Back in March I borrowed the new Pentax 17 half frame eye, film camera to take part in a photowalk at the Photography Show in London. I shared the photos at the time and was very impressed with the quality of the images from such a small film size. Ultimately I gave into temptation and bought one - a decision I haven’t regretted. It’s become a regular companion when I’ve wanted to travel light as it’s compact and lightweight. I’m usually a fan of medium format film but I’ve been surprised how much I’ve enjoyed the smaller format and the way I can be more spontaneous when I know I’ll get at least 72 photos on each roll of film!
At the start of May I had a whole week away for work, taking in a concert, a course and a couple of rehearsals so I took the opportunity to go minimalist and my Pentax 17 became my only camera for the week. It was my constant companion and I used it to snap anything that caught my eye, starting with a couple of frames from Bosham Church where we were giving our concert.
From there I headed west to Somerset and took a stroll through the village of Meare, where I stayed for a couple of days.
The village church was looking very pretty in the sunshine and I even managed to take a few photos inside, despite using fairly slow film - Ilford FP4+.
Further down the road I found the Fish House, a monastic building originally used for salting and drying fish.
The following day I headed off to Cannington Court, near Bridgwater, for my recorder course. The timetable was pretty full but I sneaked an hour to catch some photos around the house and the walled gardens. The house was covered in beautiful purple wisteria so I also kicked myself for loading monochrome film in my camera!
My final destination was Maidenhead for one of my regular monthly rehearsals. By this stage I was getting towards the end of my roll of film but I was still able to squeeze out a couple more frames!
Photos taken 4-11 May 2025