October arrived here in Wigan and I decided my October roll of Ilford HP5 needed to be shot in Mesnes Park, the crown jewel of our public spaces in town. After my shenanigans in September where I made a mess of half a roll, I checked Baldy the Baldax thoroughly and ensured I had my settings dialled in before I set off into town. It was time for my annual booster jab against COVID and, as the clinic is not far from the park, I took a wander in my favourite classroom.
It's been a while since I went for a walk in the park, the trees where showing their preparations for autumn with various shades of green, gold and red and of course I was pulling double duty. I had my Nikon D90 and 50mm f/1.8 AIS with me to capture those autumn colours and I also used it as my light meter. Nikon are noted for the accuracy of the metering built into their cameras and I'm happy to put my faith into it.
Weather wise it was a lovely day with ominous clouds threatening to soak me at any moment which ensured I would need to switch settings on Baldy at various points on my walk. When clouds blocked the sun I was using 1/100th of a second at f/11 and when the clouds parted, I was back to 1/300th at f/11 or f/16. Fortunately the ominous clouds stayed to the north and gave me a remarkable back drop to play with.
I really enjoyed my walk in the park and for once I was patiently waiting for the clouds to part and the light to improve. You can get away with it most of the time, but this walk was about patience. I had just had my Covid jab and should I have a reaction, I was ready for it. Thankfully I was fine and slowing down did me some good, I was able to enjoy the afternoon and really appreciate the autumn sunshine. I soon finished my roll of Ilford HP5 and set off for my bus home.
I developed my film a few days later using Kodak HC110, 1+47 dilution E, for 8 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom. Once dry I digitised it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 120 film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 size LED light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.
On first look I could see I have got a better grip on those light leaks, I didn't get any of the big leaks of recent times. My constant tinkering and cleaning is having an effect, but I am still giving it a full CLA in the new year. Having a little patience helped too as my photos improved as the afternoon wore on. Baldy really performed beautifully this month and I hope I get a repeat in November.
Here's a few of my favourite photos from my October roll of Ilford HP5 400 shot with Baldy the Baldax for the frugal Film project 2024. As always i have placed them and a few more in my Frugal Film Project 120 album on Flickr you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.
Frugal Film Project 2024 - October - 120
