ten years on - Konica's VX200

Im never really sure how expired film is going to turn out especially if its purchased from a third party. You've no real idea under what conditions its was ever stored in, could of been in the fridge all these year, but very unlikely, perhaps it was stored somewhere warm or just cast aside and found in the back of a draw years later. Most of the stuff Ive bought recently has come from either Ebay or car boat sales so there's no real historical data on it. So, with that in mind and given how old this roll was, I would of normally set an expired 200 asa roll of film to say 400 asa but this time I decided to run at 120 asa. Why not!  Shooting expired film is all about playing around with it to see what kind of results you get. Anyhow, enclosed are a few images from a roll of Konica's VX 200 which expired back in 2008. I shot it on my M6 under varied light conditions, subject matters both inside and out which clearly has given me some mixed results.
The first image here is a couple of light leaks whilst loading. I love the abstract colour here....

Racing and A bit of snow doesn't put the hardy off

Lets face it, us brits in general are a bunch of fannies when it comes to a little bit of snow. We just cant cope. Thats simply not the case when is comes to Stock car and banger racing. Regardless of the weather or the conditions they still want to race. This Sunday's Autospeed event at St Day certainly endorsed that.
 

Practicing got underway under cold but sunny ish conditions and the crowds started to arrive. Snow was forecasted for later in the day but we never really knew to what extent. Times were set and the days events laid out and the event got underway.

It wasn't long before the snow arrived and the track conditions started to change. lets be honest, snow, rubber, oil, petrol and damp conditions aren't the best racing conditions collectively but it all added to the days racing. As the day unfolded, the snow then really started to come down but didn't effect the racing or the crowds support.

To summerise, the whole day was a cracking event. This was my first time at a race event such as this and Autospeed's experience clearly showed at an action packed event. A big thank you to Crispen......

quality professional entertainment

I have to say that I was the world biggest sceptic when it came to pro wrestling, that was until last night. What a brilliant professional event. The venue, the Acorn Theatre, Penzance. An absolutely Ideal choice for an event such as this. The audience was seated as close as you can get so they felt every throw and slam the wrestlers handed out. Full on close quarter entertainment.

Professional events require professional promoters, no better here than Sanjay. Don't forget the Ref though. He too brought his own entertainment value to the ring. As for the wrestlers, what a brilliant mix of acrobatic showmanship and professionalism throughout. The crowd love it.

A big thank you to Sanjay from LDN wrestling and Richie from the Acorn for their help on the evening. The event returns next year to the Acorn. If you cant wait till then, check out Feb/March event list LDN have put together.

Expired and grainy

There's always an element of excitement when you process your films but when you add the "expired" aspect to that at well, its so rewarding when it turn out well. Im a big lover of grain and this roll of Portra 400 NC (expired 2006) delivered for me. Clarity  and a pin sharp finish in a shot is a bonus but for me grain is king

Camera: HASSLEBALD 500 CM
 

My first roll of Ektar

Ive never shot Ektar before but if Im honest, Im quite pleased with the finish. Kodak Ektar has a really fine grain to it. A good colour negative film for either landscape or portrait or just random stuff. Enclosed are a few example shot on a M6. I particularly like the colours it produces in low light levels (see the station image)

3 days of Catalonian views

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.