A few weeks ago on the Universe Blog I posted some photographs of Watergate Park, a recreational park on land that used to be a colliery, you can check that post out HERE. I also took quite a few with my Contax Aria armed with a roll of Kodak Portra. It’s freezing here in the North UK and has been all week, so let’s turn back the clock to Autumn, and have a lovely walk through the park.
this way
the treeful path
All the colours
A pin oak. Or scarlet oak. Some sort of oak anyhoo.
Arty farty sculpture chair. Doesn’t look very comfortable.
Frog on a stick with spectacles.
Shimmertrees
Water falling
The look-at-me tree.
It has been a lovely Autumn, that seemed to go on a long time. Phil’s hanging baskets lasted until this week. Not much snow here, just a few hours on a couple of days, but below freezing temperatures day and night, so what we did have is stuck in suspended non-animation and it is treacherously icy everywhere. The south got the worst of the snow, which is fair enough as they get hotter summers, but I really would have liked some more of it, for photographic purposes 🙂
After I’d walked around the empty funfair (here) I sallied forth beyond it to the beach front. Very few people around, but I spotted this chap with his camera photographing some little birds that were hopping about. I asked him what they were and Snow Buntings was the answer. They are a sparrow-sized bird that breeds in the Arctic (from Scandinavia to Canada), and winters in the UK, mainly around the coast. Too small for the lens I have on the Contax, but the photographer wasn’t. When Phil saw this he said the guy looks like he’s about to launch an RPG!
Fire!
I liked the clean lines of the locked up Lifeguard building,
Baywatch Hut
and I liked the additional rainbow that landed on it a moment later as the rain started up.
Tag!
The rainbow got cut off at the edge of the clouds, but it hung about as I walked up to the skateboard park behind the funfair.
Little rainbow
The skateboard park was, unusually, bereft of lads with their derring do, and a lone Seagull sentinel stood aloft awaiting the action.
Guardbird
People ahoy!
I realise I’ve grown too old to understand the graffiti alphabet or language of today, I think there’s an M in this. But I liked the mouse. Or maybe the rat?
No idea
It was quite cold this day, and I thought she could do with a coat on, or a blanket, but I guess pirates are mean.
Shiver me timbers.
If only, a beach bar in Havana, warm sunshine, a Cuban Rumba on the music system, a handsome waiter pouring me a cocktail, sitting by the outside bar and gazing out to sea, ah, if only!
Havana
I left Havana, without a cocktail, and wandered up towards the beach at Trow Rocks, where a herd of people, (well 4 anyway) were walking their dogs.
And that’s the end of this roll of Kodak Portra, which I think suits the subject quite well. It was a strange afternoon, I’ve rarely seen the place so unpopulated, even though it was cold (ish), but it was also cool, to be able to focus on what there is, and not what everyone is doing. Peace and tranquility, unexpectedly. I think I’ll go back next summer when it’s all on the go, and do some contrasting photographs.
So thanks for visiting, and stay tooned for whatever comes next!
I got a job lot of old film cameras at the end of last year one of which is a Canon Sureshot Z135. I put a roll of Kodak Portra 400 in it and carried about with me when I was out and about. It’s a sturdy little camera with the usual Canon programs to choose from but no manual controls. It has a 38-135mm fixed zoom lens, and an annoying pop up flash that pops up whether you want it or not.
I wasn’t too impressed with the quality of the shots, quite grainy considering portra is a quality film and the photos were taken in good light. Not terribly impressed wiith the focus either. I have chosen 12 images only from the 36 I shot, so I don’t think I’ll be using this camera overmuch.
The first part of our trip to Bishop Auckland and the historycan be found HERE.
As well as the fuji I had my Canon EOS 1000FN loaded with some kodak portra so shot a few frames around the castle and town.
Entrance to the castle.
The walk to the deer park
Below the windows of the castle just before the entrance there are coats of arms carved in stone, one is for Bishop Ruthall and the other for Bishop Tunstall, both of whom were Prince Bishops during Henry VIII reign. Not sure which is which. If you embiggen the first one with a click you can see carved skulls above the main design.
You may remember that Bishop Lightfoot had the oak panelling installed in ST Peter’s Chapel, this is one of the stained glass windows he also had installed with lots of bishops portrayed, that’s him in the centre with a red scarfy type thing on. Am sure there’s a correct Bishopy term for that but google wasn’t helpful this time).
Just inside ST Peter’s Chapel there is a marbel homage to Bishop Trevor.
Auckland Tower, part of the Auckland project, has all the information you need to explore the Castle, grounds and local area. It also has some great viewing platforms!
Auckland Tower
Restoration of the clock tower commissioned by Bishop Trevor and designed by Sir Thomas Robinson of Rokeby.
View up the main street
Well that’s about it for the film shots, but we’ll be back next time on the universe blogfor other bits and bobs, so stay tooned!
I’ve had a couple of scares with the Rollei SL35, twice the film jammed after 20 frames, and on the last outing I got strange effects on some of the shots. As I’m doing a year of film I needed a back up SLR so managed to purchase a Canon EOS 1000F N for £19.99 on EbayIt came with a 35-80mm zoom on it, which isn’t the best lens in the world but does for now. Apparently even newish canon lenses will fit on it so I might treat it to one at some point. I haven’t had a canon before, well I did have a compact canon once but lost it. I took it out with me incase the Rollei jammed again (it didn’t) and quite like it. It’s clunky but easy to use. I had a roll of Kodak Portra 400 in it when I took it to South Shields, and here are some of the photos.
Herd Groyne Lighthouse
The pictures came out grainier than I expected considering it was a sunny day.
Frondy things
There are a lot of these frondy things by the beach, I got a bit carried away with them 🙂
more frondy things
OK enough with the frondy things.
footprints (mine 🙂 )
Look out post
Biking by the beach
Yep, the lens isn’t great, I can see a 50mm in my future 🙂
I now have 2 rolls of kodak portra 400 developed. One was in my Minolta Riva Mini, and the other in my Olympus XA. The roll in the XA had been in it for over a year whilst I was busy with my 2019 385, though now and again I took it with me on outings with Sophie, so we’ll start with the shots I took with it before I decided to do a film year.
Firstly Newcastle, Christmas 2018!
Helter Skelter
Fenwicks annual Xmas window display, that year was based on The Snowman, and they were playing ‘Walking in the Air’ ad nauseum through a loudspeaker.
Pret A Manger with Grainger Street right, and Grey Street left.
I am not sure how it happens but some of the shots from the XA have come out with a red round haze in the middle of them, so I converted this one to B&W to get rid of it.
I thought this was funny, Phil not so much 🥴
I also took it with me to Dunstan Staiths, which was a Fraggle Report on the Universe blog HERE if you want to know its history.
View from the Staiths
Dunston Staiths
Fog on the Tyne
Vintage Bossa Cafe where Sophie and I had lunch that day.
A couple of miscellaneous shots to finish..
Rotterdam ferry port quite surprised this one came out, it wasn’t on a tripod. You can see the red haze in the middle but it kinda blends in with the sunset.
Sunset from my back bedroom window.
I still haven’t been out with Sophie this year as the weather has been crap most weekends, and she’s been visiting her chap in Spain on the weekends it was dry! Hopefully we can get started soon and I’ll get the Rollei on the go for some better quality shots.
The Minolta Riva Mini has fast become my go-to film camera, especially when I’m out with the Fuji as my main tool of the day. The little Riva fits in my pocket, has no settings to apply, just point and shoot and hope for the best. Loading and winding the film is automatic, so on the whole a lazy-girl camera! Here are a few I took on a visit to Newcastle on a sunny day back in September.
Lunch in the cafe at The Sage
The Tyne Bridge
The Quayside, with St.Stephens Church steeple just behind.
St Mary’s church, viewed from the far end of the Tyne Bridge
and a few of the Millenium bridge and rooftops as we walked back across the bridge
The place we stayed in Italy was in Tuscany, Villa Medici di Artimino. Artemino village was built during the ancient Etruscan period and today its medieval structure has remained almost intact with its outer walls and the country’s old clock tower.
Will write more about the Villa when I do the digital shots on the universe blog, but here are some of the film shots I took.
I shot a roll of Kodak Portra whilst I was in Italy last month, and as it will no doubt be forever until I get round to a blog post over on The Universe I thought I’d show a few I took around where we stayed.
At the American War Cemetery, near Florence.
It was our first full day in Italy, and the morning was very rainy- we stood under a tree for ages!
By the time we got to the Commonwealth Cemetery at Catana, it had started to clear up.
still showery though!
I also took a couple of shots around the Villa Caruso Bellosguardo in Lastra La Signa when we visited. No more rain, glorious sunshine but a bit mad hot for me at 30 degrees!
Back in May Phil and I spent a week in Normandy, staying at an old watermill, becoming friends with Nicola the owner, and visiting WW2 sites and the like. I haven’t got round to posting the digital ones on the Universe blog yet, but I’ve just got 2 rolls of film developed and there are a few I took on the Minolta Mini Riva, using kodak portra 400 film.
White cliffs of DoverThe Water MillThe Wood ShedThe Garage 🙂The Pond
We went on a visit to Mont Saint Michel.
Mont Saint Michel
We also visited Arromanches
Arromanches
and a new D- Day museum nearby Omaha Beach
After France we stayed in Folkestone for the weekend for a model show and I took a couple there too.
Chinese pagoda thing, Folkestone.Peace BenchThe beautiful English Channel, La Manche.
As well as my fuji, I took the Rolleiflex SL35 out with me to Cragside to finish off a roll of Kodak Portra I had in it. Unfortunately the roll jammed at frame 20, but I managed to save the film and got 7 shots out of it.
The pictures are similar to the digital ones over on the Fraggle blogwhich is fun to compare. Not sure which I like best, the digital or the film versions! What do you think?
fragglefilm 
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