Fishers Shop, Sutton Bridge. How time has changed.

Towards the end of the summer of last year, thats right 2017 is now last year, I resisted a location that I 1st explored in 2014, heres the blog post; post;https://benchapmanphotos.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/exploring-close-to-home-in-sutton-bridge.html

Lloyd fancied a quick explore and I wondered how the place had changed almost 4 years later.

When I 1st visited, i was aware that it was once a shop only by the layout, shelves and price tags still visible. After that 1st visit, i tried to find out more information. Online i found a website about Sutton Bridge;  http://www.bridgewatch.org.uk, i emailed the people behind the site and the reply told me that the shop was Once 'Fishers', a small general store. I was also told that once it was hoped it could be renovated as a 'listed' building but the hopes were dashed by a lack of funding.

So three and a half years later, the site had been slightly improved; a broken fence, waste and overgrown vegetation and trees had somewhat been cleared. Windows had been removed around the building, though i do not know why?
I presumed someone was working on the building but once in side i could see no evidence of this.

Deterioration and dereliction continue to slowly consume the building. Rain continues to soak through the levels, one day to leave only the walls standing. But standing for how long?

Some of the same objects are still left in place, others are now lost.

Look into the darkness and find light.

If the old shop still stands in 4 years time i'll take another look. For now i'll continue to walk the dogs past and monitor what changes other make.

The 'elephant in the room' that is the Bridge Hotel continues to burden the village. I had a quick look in there too but this is the only photo.

Analog nights

Every now and then i throw a roll of film into a camera and head out.

The camera sits in the car, in my bag and it might take a me a month to shoot the 24 or 36 frames.

Why rush these things.

It then takes me a lot longer to get round to developing the films. I usually leave it until I've got a handful of films to develop before i get the chemicals out and start the mad panic, rushing around, agitate, invert, what temperature is it, i need to pour it out, arghhh!

And scanning them, well i may never get round to scanning them. I forget.

Scanning 35mm is an art form in itself. Im yet to find the best method. Maybe i won't ever find one. Does it matter?

Around October last year i 1st loaded this roll of Kodak Color Plus into a Yashica Minster III Rangefinder, i enjoyed shooting a load of frames but then released that the film wasn't winding on properly. Sometimes it would wind, mostly it wouldn't, damn, i liked using that camera, sad face.

I then reloaded the film into a Canon EOS 600 and re-shot the roll.

The great thing about using a Canon SLR is all my great lenses.

Although saying that the majority of the photos taken were using a Helios 44-2 lens just for the added focus challenge.

It was October, the days were short, the nights were long. 

Dogs need walking in the dark and wet evenings.

Lets see how well i can get on shooting an expired film at ISO 100, with a manual focus lens wide open at f2 in the dark.

I wasn't overly optimistic but lets say I'm pleasantly surprised. 

Focus isn't great, the scans suck, as the shadows/blacks are all smudgy but Voila there is light in the darkness.

As I just said the focusing isn't precise; no focus confirmation, no split image in the viewfinder.
The lens itself could be over 50 years old so the focus may be off anyway.
Im full of excuses today.

All shots were handheld at 1/50 or less. No tripod for me; I'm not carrying a tripod around whilst walking 2 dogs.

When I see and take a shot like this I always think of the film Bladerunner

Thanks to Lloyd for manning the clock during developing. Although next time talk less, time more!

An old game of cricket before joining the RAF

A grim Sunday morning out in the middle of Norfolk, looking for a building in the middle of a woods that we don't know the location of.

Actually simple enough to find. Especially when Jack asks the 1st person we see.

If you ever want the perfect location for a stereotypical running through the woods and find a scary cabin horror film then this be it.

The Cricket Pavilion. 

Theres not much to see. The trees are much more photogenic than the ruin.

Although if like me you want to make something out of nothing and find beauty in everything then look a little closer.

These doorways are amazing, so much depth and mystery.

lose yourself

For a few years I've wanted to visit RAF Sculthorpe and see what was still there.

Opened approx 1943 it has been used by the RAF and later by the USAF during the cold war. Its now used for the occasional training exercise and the majority is an industrial estate.

Most importantly though; the buildings form the past life are still there. They're not exactly falling down either, granted they're smashed up inside but the structures will last forever or someone will demolish them, which ever comes 1st.

My constant search for the light in the dark.

He's looking at you.

We plan on going back very soon with my drone and spending a lot of time here as we only looked around a couple of the buildings and theres lots more to explore.

Always look whats behind the wall, fence, door. There's a whole world to see.

The street at night. A return to digital.

Its been 3 months since my last post.

Time flies.

I guess I've been busy. In second thoughts, i have been busy.


Film, lots of film.

Shooting, developing, scanning.

Ive been on holiday to Turkey. Originally, a pack light on camera gear occasion but in the end it involved two camera bodies, a light meter and a bag of different films to play with.

I need to blog about my film exploits and i will, i just need to get round to it.


As always, i shoot when ever the opportunity arises. I make opportunities a photography opportunity.
There's always a camera in my pocket, bag or car at all times.
Thats the beauty of smaller camera systems.

Being a multi manufacturer owner, it can take are a while to get round to using different equipment but they all have their uses and their time.
Client work is generally shot on my 'big' canons with their big lenses, although the Fuji's sit in the bag screaming to be used. On accessions I've thrown the wide angle adapter on the X100T and have shot some of my favourite portraits with it.

My Fuji's are my 'go to' if I'm travelling and for any occasion that i think "I'm gonna take my camera" and as i put above, i take a camera everywhere so it does mean that i shoot Fujifilm the majority of the time.

Having a couple of months of full on film shooting, I've not used a digital camera much. My heart just wasn't in it. I'd lost my motivation and inspiration. Shooting film was my excuse to just shoot, because you never know, i might mess the developing up and not get anything out of it, so why worry.
Its been a buzz. Like when i 1st got interested in photography. Some things worked, some things didn't.


The X100T is a great camera but eventually I'm always drawn back to the X-pro 1. It's a classic. Such a pretty box of wires. It works for me, the buttons are where i want them to be.

Ive not always got time to visit the city. I'm a village boy. I have to make do with whats around me, so i need to make it a new challenge every time. Challenge is good, challenge is motivating. Motivation means i pick my camera up.

Win!

So night time street photography is this blog's challenge.

High ISO, large apertures, shallow DOF.

More deleters than keepers but why bother keeping the photos that are not good enough anyway. They'll just sit on your hard drive and gather dust. I've started deleting images i know i will never use again, or those images where i once liked both of them but now a fresh set of eyes can see that one really is the better. Plus, i shoot raw, i could always edit it differently.


Its good to offload this photography blabbering, to share my (probably not) wisdom and judgement.



Night 1. A Thursday night.
The slow to focus but sharp as 35mm F1.4.
When i look at these images and compare them to the night 2 images i relise i must make the effort to use it more. In the dark, you have no chance to focus quickly, off the cuff style and so i need to be more covert when this lens is attached.
The slightly longer focal length gives me further reach so i can stand back a little bit and be less noticeable as I'm waiting for the lens to hunt back and forth before focusing. Or because ensuring sharp images at F1.4-F2 when manually focusing takes me a few seconds.

But look at the images they are sharp and much brighter than the next set.

Again and again. I always come back to here.

Treat life like an open door (and wait for someone to look at you)

What would people do without their phones. Conversation is dead.

Night 2.

A post work Friday walk around Wisbech town waiting for Laura to finish work so we can do the food shopping together. As i said earlier, use the opportunities to shoot.

27mm F2.8.

A more usable lens with a more usable focal length for ensuring focus.

A more friendly 'pre focus at 1.5mm and walk in closer to make the subject sharp' type lens.

It soon got too dark for F2.8 though. ISO2500 and a little noise reduction in Lightroom saved the day.

Always time for a smoke

I pushed myself to get as close as possible to this lady on the phone. 

The top image was 1st and was the test of strength. That look!

The 2nd was on the way back down the street as was my 'safe' shot.

I waited and waited for someone to walk by.

I say it often, Challenge yourself. 

But do what makes you happy.

The Bull Hotel. Light in the darkness.

The place on the corner stood standing empty for years.

Colourful painted boards on the windows at the front. Demolition taking place at the back.

The Bull Hotel is a place I've driven passed time and time again as Laura used to live just up the road from it. Only the other day, i noticed a way in.

With something you love in life, you must try your hardest to do the best job you can, no half measures. Get results.

Ive not enjoyed urbexing for a while, its nothing compared to street photography. The explore itself is the best part, the photography can be a bit boring or a bit basic.

My constant challenge of finding the light has produced some of my greatest urbex shots ever.


Its a dangerous place to be; holes in the ceiling and holes in the floor, piles of defecation under foot left by the birds. Every step could be an expensive one if go through the floor boards. Its all part of the fun.

A blessed moment, a bird flies away at the decisive moment.

The light in the dark

Exploring in the dark, following the light, whats round the corner?

There's always a chair.

Open doors provide so many photographic opportunities.

The female of the species is more deadly than the male

Danger

How can you ignore the opportunity. The beauty in the decay.
Each time the cloud broke above, this beam of light was the centre piece.

Everyone has issues.


I like these times alone.



Embrace the light.