Ilford HP5 - Olympus OM10

 This week I wanted to document the ongoing demolition work of The Galleries Shopping Mall in Wigan Town Center, but wasn't sure of what camera to use. After a bit of a think I decided to go for my Olympus OM-10 and Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 I had recently bought from Ffordes Photographic, an excellent new and used camera gear retailer based in Scotland.

I still have gear for beginners firmly in my mind after spending quality time enjoying photography walks with my Grandsons over the summer holidays. The Olympus OM-10 with Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 was a popular beginners camera back in the 70's and 80's, and I went for Ilford HP5, the ubiquitous learners film in schools and colleges all around the UK.

I have been very impressed with my OM-10 since my dear friend Gren gave it to me earlier in 2023. The Aperture Priority mode and light meter built into the OM-10 are both outstanding and I took full advantage of them to make life easier as I wandered about Wigan on a Sunday morning. When faced with quickly changing light conditions, aperture priority is the perfect choice.

I spent around half an hour taking photos from the few vantage points around the demolition works where you can see how far the demolition has come and how far it has to go. I hadn't been into town for a couple of weeks and I could see the progress that has been made despite it looking like not a lot is happening.

As part of the demolition as much material as possible is being recycled, metal and concrete are separated before being loaded into trucks and taken away. Whilst it takes a lot longer to demolish a building this way, it reduces the amount that goes to landfill sites. 

I got a few shots before I had to head to Wigan North Western railway station as I had a meet up in Manchester with my Daughter and I figured I would get the rest of my film shot when I returned. My plan didn't happen and I had to wait for a week before I could get to Wigan town centre again.

The following Saturday I headed into town and took my camera with me. One big change I noticed right away was the Atrium of The Galleries has gone forever. The huge glass skylight ensured there was a lot of natural light in the Atrium area and It was popular with folks who wanted a sit down on the benches and chat to friends and family.

The Atrium was also the home of the big ornate clock that hung from the rafters and I have no idea what happened to it. I hope it was removed for re-use somewhere else in Wigan. It was a big expense at the time and I really hope it hasn't been scrapped along with the rest of the metal fixtures and fittings in the building.

I took a few photos around the site before heading off around the town centre to visit some old haunts and it didn't take me long to finish my 24 shot roll of Ilford HP5. I spent the rest of my time in town doing a bit of shopping before heading home.

Later that evening I developed my roll of Ilford HP5 in Zone Imaging 510 Pyro for 8.5 minutes at 20 celcius. Ilfo-Stop and Fotospeed FX-30 fixer finished it off and I soon had my film hanging to dry in my bathroom. I was quite pleased with the density of the negatives and it gave me confidence I would get a few decent shots from it.

After letting it dry overnight, I scanned it the next day with my trusty Ion Slides2PC 35mm scaner and edited the photos with Affinity Photo 2. To be honest I didn't have to do too much editing, just remove dust spots and scratches. Aperture Priority on Olympus OM cameras is outstanding and I didn't have to do much more than that to make them presentable.

I am happy to recommend the Olympus OM10 to a beginner or newcomer to film photography, it's a very easy camera to live with. The controls are simple to use and even the manual adapter is fine to get along with.

When new the OM-10 came supplied with the Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens as standard. These days we would call it a kit lens, but don't let that name fool you into thinking it's not a very good lens. On the contrary it is an outstanding 50mm prime lens and doesn't cost much compared to similar offerings from Nikon, Canon et al.

I used both manual and aperture priority modes whilst shooting this roll of film and I soon got used to it. I really enjoy using the camera and it wont be long before I use it again. If you fancy owning one you can usually find them on sale at Ffordes for a reasonable price. You can visit Ffordes and check out their excellent range of new and used cameras via the link below.

Here's a few of my photos documenting the changes here in Wigan and as always I have placed them and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

FFordes Photographic
Ilford HP5 - Olympus OM10

The Atrium roof (top right)

Believe

Billy Boston

The Wiend

Looking down Wallgate

The Atrium no more (top right)

Wigan Wallgate Railway Station

Frugal Film Project 2023 - August

 For this months roll of Kentmere 400 I wanted to explore more compositions or revisit some I have shot on walks with my grandsons through the corn fields near my home. The Farmer has gone all in on growing corn this year. In 2022 he split his crop between corn and wheat and I guess the corn brought more money in. There's acres and acres of it and it has grown quickly this year. I loaded a roll of Kentmere 400 medium format film into my Baldax 6x4.5 folding camera, grabbed my tripod and headed out for a couple of hours to see what I could find.

First stop was my favourite Power Lines location. You can see how tall the corn has grown as it has covered all but the the top quarter of the poles that carry the power lines over the field. I took a few shots there and tried to reduce any flare by using my hat as a shade for my camera. I wasn't sure if it would make a difference, but it was worth a try.

I carried on walking up the dirt road and had to stop and take a photo of the tree that stands by the side of the road. I have photographed it many times and it never ceases to amaze me with it's towering presence. I photographed it from both sides as I passed by and no doubt will photograph it a few more times before the year is out.

It was at this point I had a "Dirty Harry" moment. Did I shoot five or six? My memory is still playing up ten years after my stroke and I couldn't remember if I had wound my film on after my last couple of shots. It's something I really do work hard to overcome, but every now and then it trips me up and I have to take a leap of faith. I went with 5 and would find out for sure when I developed my film.

I reached the path that takes me across the top of the first field and instantly knew I wasn't going to be able to take any shots of the powerlines as I had when it was a wheat field. The corn looked to be about 8 feet tall and I grabbed one shot as I made my way to the other side of the field.

The path then turns south between the fields and I grabbed a couple of shots here looking both ways as I made my way to the field where the horses normally roam. However the horses were in other fields or had gone for a wander with their humans on this day. Maybe I would see them as I made my way back home?

My route then took me through the next field and again I was struck by the height of the corn as it towered over me. I took a photo looking back towards the stile I had to climb over and then continued on my way, taking a couple of shots as I walked along the path.

I soon reached the end and took a photo of the dirt road as it made it's way north and then another back towards the cornfield and the rather redundant stile that has been unused since the Farmer removed the gate to get his machinery into the field. Corn Harvesters are huge and I hope to see it in action this year.

I was almost done with this roll of film and took 2 more shots as I headed towards the fields where the horses were enjoying the sunshine. I also had my OM1 and 50mm f/1.4 loaded with FP4 and I wanted to finish that roll off with some photos of the horses. I was fairly satisfied with how my plan for my day had gone and I headed home for a much needed rest.

I developed my film a day later in HC110 dilution B for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. Once it was dry I scanned my film with my quick and easy phone camera and PixlLatr on my A5 led light pad method and procesed them with Affinity Photo 2.

One thing I did notice almost immediately was a double exposure! That "Dirty Harry" moment had bamboozled me into thinking I was up to 5 when I was really up to 6! I should have wound it on, but it is what it is. I managed to get what is a fairly decent double exposure of the Tree and the path through the corn field and it is a complete fluke. There was also quite a few light leaks on some of my photos which means I still need to work on the camera and/or my technique with it to reduce them.

Here's a few favourites from my August roll of Kentmere 400 for the Frugal Film Project 2023, including the double exposure. What do you think of it? A stroke of luck perhaps or just grainy mush? Personally I quite like it. As always I have placed these photos and a few more in my Fugal Film Project 2023 album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Frugal Film Project 2023

Kodak Double X - Pentax K1000

 It's been a while since I spoke about my photography. I have been waxing lyrical about my Grandson's progress as we got to spend some time together over the summer, the boy done good! However, as much as I appreciate the progress he has made and the journey he has ahead of him, I think it's my turn again. For this photo walk I loaded my Pentax K1000 with Kodak Double X black and white film and set the film speed to 200 iso.

The day was warm but cloudy and blue holes were few and far between, but that didn't worry me as I wanted to get out with my camera again. Having a walk with my grandsons was all the excuse I needed. I had been very busy during the spring and early summer and a break to recharge was definitely in order, but I decided it was time to get back into it. I fitted my K1000 with my trusted Tamron Adaptall 2 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 CF Macro lens and we set off for the local farm.

One thing I hadn't forgotten was the joy I get from using my Tamron Adaptall 2 28-70mm zoom lens. 28mm is my favourite focal length and the ability to reach out to 70mm makes it a great walkabout lens. I have often spoke fondly of Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses as they are a cheap way into photography for a newcomer or someone returning to photography as I did in 2017. For Film or Digital slr's, this lens has served me well.

I tried a couple of shots in the local woodland, but the lack of sunlight hindered me a little and I had to really slow my shutter speed down, too slow as it turned out, even with my lens wide open. I then tried a couple of compositions further along on our walk next to one of the corn fields. A patch of thistles had gone to seed thanks to the studious work of the local insect population and they made for a great study when the sun graced us with its presence.

We visited the Horses too on our walk. I never tire of seeing the Horses at the farm, they were making the most of the nice weather we had enjoyed for a few days and didn't mind us taking a few photos as we stopped at each field on our way. They normally stand still, but one Horse was nodding at us as as we approached and we stopped to say hello. It would have been rude not to.

We then turned off the farm road and headed through a smal patch of woodland where we found an abundance of Fungi. Mushrooms and other Fungi come in a myriad of textures and colours that can catch the unwary person out. Not all are edible and I don't really know which are the good ones and which ones can do you serious harm. I stressed this point to my Grandsons to warn them not to touch the Mushrooms! 

Our route through the woodland took us to the path across the top end of the field we passed earlier and on to the corn field. It's amazing how quickly corn grows, it doesn't seem all that long ago we were walking past fresh shoots of corn. On this day it was at least 8 feet tall, maybe more and the corn husks were beginning to fill out. The rain we had in July has really benefitted the corn this year and it looks like the Farmer will enjoy a bumper crop.

I soon finished my roll of Kodak Double X and we were only half way through our walk, but I didn't fancy reloading my camera and we enjoyed the rest of our walk home. I hadn't really been feeling the photography bug the last few weeks, but we all feel like that from time to time. I felt that this was the walk I needed to get back into the habit again and I thought about how I was going to develop my film on the way home.

A few days later I managed to get around to developing my film in my new favourite developer, 510 Pyro from Zone Imaging here in the UK. A quick check of the tech sheets on the Zone Imaging website and the Massive Dev Chart gave me a time of 7 minutes in a dilution of 1+100 at 20 celcius to develop my roll of Kodak Double X and I soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. Scanning was done with my Ion Slides2PC 35mm scanner and I edited the photos with Affinity Photo 2. 

Heres a few of my favourites from our walk in the local countryside. It was good to get out and about with my Grandsons and enjoy my photography again. As always I have placed them and more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Kodak Double X - Pentax K1000

Ethan makes more progress

 With the end of July approaching I thought we could say goodbye to the rain for a bit, but no. Rainy days still outnumbered sunny ones and I didn't get out much. When a sunny afternoon presented itself on the first day of August, I didn't need telling twice. It was time to go out for another photo walk with my Grandsons, Ethan and Joseph.

For this walk I decided to have us both shoot the same film and I loaded a roll of Wonderpan into my Pentax SP500 and Ethan's Dynax 500si. I tried to explain pushing film to Ethan, but it's a bit too soon for that, I think. He doesn't care what it's called or what speed to shoot it at as long as it's film, he just wanted to concentrate on finding good compositions. We set his camera to use aperture priority and headed towards the farm to say hello to the Horses and see what we could find along the way.

I enjoy a walk with my Grandsons, it gives us a chance to have a natter and spend quality time together. It also gives my wife a chance to rest as she's been in momma bear mode since the boys arrived. We spoke about composition and finding things that catch our eye and I left the rest up to him. Ethan has been doing well lately and he soon began finding things to photograph and even walked away from one or two compositions because they didn't look quite right to him when he got closer.

This walk was all about flowers, horses and reflections. It's good to see Ethan getting choosy over what he wants to take a photograph of. It shows he is thinking about his photos and in turn that bit of thought shows in his results. He was exploring the things that caught his eye, trying different angles in order to get the shot he wanted rather than snapping away and hoping to get a good one here and there. We were enjoying ourselves and it wasn't long before we finished our film and headed home.

It was a day later when I developed our film using Zone Imaging 510 Pyro for the first time. I had seen James Lane's shots taken on Wonderpan and liked the look of them so I used his times and dilution of 17 minutes at 1-100 at 20 celcius. I am always apprehensive when using chemicals for the first time, despite what I have seen from other photographers I always fear making a pigs ear of it.

Thanks to the confidence I have built over the last three years I managed to get our films developed without any bother and soon had them hanging to dry in my bathroom. As always I scanned our film with my trusty Ion Slides2PC 35mm scanner and removed dust spots and scratches with Affinity Photo 2.

I am impressed with Ethan's composition skills as they are growing exponentially, his horse photos are rather excellent. I enjoyed watching him go about his photography on our walk and growing his skills. Ethan is doing all the right things, with just a gentle nudge in the right direction he will only get better. Here's a few of his best shots from our walk and I have placed them and a few more in an album on my Flickr account you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.

Ethan - Wonderpan - Minolta Dynax 500si

Ethan's latest roll of Ilford HP5

Spring turned out rather nice in 2023 and gave me plenty of opportunities to go for a wander. To be honest a glorious spring afternoon was all the excuse I needed to go for a walk around the local farm with my grandsons, Ethan and Joseph. We took our cameras with us to see if there was anything we could find whilst out and about.

Ethan fitted his Minolta Dynax 500si super with an AF 35-70mm f/4 and loaded a roll of Ilford HP5. His task for the day was nothing fancy, just try to get some nice well exposed photos and improve hs composition skills. Having spent our last couple of walks going in a clockwise direction, we decided to go anticlockwise this time just for a change and headed off for our walk.

Ethan chose to take a couple of photos of Joseph as he walked ahead of us towards the farm. His first shot was a little off, but his second captured Joseph nicely as he wandered along the dirt track which opens out to reveal a great view of the fields stretching into the distance. Ethan thought it would be different to compose a landscape in portrait orientation because, well, why the heck not! Remember folks, photography rules must be broken just for the heck of it and to be fair he got a nice well balanced photo.

We then went Bug Hunting. Ethan wanted to try to capture insects foraging for food amongst the wild flowers at the side of the dirt track and got to work chasing Bees and Butterflies. He managed to capture some decent photos of the flowers, but the lens he had wasn't long enough to capture insects in great detail.

He figured he would see how the photos turned out before deciding his next move at insect photography. I reckon he's getting the hang of this photography malarkey as he was willing to try something and see what happened. That's the joy of photography, trying something and see how it goes, but more on that later.

Our walk took us across the field where the horses have enjoyed the spring sunshine, but sadly they were out and about with their humans on this day. Ethan grabbed a couple more portrait orientated landscapes which again were beautifully exposed and composed shots for a young chap shooting his fourth roll of film.

He had a break from photography to have a run with Joseph whilst we crossed the corn field. I didn't mind one little bit either as he had put a lot of thought into his photos and had been showing Joseph how to use the camera so Joseph could join in. Letting them run is good for them and it wasn't long before we came to the woodland part of our route.

Ethan wanted to try using his camera in low light and maybe use his camera's built in flash. He sent Joseph and I on ahead and the bright flash was all we needed to know he had grabbed a photo of us both. Joseph had turned a little to look back at Ethan and Ethan nailed it. He took a couple more photos of Joseph using my little Fuji Finepix A700 and he was happy to call it a day.

He left a couple of frames on the roll and the camera sat on the shelf waiting for Ethan to finish it off, but school and a family holiday meant we just didn't get the chance. It was a few weeks later when I took the opportunity to photograph them both in my home as they played with Joseph's electronic drums we bought for his birthday and I could finally develop the film for him.

Being a creature of habit I developed Ethan's roll of Ilfrod HP5 400 with Kodak HC-110 dilution B for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. I scanned the film with my trusty Ion Slides2PC 35mm scanner and processed the images with Affinity Photo 2.

After processing the film I went through it with Ethan to see what he had managed to produce and he's happy with his effort, but wants to know how to get closer to the insects without scaring them off. I introduced him to the Beer Can lens and next time we go out Ethan is going to learn the art of standing back and letting the bugs do their own thing rather than chasing them about. He's a quick learner and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do next time we head out over the school summer holidays.

Here's a few of Ethan's best shots and I think you will agree he has made a big improvement. Our first ten rolls of film are the steepest part of our learning curve and Ethan is making great progress. I am glad he decided to give film photography a try and stick with it too as it is opening his mind to the world around us. As always I have placed them and a few more in an album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. Ethan hopes you enjoy them.

Ethan - Minolta Dynax 500si - Ilford HP5