a service is returned

 

This is my idea of a good scape.

Not so regular

 

Sorry, not been keeping going of late. 

I'm still active here so please bear with me while I reboot.

Meanwhile another "I went so you don't have to " snap.

wildlife

 

I'd heard about these ferocious dwarf elephants that had taken up residence in the locality so I thought I'd track them down.

Taking untold risks I found the beasts lurking round The Croft down t'road looking lean, mean and..... rather small. Shaken at the risks I was taking with these beasts, unprotected as I was - except for the fence and their apparent friendliness, I moved carefully. The beasts immediately charged at me and nuzzled my outstretched hand. I had no food but this beast with two trunks on top of his head posed for his portrait. Politely. 

I may have misjudged him.

weather

 I love this snap.Toots a year or two back braving the wild weather. No bus was expected but the shelter was good. Toots has been known to snap pictures with his 8x10 camera from inside a bus stop.

However, today I took a short stroll in the sunshine with Toots after we'd cheered on Eve and others at the Stornoway lawn bowls club women's championship where she gave the last winner a run for her money in the semis. Lovely day out.

Gala

 Island gala and agricultural show. The highlight for me was the all-comers highjump.

nae

 

out with a point and shoot

 

It's a Pentax 170sl in pano mode. 

35mm pictorialism. Must print this as Lith I think

lithing

 

Had a play in the darkroom tother day - did a few of my fav type snaps. 

A little 12x12 cm lith print on old Kentmere Art Classic paper. And no, it is not really that grey on the edges. The chemical was 'straight' Fotospeed lth with no "old lith".

Island Beauty Pageant

 

Best in show.

I like bikes

 

Did you know I like bicycles and the act of bicycling? I do and have done as long as I can remember.

This is a Belgian owned bike, in Belgium. It might even be Belgian made. Classy as you ca see.

Back then

 

Back when I had a lovely KOWA 6 camera. The sharpest lens but fragile body. Loved it but was costing me too much in repairs.

This was in Namur, we were on our way to somewhere in 2006. Apparently we stayed in a Formula 1.Went to Bruges again and the Brood cafe. We knew how to live :-)

re-computered

 

Yes that's darking Evelyne chillin out in Belgium some years back my notes - such as they are - tells me.

Having to re-computer is a pain apart from the cost it's sorting out the passwords and the programs I use that is a hassle. I'm still wading through that task hence the photo has been saved using some generic photo editor as i can't get the Serif Affinity to play properly.

Harris

 

Yes, I am all over the place. I'm wondering about this and despairing about that but not achieving much at all.

The world cycling championships in Scotland are now over so I have little excuse. The weather here has been too warm for me though. 

however

 

and then there's the film.

Unexpectedly from Polypan-f

whot this blog should be about

 Snaps and cameras, and films and [usually] ghastly chemicals. 

Having said that, I went to a petite gatheration at Island Darkroom the other night for a fascinating talk by Jesse from South Africa on developing films and prints using plants and the like from the island.

Anyway, despite endlessly telling you about this here island and some of it's going on, I might remind you I am still using old film cameras. Sometimes they work too.

This 'marvellous' image was taken just down the road a few meters. The camera was made in the year of my birth 1955 tickled back to life by Black on white of Bristol. I like the camera and it works well despite my efforts to muck it up..

The film was foma200 and the developer good old rodinal.

Brides

 

Looks like all the petals were falling off Mrs Wilman's flowers. But no, people threw them there, I couldn't believe it when there were so many bins around.

Meanwhile Mrs Wilman was fending off someone who was telling her that she could have got a few yards of that out of a parachute she had in the loft if only she'd be told.

Ion the other hand am not liking this colour thing. of the fact that the images are almost in focus. Far too 'normal'.

a few weeks since

 

Yes, that last lovely wedding again.

Not sure why they paid and arm and another arm for their specialised photographisers when they could have had just me. I mean, I was there with this Olympus XA pointing it this way and that, almost in focus, almost looking at the right place. and almost the right film in it. Colour don't you know. Kodak 250d movie film which is why I suspect, they were moving in this snap.

still here

 

Kodak 250d. 

Not impressed - or is it just my scanning and post processing?

Go to Shadow

 

Oh, I think that's the name of Christine Morrison's lovely studio down at Vatisker. She is part of the Open Studio Hebrides which is still happening today and Saturday. Do go along.

have I showed you this?

 We went all the way up, or is it doon to North Yarkshire to snap up walls and all I have is this. Nice wall I suppose but not the wonderfulness I was hoping for. Still, the ice-creams we purchased near there were lovely. so there's that.