Some sunshine, some sand, mountains and towns, 3 days of views though my M6 and Q
Trawling the bay the "Golden Harvest" way
I was lucky enough to be invited out to sea last night by Danny and the crew of the Golden Harvest. The four man crew fish out of Newlyn throughout the year in and around the Mounts Bay seas for Cornish sardines. I might add the best sardines money can buy!
It's so evident from the off how each one of them relies on each other to work the boat. Your team is only as strong as its weakest link but Danny's fortunate enough to have a crew without any weak links. As soon as we were out of the harbour the crew started prepping the boat to fish. I couldn't tell what they were doing but each of them just did what they were supposed to do in order to get the boat and nets ready.
It must of been 40 minutes or so out of the harbour when the radar picked up a large shoal of fish and then it seemed like all hell let loose. That simply wasn't the case though. Danny shouted out to the crew and so the nets went out. So organised you wouldn't believe it. I lost the understanding of how it all worked once the nets left the boat but as time progressed I could see how the nets were circling and drawing the fish towards us, plus the hundreds of seagulls keen for a free meal. Before I knew it, the light was gone and the boats lights lite up the dark skies.
Danny never took his eyes off what the crew were doing for a minute. Skilled that they are, Danny still needed to enforce his voice and experience towards the crew. They all knew what they were doing but the reassurance of his commands ensured that nothing was missed. Safety first!
There's always time for a bit of fun on board. Before I knew it, 10 tonnes of Sardines were on board and the storage tanks were full. The bad forecasted weather was pushing in so Danny turned for home. The work didnt end there though. The crew still had more work to do as they returned to Newlyn. Unloading the catch of the day.
A massive thank you to Danny and his crew for allowing me on board the Golden Harvest. It was a real privilege. Never never underestimate how dangerous a job like fishing can be. I was given an insight into their world which I will always be grateful. Tough, tough conditions, tough.....
The perfect combo
After some great advice from a few more experienced film photographers than me, I now believe I've acquired the perfect lens choice for my M6. Im referring to this Zeiss 50mm f1.5 C Sonnar. I spent some time considering my lens options but the clear winner for me has to be the Zeiss. The other choice I considered was the Leica 50mm. However, there seems to be very little difference between the Zeiss and the Leica Summicron - M apart from the obvious, the price! Both as sharp as hell, both are superbly built and both great options for a M6. Next choice? Which roll of film to go far....
I big thank you to @HamishGill @physicalgrain & @simongreenphoto for their impartial advice and Jack at @RobertWhitePhot for supplying me with the lens. Cheers all
inspired to print
Printing my work is not something I really tend do but after a recent comment on one of my images on Ray Larose's splendid Physical Grains site, Ive now been inspired to print. The image Im referring to is the "Feeding off the tide" image. Its quite a grainy shot so thought of a different medium to print it on. Rather than the conventional route of printing it onto paper, I decided to print it onto textured nylon sail fabric. What this gives the image is a further grainy finish to it and also a sort of painted look when you look closely.
Hope you like the finish on it Ray and many thanks for your kind comment.
The town they forgot to close down
I travelled to Borth recently so see what Inspired Morrissey to write the song "Everyday is like Sunday" Ive transferred some of his lyric's into images and captured what I saw of the seaside town they forgot to close down.
Film's not dead.......
A big over the pond thank you to Ray at Physical Grain for featuring a recent image and story of mine. I really admire the quality of Rays work and the great film related site he's put together. Check out his site and see some great imaging and stories from other photographers around then world . Film's not dead.....
Stylish, modern and Georgian
The Chapel House Hotel is impressive stylish and modern boutique hotel located in central Penzance. Formerly the Penzance Arts Club, this beautiful Georgian building was recently resorted and modernised. It has eight spacious individually designed bedrooms all with furniture built and designed by Ben Williams, one of Cornwall's finest furniture makers.
period looking
There are some subject matters that deserve a real period look to them. The Jubilee Pool in Penzance is a classic example of that. The pool has been shot numerous times over the years but I don't think the current highly polished photoshopped images really represent the pool in its true light. With that in mind, I shot the pool on 35mm film. What film gives me that digital doesn't is a much more textured organic feel with the added benefit of grain. Period looking.....
- Location: Penzance, Cornwall, UK
- Camera: Olympus Trip
- Lens: Zuiko 2.8/40
- Film: Fuji C200
- Scanner: Frontier
todays find.....
Another quick trip to the car boot this morning and Im back with these. A Halina 35X and a roll of undeveloped Perutz Peruchrome . I have no idea the camera had a roll inside and only discovered that when I opened it up. Opps... I know nothing of Perutz films other than its Germen made and Im no sure when it might of expired. So, Im off to get it developed and see what subject matter was shot all those years ago.
Blackpool. A love that's lost....
Once known as the most popular seaside resort in Europe, Blackpool's slowly loosing its attraction. 30 years on I revisited it and photographed what I saw and remembered about the place. This time I saw things from a different angle. Still widely interesting though.
M6 "man fizz"
I said goodbye to some loyal friends last week only to be replaced by a new one. I refer to my new second hand Leica M6 TTL. It was only a question of time before I bought myself a real quality 35mm film camera and for me, Leica had to be the only choice. Ive been using a host of average 35mm units for the last few years with good results but now with the arrival of my M6 its time to step up the game.
Well, it arrived this morning and all I can say was that it was a "man fizz" moment. Blokes know what I mean. Even opening the box does it for me. I already have a Q and a X2 but there's something very different and special about the M6. Clearly its a film unit but just picking it up says it all. Its solid, well build and very very evocative.
In addition to my M6 I grabbed myself a Leica Cooph rope strap The strap is a collaboration between Leica and Cooph. Two quality products now unite. Finally. A big thanks you to Ben over at the Leica store in Manchester for sorting all of this out. Cheers Ben....
I met a man called Pedro
Nice guy. We chatted for a while. He spent 12 years living in Spain, fell in Love with a jewish girl for a year then moved to Blackpool where I met him. He told me a few stories and I enjoyed our chat. Darts is his given game. Thanks Pedro.....
