My fav

Since last weekend, my bod has rather fought back after the little bit of cycling I did. Still, I finished off a roll of Ilford Delta 400 in the Retinette during the week - the first time I have used this film - and sloshed it about in Aculux2.
I'm rather pleased with it actually. I rather like the camera too - with it's scale focusing and what have you.

Here's my chum Mondo just about to cycle home after an evening spent looking at my pictures - and he is still smiling!

And here is another from the trip last weekend......

A day out

Somedays it all feels good. and this was one of them. A day out at the coast - Scarborough, somehere I had never been before but found surprisingly nice I must say. Lovely scenery along the coast, nicely kept town and sunshine - at last.
After a great bike ride plus tea and cake we shot off to Flamborough head and then to Bridlington for sunset. Well, I think I struck lucky with this shot taken on the old Voigtlander Bessa 1 with Panf on a long exposure.

CFS and all that

it is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I happen to suffer from it. No, I am not going to bore you with the list of symptoms, you can google that yourelf. It's just that from time to time it gets the better of me and I have not the energy to do much - let alone, take, proces and post pictures. There are some great blogs out there on this. Lets just say I meditate to help, and take photos when I have the energy after work.
Last week, someone gave me a Petri Slr. know nothing about these but it's light and works. So i ran some Foma 100 through last weekend and i have just stuck it in some Rodinal and have this nice image - Dovestones in Saddleworth.

IMBOLC

This is one of those Celtic things that seems to established itself round hereabouts. A great evening out. Eve & I took off to Marsden for this on a lovely evening recently. I took along a couple of cameras - the Minolta 7000 with flash and, the Retinette with a splash of B&W. The B&W was a disaster - a couple of 'almost' images but the long exposures I didn't really like. So, after the FUJI 200 had been developed for me at the supermarket, we have a couple I'd like to share with you. [As it happens, the cycle club I run is also sponsored by FUJI - this time bikes :-) ]

The proccesion set off from t'car-park to the sound of countless Celtic drummers, these beings appeared.
We trundle off, along with the thousands there, through the woods where we came upon these singers. singing a lovely tune too. We went on up to the Stanage Tunnel end where there was a set too between Jack Frost [winter] and the Green Man [spring]. Green Man won thank goodness so we all celbrated with fireworks and the like then went home. A fantastic evening out by all accounts - although the photos leave a bit to be desired. I shall stick with the B&W in light!!

Kiev madness

I'm lucky in that from time to time some nice being gives me a camera. The last one I recieved is a beast. All the way from azebyjan where my pal is working, came this huge Kiev60 - like a Nikon on steroids, this is a medium format SLR. It's old and the first film through was ruined when the bacl of thing flew open - which rather puts the damper on getting good images out. Then I find the aperture ring is broken and it's stuck on f2.8. Ok for portraits me thinks so I gave it go with some HP5. Actually, I like my little still life best- so here it is. Just south of my bed!!!





And here an Athens gold medallist- a pilot of the tandem that won GOLD in the 1km track cycling time trial. Ellen doesn't usually look like Cruella de Ville but seeing she doesn't ever see this I can post it here.
Bye

Mediatation

Sarted back at mediation classes at the Buddhist Centre in Manc. It's ages since I have been and now I'm back I wonder why I have not been. Meditation is wonderful and there is a great course in Manchester for those who require some pain managment - Breathworks. Check it out.
The sun is shining but I have to got to work so here is a picci I took a while back. Taken near Uppermill in Saddleworth - on the Braun Paxette.

Another camera - or two

It's been a lucky month for 'new' kit since I have been given two cameras to use. Firstly, some kind soul sent me a lovely Voigtlander Perkeo 1 which is a 6x6 folder that is the size of 35mm camera and has a very sharp Vaskar lens. Lovely to use but I have managed to stop it working properly so it's at the camera Dr's at the moment. Today I was given a Petri GX-1, an 80s SLR from Japan. Know nothing about this one and a web search hasn't thrown up anything in English. Anyway, the black little devil is in good nick and all seems to work ok so I have loaded a roll of Foma 100 [all I have at the moment] and will shoot it soon.
Talking of which, I seem to have a bad habit of loading up cameras with film then forgetting what's in the flippin things. For example, currently I have Tmax 400 in the Bessa folder, HP5 in the Kiev 60 and Kowa 6, Fuji 200 colour in the Minolta 7000 and now Foma 100 in the Petri. I write it here so I can at least refer back lest I forget. All I need now is a few hours to shoot some shots as it were. Image below was taken on the Kowa6 in Souther Scotland in the New Year

Local history

Tis been foggy all weekend so thought I'd catch up with some local flavour. Had a lovely walk around some derelict mills in the valley then saw off Jack Frost and welcomed in Green Man at Marden's Celtic festival. Had a wonderful time along with the thousands that suprisingly were there watching the fireworks and listening to the excellent drummers. My photos were terrible - except for the ones from the mill walk. You can see one here taken with one of my old folders. If you live in the manc. area I urge you to get along to one of the many events that take place in and around the Saddleworth area.
sunday was just as foggy as Saturday but I ventured up to Uppermill cemetry for some atmospheric shots. Here's one taken with me old Kodak.

Hal

Some time ago - a year I think - I sent off this old Halina 35mm camera on a trip round the world. I had bought Hal for about £2 but found he had a few problems although the glass was sharp.
Since then Hal [as I christened him] has been to USA, Germany, Austria, CaNada - and more places besides. Each time Hal arrives at a new place his host loads him up and shoots film or two of the localcality then posts them here .
I started with the dodgy imageabove; You will notice the slightly off focus right hand side. This problem was solved by someone in austria I think, by bending the thing back into shape. Currently, Hal has just been to Romania and is off to Israel soon. Check out photo.net classic camera forum and search for Hal and you'll get loads of hits to browse through with photos from all round the world. See for example here. And here and here [excellent link this one] for a more detailed lot of links

Boxes

I like box cameras - make no mistake about that. I might add I don't use them quite as much as I should/could since I like my other my cameras too. Still, when you use a box sometimes you can get lucky. As they say, it's not the camera but the way you use it.
A while ago I was using both Houghton & Butcher box camera and a couple of Brownies a lot. This first image I shot on a Brownie on a nearby cycle path. [orwo125asa/Rodinal stand development]. I so like the compostion.

Hey! I like it even more now since I have not seen it for a while. Now, if yo like sharp lenses, how about getting a Houghton & Butcher Ensign box with its miniiscus lens. An old camera made of wood but a great performer.

Here's a not perfect image taken along the Huddersfield canal one sunny day with the Ensign. Perhaps i ought to dump the other complicated cameras and stick to the boxes.