Duck in a dark place

I was down at the Crofter's pace the other day, wasting a bit of old crappy badly kept HP5 film I had rated at 3200 - just because I could. I was pointing it here and there - mostly sheepwise,  when I heard a noise in the corner of the barn. Then I spied the noise maker, so I shot it.

Oooh, I rather like this snap of the duck in a dark place. I'd doused the film in print developer for 5 mins and it did the trick!

we were here too

Can't remember where it was but it is Scotlannd with a nice cafe nearby. What more do you need to know?

there again

Yes, it is colour film. Just in case you think I have lost the plot! Yep, we looked out on that every day. Well, everyday the sun shone - which ws most days No wind either!

I might well have something new to show you soon. Been shooting some large format portraits on Toot's 8x10 with Toot's. Used some very old XP1 Toots had and then I developed it in Rodinal - as you do. looks lovely. Even if Toots would not smile when I shot him. Have done some contact prints too - but Toots has those.

Anyway, been good fun.

Our little holiday

We went on a little holidayette.
Did you know that? You should do if you are a regular lurker here. We wus on another island as it happens. Lovely time we had. Here lovely Eve is just about to enter Middle Earth on the path down to the boardwalk that eventually leads to the pontoon bridgey thing that leads to the island. Just before Freddy the Fish showed up; Olly the Otter came into view; Dolphinium the Dolphin said hello, Sarah the Seal sallied by and Larry the Lobster greeted us warmly as we came off the pontoon.

That's sunlight on Eve's shoulders, not snow! Yes, the weather was warm and summer like all week. Summerlike for the mainland anyway. Not midges there but, one gets the feeling the little blighters might be thereabouts in the proper summer.

Don't tell me these aren't lovely

No, not my snaps but contact prints I made from some exposed glass plates the lovely Kate Ferris gave me. Contacted onto old Kodak Bromesko paper I had knocking about the place. small little prints but rather lovely I thought. So I dunked them in tea just to give a nice tone. Fitting don't you think?

I do have a hoarde of unexposed glass plates. I have used them in the past but it's not an easy thing to get right. However, I might just give them another try - soon.

Two

There you are, another unremarkable snap. Taken at Gress here on the island. The point of showing you this is that the film is Foma Retropan 320 @640 and [slightly over] developed in their special developer.
Yesterday, it came to pass I listened to a bit of music in the dampish darkish room, shone a light through the neg onto some old but nice 5x7 Forte Fortezzo paper. I rather like the effect.

I've never really settled on one film or developer for that matter. I like messing. Not sure why I wanted to try this film - perhaps it was because I could. So I did. It's ok.

I much prefer foma200 to be honest - and any of the Ilford films. But when I made my short trip into the darkish damproom I contact printed a couple of the exposed glass plates given to me recently by the lovely and talented Kate Ferris. The prints are drying. You may see them sometime.

I shouldn't have been there

There was a sign saying not to photograph the place. I didn't read it until I'd taken the snap!

Hetty is back

Hetty is the cat. It's her Saturday name you know. She's just back from her little sojourn in Colditz whilst we were away. Now she creeps around the place here, exploring, sensing, putting her dainty paws here and there and she asks for more food. I like her back home.

This was when we were both not home

I bin and took a scape

In fact I took two. That's what one does on holiday doesn't one?

What was surprising was that I only found two. Plenty of bins but few with scapes.

We have been off-island

When I say we have been off-island, what I mean is that we have been off this island and onto another. We have been on Dry Island or, Islonia as they call it. They being the current owners of the place. I'll tell you more about our stay if you like. Suffice to say we had a wonderful time.

I took the little Pentax Espio Mini to play with - here using Foma200. Shot from the little cabin where we stayed.

Her Highness Hetty is now home after her brief stay in Colditz while we were away. I think she is pleased to be back!

I know, I know. I have some colour film

See, proper colour film and everything. Developed at the local photographic emporium.

Told you the weather has been good recently. I mean, that's the sea and everything. Hardly a ripple in sight. And a boat. Did I tell you about the boat? No? Well that's a boat. It's not our boat. It a fish herding boat or something like that.

Notice the horizon? That's because we live oop northish. Look on a globe and you'll see it's sloping down from here. Don't tell me I can't snap reality.

I will go this way

You may come too.
It is a nice road.
With passing places and everything

And,,,,

To Cuddy Point with our little boat parked in the water behind. Behind the tree and the building. Down there. It should be there anyway. If it's not, please let me know :-)

Past here

Small trees. See, we do have some.

It's my dear Eve' birthday today. We might celebrate too. She over 30 now :-)

Happy Birthday Eve.

I'm showing my little stroll

I strolled along here in Stornoway

See what happens

When you have a day off, sometime it does the world of good. See this here snapette, it arrived in my lens on that day off. Nice eh?

The lens was attached to a Minolta 505si, £9 of goodness. The film; Ilford FP4 doused in the Rodinal.
Like it?

No milk today thank you.

Polypan-f

I have a shed-load of this film in the fridge, the fridge in the darkishroom that is slowly falling to red dust in the damp that is the place. I've probably mentioned the film before - it's some sort of copy film with no anti-halation layer - which makes for interesting highlights - and just 50asa. It was cheap, that's why I got it and I have used it almost effectively at times. At the price I paid for the stuff I can shoot almost at will although the low speed rating does have it's limitations - especially living this far north. And that's the problem. I get out of the habit of shooting the stuff - even when it's rated higher.

I shall taken some away with me when we next leave the island.

 Two with Polypan-f film.

Old snaps

I've been wrestling reprobates to the ground - metaphorically speaking anyway. Taken up my time earning crust and so on. Life eh?
The damp again has seen to another headlight bulb in the vehicle. Made night driving on single-track roads with wandering sheeps and deer a tad anxious making I can tell you. Still, I'm back home stroking the sleeping cat [HHHCB] and supping Hendriks Gin and a little tonic. I'm relaxing now and sifting through some old negs. See [above], I was using krappy plastic panoramic cameras in Manc way back when. Salford to be exact. Greta theatre there BTW.

Oh, and some track cycle racing - behind motorbikes - as they do/did.

Oh, I like old snaps

Maybe it's because I think I'm posh

Not Posh as in un-singing thin thing or the football team but posh. You know the sort of thing - Bathonians for instance. Oh, that's me. As it happens. Maybe that's why I think I'm better than I am.

And Mr Bebbington. A really nice photist from near Bath who takes some grand images. Seems to be mainly in USA and Crete these days but I still love his HOLGA snaps in Bath. Well worth a look. Lovely chap as it happens too.

I'm planning a visit to see my sisters soon. To the south and all that. Off to Nam  to see little sis Jill and family and then the Levels where my fully honeyed up Master Bee Taming sister Lynne lives.

In this convoluted way I lead you gently on to this snap of the bee houses that were up the road here and now, are further up the road here. Tis a wonder them bees can find anything to eat at all here at any time!

Ooh, I do like this

I like this. Maybe not the very best of its ilk but I love the effect, the technique and sometimes the result. I mean, one does have to like the doing as well as the seeing doesn't one?

I don't actually know what it is a snap of as it happens. Maybe a shoppe? Who cares? Not me.

The sun was shining

I couldn't face the darkroom - the first warm sunny day of the year. The only one probably. I tootled off out to have a look see with a camera. This was from the Fed Zarya / Jupiter12 and some old polypan-f. Must have caught the crofter on film one day as this was on the film after I'd doused it in Rodinal.

William

This is still Willam.

Window shopping

I was in toon yesterday, meeting my pal William for a cuppa and a chat. Twas nice - Wiliam is always lovely to chat to.

The weather was a rather nice so i had a minor stroll and looked in windows. I don't do shopping - unless I have to. This was the best window I looked at so I shot it up Love it!

Was on FomaRetropan @ 640 in Foma Retro developer.

Now go and check out this blog. You won't be wasting your time.

Blogs

I have been running this little blogette for a while. Since 2006 since you ask. Fairly regularly as I always feel a blog is only worth having at all if it is updated from time to time. And I do try to do that.

Only, yesterday I was looking through some of my blog links and find that some of them have 'retired' and others have just stalled - for years at a time. So I have been thinning the links out a bit. So, if you think I have removed something wrongly, please mention it and do suggest other film photo blogs.

We went down to the wee boatee on Sunday and then out to Freyja our little yacht to remove the mainsail so we can mend it. This rib was out on the water apparently. Admiral Hales said he saw it go out with some 'customers' aboard - in between the snow showers.

Busy again

See that?

See. Know what it is?

Foma Retropan640, that's what it is

offski

Now he's gone, I can tell he has gone. Gone to his gaff in the sun somewhere.
Taken his Isolette to show to the landscape no doubt.

Meanwhile I shall be braving the wind and rain to bring you more photographic delights from this island.

Did I tell you it's been a bit chily?

I was wondering why my front lights seemed a bit dim but when I got into town, I found out why!

In fact one night it was so cold the harbour froze. Eve used her bromstick to break the ice to get the blow-up through. See here.

I hate this

I don't hate much but I do not like this. Especially seeing it's next door/in front/virtually on a SSSI - the Gress Sailtings. The quads are everywhere up here. Getting more prevalent than old tractors almost but much worse for the place as they are used for 'sport'. When I say sport i don't mean racing the things - they do that on a track elsewhere but for trekking all over the place, digging up the ground in the process. There, that's my grump for the day.

You might like to

You might like to stroll along here, the back of Traigh Mhor down North Tolsta way. That way; if you can imagine where I'm pointing. You'd be strolling along the back of the beach behind the ever-eroding dunes, wind whipping your hat off.

Not yesterday though. Yesterday the breeze at force 9 came for a little play creating turmoil in the sea and ignoring the shelter that the little hills usually give you from the wind just here. A return to the winter 'normality' after weekend of sunshine. Cold sunshine but sunshine and calmness all the same.

I was lucky this day. This day the sun shone and everything as I had the little Pentax Espio Mini with me - a  camera fast becoming a favorite. Loaded with Foma200 which I later doused in homemade [by Mr Toots] ID11 1+3. Nice