Lonely Places

[Haselsh1]

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab240/Haselsh1/HeatherDeeHumberstonNo2_zps0e1e53e3.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/Haselsh1/media/HeatherDeeHumberstonNo2_zps0e1e53e3.jpg.html)


This is a shot taken around 2005 just before I moved away from North Lincolnshire and being by the sea to North Yorkshire and being inland. There is a strange place in North Lincolnshire called Tetney Marsh which is basically a huge area of salt marsh and is an SSSI. This is where this image was shot. It was taken using a Hasselblad 500CM of 1978 vintage fitted with an 80mm Carl Zeiss lens and equipped with Fuji Acros 100 film. I fitted a yellow/green filter to add some tone to the sky and pale greys.

In 2012 I left North Yorkshire and moved back to North Lincolnshire because the call of these places was simply too much for me.

[Haselsh1]

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab240/Haselsh1/HeatherDeeHumberston_zpse1305901.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/Haselsh1/media/HeatherDeeHumberston_zpse1305901.jpg.html)


This is another shot of the same boat and the same conditions apply.

[Thing Fish]

Very nice pictures Shaun. I can almost smell the sea...:)

[hal55]

Rather nice, and I'd love to have a play with a blad of any vintage.....


Hal55

[synsei]

If you ever find your self down in North Kent Shaun try and find a few hours to visit the Hoo Peninsula. There are many interesting coastal fortifications dating from pre WW1 dotted around the peninsula which would give you many moody and interesting shooting opportunities. There is one location in particular sited on Cliffe Marshes where explosives were manufactured. Because of the dangers involved the landscape is somewhat strange and lends itself to some very arty compositional opportunities.

You might also want to travel a little further onto the peninsula towards the Isle Of Grain and its coastline. There are some very interesting war fortifications located here, some of which may be familiar to those of a certain age who are fans of Doctor Who. The 1970's Dr Who & The Sea Devils episodes were filmed here and which depicted these fortifications as the Sea Devils base.

Lovely pics as usual Shaun. I find myself wanting to explore the locations further ;)

[Marco]

Very nice pictures Shaun. I can almost smell the sea...:)

I thought you washed your pants last night?

Marco.

[walpurgis]

Decent shots.

The only film cameras I have left are a Pentax P30n and Pentax MV, plus a few Tamron zooms. My medium format cameras were always vintage jobs, Balda, Franka, Ross and Kodak etc.

Even my digital stuff is getting old, but there's no way I'm parting with my Olympus C8080, I love that camera. Built like a battleship and a great lens.

[Rare Bird]

I still have my old 35mm Zenith 'TTL' i bought used from Jeffersons camera shop in the early 80's, i thought it was a jolly good camera for the small outlay.

:sofa:

[walpurgis]

I still have my old 35mm Zenith 'TTL' i bought used from Jeffersons camera shop in the early 80's, i thought it was a jolly good camera for the small outlay.

:sofa:

I used to have one (along with about half a dozen other Zeniths). Surprisingly good lenses, damn near as good as my Zeiss stuff (I used to collect M42 Zeiss lenses for my Spotmatics).

[julesd68]

Love the composition of the first shot - the way the boat is almost looking longingly at the distant building ...

[synsei]

Love the composition of the first shot - the way the boat is almost looking longingly at the distant building ...

It was the composition and the distant building which triggered my earlier post Julian. I grew up around the area I mentioned and I regret not getting into photography at an early age because the photographic opportunities around there were myriad. For example there used to be a BP oil refinery on the Isle Of Grain. Because I lived due west of it and did an early morning paper round, the sun rising from behind all the industrial plant would throw very interesting shapes into the early morning mist which rose from the marshland adjacent to it. Catching the sun, the plant and the shapes just right would have made for some pretty exciting pics :)

[julesd68]

I regret not getting into photography at an early age

Ah the things we could / should have done when we were younger Dave - best not think about it really ...

[Haselsh1]

I've been doing photography now for forty four years and will never give up on film. It produces an image that digital can only dream about especially in black and white. Carl Zeiss lenses produce an image that other lenses only ever aspire to but I have no idea why. There is something totally unique about their glass. I adore image making this way and I probably always will.

[walpurgis]

Maybe 25 years ago I was using old Pentax Spotmatic series cameras with M42 fit Zeiss lenses (Flektagon, Tessar, Sonnar, etc.) and Agfa Ultra 50 film and the results I got were just beautiful. (I never got into transparencies or home processing)

I also found the Tamron SP series lenses superb!

I made a small fortune selling my Zeiss lenses off a year or two ago, many of them had been boot sale purchases in the eighties for a couple of quid a go. Shame, but they weren't getting used.

[Haselsh1]

Most of the images I have taken using medium format I have managed to sell as framed works to offices and the like especially when I had my own gallery in Pickering but everything I have ever shot on 35mm has never been good enough. I guess 35mm just doesn't cut it when compared to a 'real' format. I must add though that I have never sold a work shot on sheet film either and the effort required to use that kind of format just doesn't outweigh the lack of interest so I shall stick with 6X7 for the forseeable future.

[julesd68]

I've not touched a film camera for 10-15 years but I've just ordered an original Olympus Trip! Always wanted one since I was a boy and if they're good enough for David Bailey ... ;) Should arrive early next week - bought it on ebay for £25 and looks to be in good condition with new light seals. I'm going to use it for some fun black and white portraits. :)

[Barry]

I used to have one (along with about half a dozen other Zeniths). Surprisingly good lenses, damn near as good as my Zeiss stuff (I used to collect M42 Zeiss lenses for my Spotmatics).

Not surprising - they are old Zeiss designs, obtained by the Russians with the splitting of the Carl Zeiss company at the end of the War (WW II).

[Haselsh1]

I've not touched a film camera for 10-15 years but I've just ordered an original Olympus Trip! Always wanted one since I was a boy and if they're good enough for David Bailey ... ;) Should arrive early next week - bought it on ebay for £25 and looks to be in good condition with new light seals. I'm going to use it for some fun black and white portraits. :)

A fine camera if I may say. I have an old Pentax MX and a couple lenses that I just carry around loaded with black and white film. It is just so damn cool using it.

[julesd68]

Shaun, would you be able to recommend some b/w film for me to try for my portrait shots? Something with 'medium' contrast would be ideal ...
I'll be shooting exteriors with available light ...

[Haselsh1]

Shaun, would you be able to recommend some b/w film for me to try for my portrait shots? Something with 'medium' contrast would be ideal ...
I'll be shooting exteriors with available light ...

To be perfectly honest, at the present time, there is only one black and white film worth considering and that is Fuji Acros 100 which shows the most amazing range of midtones I have ever experienced. OK so it is not the best for shadow detail but for midtones it is the equivalent of a 300B SET. Develop it using Paterson FX39 and you are in for such a treat.

;)

[julesd68]

To be perfectly honest, at the present time, there is only one black and white film worth considering and that is Fuji Acros 100 which shows the most amazing range of midtones I have ever experienced. OK so it is not the best for shadow detail but for midtones it is the equivalent of a 300B SET. Develop it using Paterson FX39 and you are in for such a treat.

;)

Consider it bought! I always used Fuji colour film back in the day so am sure I will enjoy the Acros ...

Next question - I don't do my own processing - any recommendations as to where to send it off? I'd like to get the negs scanned to CD so I can muck around with them on the Mac - I tend to like fairly low contrast b/w portraits ...

[Haselsh1]

Julian, I can't really help with the processing as I do all of my own but there will be no end who advertise on the net. I'll check some out and see what's what. One small word of advice though; don't get too hung up on low contrast. A technically good photograph should display a full range of tones from pure white through to deep black. It would be better if you could scan your own negatives as then you could set up your own contrast curve but hey, do the best you can as no one should criticise you for that.

Julian, you have a PM

[julesd68]

Julian, I can't really help with the processing as I do all of my own but there will be no end who advertise on the net. I'll check some out and see what's what. One small word of advice though; don't get too hung up on low contrast. A technically good photograph should display a full range of tones from pure white through to deep black. It would be better if you could scan your own negatives as then you could set up your own contrast curve but hey, do the best you can as no one should criticise you for that.

Julian, you have a PM

Thanks Shaun. Hmmm - yes, a neg scanner would be great if I could afford one! I wonder if it's possible to get something that will do the job adequately quite cheaply on ebay - second hand would be ideal - any tips on what to look for spec wise?

[Haselsh1]

Thanks Shaun. Hmmm - yes, a neg scanner would be great if I could afford one! I wonder if it's possible to get something that will do the job adequately quite cheaply on ebay - second hand would be ideal - any tips on what to look for spec wise?

You could do a lot worse than pick one by Epson that includes plastic film holders for various film formats. Be patient though, these scanners are bloody slow and always scan at 300dpi no less. Set your target size to around A3 and scan away. If you can't afford one and I fully understand why, get BPD Photech to do it for you, otherwise Peak Imaging in Sheffield. Excellent...!

Julian, you have another PM

[julesd68]

You could do a lot worse than pick one by Epson that includes plastic film holders for various film formats. Be patient though, these scanners are bloody slow and always scan at 300dpi no less. Set your target size to around A3 and scan away. If you can't afford one and I fully understand why, get BPD Photech to do it for you, otherwise Peak Imaging in Sheffield. Excellent...!

Julian, you have another PM

Shaun, I managed to grab that Epsom scanner for £23! Looking forward to seeing what it can do. Talking of which, the Trip has arrived and looks in lovely condition -

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/8934153117_9f2311880a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34449145@N05/8934153117/)

[Haselsh1]

Any new thoughts on the Epson scanner and the Olympus Trip...? Please let us know how you are getting on or better still, post some images.

[julesd68]

Sadly other things have got in the way Shaun and I'm not up and running yet ... :(

[Haselsh1]

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab240/Haselsh1/BuckBeckOutfall_zps3f079f73.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/Haselsh1/media/BuckBeckOutfall_zps3f079f73.jpg.html)


http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab240/Haselsh1/BuckBeckOutfallNo2_zps2abf8d03.jpg (http://s867.photobucket.com/user/Haselsh1/media/BuckBeckOutfallNo2_zps2abf8d03.jpg.html)



A couple of film shots taken on a 1982 Pentax MX with a 1982 28mm wide angle lens. Film was Agfa APX100 with an orange filter for effect and developer was FX39. These shots were taken on the afternoon of June 23rd with a really dramatic sky and a fab day was had by all. Just incase you were wondering, the place is Cleethorpes at St Anthony's Bank.

[julesd68]

Lovely depth and texture on those pics Shaun.

Ordered the Acros and a case for the Trip today thanks to your nudge - great price from http://www.wexphotographic.com/