35mm · Film photography · Photography

A visit to Photo North

I took a trip to Leeds today to visit Photo North. It’s the second time I’ve visited the event – the first being when it was on at Manchester last year. There are a number of photographer’s work being exhibited and a variety of lectures taking place over the three days of the event. I visited today and sat in two of the lectures.

The first was by Barry Lewis, a photographer whose work I was first aquainted with via his book Butlins Holiday Camp 1982, an excellent collection of his work photographing the Skegness holiday camp during what was probably a period of decline at a point where many Britons were starting to venture to the continent for their holidays (where sunshine and warmth would be almost guaranteed), rather than holiday camp experience that had ran largely unchanged since the 1930s. It was an entertaining lecture where he presented excerps from a number of his bodies of work. I bought myself a copy of one of his books, Miami Beach 1988-1995, which he kindly signed for me.

The second lecture was by Richard Davies who gave an autoboigraphical account of how hismove to Manchester from Birmingham in the late 1980s coincided with one of the most progressive times in the city’s musical scene – something he was well placed to take advantage of at a time when few others were making photographs of the bands and acts emerging from the Madchester scene at the time.

It was a good day out, and I also managed to get some nice light to shoot a roll of film in the nearby university complex, an location full of interesting architecture, and I’m hoping the pictures turn out ok.

Today’s picture has nothing to do with the events of my trip, it was taken six weeks ago near Kelham Island in Sheffield. It’s a nice photograph though, so it gets a place here on the blog.

Regent'e

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

A curtain of trees

Just downstream from the Ball Street Bridge lies a weir on the River Don. The weir diverts part of the flow towards the former industrial workings at Kelham Island (where the museum is these days).

Today’s picture is from the bank of the Don with the top of the weir just visible as a regular line across the foreground water. The trees sit on an island and made an attractive sight with the more regular shapes of the industrial buildings visible in the rear.

Across the river, beyond the trees

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Architectural mish-mash

This picture was the last frame on the roll and had been cropped by the lab (presumably where it had been clipped as part of the developing or drying process), which it is why it’s not the standard 35mm ratio. Despite the crop, it’s quite a satisfying photograph, I think.

I like the contrasting styles of architecture, whether it be moderm, more classical (any architects reading this, please excuse my ignorance of building styles), or the remnants of industrial walls in the centre of the frame.

Architectural styles

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

False autumn

There’s a definite autumnal feel to the picture in today’s post, I think, despite it being made in early February.

It’s the colours that do it, lots of browns and oranges here in the buildings, bricks, and boughs.

No-one else around

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Old bridge, new construction

This old iron bridge – I’m not actually sure if it’s officially named Iron Bridge as well – crosses the River Don at Nursery Street. It’s flanked on either side by modern concrete bridges carrying vehicular traffic across the river. From the viewpoint in both pictures you’re looking approximately southwest towards the city centre, which lies around half-a-mile distant.

The two new buildings under construction will be, most likely – although, again, I don’t know for sure – more apartment developments. I like how the one on the left currently looks like a very tall, thin castle.

Old crossing
Cranes

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

The Flood

This memorial stands beside the River Don in Sheffield and remembers those who lost their lives in the 1864 flood which resulted from the collapse of the Dale Dyke dam up near the top of the Loxley valley which released 700 million gallons of water.

Flood memorial

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

A nice pub for nice people

Depite many, many pub closures in recent years (well, recent decades actually) there are still some that have been around as long as I remember. This pub, The Big Gun, is situated on The Wicker just at the edge of Sheffield city centre.

It’s seems it’s always been there, but I’ve never been inside – I know it mainly by the fact that the bus I used to catch into town when I still lived with my parents (and the first home I lived in when I left) drove down The Wicker on the outbound and return journeys, so pubs, shops and other things (not just on this street, but along the whole route) became imprinted on my mind over the course of thousands of separate trips.

A nice pub for nice people

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

The Best

I thought I’d post this shot today as it kinda got a preview in yesterday’s picture already. It’s another example of the sort of mundane scene that often draws my attention. The colours caught my eye on this day, with the soft warm tones of the building’s rendering against the blue of the morning sky. But it’s also details like the metal shine of the anti0vehicle posts in the foreground, the shadow of the tree against the building, the graffiti, and that big tangle of cables on the side wall.

The Best

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.

35mm · Film photography · Photography

Au Village

Nice light and strong colours are an obvious draw when shooting colour film and the reds and whites of the shutters on this African bar and restaurant caught my attention on the morning I took this photo. I also like the way the shadow of the out-of-shot street-sign is cast into the centre of the white shutter.

Au Village

Canon Sure Shot Supreme & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400. Lab Developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.

Taken 5 February 2023.