Good news! I managed to get my November roll of Kentmere 400 35mm black and white film for the Frugal Film Project 2024 done and dusted before the deadline. Huzzah! I made the most of a sunny November morning and headed off for a wander around Wigan town centre for a happy snapping session. I had no plan in mind, I just wanted to get it done and not have to repeat the walk of shame for missing another deadline.
Bright sunshine and a slight hazy sky helped me choose an orange filter for this months offering. I hoped it would give the sky a little more definition. I began my roll at the site where The Galleries once stood and there is some progress on the new development, ground work has begun. Surveyors and construction workers were on site marking out and defining where the utilities are, ready for building to commence.
The new Market Hall will be the first to begin construction with the hope that it will be open some time in late 2025 - early 2026. It's not been easy to see the demolition of a shopping mall we were assured would last a century. It's been a tough ask for the people of Wigan who are fed up with the slow progress of the development. We appreciate these things take time, but a whole year has passed with a distinct lack of progress. I hope this means the pace picks up and we can look forward to our third market hall in 40 years.
Christmas is coming and the Christmas lights and Christmas market are beginning to come together. The annual Santa Parade and fuss about switching the lights on took place on Sunday November 24th and no doubt the town centre was be bustling with people on the day. For some reason the Council have decided to call it a "Frost Festival", probably to try to sound more inclusive. Bah, Humbug I say!
You can tell I'm a year older, I have become a grumpy old man! Yep, my 58th lap around the sun has been completed and this wander around town was my first since my birthday. It was good to get out and point my camera at stuff I have photographed many times before. I tried to find a different composition on a few, but for many I played it safe just to get the job done. Also, despite it being bitterly cold, my Olympus OM101 behaved itself impeccably, which was nice. I soon finished my film and headed home for a much needed cuppa tea.
I developed my film a few days later using Kodak HC110 1+47 dilution E for 9 minutes at 20 celcius and soon had it hanging to dry in my bathroom (I am really going to miss it when it is all gone). Once dry I digitized it with my Nikon D700, Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f/2.5 macro lens, Valoi 35mm film holder, Pixl-Latr and A5 sized led light pad. I processed the RAW files with Affinity Photo 2.
As I was processing my film I noticed straight away that the orange filter I chose was the right decision. It pierced through the hazy sky and brought some added definition to several of my compositions. My choice of developer, dilution and time also played it's part in bringing out the full tonal range I was hoping for. Kentmere 400 is a low budget film, but don't let it's price fool you into thinking it isn't a good film. On the contrary, it's a great film for having fun with, experimenting with filters and learning how to get the best from it. I certainly achieved that this month.
Here's a few of my favourite photos from my November roll of Kentmere 400 shot with my Olympus OM101 and 50mm f/2 Power Focus lens for the Frugal Film Project 2024. As always I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film Project 35mm album on Flickr that you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.
Frugal Film Project 2024 - November - 35mm
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