Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

A touch of frost

I had one of those situation where I had just a few shots remaining on a roll to be used. I generally prefer to finish an entire roll on the occasions where I’m taking lots of pictures, but sometimes it doesn’t happen, and I’m not the sort of person who likes to waste frames on subjects I don’t find interesting just for the convenience of using up the film.

So on this frosty morning I went out to shoot the four remaining frames (three of which can be seen below). The first two are at Ulley Reservoir, where the cold weather had formed a thin skein of ice on the water’s surface, and the third is at Penny Hill Wind Farm, which lies a mile or so up the hill.

Officially, these were my first shots of 2026, albeit not on a new roll of film.

Thin ice at Ulley reservoir
The other side of the reservoir
Two members of the Penny Hill windfarm

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD on Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°.

Taken on 4 January 2026

35mm · Film photography · Photography

At Tickhill

Following directly on from yesterday’s post where I had a short wander around Oldcotes, today’s pictures are from the walk I took around Tickhill on the same day.

Tickhill is a small town in Nottinghamshire a few miles north of Oldcotes. It’s quite a pretty little place with what appears to be a busy high street (certainly without the usual array of charity shops, tattoo parlours, vape shops and the like that tend to appear where a place is struggling). I’ve driven through the place on a number of occasions, but have only stopped when we’ve been strawberry picking at a farm just to the northern edge of the town. This was the first time I’ve had a walk around the place.

Tickhill has the remains of a castle, although it’s in private ownership so you can’t see much of the place other than a few sections of the wall and it was close to there that I parked my car. Walking towards the castle led me to a millpond where an ice cream van was parked and it was in this area that I took the first of the three pictures below.

Ice cream by the pond
A church through the trees
Waterside

After this I set off to the east following a public footpath, taking the next three images along the route. I was getting close to the end of the roll of film and had planned on finishing the remaining frames, but then a sudden heavy rain shower made its presence felt and I had to seek shelter, at first beneath a tree, and then in a cafe on the high street.

I shot the remaining few frames in the church, along with a bunch of medium format pictures too. Those will appear here soon.

Barn
Countryside footpath
Changing directions

Olympus OM-10, Zuiko Auto-S 35mm f/2.8 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 9mins @ 20°

Taken on 22 June 2025

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Chatsworth trees

A quartet of trees I photographed while hiking around the grounds of Chatsworth House a couple of months ago.

I like the first of the four the most as it stands out against the sky and background. The second has a miniature fungal forest to add interest, although the light is pretty contrasty. Not as contrasty as the next shot though, where I deliberately metered for the highlights to throw the shadows into darkness. The final tree caught my attention as it looked like it had an old man’s face in right-hand branch of its trunk, although it’s a little difficult to see in the photo and looks a bit like the face of someone with Proteus Syndrome (the condition that afflicted Joseph Merrick, made famous by the movie The Elephant Man).

Lone Chatsworth tree
Hanging on
Chiaroscuro treetrunk
Beside a woodland path

Yashica Mat 124G & Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 for 8 minutes @ 20°

Taken on 25 January 2025

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Two trees

Considering this outing was primarily to shoot a roll of film to test my semi-stand developing process, I managed to get quite a lot of pictures I really like. Including this one.

Two trees

Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Agfa APX 100. Rodinal 1+100 (+2ml) semi-stand 1 hour @ 20°

Taken on 8 March 2025

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Regrowth

Another picture from Renishaw golf course. This old trooper of a tree is exhibiting signs that it’s not yet finished with life.

It isn’t the first time I photographed this particular tree, and an earlier shot from last October shot with my Olympus OM-10 on Ilford HP5+ can be seen below the square Yashica Mat image.

Almost a silhouette
On the old golf course

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

Taken on 28 December 2024

Film photography · Medium Format · Photography

Mystery golf course tunnel

There are a number of these shallow brick lines tunnel on and around Renishaw golf course. While I don’t know for sure, I wonder if they’re there to aid drainage on the golf course in cases where the nearby river Rother breaks its bank and floods the surrounding area?

If so, they were perhaps not sufficient for the task (or at least the increasing regularity of such events) as the golf course has flooded numerous times, to the extent that it has now closed due to the constant disruption this has caused.

The news article linked above mentioned interest from a new owner for the club, but there has been little sign of this happening, and the course is now gradually returning to overgrowth. Despite this however, the club website still appears to be live, with membership offers still advertised and even a little status notification that the course is currently open!

Under Over

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

Taken on 28 December 2024