I like it anyway

Sometimes, the messy-ness of an image makes it sing for me.

I think this one is a tad wabi-sabi

Are my apologies accepted?

How lovely. I might feel better Soon.

Still, I do feel that this portrait of a place is better squarer don't you think?

Sorry and everything

You'll have to forgive me. The TdF is on and yesterday the epic stage in the Jura mountains. Have to keep tabs on it as it happens. And didn't it happen eh?

Don't worry, I dragged Mr Toots out the other day to his fav subject - the blooming machair over on the west side of the island.. Of course I shot a bit too - but in good old B&W and in 35mm.

ooh it was raght lovely - warmish sunshine [between the clouds], little breeze and the machair just in bloom.

Mr Toots set too with his selection of cameras and Velvia film while I wandered about. Oh, I did shoot Mr Toots' car oop. It's some sort of faux 4wd out of Romania via France.

I shot the view too, can you imagine/ Used an orange filter I found in my pocket as well.

Yes, I know, I'll stick to binscapes !

Colour boating

See, when the sun is shining and the wind dies a little, there's plenty of boating happening at Cuddy Point. That's in Stormoway harbour.

That's dearest Eve in the red skiff coming back in after a wee row round the outer and inner harbour. Not sure if the canoe club was going or in at this point. Oh and there's the sailing club here sometimes too - not forgetting the yachts from all over the world going in and out and the fishing boats making a noise and smell about the place, the whale watching boats and some yobs in a speedboat creating havoc - until their boat ran out of fuel and they paddled part way back in till someone gave them a tow. Would have left them out there if it were me :-)

I needed it

After a few snaps where all went wrong, I needed to reaffirm my incompetence to myself. I shot out to a village beach with a 6x6 and some Rollei400s film, finished the roll in 30 mins as the rain arrived, developed quickly in PQ ( 1:10 - 2 mins] and I had some dodgy looking snaps - all shot wide open at f4. Just because I can.

Ahh, feel better now.

Salvaged

Ok, ok, what's going on?
Seem to have hit an impasse at the moment with everything film related going up the creek.
This is from the latest fiasco when yet another film - this time the ill fated Shanghai GP4 film - is useless after development. I suspected this might be the case so I quickly developed the thing in PQ print developer.

I suspect it was the unusual warm sun blazing down that threw me off track. Two whole days we had of that. You'll be pleased to hear it's gone back to the damp dullish days now.

As it happens I salvaged this neg and lith printed it on Slavich Unibrom - which isn't half bad but, this isn't that. I prefer to show you my mess-ups not my triumphs

Do I admit?

I went over to The Stones the other week. Just for a change of scenery and a scone you understand. I rarely ever actually look at the Stones since they don't seem to have finished them yet and they always look much same - either with or without hoardes of pixel catching peeps.

Don't expect Stones snaps  here [too often] but I do have a snap post tea and scone in the cafe. This is when the Pentax Espio Mini seems to work best. Obviously, I shall have to eat more scones.

I had with me this suitably unsuitable camera

This one. I've used it before only not sure it's working right. Always a tad darker on one side of the neg.
Loaded it with Foma200 film in a 400 cassette so I had to push the development - ID11. Now that's technical enough for me.

 I shot here and there while out the other day on that ill-fated crappy film stroll. Mainly there to be honest. The track was merely damp which was nice, the sun shone warmly and the orange filter I held in front of the lens made me all the better for it.

Mr Toots had been round for his tea the other evening and post dindins we watched a film on the pooter about Fay Godwin. She used a red or yellow filter often so I thought I'd better too. Come to think of it, me pal Mr A Boyd has one her old Mamiya cameras - all properly authenticated and everything - although I suspect one can still take rubbish snaps with it.

Now I am exhausterated after two strolls today and, carrying the coal in with my dearest Eve.

My numbers are marked

Oh botheration !
I thought I'd seen the last of this when I stopped using Shanghai 120 film.  Tis the numbers from the crappy backing paper on the film coming through. Must be the ink or something.

I'd had a lovely stroll down to where The Crofter used to dig his peats. Hadn't been there for a long time so it was nice - especially as the sun was shining with a slight breeze to keep those midge biters at bay. Thought I'd do a portrait of the track up there.  Took the Balda Baldix folder for company.

Even the local sheeps posed for me while they munched the 'grass' and looked at the view. What a pain after I'd sloshed the film [Rollei RPX 400]  in the developer and saw this. Might just have to buy some decent film :-(

film ? yes

Messed with film and everything. Like it though.
I shall be playing in the darkroom soon enough. Have to get up early to do it since the TdF is for watching in the afternoon :-)

Had a soggy bot yesterday too. The sailing turned out a bit damp as the rain came down. drying out.

All hail the Mighty G

All hail the Mighty G

New print. Nice paper.

Ooh, I like this paper. It may be RC paper but it is cheap and toned really well. Took this neg out for a try and love it now - especially after diffusing one of the split contrasts. The left hand glowey bit is light when I snapped the print up with me phone .Eh? What you on about ????

Not sure I like it either

Yes, yes it's a scape - of a road. And no, I am not sure I like it either but I thought I'd show you all the same. It's just over the water from home - in Assynt . Yes it is a nice place but photographed to death not least by me when we last were there all hot and bothered.

I had some Provia film in a camera back, the sun was shining and I got carried away, or should have been. I mean, what was I thinking?

I say all this as the temperature here seems to have fallen somewhat, the wind has started blowing with rain on the way. Summer eh?

Binscape

Carloway binscape

And then ..

Phone snap of wet print I did at Toots' place the other day. Found the neg on the floor at home - it's Mrs Toot's car - then printed it on MGRC iv using a small sheet of tissue at times then sepia toned it.

I rather like it.

That day

That day. The one I got the car stuck in sand and everything. Sand in every crevice and all that. Yes, that day. That's when I met Dobbin or Dobbinina or whatever tis called here sheltering with its pals near a wall near the beach on the west-side of this fair isle as force 8 gusts swept in.

Oh, what a lovely horsey. Smiled at me when I took it's likeness with me camera. Shook its head nicely and posed while its pals looked on adoringly.

Few days ....

Few days are complete without a walk on one of the islands' many beaches. This is Traigh Mhor in the village complete with ox-bow puddle where the river comes out. The water is often brown here as it carries the stains from the peat the water emanates from. After it comes from the clouds, and the evaporation etc.

Were walked along the track looking down at this magnificent beach yesterday. Bit better than the day before when we got the car stuck in wind blown soft, dry sand on a track on the west side of the island. Twas blowing a mere force 8, the waves crashing on the remote beach and the sand migrating onto the track from the beach. I mis-judged it somewhat and we spent the next half an hour digging the vehicle out with out hands. Needless to say the car ended up full of wind blown sand - as did we. Sand has been falling out my hair ever since ! At least, I hope it's sand !

It'sok, he's at the Royal

Do you want to?

Yes, it's the Crofter

I went up here yesterday

I came back another way

I noticed that too

This is a cat.
Not HHHCB mind you.
But a cat all the same.
I know not it's pet human.

This is a colour snap.
On colour film.
Why?
I know not

Why did you not write a message?

Francis Chichester said of his boat Gypsy Moth IV;
" She is cantankerous and difficult and needs a crew of three - a man to navigate, an elephant to move the tiller and a 3'6" (1.1 m) chimpanzee with arms 8' (2.4 m) long to get about below and work some of the gear."

Well, she looked nice enough as she rubbed up behind a visiting old privately owned converted lifeboat the other day in Stormoway.

You know, don't you!

I don't usually 'do' colour. I can't 'do' colour it seems but that didn't stop me recently when Mr Boyd returned a back for the Hassie with some slide film loaded. Went round to see David the music man and see his 1700s violin things. Very lovely they are too. Sounded all nice- a right jolly racket. And no, it's not meant to be in focus. I'll show you the in focus ones - assuming I have any - when you have acclimatised to colour a bit.

Another old one

The weather has been too sunny. Not so keen on that for snapping so I've dug out another old one I like to show you.

I was not sleeping last night so put in my earpiece from the radio and listened to a wonderful programme about a world without words. Listen to it on Radio 4 here while you can. Brilliant.

Found again

Found this neg the other day so printed it again.
If I recall, it was published in B&W mag some years ago when they did film stuff.
Took it Manchester with the Voigtlander Perkeo - and still like it !

Portraits

Sometimes when one is out and about on the island one can't help but stop and snap up a portrait of a place.  This is one such place.

Rowing night before last

There's that rowing mob out in the wee boatee round a flat calm harbour  the other evening. Even Sammie the seal came out for a poottle around. And the canoeists and paddleboadists - not forgetting the fisherpeoples.

Oh, and I snapped up Isabel's lab - Doobeedo - [or something like that ] as he frollicks in the water.

Rowing

Eve went rowing last night.
I didn't row, just watched and took snaps.
This wasn't one of them

Mr Bike

I met Mr Bike man at the Coop the Saturday. Lovely looking Moulton AM he was riding. Came over to get the papers [in the morning] but they don't come in till midday that day. He'd come over from the west side of the island where he'd been holidaying. Nice ride mind you - so he said.

I'll have you know that once, when I was young, youngish anyway, I took tea with Mr Alex Moulton in Bradford on Avon. Such a nice chap he was.

one has to try

12x12 cm

Apologies and everything.
I snapped the wet print up with the phone camera - hence the dark edges. Obviously it's a masterpiece :-)
Been printing some 12x12 cm prints of late on old Agfa Record FB on account of having some nice frames to fit. If I do say it myself, they do look good - if you squint a bit and look at them behind your hands.

Crofter

Yes, I am back at it, annoying The Crofter as I follow him around the place - not always too close!

Damp out the darkroom

The print not me, although I could be wrong about that latter thing.

Still on the pegs that help dry the print [on Agfa Record FB] flat against another. That's how I do it. I shan't show the other piles of dross I produced on the little sesh in the darkish damp room the other day. I won't.

I think I have trench foot. The darkish room floor was wet. Or maybe it is because I'm just out of a warm bath. Yes, it's probably that. Forget the trench foot thing.

The bed provided warmth too as I looked at the lovely work of Saul Leiter this morning. I mean, I may have mentioned him before but it is worth mentioning him again. His images are just sublime. You may have seen the lovely film Carol - in which case you may know his style.

He is, despite his use of colour, a fav photog of mine.

Is that allowed?

Eh?

There, that flipping darkroom is calling again.
The darkness beckons - like age.
Better than a lightroom though.

At least the dog posed

Oh no ! I'm emigrating. /  Fantastic, great news.

[please delete as appropriate]

Visitor and posing doggie with David, an occasional villager.

Outside enjoying the sun

Look, the sun was shining yesterday so I dragged Toots out of his lair where he was framing his snaps and took off for a stroll round his village. Daisies all over the place.

Tootling

I may have been working in anothers darkroom of late.

He, the man who owns the darkroom - a well equipped room of darkness with the requisite sinks big enlargers and countless other unknown to me things greeted me enthusiastically at the door. I said hello as it is expected round these parts. Perhaps it is a fall off from the local culture. Who knows? I don't. And who cares? Not many I should imagine.

The darkness got to me after a few hours and I had to retire to home and my bed to sleep off the exhaustion. We may have some prints as a result.

Sisters

These are my sisters.
They don't always look like this only, they are wearing their pet herding outfits. Not content with just one or perhaps two pets, they have thousands. Actually, one sister has thousands as the other sister's bees opted for a life elsewhere and now she just has huge dogs and a cat or two.

Rellies

I told you the rellies [relations] had been up didn't I?
Two lots. It's now some weeks on and you'll be pleased to hear we are recovering well.

We tried to put one lot off the scent by taking them to Garry beach in the village and hiding in the cave , but it didn't work.

I can hardly believe that it's ten years to the day that we moved here. Ten fantastic years here with Eve.

Nearly Level

Another snap for the On The Level festival at an Lanntiar the other day with Jesse Danz playing and singing to the delight of us all.

And yes I will have some snaps on show at An Lanntair's Grinneas show soon.

Black Cub

Yep, it's a popularish beat combo. On stage in An Lanntair.

My ears are still ringing.
Somehow I seem to have lost my loud band tolerance.

A view

Not untypical of this place, especially when  Badla 6x6 folder is pointed at it.

Please someone save me from all this politicing. Tis doing me head in !

see, not just a one off

Another from this little series. Printing ready for the Grinneas at an Lanntair soon. Must get on with these. Spent yesterday playing in Toots' darkroom helping annoying him as he printed his work for the show. 

Usually is a great show too. Plenty of work from well known artists as well as stuff from local kids and me. Might be some work by Alex Boyd or Willie Fulton, Geof Stear or anyone.