Morning at the Barn …….
Olympus M.ZUIKO 17mm f1.8
N Borrington 2021
I march this year I treated myself to a new Panasonic gx80, micro four thirds camera with an Olympus 17mm f1.8 lens. This kit is my first M/43 kit and so far I have been very pleased with the results produced by this little gem of a camera.
I have a long history of working with black and white photography going way back to using Ilford XP2 and HP5 film, loaded into a Nikon FM2. This medium sized sensor camera is the first digital compact camera I have owned that can and does reproduce the look and feel of these black and white films with its MONO-L shooting profiles.
This image of a barn on the land owned by some friends of ours, during a stay at the start of April, was taken in the early morning sunlight and is taken using a Cokin-P ND4 gradient filter to darken the sky so that the foreground of the image could be exposed as I wanted it to be. I also used this filter system to help me make as few adjustments as possible in post processing.
The Alpine Path, by : L. M. Montgomery
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Ilford SFX 200
Black and White Negative Film
Then whisper, blossom, in thy sleep
How I may upward climb
The Alpine path, so hard, so steep,
That leads to heights sublime
5 Images for the week , Thursday : Killary Harbour
Nikon F90x, 50mm f1.4 lens on Kodak iso 100 film
Irish landscapes : Nigel borrington
Killary Harbour
“Killary Harbour/An Caoláire Rua is a fjord located in the West of Ireland in the heart of Connemara which forms a natural border between counties Galway and Mayo. It is 16 kilometres long and in the centre over 45 metres deep. It is one of three glacial fjords that exist in Ireland, the others being Lough Swilly and Carlingford Lough.[1]
On its northern shore lies the mountain of Mweelrea, Connacht’s highest mountain, rising to 814 metres. To the south rise the Maumturk Mountains and the Twelve Bens. The area contains some of Ireland’s most awe-inspiring and dramatic scenery.
There are two minor settlements nearby. On the southern side near the mouth of the fjord lies the hamlet of Rossroe while Leenaun lies inland to the east. Close to Rosroe there is an old building which now houses a hostel. This building was formerly a modest house which was used by Ludwig Wittgenstein, the famous philosopher, as a quiet place to write shortly after World War II. A plaque acknowledging this was unveiled by President Mary Robinson in 1993.
Nearby lies the so-called Green Road, a rough road running along the side of the fjord back east towards Leenane at the head of the fjord. It stretches for approximately nine kilometres and was part of the famine relief program during the 19th century. Aquaculture is important locally with a salmon farm based at Rossroe while mussel rafts are a common sight more to the east.”
One of the most beautiful landscape in Ireland, visit if you can!
Hastings – A Morning walk.
Hastings, sea front ,
county of East Sussex,
Landscape photography : Nigel Borrington
A Morning Walk at Hastings
Nikon FM2
These images were taken on a visit to the coastal town of Hastings , way back in the 1990’s . I remember that I had just invested in a Nikon FM2 Camera which I still own. Getting up very early one summers morning I loaded some Kodak Ektar 100 colour film and went for a walk along the sea front.
Hastings is a great sea side town located on the south coast of the UK and a wonderful place to get some beach and sea front images, I remember being really pleased with these images and encouraged to keep taking more.
I think finding a good location for your photography is key to keeping you going and learning as much as you can about using your camera and adding to your photography skills.
Hastings a Gallery
5 solo images for the week (Friday).
Nikon F90x
Ilford XP2
Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens
Inveraray, Argyll and Bute, Scotland,
On the western shore of Loch Fyne.
Landscape photography : Nigel borrington
Inveraray, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Inveraray sits on the A83 between Glasgow and Oban/Argyll, I have driven this route many times and stopping to look at the boat, Artic Penguin and loch Fyne was something I do every time, just a fantastic view.
The morning I took this image was cold and very still, the pier was empty and it was a few moments of magic in the air, of peace and silence.
Its the weekend so……
Nikon F90x, 35mm lens, Kodak film
Lake Windermere, Lake district national park, United Kingdom
Landscape photography by : Nigel Borrington
Its the weekend so why not find somewhere new to yourself and explore ……
Windermere boat Museum
Nikon F90x, Ilford XP2. Iso 400
These images were taken during a visit to the Lake district boat museum some years back, I have been scanning a lot of my old films and came across these as part of a set that I will use in full at some point, For the moment however these two images show one of histories great boats used to set world water speed records….
Nikon F90x, Ilford XP2. Iso 400
I just love the contrast of Ilford xp2 film….
Wet photo days on the canal
Nikon Fm2n, 35mm f2.5 lens
Kodak T-max 100, film
Nigel Borrington
I took these images back in 1986, with my then first SLR camera a Nikon fm2n, we were holidaying on a long boat that you can see in the second photo, for a week.
From what I can remember I don’t think we had one day without it raining and spent most of the time in the boat in front of a fire or in a pub drying out, its funny, at the same time you remember moments like this with great fondness!
This set of images has also reminded me to get back on track for my DIY film development project, I made a few phone calls and just need to go collect everything that I finally need to get on.
Nikon Fm2n, 35mm f2.5 lens
Kodak T-max 100, film
Nikon Fm2n, 35mm f2.5 lens
Kodak T-max 100, film
Nikon Fm2n, 35mm f2.5 lens
Kodak T-max 100, film
Film Photography kit
Film Development kit…
Its Arrived my new film development tank, ordered from ebay about a week ago.
All I need now is the chemicals and someone has told me that a photography shop in Waterford sells everything I need, so when I get time I will drive down to them. After that I am ready to go, I am very excited about this its years since I developed a film and I cannot wait to see how it turns out!
Five go up a hill and come down a mountain
Some time back Five of us (Breda, Tess, Andrew his brother Steve along with Myself) all headed from north London to Melfort Village, Argyll, Scotland for the week. At the time I owned a time share week here and the visit to such a wonderful location each March was more than welcome.
One Morning with myself and Steve both being into photography, the others just wanting a good walk we packed the bags and headed up the hills at the back of the Melford estate, the below images I hope do something to document this walk and the resulting Photographs.
I only found these pictures again last week as I am scanning all my old negatives….
All images taken on a Nikon F90x and on Kodak 200iso colour film as you can see…
Kate Rusby
The Lark ( Kate Rusby )
Nikon F90x film camera
Kodak 200iso colour film
A view over Melfort Village, Argyll, Scotland
Nigel Borrington
Out in the field where the lark it flies,
Over the earth where my heart it lies,
Oh how it sings when the west wind blows,
Out in the field where no-one goes.
Oh how I’m cold will you let me in,
If you could hear me speak, where I would begin,
Time it is past now and I roam free,
Is it wrong to wish you still need me,
is it wrong to wish you still need me.
Out in the field where the lark it sings,
There I was waiting for all love brings,
There I stood and there I fell,
Out in the field that I know well.
Oh how I’m cold will you let me in,
If you could hear me speak, where I would begin,
Time it is past now and I roam free,
Is it wrong to wish you still need me,
is it wrong to wish you still need me.
Out in the field where the lark resides,
Here I’ll remain where my heart can hide,
Only the lark and the west wind know,
I’m in this field where no-one goes.
Oh how I’m cold will you let me in,
If you could hear me speak, where I would begin,
Time it is past now and I roam free,
Is it wrong to wish you still need me,
is it wrong to wish you still need me
You Tube, Live performance : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imLg8DVAuHU
Windermere
A view of Windermere
Contax G2, 45mm lens
Kodak, iso 200 colour film
Landscape photographer : Nigel Borrington
Its the weekend
Nikon f90x
Kodak film
50mm f1.4 lens
Its the weekend so find a place with a view and relax
Artic Penguin – Inveraray
Nikon F90x
Ilford XP2
Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens
Sitting on the quays at Inveraray in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, the Artic Penguin now rests.
She had the following History
History
1910 Named: PENGUIN as lightship for the Irish Lighthouse Service – cost £7,230. Flag: Ireland
1966 Sold to T.E. McSweeney and converted into a Youth Adventure Sea Training Vessel Renamed: HALLOWE’EN Flag: United Kingdom
1982 Sold to Mr D. Norris and converted to a schooner. Cruise Boat Renamed: ARCTIC PENGUIN Moored close to the eastern shore of The Gareloch where her new owner single-handedly fitted her with twin diesel engines. All the work, the boring out of the stern propellor tubes, the fitting of the necessary external propellor shaft brackets, the propellor shafts and the propellors was all done without the ship being docked or slipped.
1995 Maritime Museum at Inveraray Pier
Today she enjoys one of the best views Scotland has to offer.
Nikon F90x
Ilford XP2
Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens
Inveraray sits on the A83 between Glasgow and Oban/Argyll, I have driven this route many times and stopping to look at the Artic Penguin and loch Fyne was something I did every time, just a fantastic view.
I am planning to return in November this year and cannot wait!
Nikon F90x
Ilford XP2
Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens
Nigel …
The Church window (North Mimms church)
The window at North mimms church
Ilford XP2, 35mm film
Nikon FM2n
50mm f1.8 lens
The wonderful darks and contrasts in this shot is one of the biggest reasons I want to have a small go at using film again.
I will never use film again as my main medium but I am going to include it in a planned way for the most appropriate subjects and with black and white film only.
Hampton Court
A day with Black and white film.
Nikon FM2n, Ilford’s HP5
Nigel Borrington
Some years ago myself and my brother and a friend Neil, headed to Hampton court to do some photography. It was the first time I had loaded Black and white film into my Nikon FM2 camera in a location like this so full of colour from the June flowers on display.
However Neil owned his own black and white dark room so Ilford’s HP5 it was. We spent about four hours at Hampton Court and then some hours processing the film making some prints and drinking a lot from what I can remember.
The images here are some of the results, I cannot find anything else. The prints are long gone so I have scanned any negatives I can find.
I am more than happy with these images and it’s very interesting to look back and think about what I felt made a good image way back then.
Nikon FM2n, Ilford’s HP5
Nigel Borrington
Agfa isolette
Talking of Cameras and Camera reviews….
This little Agfa Isolette was my fathers camera and as you can imagine it is very special to me, I would love to take some images with it again so at some point I will post a Gallery.
For now here is one shot taken in the lake district with Breda doing some map reading on the right..
No exposure meter and no auto focus – just pure guess work, I also developed the film myself and it produced an image – Few!
Nigel Borrington 
Film Photography, Was it as good as we think ?
Thanks to Sharon Walters Knight a fellow WordPress blogger and Facebook friend , I have in the last three weeks started to take a look again at 35mm film photography.
Over the last three years or so Film is starting to make a big come back, mainly with the help of film suppliers and film fan supporters lomography, they sell and process films along with camera bodies and offer some great new ideas as to how to use film and get some creative results from it.
I have just finished shooting my first role of 35mm black and white film supplied from Lomography Europe, using my Nikon FM2 and when I get time this week I will post this roll of film off to them and wait for the negatives and online scans to appear!
For the moment I have been looking at some of my old negatives and scanning them, the results are good I feel for these old black and white frames, My impression of how film compares to current Digital cameras is one of surprise, I love the grainy and organic feel to black and white films!
I had not realized since I stopped looking at film as my main photography medium, just how much digital has moved forward year on year! I feel that even when scanning a film frame at 10 megapixels with a good scanner, even with ISO 100 film the detail is so much less that can be found in todays digital sensors. Film grain is loved by many, yet when you look closely a lot of the image details are lost in this grain. A simple fact however when using film is that while digital cameras have kept developing all the time, film scanner have not. Another fact often lost today is that film was not designed with scanners in mind but with wet/dark room printing on light sensitive photo-papers, often designed by the film suppliers to match the film being used. Thus it could still be true that the best results when printing from film can be achieved in the dark room and not using a scanner at all!
I still love the idea of using a film camera at times when you want to use a simple process and travel light, just packing a film camera, a few lenses and rolls of film, without the need to take battery chargers and laptops with you. Another fact is that Film cameras work better when your outside and need to keep changing lenses, you never have to worry about dust and dirt getting to your sensor!
Here are some film shots I have taken over the years, at some point this week I will post more on them, including some closer looks at just how much detail is in the full sized images and just how film grain looks at 100% print size.
Ilfords Black and white film Gallery
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April 23, 2018 | Categories: black and white, Camera Equipment, Comment, Film Photography, Landscape, photography | Tags: 35mm film, black and white photography, Film come back, Film photography, Film scanning, Ilfords films, Lomography, Nigel Borrington, Nikon, nikon fm2 | Leave a comment