1 roll of film a month, how hard can it be!?

New years resolutions, does anyone stick to them?

I don't know if I ever have before?

But then I can't think of any that I've set before this one.

Shooting a roll of film each month isn't just a new years resolution it's a personal project, something for me to enjoy, something to not worry about, if the shots come out they come out, if the film camera breaks half way through the roll then #*^% it! That's already happened by the way.

I've got a freezer drawer full of film that I've collected over the years. Some of it is the famous AgfaVista aka Poundland film that is no more, some is black and white film long expired and among others are multi packs that stared me in the face in Holbeach Tescos a few years back and I just had to have it.

A mixture of 35mm and 120 medium format, all sitting in the cold and dark all waiting to be pulled out, defrosted and loaded up. All waiting for it's time of glory.

So yeah a roll each month, it shouldn't be too difficult. I just need to get back in the habit of carrying a camera with me where ever I go, something I haven't done for a while, apart from my iPhone, after all the best camera is the one that you have with you!

I need to get back in the habit of just shooting a few frames of things that catch my eye. Something I've not done for a long time. We live in the digital age, information and data is filling up our computers, phones and the internet every minute of the day. Why take pictures of things that aren't going to make me any money..........Why?

For the love!

Seriously, as I sit and type this blog in March I've already had 3 months of this project and on occasion I've gone for a walk and have literally shot pictures of puddles and the sun shining through shapes on the street. Walking along with camera in hand, tunes on in my headphones and a massive smile. I hadn't forgot but it really has felt like I'd forgot how much I love photography!

So back in January I shot my 1st roll, a roll of Kodak BW400CN film, loaded up in my £10 Canon EOS600 SLR.

Actually back in September I shot my 1st roll, that roll above, before I forgot about it and then really kicked my arse in to gear to carry on in January.

So in September I shot 9 frames of this 12/2006 expired black and white, colour negative, film at Richard & Lydia's wedding at The Ffolkes in Kings Lynn, Norfolk.

I remember being excited to pull the camera out and snap away whilst I was shooting their newlywed portraits in the early evening light.

It was literally heavy work as I had 3 cameras hanging off my harness; my 5d3 with 85mm, my X-pro 2 with 23mm and finally my EOS 600 with my 24-70mm, all waiting for their moment.

Then the EOS600 got packed away again, it was taken to weddings afterwards but it was either too cold or too wet to mess about with 'another' camera whilst my couple stood waiting.

Back to January and I committed to doing this, I started to carry the camera around on dog walks, family trips and sometimes just around the house.

This is where this project gets really boring and it looks like your being subjected to my family album.

I'm sorry OK but when you've got kids it's easy to finish a roll of 24 exposures on bath time, play time and bed time.

Sorry, not sorry!

Shooting with an ISO 400 film at ISO 100 makes things a little interesting when shooing in doors. It's wide open aperture or nothing.

Shooting moving children with a wide open aperture on a camera that only has a centre focus point, now that's a challenge.

And on top of that, pressing the shutter when that moving child has their eyes open, sometimes you catch a funny 'drunken' expression!

The film; Kodak BW400CN 14 years out of date, shot at ISO 100, it did great.
I love it!
It's got that film softness and grain and all the imperfections of shooting expired film on a camera made 31 years ago.

I can't wait to develop February's roll.

I'll see you soon.

A return to the mean streets of Sunny Hunny

It’s been almost 1 whole year to the day since I last wrote this blog.

A lot changes in a year.

The past 12 months have been crazy busy for me.

Busy’s good. Busy means money, busy means mortgage payments. Adult, grown up stuff, tick. ✔️

Photography for fun?

Photography for the love of the hobby?

That’s a fail. ✖️

No street photography, no urbex.

But all that changed a couple of weeks ago when I had a free Friday. Laura and Charlie were on a play date at Farmer Freds in Heacham. So I had a walk round Sunny Hunny on the hunt for some street photography action.

Recently at the Photography Show, I purchased the Sigma 35mm Art lens. A buy I’ve been considering for a while now, so the credit card took a beating.

Sigma lenses come with that nagging feeling of slightly off focus. So I wanted to get some real world usage in before I make any adjustments.

So far I think it’s spot on, though perhaps infinity could do with a little fine tuning, I need to get in the habit of photographing far away things but where’s the fun in that?

It’s all about getting in close for that killer shot.

Being very rusty at the art of street photography and carrying around a big full frame DSLR with abig lens on the front of it, instead of a smaller Fujifilm model that’s just not so in your face, it was was quite the exercise getting close.

People were definitely aware of the big camera.

That’s not a bad thing, I really focused on capturing that moment when they spotted me.

I sat perched on a step for at least a minute with the camera glued to my face just waiting for him to look at me but alas he didn’t. 

Maybe I need a bigger camera so I’m even more obvious!?

If there’s ever the possibility of getting a bin shot then I’m always game.

Now I waited for ages for him to look my way but it never happened, I’m sure he clocked me in the corner of his eye and just plain refused to have a look.

Walking along the promenade with the mind to wrap up and go home, someone shouted to me “you can take a picture of me if you like”.

Frank, I’m sure it was Frank, forgive me Frank if it isn’t Frank, loves taking photos himself and loves to watch the world go by.

This couple of hours spent just walking around and enjoying my favourite hobby was fantastic.

I really need to do it again.

I just don’t know when.

And here’s a photo of Laura to finish with.

I don’t think she wanted to drive!

On top of my little world in Sutton Bridge

Last week I was offered the chance of going to the top of the church in my village. An offer I couldn't refuse.

It's like urbexing with an invite.

The church itself; St Matthews was consecrated in 1843 and according to the internet it's the only flint stone church in Lincolnshire. Is it a that a wow thing?

I went armed with a couple of lenses; 24-70, 70-200 and a tripod (and obviously a camera). I used both lenses and just had a play.

It was windy at the top (excuse no.1) and I don't do landscapes (excuse no.2) but the shots that I got have come out quite well, in my opinion.

It wouldn't be right to not get shots of Sutton Bridge's namesake and it's other most famous landmark.

So it turns out that behind the cross is a door but what's behind the door? 

Back inside I captured a few more sights that only a few will ever see.

This thing is loud when it goes off!

I do hope that I can persuade the powers that be to get a shot up here of a wedding!!! 

And finally. 

As I said above and I'm sure I've said before in previous blogs; I'm no landscape photographer. 

It's both because I'm not really into landscapes and/or because of this I don't practice and try to get better at shooting them. But when faced with the almost 360 degree view I thought I would create a panorama of what 'makes' Sutton Bridge; One image containing both the bridge and the power station.

It took 9 shots in total. And 2 attempts because of the wind that resulted in a couple of shaky shots.

I used Lightroom 1st to merge the images but I couldn't get the horizon to be straight. The merging process via Lightroom resulted in an un-level horizon; the program created a hill to the left of the power station and there is no such thing as a hill in the fens.

So Photoshop was the answer but this caused a few headaches. 

It wouldn't merge all of the images seamlessly; probably the same problem that caused Lightroom to make a non existent hill. 

Photoshop just didn't understand!!!!

So I merged the 1st 6 images together, merged another 1 to those 6 afterwards and then finally added the final 2 images that resulted in a much better composite. But theres still a slight raised area which IM SURE is not there in reality.

Click on the image to expand.

Thank you Mark for the invite.

Same place. Different person. Wisbech.

If you stand in one spot and wait, things will eventually happen. 

Just pre focus, set the exposure and wait. 

And if your really lucky, well not that lucky because the majority did, people will look at you and give you that 'ugh!?' face.

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.

Half Frame, Lots of Frames

So, when its -1'c outside and I'm sat in my dressing gown, I am not going outside to look at the camera.

Ill just say, I'm not sure what model it is because I've look at loads of google images and wikipedia comparing to pictures on my Instagram and I can't find a camera that look s the same as mine; they all have different shutter buttons.

So mine looks like a PEN EE but has the shutter button of a PEN EE.S. If I braved the cold and gave the neighbours a fright id be able to figure it out, I'm sure by the maximum aperture. But right now I'm happy with just not knowing.  Stay warm!

Either way the camera comes from sometime between 1961 & 1981. It's half frame, fixed focus & fully automatic, meaning it does what it does when you point it at things.

I picked it up for something like a £1 from the Sunday market. At 1st I wasn't interested until I opened it and noticed that the frame mask was tiny and in my head alarm bells rang with a 'its a half frame camera, get it, shoot loads of exposures'

This half frame camera, shoots twice the amount of exposures on a roll of 35mm film. so 72 shots on a 36 roll etc.

But the negatives are small. So don't expect detail and large prints.

Ive only shot 1 roll, not including the few shots that were left on the roll in the camera when I purchased it. A lot of that roll was ruined when I opened the back of the camera not knowing there was a film in it. But who buys an old camera without checking it 1st.

The camera joined us on a weekend away in Norwich, December 2016, a roll of Fujicolor C200 in tow.

Point and shoot.

And sometimes you scratch your head and wonder how so much dust got on only 1 or 2 frames of the whole roll.

I like Anglia Square in Norwich. It's like the place that Norwich forgot. Once the big shopping centres were built there's no real reason to go there and so either shops sit empty or are used by discount chains but who doesn't like Poundland??

Theres a massive vacant office building, trust me I've looked round it for a way in, which is absolutely covered in graffiti.

A perfect subject to capture via a 20+ frame stitched image;