October rolls around quickly when you're having fun, or at least it has seemed that way in 2026. Maybe it was the slog of August that made September and October a joy to get out and about with Donkey, my Minolta Dynax 4 and Kentmere 400 for the Frugal Film Project 2026. Late summer/early autumn was also a time for experimenting with new to me cameras and films, so getting back to my tried and trusted cameras and film for my project commitment was the anchor point I needed for everything else to evolve around.
Crooke Village is a lovely place to enjoy a wander along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and take photos of the narrowboats moored there. I packed my Minolta Dynax 4 loaded with Kentmere 400 into my bag along with Baldy the Baldax for some folding camera fun along the way. I decided to reverse my normal route and started my walk at my usual half way point this time. It's good to change things around from time to time.
I picked a day of cloudy skies with plenty of blue holes to light my photos as I wandered along the canal towards Crooke. There has been a couple of changes since my last visit. Narrowboat Single Malt had returned from its travels and was moored in its usual spot by the footbridge. When I was a drinker, I enjoyed Single Malt whisky. It's something I liked to savour and take my time with. Seeing a narrowboat named Single Malt has always put a smile on my face and brought with it happy memories of various whiskies I have enjoyed over the years. It was good to see the narrowboat again.
There were, of course plenty of regulars in the private moorings, with one exception. The narrowboat that had been up for sale earlier in the year appears to have moved on, hopefully to a new owner who will give it a fresh coat of paint and enjoy it. Living on a narrowboat brings with it a responsibility to keep it afloat and that one was certainly still floating nicely the last time I saw it.
I had to look twice at Viktoria and Ambush, two of the last remaining coal barges that worked between the Lancashire coalfield and Liverpool docks carrying 100 tonnes at a time from Pit to Ship. Viktoria was sitting very low in the water and I am honestly unsure if she has been fully loaded with supplies to keep the passing constant cruisers and local liveaboard's in coal propane and firewood through winter, or if the twin storms that had blown through the UK had found a hole and flooded the venerable old barge. I'm going to have to keep visiting more regularly to see what happens over the winter.
By the time I had reached the Crooke Hall Inn, I had finished my October roll of Kentmere 400 and put Donkey back in my bag, happy with my choice of compositions. It wouldn't be long before I found out how they looked, but first, I had to walk back along the canal and took Baldy The Baldax out of my bag to keep me entertained as I made my way home. Well, it was #folderweek.
I developed my October roll of Kentmere 400 a day or two later using my tried and trusted Bellini Euro HC, 1+31 dilution B, for 6 minutes at 20 celcius and hung it to dry. I digitised 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 Studio.
Donkey has kept me both surprised and enthralled during the course of this years Frugal Film Project. It may be an entry level SLR, but it performs like a pro. The one thing a beginner to film photography does not have is confidence. The Minolta Dynax 4 and it's more refined siblings produce the goods time after time and soon build confidence in everyone, from beginners to seasoned veteran film photographers. I really enjoyed my wander along the canal and Donkey just keeps giving me more confidence with each roll of film I shoot with it.
Here's a few favourites shot on Kentmere 400 with Donkey, my Minolta Dynax 4 for the Frugal Film Project 2026. I don't really have to talk about my photos as they really do speak for themselves. I have placed them and more in my Frugal Film project 2026 - SLR album on Flickr that you can visit using the link below. I hope you enjoy them.
Frugal Film Project 2026 - SLR - October
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