Pole

What to do with badly kept film!

Put it in a camera, rate the stuff as high as you dare [HP5 @1600] shoot it and develop in PQ universal 1:10 for 3mins. Seems to work.

Gates of the village

All over bar the drinking

By the time you get round to reading this, the big event will be just starting. I called in yesterday to see the marquee going up and take  a walk on the machair - now covered in lovely flowers. I hope it's not raining if you are going over the Barvas for the West Side Agri Show.

And yes The Crofter and 2b will be Mr & Mrs by now.

We wish them many happy whatsits. And things.

You've seen something similar

Why you ask, are you snapping this again? Well, it's because I like it.
And I cannot find the original neg - and it's different anyway. New peats and all that.

I took the re-discovered Kiev 6c. The camera and it's gaffer tape holding it together. Seems to work.

Fell at the furst hurdle

It was a fine idea.
I have this stash of 4x5 Ilford glass plates I wanted to expose. Only, I don't get to use sheet / plate film much and I messed up. Mr Windy and his dear wife Deanne both together for ever on glass. It wasn't meant to be thus. Oops. Old age on my part and everything.

Did I tell you there's a wedding soon?

Yes, a wedding. And no, the snap is not related. Well, it is in that the piggies is 'owned' or at least looked after by The Crofter Sir and Mrs2b.

This week is their wedding. Have been searching for something that doesn't require ironing. That's the bane of weddings, one is almost obliged to use an iron on ones' clothes and the iron may or may not work! Have people not heard of Crushed Cotton - quite the latest thing I hope.

Camera to take to said wedding; it's indoors this ere wedding. Hotel and all that - one with a roof so I am preparing well. I have form with photographing these events. Just check here for a few masterpieces from previous matrimonials and everything.

In celebration of this momentous event, I'd love you to send me your fav celebratory snaps to be shown here - soon . wiesmier [at] hotmail.co.uk

OM not G but 1n

Some while ago my little sister who resides down in sunny Cheltenham do't you know, gave me her Olympus OM1n to use. Armed with a Zuiko 50mm lens, I really don't understand why I use anything else. It is, I can safely say, a delight to use. And, amazingly for me, can sometimes, just sometimes help produce some fine images. I just hope Jill doesn't want the thing back!

Ere, married etc soon

The kind Crofter is soon to be joined in matrimony to his beau Gemmima. If you don't know about The Crofter, I do wonder what planet you are on. Still, if you need to you can check it here  :-)

I shall keep you updated but first I have to find a hat. And some film to take along !

Oh spare me more !

Ah ha! Look, if I'm going to lug a lump that pretends to be a camera around the village wasting precious film, the very least you are going to do is look at the results.

Above is a gate. This one is unusual in that it looks like it's still hanging and might just open if that growing stuff was cut.

This is water running down hill. I believe someone tried to make it go the other way but it didn't happen

Tolastadh bho Thuath

Ha!
That fooled you eh?
No idea what it really say to be honest but there's a sign at the beginning of the village with Tolastadh bho Thuath so guess I live there .

It's not that I don't know much about the village but, I don't really know much about the village. I'm an incomer and haven't been here more than 9 years. Someone stopped their shiny white camper van ootside the wee hoosey the other day and asked for directions to the Tolsta Caves ! "Tolsta caves" I enquired? I know there are caves at the end of the long beach - accessible when the tide is way out and called I read the Caves of Life for some reason. Suspect it's where they used to have illicit whisky stills at one time. However, the tide was in so I sent them to another little beach - Garry beach in fact. Little caves there for little people but by far the prettiest. 

This isn't the caves. It's a wee hoosey hiding behind. The post is there too. Not sure what's that's doing there but I like it all the same. The brown colour is where my finger slipped on the pooter. Sorry and all that. I'd been strolling.

Sometimes a stroll round the village is enough

Even with a huge weighty Kiev 60 in my hand it's a nice way to spend a while. Especially if it's [relatively] warm about, the's a light breeze and it's dry. Yes, it does happen here. The relative warmness was offset by the relative dullness of the light.

The camera works - sometimes. The meter doesn't work of course. I had it looked at many years ago by a 'man' and it did work for a week or so but then, I figured I didn't need it anyway. The lens is wobbly in it's housing but the glass is nice and sees what I see in the main. Obviously, it's not perfect and does ruin my perfect compositions at times :-).

The strap is near exceptional. One needs a proper Soviet strap with this thing. The shear weight of the camera is enough to counterbalance a small elephant - should one be lurking about.

Dearest Eve accompanied on my stroll and waited momentarily while I snapped here and there. And other places too as it happens.

I might have to see the osteopath now !

Over camera'd

The pile of non or part working cameras in the cupboard is growing. I have the propensity to feel I need to check that they don't work from time to time. You know, I can't really face chucking them in the bin till they just are in bits and can't be sorted by gaffertape and, I never can remember which is working.

I took out the Zorki6 the other day loaded with, it turns out, 320 Foma retropan. Only, for some reason I didn't clock that fact and shot it at 200 - in bright sun on the day of Summer 2016 in the Western Isles.

Developed it in Retro Special developer and noticed I have some interesting and annoying scratches all down the film. That might account for the stiffness of the film whilst winding on. Duh! Hope it's the cassette or something. Still quite like that great lump of metal that passes for a camera.
Anyway, along with the scratches here's the neg. One of them anyway. The scratches could almost be part of the building. Yes, that's it!

Rather like that shadow. Surprisingly I think Stornoway is one of or the most spied upon town in the UK. Or something like that anyway. there are 13 cctv cameras! yes, thirteen.

yawn !

Took a 4x5 snap

Mr Toots lent me [one of ] his 4x5 and i used the plate holder I have to shoot a n Ilford 4x5 glass plate or two. Why not? They can't be more than 50 years out of date.

Developed in PQ and printed onto Polywarmtone and toned in Sepia you get this; or something like it since I put the border on in the pooter. Nice though. Of course it's nice, it's Eve.

and here's another print. same paper, different toning. No ps

They were there too

More of them long-necked overgrown ducks they have down there. In their lair waiting to chase some unsuspecting boatist as they bob by.

Oh, and there's Mr and Mrs Whoseyerfather waving us away from the parking spot somewhere on the River whateveritwascalled.. Nice peeps - Mr W was a Thames Waterman when he was working. Mrs W had hurt her leg getting off their boat.Just that week, not all the time.

I'm currently awaiting upload of my latest batch of creativity but the lines are slow at the moment. It may not be fully configured in my head till next week. Sorry.

Gaffs

Now that's a gaff.

A Wherrry apparently. A Norfolk Wherry to be precise.  Big, impressive and floating on the Broads with some nicely eccentric and helpful elves on board.

There was meant to be a few gaffs bobbing round the outer harbour today and some other sailing craft shooting off round a course in The Minch. Only, the weather has gone orf - so it's not on today. Probably.

More of that colour film stuff. Probably the pentax espio mini.

Look at this

No it's not a print - but it might be soon. No, it's not the best neg in the world or the best subject but YES I do like it.

Has something other snaps don't. Yes, you who don't seem to read this drivel anymore have persuaded me to print it. Tone it and everything - scratches especially.

It has sole. Not 'soul' but sole!

Guilty !

Caught red-pawed and everything!

As it happens I was lucky, Came across the dog trials on the way home from the southern isles and a bit of work. "They" seem to keep these things quiet for some reason - bit like the Tolsta witches trials. Still, I snook in the field armed to the teeth with my cameras and film. Wandered around but it was soon very obvious that the dogs were in the main GUILTY.

Saw them with my own poor dim eyes running this way and that after some sheeps, hiding in the grass sometimes and even when humans blowed a whistle or shouted at them. Made no difference the dogs still chased the sheeps into the pen!

I took a couple of snaps for documentary evidence [albeit shooting Tmax400 @ 100 by mistake in the Bronica] and crept away.

I HAVE THE EVIDENCE . Eh?

Ah ha! Now they can't deny it. I have snapped them up - through the hoardes who were watching.

The peeps crowded round so I couldn't see the court.

But I snuck through.

Southern Isles

Been down to the southern isles - Uists and wherehaveyou. Work. Nice although tiring.
I did take a snap while I was there. This wasn't it.

It poured

Cycling; It's the future.

Trust me: unless of course it's raining and then for some it is less pleasant a means of transport. It didn't deter the minor hoardes who rode either 100km or 300km - mainly in the rain here on the island Saturday [and a bit of Sunday let me tell you]. Madness I tell you. It starts from a mere bike ride up the road to the shoppe then in no time you are riding all day, drooling out the side of your mouth and muttering "Froomey" from time to time.

You can see that on the snap above can't you?

Then you clip clop into the cafe all toes askew inn your fancy cycling shoes, all lycraed up and wanting a cuppa and cake. YES CAKE. What ever next? Cream and cake?

The other cafe'd peeps are soon talking about you, huddled in a group, furtive glances coming your way while the odd looking one in the corner plays with her old camera.

The other cyclists pretend not to see you. Why should they? Baggy shorts are the otder of the day for them.

Trees

We have few trees here on the island. What there is are mainly in Stornoway. Yesterday I was helping a bike ride, marshalling at the Butt in Ness. Pouring with rain and everything which was a pity since the riders were covering 300km in the day! Yes, that is correct, 300km. Poor things and some of them didn't finish till past midnight.

I was ensconced in Eddie's campervan with Eve after she'd finished her 100km ride. There's no trees at all at the Butt - just wild exposed ground.

So, I took this tree snap in Yorkshire the other day. While I could

When the rain stops

I'm out mashalling a bike ride on the island today. Hopefully without rain!

I've never been keen on festivals

Especially those that involve camping.

This was the Eroica Britannia 2016

tell it like it is

I'm sadding up of late. You see, my lovely dentist Joanna is departing for pastures new - on the mainland. Long seduced by the charms of our island, Joanna is moving to Glasgow! Glasgow, yes that's right. Of all places. My goodness some people are gluttons for punishment.

I think Joanne was as sad as me when she finished my last treatment. I know it looks like she was pleased I was out of the door, but surely it was just a facade, a show, or something.

Binscape

I know, Yet another shot of nothing much from the travel recently. I'm not inspired at the moment. Not bin feeling so good and all that. Having said that, a quick trip with The Crofter and 2b to see the coows in the glen gave us a chance to watch a white tailed sea eagle yesterday. [ a bit like a budgie on steroids]  So all is not bad.

As James Ravilious said

“England is a very green country, and “greenness” creates a monotonal view, and one that it’s difficult to achieve much contrast or colour gradation in. Transposing to black and white allows you a richer tone palatte, and to draw attention to the subject more subtly. Black and white contains a bright silver to deep black tone range in landscape images and thus turns a green flat image into a wonderful tonal picture” [https://nigelborrington.com]

The girl in the white dress

Let me loose with a camera loaded with Polypan-f at Eroica Britannia and I'll come back with this;

After putting up with this!

before the storm

This here snap I took somewhere with some camera or other, I rather like. Taken on Polypan-f film, the effect is lovely. Me thinks anyway. I wish I could take snaps like this more often. I'd print them up and hang them on the walls all over the house - perhaps even outside.

Lawn-mower cam

Not my idea as it happens but borrowed from a Filmwaster some years back. Mine's not the same as one might expect although it does have some elements - that is; lawnmower, camera and movement.

I realise you wish you'd done it. Well I have. and the snap below? Camera on the handle of the mower, Honda engine going brmmm and snap I take a slow exposure. Good eh?

Parr for the course

On the way to Norfolk for a little light sailing we called in at the wonderful Hepworth Gallery for a visit to the excellent cafe. We'd been before but after me bumping into Martin Parr a few weeks back in Bristol, I thought a look see at his work might be in order. The main part of the exhibition was the Rhubarb Triangle pictures. Nice although the colour all got to me in the end. The saving grace was the old B&W prints they had there.

Still, the damage was done - all Parr'd up I was soon shooting some colour film I had. I might add here that I have been saved now and I'm back on the straight B&W - mostly.

 Apart from the colour snaps of course. Apart from that.

Potter Heigham on the Norfolk Broads after we'd lowered and raised Zoe's mast to get under the low bridge. We did deserve that ice-cream I can tell you.