Boxes & Bellows

OLGA 4

2006-03-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

At the top of the hill - it is called Roughtown - there are some Organ Builders - still on the slope !

The next street along the hill is just as steep as Roughtown; Luckily, my little 180 year old house is on the flat with uniterupted views over the hills.

Communications are a little more modern as you can see in image3.

Top Mossley [top the hill etc] is very upmarket. Even though the people seem to have a enhanced idea of their own importance if the funereal cars are anything to go by.

Meanwhile, when I get back to my office at the Velodrome, the two work-experience girls have trashed m office awarded themselves medals and are playing some AWFUL music on MY Pooter!!!!

Pologies for the terrible scans. I shall re-scan them when the pooter is betetr!

Olga3

2006-03-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

So, I eventually get this roll of Xp2 that I have not used before to run through Olga since my pooter is up the creek at the moment and I don't want to scan. Processed on Frontier and posted by me, here.
I live in Mossley- which is some 10 miles from Manc. - far enough for me since we have hills all around. And we live on the side of a steep hill. Houses lurch down the hill - like this one just up t'road;
The garage is just down the hill:

The roofs round here are a jumbled mess.
..and some of our streets are orphans.

Olga2

2006-03-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Inside the Lowry there are some great exhibitions - photography too. This took my eye in the modern art area;

After the Theatre, I put some Kodak HD 200 colour I had acquired V cheaply and took another shot of the Big Wheel as we passed by. Never quite understood the facination of these things but someone must like them!

I might add here, I don't actually live in Manchester but in Mossley in Lancs. Nice little ex-mill village nestling on the edge of the Peak District.

Olga

2006-03-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

Olga, in the form of a FED 2 rangefinder arrived the other day from CaNada. I'm part of a small project which uses Olga to shoot pictures, post them on www.nelsonfoto.com and then pass it on to the next in line.
Feds are not my fav camera but thought I'd give it a go. Couldn't figure out where the film speeds referred to and the rangefinder seemed foggy. eventually, I sorted the latter problem when Jem @ Real Cameras in Manc. pointed the diopter lever out and I was sorted.
Saturday after Olga arrived, it was my partners birthday so we took off to the Lowry theatre in Salford, Manc. for a mosey around and a nice cup-of-tea.
Using Delta 400, I seemd to see shapes all day rather than landscapes. Here are a few;

Lowry Roofs.[left]

Imperial War Museum roof [above]

Developed in FX-39, I had to tone the in Ps as I was not happy with origninal scan. We had a great day both here and later in Manc. at the theatre [play called Flags - since you ask] and easting out . Eve my partner has also started photographising and I'm looking forward to seeing those soon.

Scotland, the photos

2006-03-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

So, I spend the week working hard and picking my snaps up from the developers I find I have one or two nice colour piccis for a change. Somehow, colour does not do it for me - I think it must have something to do with too many distractions and bringing someone - namely the developer - into My Process.
So, here are some piccis taken with my Retinette in Ayrshire - which I might add here, is lovely.

So, the beach at sunset with some Castle on the headland. Cheap no-supermarket brand 400 film out-of-date.

Vic, my pal on the beach. The dog is there too. Lovely place, great ole camera. Rubbish scan.

Vic is another cyclist and had just returned from the Pacific Games in NZ so he could organise his bike at the weekend. lives in the house inthe middle of nowhere - wonderful. And what's more he has no TV which is just brill!

To Scotland

2006-03-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

My eartwhile partner Eve is still racing bikes and we took off to Ayrshire to stay with another bikie - Victor. He was organising the bike race Eve was taking part in. I took a bag of cameras and a handfull of film. Herein lies a mistake; taking serval speeds of film does rather tends to get you into trouble with manual cameras such as I use.
I tend to try and get over this by taping a tag from the film-box to the outside of the camera but usually this falls off or I just get forgetful.
Anyway, the weather was lovely. Eve did well in the race and got to take some piccis with a new-to-me rangefinder, the Minolta A5, the Retinette, a Franka Rolfix and the Kowa 6mm. I'm still sorting th films but here is a taster from the Minolta;

My fav

2006-02-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-19T04:18:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-09T00:47:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-02T00:21:00.000-08:00

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.

Cuba revisited

2006-01-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I get the drift. You tap away for hours on this thing then you post a picture of your family.
Here's my offering;
Eve atop some building in Trinidad - that's Cuba !
[minolta 7000 foma 100] .
I you have not been to Cuba yet, book your tickets soon before the place is overrun by the USA. The Cuba people are just wonderful.

ill

2006-01-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

Feeling a bit rough today so stayed in and developed a film or two. Here's the best of a bad bunch. Taken on the Retinette 1a - which seem to be the camera of choice these days- onHP5 in Aculux2.

2006-01-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

A nice day with a quick visit over to Leeds via Marsden which put me in mind of these couple of images taken with the tusty Kodak Retinette 1a on consumer neg film. The fisrst one is actually above the village towards the inevitable golf course.

I've always liked Marsden being right in the hills and load goingon in the village including a Jazz festival.

The second image shows one of the old mills that are prevelent in these parts. Some old boy I got talking to told me this place used to make karki for the troops.

Sunday

2006-01-29T01:44:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining again! So it's out for more piccis today.
Watched 'Down by law' last night - a fantastic Jim Jarmich film in mono. Whats so funny is that the stars - Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni always just play themselves. The photography in the film was just brilliant. A "must see" I think.
Last night I was wondering how we could run a test to find out if we see colour the same as each other and have come up with nothing as yet. It's one of those things that I have been wondering about for years.
On another note, it's some months since we were in Cuba so I give you an image of Los Pinos.

Whoa!

2006-01-28T00:38:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning thinking about this photo that I am going to share with you. That's the sort of sad person I am. It was taken last month with my Kodak Retinette 1a - an old 35mm fixed lens affair with great performance - you just have to work out the exposures and focus your self.
The image was taken in the car with the camera fixed to the dash board and a long exposure whilst driving home from work - I wasn't driving. Film is generic colour 400asa.

The sun is shining this morning so a chance for a potter on the mtn bike along the canal bank and cycle paths in the region - armed with my camera. It's just getting too scarey to ride on the road these days - I know 6 people who have been killed on the road in the last 3 months whilst riding their bikes- and that's just too many by far. A need for government - local and national - to get some proper cycle paths sorted in towns and cities is so important. Proper cycle paths too - not just painted lines on the road but seperate from the road if possible. The benefits of this would be manifold - increased health of the population, lower congestion, lower Co2 emissions and a better environment all round. Power to SUSTRANS I say!

The first entry

2006-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

So, here it is, the first entry to this diary of photographic meanderings.
been a hard week at work so i am posting a photo i shot last weekend on one of my old folders - a Voigtlander folder from the 1930s.
I have been using HP5 as of late and souping it in Aculux2 - and the results please me.

It's taken in Saddleworth looking up to Isle of Skye [that's the hill of that name, not the island]