Two years. Two long and at times painful years have passed since I was last able to go to a bike show and have some fun with my friends. This week I was finally able to start getting out and about again after the restrictions were lifted. I have been out and about visiting family, but I have not done one of the things we Bikers enjoy doing at weekends, going for a ride, pitching our tents in a field and having a party with our friends.
This event was put on by the National Association for Bikers with a Disability, the NABD here in the UK and it is the worlds premier Bikers charity. I have been a member of the NABD for almost 30 years and the chance to go along was too good to pass up. The NABD provides grants so any biker here in the UK can adapt their machine to once again allow them to ride their bike or trike and enjoy the freedom motorcycling brings us.
I took my trusty Olympus OM-2, a couple of lenses and three rolls of film with me, a half roll of Ilford FP4 and full rolls of Ilford HP5+ and Fomapan 200. Why did I chose three different films rather than take three the same? Because I can, It's that simple. I was also making sure I had something for whatever the weather was going to do over the weekend. I planned on taking some photos of the Bikes and Trikes that always grace the Bike Show at the event. I was curious as to what my fellow bikers had been up to during the pandemic and was pleased to see the standard was high.
On Saturday morning I had a wander around the camp site before making my way to the Bike Show in the main arena and saw some great bikes that weren't just limited to custom bikes. there was street bikes, choppers, adventure bikes and classics mixed with trikes that included some V8 engined monsters and many a bike based model, all lovingly built by talented engineers.
My walk around the camp site was done with a half roll of Ilford FP4 and my Zuiko 135mm f/3.5 lens on my OM-2. I couldn't always get close to the bikes as I wandered around, so the reach of the 135mm was plenty to get some good shots from a distance. I just had to pick my spots and look around.
My second roll was my favourite Ilford HP5+ and I switched to my 28mm f/3.5 wide angle as I made my way to the arena on what turned out to be a gloriously sunny spring day. I wanted to get close up as there was a lot of people wandering around the bikes, admiring the engineering and paintwork on display. It saved me from having to ask people to move out of the way. Everyone wins with that strategy and I still enjoyed having a chat with folk picking out bits we liked about various machines.
A few folks stopped and had a natter about my camera rather than the bikes. This wasn't a surprise as my OM-2 is considered a classic and they were interested in how I went about keeping my cameras in good order and where I bought my film. I recommended PPP Cameras and Analogue Wonderland to those interested. Most just wanted a natter to while away the afternoon. Happy days!
I soon finished my roll of HP5+ and loaded my last film for the day. Fomapan 200 has had a bit of a chequered time of late. Photographers have had problems with rather heavy spotting on the medium format stock, but the 35mm stock is fine. I happily used up this film in what seemed like no time and, with my film supply exhausted, I switched to my Nikon D700 for the rest of the event.
I developed my Ilford film in Kodak HC-110 dilution B and my Fomapan 200 in Rodinal 1+50. I scanned the negatives into my PC using my Nokia 5.3 phone, Pixl-Latr with sprocket mask and my A5 light pad. I processed them with Affintity Photo. I really enjoyed shooting film at the event, here are a few of my favourites. I have put them and more in albums on Flickr you can visit using the links below. If you wish to know more about the NABD I have also placed a link for ther website below. If you enjoy my blog and wish to support me, you can use the Ko-Fi buttons on this page. I hope you enjoy them.
N.A.B.D.
NABD Bike Rally - Ilford FP4 - OM-2
NABD Bike Rally - Ilford HP5 - OM-2
NABD Bike Rally - Foma 200 - OM-2
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