The week is over

Its been a hard week. Two days on a course, one day teaching a course and another day with my line manager who came over from the mainland. Here's snap of Tom sitting in Bill's abode in the middle of a training session.

Busy busy busy

... and little time to sort through the newly developed films. But here is one I prepared today - developed a couple of days ago and shot goodness-knows-when.

Chose Life

I have just been too busy to make any images of late - apart from a couple of Vandykes from x-ray film negs. However, I have been doing positive things ; teaching First Aid for Red Cross today and the previous two days on a suicide prevention course. Sounds awful but apart from learning the requisite skills, we had a surprisingly good time doing it. The courses called ASIST are running all through the year all over Scotland and here on the Western Isles they are free - so look out for them and book yourself on.
See Here

Kodachrome

I have not used this film for ages - in fact I only thought about it when I dug out this old snap taken at Herne Hill in London some years ago. It a snap of a motor-pace bicycle race. Rare as hens teeth these days but quite popular way back then. And yes, that is a Triumph Bonniville pacing that chap [I think - or a Norton :-) ]

Just had a lovely visit from fellow incomer Gayle who runs a very active and entertaining blog called View for the island. Great to have a chat and a moan about things in general. Gayle rightly flags up the new plans for green electricity generating wave power scheme planned for the island, something The Croft blog does too. My gripe is that little has been done or planned to look at the demand side of the equation. I think we should be looking at the mess that is the financial crisis as an opportunity to redirect our lives to something more sustainable - especially on this island. After all, if Samso can do it, so can we.
I might add I have written to the MSP about this - nothing has happened yet. check out his blog ;-)

Down at the beach

Strolling along Garry beach this morning with some PAnf in the Agfa record, I took these with a mind for some Alt - Vandyke prints.
Every day the place looks different - especially after the big storms of late. I've yet to make an image really like from here.

The Jon Norfolk Suite

Here's the Suite where I make the images. :-)

Coal

Despite our little stock of peat laboriously cut from our bank last year, we still take in coal. And these days we use this fine gentleman to deliver. Lovely chap and a great service too.

lens hood masking

Was looking at a fine video of James Ravilious and decided to try his method of shielding his uncoated lens. Since i use a lot of old lens', some coated other not, I thought I might experiment a little to see the effect. The Zorki6 I use with an Industar 61 is not without flare in some situations so I took out the gaffer tape and got to work. Still unsure if the result are worth it but will keep going. Film is Era100 and dev is Pyrocat-HD.

Doing stuff

With the pictures now handed over to An Lanntair for the little exhibition, I have decided to do a little 35mm work. So, loaded up a Kiev rangefinder with 400asa film and headed out to the beach and where have you. On my return I used some Pyrocat HD to soup the negs in and I must say this gives great results.

Here's a few girlies who came, baa none, to say hello :-)
Royston also came along for a trot along to the stacks and here he is sharing out the glubbies
... and posing wif his new [digi] camera inside the stack cave on t'beach.

Bogged down at the Braigh

Today's snap is of Victor at Donalds Tractors place. We went over to see the old machines as Victor - an Ayrshire resident - is mad on them . As it happens, the rain was pouring down and Donald was out galavanting so, I just pointed me Kiev rangefinder and took a snap. Then we went home.
Spent a lovely 2 hours listening to the radio whilst sat in the sar in the rain and wind awaiting the reopening of the Braigh this evening. The waves were crashing over the causeway and the police were stopping the traffic. What with the high tide and the stoorm, it was no wonder the causeway was like this. Still, radio 4 was excellent. Have another trip to make this evening too. What a way to earn a living !

Old friends

I came across this B&W Scala slide last night and remember it was many years ago in France. Jean-Pierre on the left but not sure who is the other. Great to have found this. Not sure what we were doing at the time !

Donata

This last festival saw me receiving a fine selection of books and one particularly I would like to commend to you. Tis a book called Islands of Silence by Donata Wenders . A wonderfully evocative book of lovely dreamy black and white images. Donata just happens to the partner of Wim Wenders the fine, very fine film director. I just love this book despite the images not being of a style that has interested me in the past. Something about these photographs has awoken a spark within me and may well influence my next turn in image making. Possibly. Anyway, tis a great book and although the link above is to a major retailer may I suggest you buy it - should you wish to do so at Beyond Words - a fine photography only bookshop in Edinburgh who also sell online :-) Support the small retailer eh?

the day is over

But we have had the most fantastic weather - lovely winter sunshine giving all a lovely glow.
I have taken a new turn in my photography using a Zenith E set on 'B' and some Kodak Fine Grained positive [5302] fine sloshed in multigrade . Nice.

Congrats are in order

New Years Day at Traigh Mhor

Cycling chums from my last career in England have just be awarded some more gongs for 2009. Aileen McGlynn - who has visited the island here - has been upgraded from MBE to OBE while her tandem pilot Ellen Hunter went straight to OBE. Anthony Kappes got an MBE and Chris Hoy got a bash on the shoulder with a sward and is now SIr Chris. Brilliant one and all.
I might add that all the gold medal winning cyclists got a gong of some sort - and well deserved it is too.