City rise

December 17, 2023

During the autumn I took to the streets of London a couple of times with my most recent pinhole camera - the Ondu 6x6 Rise. It was fun to explore the city’s streets, sometimes taking advantage of the ability this camera has to shoot with a slightly different perspective by using one of the three different height pinholes.

Buses and taxis rushing past me on Oxford Street….

For this image I took a chance and unfurled my tripod at Tottenham Court Road tube station, riding upwards with my shutter open to catch a sense of the speed. Fortunately none of the security guards spotted me so I got away with it! I love the feeling of going at ‘warp speed’, even though the speed of travel was really quite leisurely.

A trio of images from around the City of London - the Lloyds Building, the Gherkin and Leadnhall Market.

A snail’s eye view of one of the many bicycles for hire around the capital…

This was one of my favourite photos of the day, taken with my camera placed horizontally outside the Lloyds Building to capture the way the building opposite seems to embrace it.

Heading towards the River Thames I chose some of the narrower streets which seem to be from a different era.

It’s not often a lamppost can be made to look taller than the Shard!

This chap was sitting on the steps beside the river when I quietly set up my tripod behind him. I was disappointed when he stood up but I think the resulting photo is actually better for it.

I experimented with shooting into the sun near the Millennium and Blackfriars Bridges, creating some amazing flare.

Later in the day, having some pinhole fun around No.1 London Bridge - looking upwards and across the river.

To complement my earlier photo on Oxford Street I tried the same strategy on London Bridge - it looks surprisingly quiet for rush hour!

Photos taken 21 September & 26 October 2023

Racing back in time

December 6, 2023

The Goodwood Racing Revival is one of my favourite events of the year - the perfect combination of classic cars, interesting characters and period costumes, all focused around the wonderful Goodwood circuit. Sadly this year I could only attend one day so it was a case of squeezing as much into that day as I possibly could.

The day began with a leisurely stroll around the pits, looking for beautiful morning light (of which there was little, unfortunately!) and some of the interesting characters. It was very quiet when we arrived, which gave me lots of clear views along the rows of cars, but things soon got busier.

Mechanics at work…

The lane that runs alongside the paddock is often a great spot for photos while the cars line up to go out on track. I wish I’d had more time to spend here this year, but I rather like the warm autumnal sunshine over this scene.

The afternoon was spent watching the qualifying and racing on track, down at the first corner, Madgwick. Click on any image to see it enlarged.

There were occasional sideways moments, as cars caught the grass and kicked up a cloud of dust or locked up a wheel.

Photos taken 8 September 2023

Steaming pinholes!

December 5, 2023

One day back in September I treated myself to a day out and a spot of slow photography at the Nene Valley Railway. Sadly there were no steam trains running that day, but I did get a ride on an old Intercity 125 and there were some nail-biting moments watching a newly engine and tender being unloaded from a truck so I had plenty of photographic opportunities!

A slow self portrait as the Intercity 125 took us back to where we started.

Scenes from around Wansford Station

After we arrived in Peterborough I took a stroll along the by the River Nene in search of some lunch in the city,

My other photographic companion that day was my trusty Olympus Trip 35 so I took some lensed photos too.

Photos taken 1 September 2023

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

December 4, 2023

A couple days after my visit to Trinity College I did some more exploring around Dublin, starting off at Christ Church Cathedral. A decade ago I visited St Patrick’s Cathedral, so it was great to compare the two and I wasn’t disappointed - so many wonderful lines and details to photograph.

A vertiginous view of the Cathedral’s vaulting.

Photos taken 23 October 2023

Animal focus

December 3, 2023

A few days after my new camera arrived I made a visit to Colchester Zoo to test out its improved autofocus skills. The Panasonic G9 mark 2 has phase detect autofocus (unlike its predecessor) which promises to lock onto animal and human eyes more speedily, as well as new car and motorbike focus abilities.

Sure enough, it makes animal photography so much easier, locking straight onto their faces and eyes - exactly what I’ve been hoping for!

The Rainbow Lorikeets were very happy to pose for photos, although I was less pleased when one of them decided to poop on my back!

One of the zoo’s more recent new arrivals - a young rhino and his mum, plus two jackdaws on the hunt for a tasty snack!

I’ve got my eye on you!

“Do we eat it or kick it?!”

I spent a long while in the chimpanzee enclosure, watching them exploring some food puzzles the keepers had created for them. Eventually they settled down to digest their food and watch the world go by, allowing me to catch some lovely portraits.

Click on any image to see it enlarged,

Photos taken 10 November 2023

Long Room, Trinity College Dublin

December 2, 2023

When I knew I’d be visiting Dublin this autumn there was one place in particular I wanted to return to - the Long Room at Trinity College. On my last visit I took a handful of photos here but it was very dark and very busy with tourists so I never really felt I got the best from this iconic library. On this occasion there were still many tourists, but I had more time and was able to work around them.

The low light levels were still a challenge, but I went armed with my fastest lenses, even if I couldn’t use a tripod. I’m sure this glorious library still has more to offer, photographically speaking, but I feel I’ve made a step in the right direction.

Historically all the busts in the Long Room have featured men, but recently they’ve been joined by four women, including the noted chemist Rosalind Franklin.

Photos taken 20 October 2023

The excitement of the new

December 1, 2023

I try to reign myself in when it comes to buying new camera equipment but sometimes a new gadget comes on the market which is too good to pass up. On this occasion it was a successor to the Panasonic G9 camera I bought back in 2018. With much improved autofocus, and many other new tweaks, it sounded like it would conquer all the small irritations that remained with its predecessor so I pre-ordered back in September and began the long wait…

At the beginning of November it finally arrived so I used a very welcome sunny afternoon to take it for a stroll around the village. Photographing mostly stationary subjects wasn’t the harshest test, but even through these few photos I could sense the improvements.

The real test will come when I get to photograph wildlife and fast cars, but I tested the waters with a portrait of Lucy the same evening. The camera’s autofocus locked straight on to her eyes so I figure if it can do that with a black cat in a fairly dark living room I’m onto a winner!

Photos taken 7 November 2023

Weekend motoring

November 2, 2023

Over the years my collection of old cameras has grown and, with the best will in the world, I can’t use them all simultaneously. Every so often I dig one of them out and take it for a spin and it either reminds me why I’d put it away in the cupboard or I remember why I love it so much. Back in September it was the turn of my Olympus Trip 35 and this camera definitely fell into the latter category!

The Trip is a camera with limitations - a fixed 40mm f2.8 lens and only two shutter speeds - 1/40 or 1/200 of a second. However, I love having restrictions on my photography as that forces me to be more creative so it’s really the perfect camera for me. Pair it with a 400 speed film and you’ve got a compact and light camera which can shoot pretty much anywhere - on this occasion it was a weekend of car shows.

We started off at the JD Classics showroom near Chelmsford where they had a gathering for anyone who wanted to come and nose around their workshop. I wasn’t sure how well my little Trip would cope indoors, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got my developed negatives back.

The following day we were up early for another classic car show - this time at Tewin in Hertfordshire. The sun was out and we had an amazing array of vehicles to admire - what more could I ask for?!

Click on any image to see it enlarged.

Photos taken 23 & 24 September 2023

In the footsteps of Charles Rolls

October 26, 2023

I love visiting the beautiful redundant churches cared for by the Friends of the Friendless Churches, but on occasion it does take some persistence! Finding St Cadoc's in Llangattock-Vibon-Avel, near Monmouth, proved to be a serious challenge. It’s hidden away down a long drive, from where you park in a field of sheep and then have to walk through yet another field before you even reach the churchyard!

My first attempt to find St Cadoc’s failed, but once I’d backtracked to a place with a phone signal to check the exact location I finally made it and it was worth the effort!

Arches everywhere. Click on any image to see it enlarged.

I’m always fascinated by church vestries, with the detritus of church life left lying around.

Charles Rolls (of Rolls Royce fame) was a local boy and I found his grave in the churchyard, as well as a family memorial inside the church.

One of the locals was eyeing me up as I returned to my car!

Photos taken 14 September 2023

In search of slow photography

October 25, 2023

Every so often I feel the need for some slow photography - my cue to get a pinhole camera out and find a suitable location for some low-tech imagery. Back in August I decided to follow my nose and ended up at Debden Church.

I had a few frames to finish off with my 6x9 camera so I used these in and around the churchyard, before heading inside to take some square format photos with my 6x6 camera.