Category: Black & white

Photography Friday… a trip to Wales

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Today’s ‘Photography Friday’ trip took us off to Wales… specifically to the Llangollen Railway and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Llangollen lies on the River Dee in Denbighshire and plays host to the International Musical Eisteddfod, an event that we completely failed to realise was taking place this week and the town was packed with visitors (and performers) from all over the world!

The River Dee at LlangollenThe River Dee at Llangollen
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 18mm, 1/240s, f11, ISO 400

After grabbing a bite to eat we boarded the first train to Corwen and I was surprised to find (given the recent dry weather and potential fire risk posed by a steam engine in such conditions), Great Western Railway (GWR) 5101 class ‘large prairie’ 2-6-2T No.5199 in charge of the five coach train.

Sadly (for some, not me, I like diesel locos too…) the return trip was handled by British Railways (BR) class 26 diesel-electric D5310 and No.5199 was returned to the engine shed.

GWR 'large prairie' 5199 pauses at CarrogGWR ‘large prairie’ 5199 pauses at Carrog Station
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 32mm, 1/80s, f9, ISO 400

Following a delicious pub lunch overlooking the river at The Cornmill we headed off to see the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a stunning structure that carries the Llangollen Canal (originally the Ellesmere Canal) over the River Dee at a height of 126ft!

Pontcysyllte AqueductPontcysyllte Aqueduct
Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 18-135mm f3.5~5.6 R LM OIS WR at 26mm, 1/250s, f8, ISO 400

Completed in 1805 at a cost of £47,000 the aqueduct is a Grade I listed building and a World Heritage Site and still carries boats from the village of Froncysyllte to the canal basin at Trevor. The towpath is open to walkers but a head for heights is definitely recommended!

Square Saturday… The Kershaw 450

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It’s been mentioned before that in recent years I’ve become something of a rest home for elderly cameras and this particular example has been a resident for quite a while now…

Kershaw 450Kershaw 450
Fujifilm X-T10, Fujinon XF 18-55mm f2.8~4 R LM OIS at 44mm, 1/80s, f11, ISO 200

The Kershaw 450 was manufactured by GB Equipments Ltd in Leeds during the mid-1950s and is a folding camera that takes 120 film, giving 12 (square) shots on a roll.

Midland Railway 156 Class 2-4-0 No.158AMidland Railway 156 Class 2-4-0 No.158A
Kershaw 450, exposure details not recorded – Ilford XP2 Super

Fitted with an Otar Anastigmat 80mm f/4.5 three element lens the camera was supplied with either Vario or Velio shutters, mine has the latter, giving speeds of 1⁄10, 1⁄25, 1⁄50, 1⁄100 and 1⁄200 plus Bulb.

Cromer, September 2013Cromer, September 2013
Kershaw 450, exposure details not recorded – Ilford XP2 Super

As the camera has no focusing aid (and I’m terrible at judging distances) I tend to use mine only in the summer months, relying on the depth of field scale and a small aperture to get sharp(ish) images…

As I was given an assortment of 120 films for Christmas I really ought to shoot some of it… soon!

Scans by Peak Imaging with minimal cropping and tweaking in Lightroom CC.

Monochrome Monday… A wedding and Kodak T-Max P3200

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Quiet pleaseQuiet please!
Nikon FA, Nikkor 85mm f/2 AI-S – Kodak T-Max P3200 rated at ISO 1600

Rosie and Daniel’s wedding must have been the first that I’ve attended in 20 years where I wasn’t actually expected to take photos… needless to say, I still packed a camera though.

I couldn’t resist trying some of the recently reintroduced Kodak T-Max P3200 black & white film and the above shot is one of the first I took. I’m reasonably happy with the results (even if I didn’t quite nail the focus), the grain isn’t too obtrusive and I think there’s just the right amount of contrast.

I’ve a couple more rolls in stock… what to shoot with them?

Scan by AgLab with minimal cropping and tweaking in Lightroom Classic CC.