeved. All the equipment washed and tidied away for next time.

I got rid on my stop-bath and fixer today too. They’ve had 15 or 16 films through them and the stop-bath was starting to change colour slightly. I might have eked a few more rolls out of both batches but I’d rather not risk a ruined roll, so I’ll need to make some fresh solutions next time.

I also managed to drop the freshly washed roll onto the shower cubicle floor while squeegeeing the moisture off it, necessitating my re-dousing it with the remaining wetting agent. Thankfully the shower floor was pretty dry and not covered with soap bubbles or anything like that, and the negatives look ok on first glance now they’re dried. I said some profane words when it happened though. 🙂

Today’s picture is of Globe Works in Sheffield. Should you be interested, there’s another photo of the building along with a bit of information about it in this post.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Fujichrome Provia 100. Lab developed.

Taken on 23 January 2022

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Upstream

February 3, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This picture was taken on the bridge carrying Rutland Road over the River Don immediately to the left of the building that featured in yesterday’s post. The brightly coloured objects behind the Gardener’s Rest pub caught my eye with their reflections in the water. They don’t have as much of an impact in the photo unfortunately, but I like the overall composition nontheless.

The view is looking upstream on the stretch of the river that flows through Neepsend. Further up it passes through Hillsborough where it is joined by two of its tributaries, the River Rivelin, and the River Loxley.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Fujichrome Provia 100. Lab developed.

Taken on 23 January 2022

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Number 71

February 2, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

This is another of those locations that I’ve photographed on a number of occasions. Something about it draws my eye.

I’m not sure if any activity currently takes place in the corner shop here. It has the look of a cafe, but I don’t think it is, although maybe it was sometime in the past. I had a look on Google Maps which allows me to see how it looked at a number of points in time from 2008 to the present. It has housed at least two businesses in that period: and IT repair shop, and something called “Amazing Cave“, which looked to be some sort of vintage / antiques / brik-a-brak- type place.

Amazing Cave looked to have opened in the autumn of 2012 (there’s a picture from July that year where it looks like the stock is inside, but the store is not yet ready for customers). Sadly, in the next available image from October 2014, it looks like the place might already have gone out of business or, to be more positive, perhaps moved to a new site. The website address of the store can be seen above the windows but is now listed as being available.

The upper floors of the place appear to be in use as flats now.

Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Fujichrome Provia 100. Lab developed.

Taken on 23 January 2022

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Industry and entertainment

January 9, 2022January 10, 2022 fishyfisharcadeLeave a comment

Beside the Don Valley Centertainment complex – which houses a multiplex, bowling alley & arcade, kid’s play area, and a selction of restaurants – are industrial streets. This is the east-end of the city where, in it’s industial heyday, the bulk of the steel industry resided. There are still steelworks in the area, and more as you head down river towards Tinsley and Templeborough, but much of it has now become history.

I’m not sure what the building in today’s picture used to house – I’m sure my dad would know, and I’ll ask him next time I see him – but it’s now the home of a scaffolding hire and sales business.