it was in Poland

Proper art in a gallery

Post from Soviet instrument

I used the Kiev 4a camera with a Jupiter 8m lens. It works, whoaha! And no lightleaks when it is swathed in gaffer tape. No idea what I'd do without gaffer tape.

This was from a stroll in the warm air of that day a couple of days back.

Was this dog hot?

Here he is

This Alex Boyd. That one stood in the middle of the main road whilst collecting pixels. This is the man who has not long published an excellent book about St Kilda. A former inhabitant of Lewis, Mr Boyd now resides somewhere down on the mainland in the soft south of Scotland whilst he writes - or something. Meanwhile his partner Jesse is recorded an LP [if they have such things] at a lovely studio on the isle of Gt Bernera.

weather change

 I was out on what is now an occasional foray with The Crofters a couple of days ago. The weather turned on us up at the apportionment at the back of the village. The wind blew and the rain came. I hid in the trailer for a while - once the hay/straw or whatever it is had been extracted and given to the coows. They were I might add here, happy to see the food and the kind crofter.

Yesterday the sun shone and the wind blew very warm like an oversized hairdryer. It was better than the day before.

What's wrong?

I seem to have an issue with the OM1n. Seems to have been around for a while and I was hoping it would resolve itself but it hasn't. If you look at the top left quadrant you can see a black line on each neg. I thought it was a hair in the camera but I cannot see one, neither in front or behind the shutter. Would welcome any thoughts. It doesn't matter which film I use the issue is now always similar and on most frames.

I tooked a snap a while back

Just rediscovered this snap. I love it and the young lady who is the daughter of some good friends of mine.
She is older now.

Mist and all that

It's been misty of late. And rainy at last. I quite like it really as long as I don't have to go out in it too much. I do go out and I must have when I took this ere snap.

I have been putting together some snaps for a wee exhibition thing at the Eden Court in Inverness, that's Scotland and everything. I may even go and look and see if I like it.

I cycled again

Not here I might add but on the same island. Lovely it was and pleases me greatly. as a result I didn't take a snap - even though the light was good and the clouds looked lovely.
The day before we sailed. In a brisk breeze with other yachts and everything. Only they, the bigger boats were braver and everything. We, one of the smaller boats played at proper sea sailing a bit down the coast but eventually Eve's well-being deteriorated in the quite choppy water and we sailed briskly back to the mooring. A fine day out was had by all - except perhaps by Eve. Sorry about that darling. :-(

OOooof, tell me, just tell me

Another phone snap of someone somewhere somewhen. But I do know it's printed on Forte Polywarmtone

Eh?

Another phone snap of print. Eh?

I've been busy

I have been busy ok. Just doesn't seem like it.

See, here's a phone snap of small print on Agfa Record FB.  I may have more

There's more than one way out there

I'm looking for my oomph.
If anyone finds it, please let me know.

I love it out here

At the moment.

While the air is sweet,
the breeze blowing the grass,
the birds flying through the air.
I just love it.

At the moment

Shadow play

I noticed Her Highness Henrietta Cartier-Bresson playing with her shadows the other day. I think perhaps she is working up a whole program.

I snapped her with the trusty Vivitar Ultra wide and slim camera

More track

Need I say more

Flower

This is what Poland looks like, trust me.

Out there

Yes, yes we are near Scotland. And that's why we have these. Apparently.

Summer

By all accounts this summer has been exceptional. Exceptionally hot that is. And sunny. Neither are a thing we are used to but thankfully the rains have arrived back, the clouds with them and we can enjoy a usual summer day.

I'd been in the Toot's darkroom again recently, so tootled out while the light was good and shot off a roll of HP5 - just to make me feel like the world is really there or something.

Had two shots left on the roll when nearly home so stopped at a beach- there are many here - and exposed myself - as it were - there. This is one of them and I like it.

The Melvins

Did I tell you we had a lovely visit from the Melvins of Mossley? Well, we did and it was terrific.

My Soviets are failing

I have had this penchant for old Soviet cameras [I know, I know, don't start ...].
The Zorkis are a fav of mine and I do have a Zorki 6 with a Industar61 that works passably well. [and a gifted FED Zarya with Jupiter 12 that's sort of okish too] The lens is great but the body is less than willing at times with uneven exposures. I loved my Kiev 6c /60 cameras until the bodies failed. The last one has a jammed shutter. The other camera I like was/is the Kiev 4a. A delight to use I find - as long as you don't mind light leaks. The Jupiter8 lens I have with the camera I have at the moment is nice but, like most 4a bodies the flippin things have light leaks. The current one has irregular but annoying leaks - which really isn't surprising since the sun has been shining rather a lot of late - and it's not used to that. Maybe I shall keep it for inside shots in subdued light - like this shot [on Orwo N74] of the great Mr Toots recently - in an Lanntair checking out his new exhibition - Music to my eyes.

Though this one above worked out ok despite the sun. the one below was a dismal light leaked failure.

I'm lovin me strolls

While I write the sun is too hot so I'm sitting here all nice and cool, cat watching my every move through her half open eye.
The sheeps was not bothered. I'd walked up and down and barely did she look up, just knew I had no food for her.
The Perkeo did the job for me.

Pollocked

You know that fella Pollock? Jackson was his name. Dripped paint over his canvases on the floor. Right fantastic stramash it was.

Please don't mention the f.. word here, even if it might be going home. Wherever that is.

Peats

There are still a few villagers who cut peats and take them home to burn for heat. There is Murdo Murray in the central distance carefully driving back from his peat back with a trailer load of newly dried peat.

I explored this track only recently and glad I have since it is lovely. I mean really lovely.

Me 'ed's in tickets

My head is in a mess actually. The "Me 'eds in Tickets" quote comes from an esteemed colleague with whom I shared the same workplace some years previously to this point in my life. It's a pointless quote to remember at my age only it sums up this visual realisation of a point in time somewhere o'er the water nicely.

I'm beginning to think I did something right that week. I have a few marks on film that I like. "I like" I said. I'm not expecting you to like it but all the same you should at least tell me why you don't. I'm beginning to think you are a female tennis player scratching her bum Athena poster type liking person rather than an art snob like myself.

Bikes and more

Don't tell me or even suggest to me that I don't think of YOU while I'm off The Rock. It's the only thing I think of other than Eve, Bier and cake. And places with people. Obviously people, that goes without saying. I'm not an idiot [all the time].

I was thinking of YOU when this happened - a scene from a 1950s film about a couple on bikes. Do you know that film. I mean, do you? I don't, the film that always comes to mind is this beaute. I mean it's hardly Film Noir is it?

Maybe it was Trzy kolory. Czerwony. The monochrome version that is.

Not for me

Krakow.
Not keen.
Like Venice without the Italians or canals but with the millions of tourists and tat. Wall to wall tat as it happens. The architecture is nice if you could see it without been mown down by a horse drawn carriage or taxi.

Being square

I like square snaps. The shape appeals to me as it can be landscape and portrait in the same image.
It seems to be ok for Magnum - and I know they don't always shoot square.

Anyway, we have been on holiday. Have I told you that? All sort of walking around and looking at things interspersed with cake and bier. And sometimes snapping away with polypan-f. Have film will use it sort of thing. Like this lot, have instruments, will play.

Ooof, must have walked too far that day in search of nirvana. Still, the selection I made there is sure to keep a camera club bod away from my vicinity. On another note there seemed to be a lot druids or some-such in one place we went. 

Of course we took a bus ride or two. Who do you think we are eh? Faux celebrities or summut? I'll have you know, Team Sky rides by bus  Seen them. talked to them ! Must be ok but I had a camera in my hand just in case.

Did you listen to the music I linked to? DO SO. It'll put you in the mood. For what? I have no idea. try it and see. And here.

Homage to a Becher

I know this isn't the same.
It's made on a small camera and the neg has been cropped.
There are tress and a bit of cloud.
It's in Poland too.
But,
I like it all the same so put that in your pipe and smoke it Mr & Mrs Becher.

I've only just started

Don't think I finished with our holiday snaps. Oh no, I've hardly started.

This was the day it was 31c hot. I mean, for us northerners that's hot. Too hot to be honest. Ice cream had to be taken. And Cake. I like cake and Poland does do cake well. Oh, and ice cream. We deserved it. We walked up here and if I'm not mistake down it too. There were miners just coming off shift at the top of the road - or actors that looked like miners and everything. You know the sort of thing- lamp on helmet, copy of Polksi Morning Star in back pocket, face smeared with black make-up and coming out of a mine. That's how you tell. I read it once. Saw in the newspapers years ago and everything.

Roofs

They have roofs in Poland.
Look, see, I have proof.

We walked this way. Must have been lost. And hot. It was very hot.

Was at this point I remember having a vivid day dream about a cold Vanilla ice-cream.