Throwback Thursday… A walk along the Caledonian Canal

Toby… and Ben
Toby… and Ben
Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4 AF-D at 34mm, 1/125, f5.6, ISO 200

What was I photographing on this day in previous years?

21 years ago it was whatever caught my eye during a stroll along the Caledonian Canal from our holiday cottage in Banavie, near Fort William.

Toby lived in the field between the cottage and the canal and was quite friendly (although not as friendly as ‘Mister Roy’ the cottage owner’s dog!).

I remember hearing a steam whistle as we walked down the flight of locks known as ‘Neptune’s Staircase’ and sure enough, when we were about half along a steam locomotive burst into view… (London & North Eastern Railway class K1 2-6-0 No. 62005 should you be interested.)

Neptune's Staircase
Neptune’s Staircase
Nikon D100, Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4 AF-D at 48mm, 1/160, f7.1, ISO 200

Monochrome Monday… Kilnsea Sound Mirror

Kilnsea Sound Mirror
Kilnsea Sound Mirror
Nikon F80, AF-s NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G, 1/125s, f11 – Ilford Delta 100 Professional
Developed in Ilford DDX at 1:4, 10½ mins at 20°c.

Kilnsea Sound Mirror, photographed back in May…

The mirror was one of a number of such structures erected along the coastline of England to listen for approaching enemy aircraft. The mirrors did work but were superseded by developments in Radio Direction Finding (RDF), better known as ‘RADAR’.

Digitised using Nikon D5600 & AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8, Nikon ES-2 Film Digitising Adapter and Negative Lab Pro plugin with minimal cropping and tweaking in Lightroom Classic CC.

Single frame… Car Park

Car Park
Car Park
Contax T2 – Harman Phoenix 200 rated at ISO 100

A pic from the Analogue Wonderland Big Film Photowalk 2026 in Sheffield in June.

I took two cameras, the Contax T2 and a Nikon F2S (the latter loaded with Kentmere 200). It was an enjoyable day, we even had time for a couple of pints in the Kelham Island Tavern!

Developed by AgLab. Digitised using Nikon D5600 & AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8 and Nikon ES-2 Film Digitising Adapter with minimal cropping and tweaking in Lightroom Classic CC.

Throwback Thursday… Roker Lighthouse, August 2021

Roker Lighthouse, August 2021
Roker Lighthouse, August 2021
Fujifilm X-T2, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 135mm, 1/125s, f11, ISO 200

What was I photographing on this day in previous years?

Five years ago it was Roker Pier and Lighthouse, on a very blustery day!

The seabirds definitely add to the picture but a just a bit too far away for me, with my limited bird identification skills, to tell what they are.

Another pic of the pier and lighthouse, from the same day, can be found here.

Monochrome Monday… Haywood Junction

Haywood Junction
Haywood Junction
Nikon Nikkormat FT2, GN NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8, 1/500, f11 – Kodak Tri-X
Developed in Ilford Ilfotec DD-X at 1:4, 8 mins at 20°c.

A pic from a trip to Great Haywood in Staffordshire last year… Haywood Junction is where the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal meets the Trent & Mersey Canal and it’s a great place for a spot of ‘Gongoozling’.

I think this was the first time out for the quirky GN NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8 lens too.

Digitised using Nikon D5600 & AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8, Nikon ES-2 Film Digitising Adapter and Negative Lab Pro plugin with minimal cropping and tweaking in Lightroom Classic CC.

Monochrome Monday… Veronica ‘Wiri Mist’

Veronica 'Wiri Mist'
Veronica ‘Wiri Mist’
Nikon NIKOMAT FT, NIKKOR-H 50mm f/2 + 12mm Extension Tube – 1/30s, f11 – Foma Pan 200
Developed in Adox FX-39 II at 1:9, 10 mins at 20°c.

Another image from a recently developed roll of Foma Pan 200.

Given the age and condition of the NIKOMAT FT/NIKKOR-H 50mm f/2 combination I’m incredibly happy with this image, metering was with the camera’s own light meter and both the lens and the Vivitar 12mm extension tube were charity shops finds… the extension tube quite recently!

Digitised using Nikon D5600 & AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8, Nikon ES-2 Film Digitising Adapter and Negative Lab Pro plugin with minimal cropping and tweaking in Lightroom Classic CC.