House of Sheep

Sun in Lewis

If proof was required that the sun shines in Lewis, then here it is; WhiteSettler PaulTheCrofter squinting into the sun while I capture the moment on my Voigtlander 6x9 RF.

Flower

Mr Batty

Bayble

Snap taken with Spotmatic, APX400s /R09.

While I'm posting this I find myself getting a bit on edge since outside my window the US navy are bobbing around playing war in the Minch. Here's hoping their fingers don't slip on the triggers!

Pinholery

I threw together a pinhole camera tother day made out the remains of an old folder, some card and gaffer tape with a pinhole poked in tinfoil. Loaded with FP4 and pointed at the pier near Bayble on the Eye Peninsula.

Paul's Peats

I bumped into Paul just as he was about to take in his peats he had cut earlier in the year. So, I grabbed the Spotmatic with some Delta 400 [in LC29] and followed him up.

Hebridean Homestead

My good friend in her favoured position next to the warm Rayburn.
Hassie/HP5@800/LC29

This one

Lochs Show sheep Judging

Bit of a day

Terrible day today. Felt like death warmed up this morning for some reason, couldn't get going at all. Then the old car decided not to start this evening so I could not get into work! Oops! Somehow I have lost faith in that car and may have to fork out for another - soon.

Visitor

Keith came into town with MiLady Mcglynn [see link] so I took them off to Bosta beach. Driving rain all the way there but sunshne on the beach. A wonderful spot like nowhere else I have been. Once Keith had sorted my pooter he went off home to Glasgow. This was taken with the Kowa.
Listen here while you look

Here we go again

After a longish walk before breakfast this morning in the warm sun that was showing itself over the island I got round to scanning some snaps taken with some Pentax cameras i have. Chinese ERA100 film and R09 as per usual. I took some of these a while ago and they have just surfaced.
The snap above is over Lochs way.

A few from the Kiev 4a and APX400s

Road to nowhere with North Tolsta, my village on the headland
Wood in Stornoway
... I am the walrus [Paul, the eggman]

Either souped in R09 or Suprol

Playing with istant film

Fuji Instax camras go for nothing - so I got one. Film is a bit more pricey but isn't it great?
First snap from this set-up.

100 percent MbE

Just had the pleasure of a visit from MiLady McGlynn MBE fresh from her recent World Championship winning rides in France at the World Paralympic championships where she won both the kilo and the pursuit with her pilot Ellen Hunter. Ms Mclynn has just started a blog and you can find it here

From the weekend

Kate here and I took of to the village beach for a shoot at the weekend. As it happens the weather was benign so Kate didn't freeze - too much.
Taken on the Kowa FP4/r09

Nothing

Nothing has happened. Apart from a trip to the beach this morning and meeting with a chum there with his little boy. hen the mist rolled in and I retreated to my darkroom. Such is the excitment of our lives.
LAst sunday we took a trip to Bhaltos and on the way picked up this Polish gent. Slav was on the way to Callanish to see the stones. We took him there so he could delight in being bitten to death by the midges!
Seems to be too many stones in this snap taken with the Perkeo

The morning meditation

I took an hour from my busy schedule to get down to the beach for a spot of centering meditation. I sat on the old peir facing the sea and drank in the air.
Kiev 4a. APX400s R09

I'm back

Been outwith my little village over the past week doing a spot of work related training on the mainland. Nightmare really. Not one chance to get my camera out and tired out now.
Still, I fished this neg out of the Jon Norfolk Suite and ran it through the scanner.
Callum is our local Blacksmith. His father started the business in 1920 and i spent a happy hour listening to tales of shoeing Clydesdale horses when Callum was a boy. Taken in natural light with the Kiev Klunker 60 on FP4 /R09. There is another image on my Flickr.

Ducked off

Our eggman is a mere 20o yards from home so the food-miles are low. Paul has ducks too - this little chap wasn't too keen on having his snap taken!

KOWA 6MM FP4 /R09 Kentmere Fineprint

Morning stroll

...took me along the 'road to nowhere' from the village and the light was wonderful. It wqas so cear I could see all the mainland mountians even though there are some 40 miles away across the Minch.
This was taken with the Voigtlander 6x9 Bessa RF on HP5 wrongly rated at 160[!!] and devl'pd in LC29. Just a neg scan

Getting towards the end of the day - 3pm actually. The gale is still blowin and the beach is behind!

A bit of a day

The storm cameth and then went away leaving a elctricity pole burning somehow - despite the rain. The men in the big red lorry came along and looked at it. Then the leci went off. That was yesterday. Now the leci is back on - and off and on and hopefully here to stay now the men have set up a new pole.
A day in the darkroom was planned but the enlarger needs some juice so, i set to doing some POP printing with a 5x7 neg I had not long developed. Good fun. Nothing to show for it here - yet. Howeer, here's a scanned neg from the Vivitar Ultra plactic fantastic camera. The landscape is wierd - on the road down from the house to the beach here on the Isle of Lewis

Sheepless in Tolsta

The village gala was resurrected after 17 years or so and held on the machair next to the beach. We had sheep reacing and everything planned. Foot & Mouth put paid to the sheep race; the weather the Gala. We almost took off over the Minch before we called a halt.

The old track

I've gone and the old wood has gone. But Brian is still there.

Morning

At last some colour!

With the Koroll 24

I spent a happy morning paddling in the warm sea the other day at Garry Beach [above]. Armed with the Koroll 24, I managed some grand images that please me greatly. Especially this little fella who stood still enogh for the Koroll to capture her. FP4/R09

Sand

On the local beaches, I can't resist having a look to see what the forces of nature have left me each day. Not one of the best but nice all the same I think. HAssie FP4/R09

A morning on the beach

Garry beach. Tolsta, our village has a gala on the machair adjacent to here next Monday. Hope the weather is nice :-)
With the Hassie and FP4.

2 prints

From the beach in the village. Agfa Record 6x9 Foma100 R09.
Both printed on Kentmere VC. The top one RC Select and the bottom fibre Fineprint toned in sepia/gold. I like the second. Would welcome your views

Highland Flinging

C41 and B&W chems - lovely. Scanned and toned.

Thunga

Paper Neg

Paper [Kenthene G2] in FKD 5x7 then contact printed to Agfa Fibre G1 and toned with typhoo tea - the only thing it's good for!

Agricultural Show - Isle of Lewis

Did I get a prize?

Highland Games

A wonderful day with Perkeo and Eve

The village beach

Ok, ok. it has been done a thousand times before but I quite like it. This one emerged from the chemicals just after getting back from the Lewis Highland Games :-). If you follw the road down - on the snap below - you will come here.

Today on the Western Isles

Sorry, not a proper photo but thought you might like to see the weather here while England drowns!

Mum

Went down to see Mum last week while there on business. Lovely to see her and rather like this shot taken on the Spotmatic. There's me, top left in my gown!

Heavy traffic

..in Tolsta

3rd place

The highlight of my photographic life; I won 3rd place in the 'people' section of the Point Agricultural Show's photography competition here on the Isle of Lewis. You can't get more upmarket than that can you? No, is the answer. This was the snap - wet printed too.

The Weekend Show

Now the rain is lashing down it's time for the outdoor events. Tonight we are off to listen to my island flight companions, The Proclaimers. This is happening in a tent at Lewis Castle. It has all the ingredients for Glasonbury re-visited. Ah well, we are sure to have fun getting my neighbour in his wheelchair into the place!
Saturday is Point Agricultural Show and I'm entering the above snap. Taken with my old Agfa Record on the beach at Gress just down the road. Nice init??

Eve

Just flown in to the island from the mainland after a brief visit to Manchester for work and then Somerset to see Mother. On the flight back i heard there were some popsters on board the little plane. Try as I might I could not work out who it was since there were no 6" platform shoes, no barely dressed bimbos or pianos disappearing through the little airplane's portholes. There was some chunky chap with a bald head that the stewardess used as ballast moving from the back to the front of cabin so the thing could take off - but he didn't look to much like a popster - unless Gary Glitter was back in the country. My lovely partner Eve pointed out the 'stars' to me when we eventually arrived in Stornoway after some time circling the skies in search of gap in the clouds. Twas The Proclaimers I'm told. Some hip-songsters who are playing the Hebridean Festival on Friday - and I'm going I'm assured. They looked a bit ordinary as it happens. No glitter or throwing up or nufink. I did briefly think about asking if they wanted me to scream or something but since I was a bit bit tired I just couldn't be bothered. And it looked like their hearing aids couldn't take it anyway!.

Finally here

So, move is now completed and just riding out the fallout. Worst thing is I can't locate my fav portrait camera - Kiev 6c. It must be under all the detritus that sits in the Summer Palour awaiting someone to sort through it. At least I hope it is.
Off to the Isle of Lewis camera club this evening :-)