The Crunge

In which our hapless photographer discovers that the world is awash with other people!

Maybe some of you will get the title, but not necessarily so, anyway, to quote Robot Planet and The Crunge (on Houses Of The Holy, if you're interested):

Ah, excuse me

Oh, will ya excuse me
I'm just trying to find the bridge

Has anybody seen the bridge?

Please

Have you seen the bridge?

I ain't seen the bridge!

Where's that confounded bridge?

And yes, he's paraphrasing the mighty JB (James Brown) on "Sex Machine":

Bobby! Should I take 'em to the bridge? (Go ahead!)

Take 'em on to the bridge! (Take em to the bridge!)

Can I take 'em to the bridge? (Yeah!)

Take 'em to the bridge? (Go ahead!)

Hit me now!

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

No James Browns' Were Hurt In The Making Of This Enlargement

The Above, But BIGGER

So how does that relate to anything you're even remotely interested?
I've no idea, but what I will say, is that although the bridge was there, trying to get a point where I could photograph uninterrupted (oh how fecking selfish of me!) was damn nigh impossible . . .

Well, not damn nigh impossible, just not fun, but more of that in a minute, because before I get there, how's this for an incendiary statement.

"Liking" anything on any Social Media or 'Review' website (like Trip Advisor) means you'll never be able to enjoy it again.

To paraphrase (seeing as we're fond of that this morning) Heraclitus (again, I've done it before in FB):

No tourist can Like the same place twice, for it will NEVER be the same place again and they'll be unable to push through the hordes.

Or, more scholarly examples (© Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy):

"The established scholarly method is to try to verify Plato’s interpretation by looking at Heraclitus’ own words, if possible. There are three alleged “river fragments”:

B12. potamoisi toisin autoisin embainousin hetera kai hetera hudata epirrei.
On those stepping into rivers staying the same other and other waters flow. (Cleanthes from Arius Didymus from Eusebius) 

B49a. potamois tois autois … 

Into the same rivers we step and do not step, we are and are not. (Heraclitus Homericus) 

B91[a]. potamôi … tôi autôi …

It is not possible to step twice into the same river according to Heraclitus, or to come into contact twice with a mortal being in the same state. (Plutarch)"

See what I mean - he got it right!

Oh yes, it's quite a statement, and loosely runs alongside the modern paraphrasing lines of:

"Ah, I remember the days when you could go to (Place X or wherever) and not meet a soul. But look at it now!"

Y'see, like a lumbering behemoth, if you see somewhere beautiful looking online (take for example The Fairy Pools, on the Isle Of Skye, that being a neat and incredible example) - maybe it's been "Liked" or Reviewed - you can guarantee that there will be at least 15 coaches, 75 cars, 2 million dogs, 15 push chairs with squaling tots and a thousand shades of velcro and solid outdoor gear tramping over every square inch in the queue in front of you.

Gone are the days when such places were visited by manageable hordes. OK, a horde is a horde and let's face it, pilgrimages and visiting have been going on since Ug told Ugh about a Mammoth Graveyard over in the next valley.

It's part of your makeup to want to go and see and experience something new . . or at least it should be.

But nowadays, like most everything else, it's become over-subscribed. Global tourism is a massive thing - fer feck's sake I even see tourists taking selfies outside Dundee's wonderful City Centre pubs!
I wonder if they're all Jackie Leven fans?
He wrote a song called The Bars Of Dundee . . apparently after being taken in like a waif and stray by the city centre regulars.
This being said, my down-to-earth missus says people take selfies everywhere and at all times and she's right.

Anyway, I digress as usual . . crowds everywhere, yes, and along with the hordes, something new - well I say new, but in reality it's been going on for 10 years, but seems to be getting worser.

Know what it is yet?

Well, as far as I can see, it's a need to validate your life.

You, yes that's YOU, have to PROVE that you're ALIVE. 

You prove it by photographing yourself and documenting every single little thing and posting it online.

And why?

Well, it proves to others that you are learned, wordly-wise and not afraid of taking a few chances:

Phwah, we nearly missed that Audi in that car park didn't we? 

Phwah, yeah, that was a close one. 

It says that you have been places and are going places, because in going places, one says, I have x-expendable moolah to expend on what I like.

I am interesting!

I will expand my brain and go somewhere and other people will find me interesting too!

Y'know, in the Vatican Museum, I saw a bloke who would, at other times possibly be considered mentally ill - he was basically photographing every single thing, from his family, to coving on ceilings, to objects, to fire extinguishers, to well . . you get the idea . . everything.

Even I, as someone who enjoys taking a snap or two, was non-plussed. Was there any point? Did he really think he'd forget things?
Well he probably would, but I can't quite imagine, ten years down the line, him saying to his partner:

"Remember this cracking bit of coving in the Vatican?"

And I can't understand that, I really can't.
But it has become the norm.

The uptake of travel is part and parcel of modern life.

It's enjoyable, mind-blowing, tiring, wonderful, ecstatic, life-enhancing . . so what right have I to pontificate about anything?

Well, I think what my comment is really about is that, in today's world, it is completely and utterly overblown.

The assault is relentless and at all times of year too.

Bruce (of The Online Darkroom . . yes he IS still alive) reckons that he'd like to do the North Coast 500 (NC 500) in Winter when it is quieter, but then again Bruce, so do a billion other people - everyone weighs it up:

"What d'y reckon .  . Winter? It'll be quieter then." 

"Yeah, that sounds good to me"

And the next thing you know is that you're stuck behind 30 cars, who are also stuck behind a jackknifed coach on a single track A-Road in a Scottish Highland Winter!

There's simply no let up.

And how does this relate then you old twat? 

C'mon then, we're bored rigid!

OK, so there we were, me and t'missus, with a day off and no rain predicted . . so we thought we'd go somewhere we hadn't been in about 15 years . . The Hermitage at Dunkeld. 

Oh dang - there goes the parking . . . .

It's a woodland walk past some of the tallest trees in the country, along the River Braan, with a nice 18th century folly perched over a spectacular gorge. 
It's a hell of a beautiful place. 
Nature owns it and impresses with her power and peace.

The times we'd been in the past, there were other people, but to be frank, not many, and so we thought, a nice Tuesday morning at the arse end of October, it'll be deserted(ish), job's a good'un.
How wrong we were. 

Film #66/61

29/10/19 - The Hermitage

Delta 400 - EI 200

1./ 1/60th f8 ZIII - Ali

2./ 1/30th f8 ZIII - Bridge

3./ 1/30th f8 ZIII - Bridge

4./ 1/30th f8 ZIII - Viewpoint Under Bridge

5./ 1/30th f8 ZIII - Bridge/Vegetation

6./ 1/8th f8 ZIII - Bridge

7./ 1/30th f4.5 ZIII - Selfies

8./ 1/15th f8 ZIII - Ali

9./ 1/8th f5.6 ZIII - Ossian's Hall

10./ ? - Possibly Same As The Last One

11./ 1/2 Sec f4.5 ZIII - Ossian's Hall

12./ 1/15th f8 ZIII - Viewpoint

Hasselblad SWC/M - took the TTT and cable release, but never used them - the world's most sophiticated point and shoot!

PHD - new 22℃  - usual to 15mins - stand to 17 mins. Just about perfect - great tonal qualities.

Where I expected to be able to photograph quietly and in an un-stressed and un-bothered way, I was jostled, followed, stared at and generally put off. It was lovely, but also terrible. The place was wonderful, but just too many people. Maybe I should go at dusk on a January's evening . . .

Anyway, the film above was executed in double-quick time - you can tell can't you.

This being said, strangely I think the SW would make a good reportage camera, albeit a bit big, simply because you can get it really super-close with no distortion . . .  but that's another story.

One (More) Man And His Dog

This bloke and his dog just wouldn't move - he was there well before we got there (you could see him on the approach) and he was there after we'd left. In other words he gave photographers a bad name by hanging around like a fart in a lift, but that's the digital democracy - it's made all those mad, impressive, cliched smoky water pics easy as piss to take by anyone with a camera and a tripod. 

They were easy before too tbh, but not many people had seem them outwith the work of Wynn Bullock and John Blakemore . . .

Man With Dog Becomes A Nuisance

He's still there!

This was a small mob of dog walkers - all those yappers were flying about, nipping heels and crapping everywhere - well, I exagerate - they were mostly well behaved, but there weren't half a lot of them, along with shouts of:

"King, c'mere" 

"Fido, wtf are you doing you stupid dog?" 

etc etc.

S'cuse Me Mate, Is That Your Dog?

Yep, STILL THERE and hogging the whole of the balcony - hope he got something interesting to look at.

Is This Far Enough Away?

This gives you an idea of the sheer difficulty of using a SW - see my arm in the centre of the photo? I was holding the camera! My intention was to get just half faces filling the edge of the frame, but nope - you'd probably need to have it about 6 inches from your face for that and even then . . . 

The out of focusness of me and t'missus was deliberate - I was thinking fun a la Lee Friedlander.

Where's Me Reindeer?

I rather like this one - it's not scanned well,  but the light on the print is really lovely. The whole gorge was in shadow apart from a wee bit of sun shining through. My missus looks like she's just emerged from a Laavu (no, not a Lavi - a Laavu is a Finnish shelter).
I had no idea she looked so Scandinavian before.

Hanging Around Like A Fart In A Lift

AND HE IS STILL THERE. You can see him. Might be a bit difficult but I suppose that's the problem with using a super wide lens for landscape - everyfink is a loong way away.
Check the chumps on the bridge - bloody millions of them.

But Closer

I had to do a wee sectional enlargement just so you could see. 

This was WAVE 3!

Where's That Confounded Bridge?

I've taken a better picture from this viewpoint before, using a 6x9 Agfa box camera and Ilford SFX  (those were the days when you didn't need to sell your body-parts to buy it!).

Anyway, no sooner had I emerged from the undergrowth (you need to scout through some wild stuff to get to it) than some fecking uncouth twat with a digicam and 300,000,000mm lens, pushed past me with his partner in crime, saying 

"LOOOK!" 

Honest, it was enough to make me spit.

But that's just me.

Anyway, that's it - all of the above were scanned off of Ilford MGRC, Grade 3 - easy to print as always from Pyrocat negatives. The film was some nearly out of date Delta 400 - possibly the last time I'll use it - I love it, but HP5 is cheaper.

And that brings this to an end - I'll maybe have another yearly round-up to publish at the end of the month and that's another year under the bridge - amazing where it all went!

Till then, take care, and remember to help someone this season - you never know when they might help you.

Quiet Byways In Fife

Sadly, with a warning of severe weather predicted for mountainous regions, I swore off (and at) the snow and freezing rain predicted for my first spot of camera time in months.
A PLAN B was needed, so I put on my thinking cap, and (given that the sun doesn't crest the Tay Valley till around 8am [in the Winter]) thought better of risking life and limb in the mountains and plumped instead for a local, but quiet, bit of The Fife Coastal Path - Wormit to Balmerino.

Field Edge, Fife Coastal Path, December 2018

But before that, a word about how I am going to do FB posts this year . . hold your excitement there man . .

Most photographers don't air their dirty pants in public , , you only get the crisply ironed ones (who the feck irons pants, but apparently it is a thing so who am I to judge . . ).

So, in the interests of the skid-marked, fart-shredded and un-ironed variety (or is that just me) I have decided to detail each film in their completeness.
I'll tell you how it came to be, then there'll be a scan of the contact print (stains and all . . there is nowhere to hide) and then you'll get choice prints made from the negatives.

The reason for this?

Well, I was thinking about it - a film is in itself a creative process, whether you realise it or not.
If you are out photographing, you might well be subconsciously following something.

Of course, you could just be snapping at anything and everything, but I am not talking about random bombing, I'm talking about your 'journey' (ugh . . overused these days? YOU BET).
OK, not 'journey' how about:

 Arc Of Travel

You load a film and set off with something in mind . . you do don't you?
I do.
I generally photograph for a purpose, that being to finish a film that hopefully contains some photographs I like.
It is a sort of Arc Of Travel and often I can see that in my contact prints - they detail where I have walked and travelled in a timeous manner . . . who knows, they might even show some sort of thought process or signs of life and not just my usual drooling gait!
The shutter of my camera takes slices out of the time I spent doing that activity and preserves something extra - an adjunct as it were, to my memory.

I remember the walk; I can describe it to someone easily. But to make that memory physical and of meaning to someone else, I need to refer to the photograph.

Now what if that photograph (as well as being a record of the photons bouncing off everything) has also managed to preserve some of the atmospherics, that I felt at the time?

I'm not talking about filming it, because that is photography without decision making; it might preserve the sounds and motions of the landscape, but has it captured any of you and your thought process?
Is this the distinct difference between the moving and the still image?
A definite URGE to take one small bit of time and subject and make it yours?

A giant widdle on the lampost of eternity?

I don't know.
Not to denigrate film-making - I'm sure film-makers would say that they've managed to capture some of their self in their work - maybe that is true.
It requires further thought and navel-gazing from me . . .

Anyway, with regard to photographs, some speak loudly, but others are mute.

And (long way around as usual) I guess this is why I am going to air everything.

Because, as I said, some sing loudly with a lusty bellow, and others are quieter than church mice, but no matter their db's, they are all a part of your AOT (Arc Of Travel).

The contact print reveals all.

Your choices, your composition, possibly even your thought process.

There is, as they say, NOWHERE TO HIDE:

Jings, did he really compose that?

Out of focus!

Camera shake?

Nice foreground but look at that bokeh!
Not that AGAIN.

The morning I was thinking and writing about this, I coincidentally got an email from Bruce of TOD and he said the following:

"Plus, I've noticed there's a process I go through. It seems difficult for me to jump out of the car, identify the best photo opportunity and take the shot (as I'd have to do with LF). Rather, I work my way into it. The process of exposing film seems to hone my photographic senses. The first shot I take of a scene is hardly ever the best. The good stuff seems to happen when I get right into it. It's like there's a shift in the way my brain works. I can't do that with LF or even MF. "

Very coincidental don'tcha think?

Oooh, I thought, there must be something to what I am saying if someone else is thinking the same way, so I thought about it and made a decision that this is the way I am going.
I might also thoroughly detail each frame (certainly when showing a 120 contact . . maybe not a 35mm, and half-frame . . well . . ) and film and process.

Hopefully it won't be yawn city - maybe it will be . . . but what it will show, will be the process of thinking (hardly) and how things went along.
So without further ado it's time for a baked bean and sprout curry with extra sauce and a side dish of boiled cabbage and pinto beans . . .
Ooo, and see that bowl of Kimchi . . .

Brace yourselves . . . 

Thruuuuuuuuuuuupppppppppppppp!

Here we go:

 FILM # 66/51

FILM # 66/51

Right, so here's my notes for each frame - seems dull - maybe it is . . but tough:

First film >120< taken since   the weekend of 16/6/18!

1./ 5 sec - - - - - > 10 sec, f16 ZIII - Very Dark

2./ 8 sec - - - - - > 19 sec, f16, ZIII - Copse

3./ 8 sec - - - - - > 19 sec, f16, ZIII - Gate

4./ 3 sec - - - - - > 6 sec, f22, ZIII - Field Edge

5./ 3 sec - - - - - > 6 sec, f22, ZIII - Coppice/Field Edge

6./ 4 sec - - - - - > 7 sec, f22, ZIII - Wood

7./ 1 sec - - - - - > 4 sec, f22, ZIII - Path

8./ 1 sec, f22, ZIII - Fallen Trees

9./ 1/60th, f8, ZIII - Horse, Handheld

10./ 1/2 sec, f22, ZIII   - Reeds

11./ 1/30th, f5.6, Z???, Seal, Guessed, Handheld

12./ 8 sec - - - - - > 19 sec, f16, ZIII - Sitting Room

All tripod/cable unless noted.

- - - - -> Denotes an extended exposure time due to reciprocity.

I've no pretensions about the photographs - they're OK, but at least I was doing something!
It was a really enjoyable walk, with the first mile or so conducted in near darkness. I do so love watching dawn arrive and, because of the nature of the path I was able to do so without the massive buffeting the wind was doing on the other side of the hills.
It's easy walking this bit of the path, although I would caution against heading down to the tempting looking bits of shoreline (though you'd have to massively scramble down - they're pretty steep) as the tide will get you.
Anyway, keeping to the path itself, I encounted nobody till I was on my way back, which is sort of the way I like things actually.

Camera was the Hasselblad SWC/M; tripod was my faithful Gitzo, and the film was Ilford Delta 400, rated at EI 200 and developed in Pyrocat-HD for 21 minutes at 22º C.
I no longer use a water bath to pre-bathe the film - it seemed ineffectual - so it is straight on, constant gentle agitation for 30 seconds and then 4 agitations every minute up to 17 minutes. Then I let it stand to 21 Mins.
Stop is 3 changes of fresh water.
Fix is around 6 minutes.
Then washing at the end.
Finally it gets the dreaded Photo-Flo treatment - I've never had much luck with any wash-aid, they all seem to cause all sorts of gunk on the film.
With Photo-Flo, take ONE drop to 1200ml of water, mix the drop gently, VERY VERY GENTLY through the water with your fingers (like you were tickling a trout) and then leave the film on the reel (in the solution) for about 5 minutes.
You have to be careful not to create foam when removing it to hang.
Again gentleness pays dividends.

I've mentioned this before - my darkroom is furnished with an Astrid Ioniser that keeps dust levels down a fair bit.
The reason for this? Well, if you really want to be scared when you've hung a film, just turn out the lights and use a torch to look behind you as you exit. The levels of dust revealed by the light beam are usually through the roof and completely sobering.
Thus, the Astrid. It is a great thing.
I used to use an old Mountain Breeze ioniser, but that expired a few years back - and the reason I went that route in the first place? Well, it was a tip from the late Barry Thornton and it made sense to me. Since I took on his ioniser tip I've rarely had to spot any print.
I know it seems like the strangest darkroom accessory ever, but it works.

Oh, and I've got a tip for removing dust from film too - that's in the printing section after this next bit!

Assessing the contact:
Contact prints are always a compromise - I tend to print mine on Grade 2 and take it from there, but typing this has reminded me that Ansel Adams in The Print (I believe) recommended printing them on the softest grade possible to maximise your eyeballing of potentially good prints and I think that is maybe something I will try out in the future . . . thank you brain!
Anyway, the above was a solid Grade 2 and printed to try and maximise each frame (though somewhat unsuccessful on that front). There was an old Barry Thornton adage too - minimum time for maximum black - which referred to using the film rebates (the black gridwork as it were) as an assessment of the correct exposure time for a contact. Now that's alright if every frame is perfectly exposed, but as you can see, these aren't.

I'm going to do a metering 101 in an upcoming FB simply because, the last 120 film I took was completely screwed up by a total brain-fart on the metering front by me . . . but hey, this isn't chimping and checking every photograph on a LCD screen - this is photography.
Chance will ALWAYS play a part!

Anyway, onto the prints (at last, you cry!).

I had two small session with this lot - Prints 1, 2 and 3 were printed on Ilford MGRC; Print 4 was printed on Ilford Galerie - Grade 2.
All prints were developed in Kodak Polymax which is liquid Dektol, the legendary cold to neutral print developer. They were fixed in Tetenal Fix. Print 4 was selenium toned.

Here's the dusty bit:

I always pass a negative between my first and second finger in a light wiping motion - pair of finger scissors - close 'em - pull it through. Dust is removed, and particles of gunk aren't deposited over the film - you can also feel the film this way. It's robust stuff. Try it and stop worrying.
If you're using glass carriers, a quick wipe with the back of your hand, removes 99.9% of the dust and eliminates the static that causes it to cling like a nylon dress to your tights (or is that just me?) - it sounds disastrous, but it works beautifully. 
This is a combination of tips from Barry Thornton and the woman who I watched printing from HCB archive negatives - they are simple and effective techniques. 

There - that's saved you a swift twenty for one of those horrible anti-static brushes!

Print 1

Print 2

Print 3

Print 4

Right - have you had a deco at those?

What's that at the back Atkins?
Yes, go on man? 
Contrast?
Yes, c'mon on, spit it out.
Hmmm - they do don't they.

To me, they all look remarkably similar with regard to contrast, yet Print 4 is a standard Grade 2. OK the selenium has given the blacks an extra edge, but it is subtle . . so what is going on?
Well I guess any printing paper is going to have to be a compromise between light sources - according to Ilford's literature, you can expect a difference of around a Grade (!) between condenser and diffusion heads. They also state that Multigrade paper needs a bit of adjustment to reach an acceptable Grade. It took me a while and a lot of trial and error to realise that using MGRC I needed to print on at least Grade 3 to get a print I found acceptable. I've never used MGFB but given the emulsion is the same then that should hold true for that too.

I think this is why I absolutely prefer printing on Galerie . . . there's something about printing on the old warhorse that just seems right. There's no farting about, no split-grade options . . just a quality emulsion on a quality base that will deliver an excellent print if you are careful. Add on this the possibilities of bleaching and toning should you feck it up, then like I said, it's a no-brainer. Expensive, YES, but in terms of wastage and time, I think the cost is probably acceptable.

It was Joe McKenzie who introduced me to it back in the 80's. Galerie then was slightly different - the blacks had a modicum (and I mean a tad) of greenishness to them - this was sorted by selenium toning - that's what Joe always did and I guess I have followed his regime ever since. This being said, these days the blacks on Galerie are neutral - no green, so you don't really have to tone if you haven't got the time or can't be arsed.

If you're still unsure about using it, save a bit of cash and buy a 25 pack - again, not cheap, but it will give you an idea. You'll be really surprised that an 'ordinary' fixed Grade 2 paper, can handle so many variations on a negative . . but it can. And that is part of its beauty. You really don't need to go down the split-grade route. Time spent in the dark can be exhausting - you want something that can lead you down the path to a nice print and not to have to worry about procedure.

I've said it before and to many people - with an average negative, there's a good chance that you can produce an acceptable print by just printing on one grade (and yes, this even works on multi-grade paper . . just because you have the ability to change grade on the fly, doesn't mean that you actually have to).
Sometimes an 'acceptable' print isn't always possible using one grade (say in the case of heavily underexposed film) and then I would advocate manipulation with dodging/burning/bleaching/toning . . . but on the whole, printing should be a relatively simple process.
You really don't need a wizard's cloak and a split grade printing degree - that has always seemed like over-complication to me.
But that's just me - if you disagree, feel free to come round for an afternoon stuffed into my tiny darkroom with me and the DeVere - just bring a gas mask and a SWAT team..

Anyway, that's a pile of reading you've done to get to here.
WELL DONE.
I've no idea why you've read all this, but if you've been able to take any wee tips from my own personal procedures, and (most importantly) have found them to work, then good.
I am chuffed about that.
As I said at the start, I think this is the way FB is going to go from now on . . but maybe with not as much explanation.
So, till the next time - happy hunting, take care, and if you know anyone who wants 200 tons of excess sprouts, use the contact form at the side of the page

Last Drops Of A Golden Summer

Well, there I was with actual time on my hands to do stuff . . so what did I do? Yep, had a good sort through the darkroom.

There were rather a lot of old boxes of paper, and a lot of (seemingly empty) 25 sheet envelopes. 

I've always known that I had some Forte Polywarmtone left, but in my mind it was one sheet . . . had I read the envelope, I'd have seen it was 3, the last time I inspected the interior . . er . . . nearly 7 years ago . . gulp.

I don't know about you, but I think I hate digital photography more now than I did then, simply because in its wake the death-knell of many many fine papers and companies rang loud around the world, including Forte, whose Polywarmtone is the subject of this 'ere blog.
This, legendary (and I don't bandy that about lightly) paper - long gone to the great darkroom in the sky - is a tragic casualty, and meanwhile some digital fecker is groaning on about his jets clogging up. 

Saints alive, from the experience pov, this is IT - printing with museum grade materials, which will, God willing, outlast us all, only to be munched on by the cockroaches from the end of days . . .

It truly is sad that the choice of materials available to today's hobby printer (or professional) is a tiny slice of what it once was.

However, while we're here, I'll boldly state that for those of us who do still make the effort to print - fortune smiles upon us - for the greatest photographic paper in the world is still made:

Ilford Galerie

It is superb and expensive, BUT, reassuringly easy to print with.
Choose Grade 2 and with careful print manipulation you can take on the world - it's versatile, and perhaps unusually for any paper, really does make any almost any image look superb.
For myself I also get far less spoils with it than anything else.
At the end of the day, if you're going to spend a shedload of time printing some meaningful negatives, then it's a no-brainer.

But, back to the nub of nostalgia and the Forte.

The Last Of The Mohicans
This Was Surface PW-14
Must Have Been In My Darkroom For Around 10 Years

The Instructions
All Well And Good If You Know/Have The Correct Filters
If Not . . Guesswork Involved

It looks old doesn't it, from the Bohemian Chic of the envelope to the typeface used on the instructions, and it is old in its attention to detail and sheer out-and-out quality of materials.
There is little like it any more.

It had a superbly variable warmth (dependant on developer) coupled with easy toning, which yielded a broad palette of nice tones.

It was quite a slow paper both in exposure and development - mind, maybe that is because this is an ancient sample; but then again, a box of Galerie I have that is older comes to full fruition in 120 seconds in Polymax developer, whereas the PWT took 180 seconds plus.
And I do seem to remember when I got the box that it seemed pretty damn slow then, but then I also seem to remember reading that that was a mark of the paper.
There's an interesting article and link to register to buy a box (if it ever goes into production again) here

Anyway, I had to treat it right - it wouldn't do to send this off into the night without a decent image, and I hope I have done it justice.

Looking back through my print archives, I can see that I didn't have the skill or the images to make the most of it before and have only found 2 images that I like printed on it . . . wonder what happened to the other 20???

I mixed up fresh fix and stop. The Kodak Polymax developer was mixed not that long ago so was fine, and into the dark I went.

I'll confess that it has been well over a year since I printed on fibre paper which is shocking, so the quiet rhythm of darkroom work took a small amount of time to get used to again, but once you've learned to ride Ansel's bicycle, well . . .

I spent 6 exhausting hours from start of printing to end of toning and start of washing because I also printed the same negatives (plus a couple of others) on Galerie. I wanted a comparison between the two for this 'ere blog, because I thought you lot would be interested . . so stop yawning at the back!

It was fun with a capital F, and my intention is to spend more time doing it.

I take a fair amount of photos, and to not print many of them . . well, what is the point in taking so many photos - capiche?

And so, to the prints - they're all 800 dpi scans from the prints themselves and I'll detail the details as it were underneath.

I'll also say that just for fun I tried to match the prints with equivalent ones printed on the ancient Galerie - it was semi-hard to match exposure, but I took it on the chin for the team . . . and only actually matched two of them.
Well, it did seem a bit extravagent.

Anyway, anon . . .

Forte Polywarmtone
Somewhere Near Grade 3?
Who knows, but it was Selenium Toned

Ilford Galerie - Grade 2
Selenium Toned

Yes I know, the Galerie print is a fair bit more exposed - it was very difficult to do and I certainly wasn't going to use another sheet of (expensive) paper just to furnish this blog with more testing.

I am super happy with the Galerie print as it reflects the feel of the day. The PWT print is very lightweight and 'airy'.

As you can see it is no slouch as a paper though - I would say fine detail is equal in both.

The negative this came from was Ilford Delta 400, EI 200, developed in Pyrocat-HD.

Both prints were lightly toned with Kodak Selenium 1:20 too.

One thing you can't get from this is the surface quality of both prints. I prefer glossy finishes and that's what they are, but what I will say is the finish on the PWT is utterly sublime - it is glossy and silky and rather than reflecting light all over the place as a lot of glossies do, it holds it and adds it as an extra dimension.

That sounds like bollocks, but it is my impression of it.

Even Adox in their wishes to revamp the paper say that it will be impossible to replicate that surface ever again . . .

Nothing like ramping up the pressure on my last three pieces then 😅

Forte Polywarmtone
Unknown Grade.
Bleached And Then Selenium Toned

Ilford Galerie Grade 2
Selenium Toned
Digital Scanning Footery

I rather like this image in an old and decrepit way.

It was exposed on a piddle-i-dee afternoon in Moffat. It was chucking and I was moving about with the Rollei T seeing what I could find. I came across an abandoned cottage and it had outbuildings in the back garden that were in a serious state of disrepair. This room looked like it had been someone's cosy den at one point - but that must have been a couple of decades ago.

The texture of the curtain mixed with the very subtle reflections of glass (barely discernible in the terrible light) made for an image that cried out neglect and disappontment and abandonment.
You could feel the buildings' pain.
At that time (early 2017) there were a number of properties in the town that were like that, which was very unusual. I always remember the town as a place of polite well-to-do-nes; of friendly old ladies who were very accepting of incomers; of youngsters who were less welcoming and a crowd inbetween who were fine!
It was a place of clean (but fading) moneyed cliquiness and a quiet fortitude.
I like/liked it A LOT.

Anyway, I've cheated . . . the Galerie print is poor, so I've lightened it a bit in 'Photos' - I dunno, I got arse over elbow and mucked up my timings. 

The PWT though . . . that is another story.

What I was dealing with was a terribly under-exposed negative. Y'see what I'd done when taking the picture, was grit my teeth, stopped down a tad (just to get the ivy and the curtain) and shot it at 1/8th at f8.

The film was TMX 400, 2 years past its expiry date and the EI was 200.
Well-expired films do need a bit of extra oomph in exposure, but sadly this was a guess too far.
The light was terribly poor and everything was fairly dreich.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, it isn't easy to print.
As such it was a tad more exposed than I thought suited the subject matter, so after a while in the washer, I took it out, and bleached it lightly in Potassium Ferrycyanide.
Interestingly this has taken some micro-highlights that weren't at all obvious and given a sort of streaking to the lower right quadrant - fortunately that has given some form to some of the very very slight reflections that were present on the glass.
On the whole I like the rendition

And so, to possibly the last sheet of PWT ever exposed in the world!

The Bones Of Granton House
Forte Polywarmtone
Unknown Grade.
Bleached And Then Selenium Toned

I rather like this image - it was taken at Granton House in Moffat - a (once) wonderful Georgian House cum hotel which burned down a couple of decades back. It's a shell of a building and rather dangerous, so if you are tempted to visit, don't put our head through a lintel - it could well collapse. There's the wreck of a van in the garden, as you can see above, it looks rather like the slumped skull and tusk of some mechanical elephant and I'd never noticed that till I typed this.

It was a hot spring day, the fields surrounding the house were full of the wash and debris of the severe storm of Winter 2017 when the whole town was cut off.
I know this area well - it is the product of such weathering - but that storm must have been something else; the fields were full of small boulders - quite something.

I am glad this was my last image on PWT, though strangely none of the legendary warmth comes through - I'll put that down to using Kodak Polymax developer (liquid Dektol) which is neutral to cold, and then toning in Selenium 1:20 for a couple of minutes.

All the lovely subtleties of light the Rollei's single coated lens has let through though, are present in the negative and on the print. 

I like it a lot actually.

I didn't make a Galerie print of this - maybe at some point in the future, but tbh I was ker-knackered as I had made another set of prints for another article. 

It was 6 solid hours of work - thoroughly enjoyable work.

And that's about it - if you print you'll understand the trails and tribulations; if you don't, well, I know it is easy for me to say from my high castle and guerilla darkroom/cupboard, but you should try and learn it. 

The final, physical image, is IT to me. 

To take light and time and atmosphere, and even emotion, and distill it into something you can hold and look at, well, it really is the whole point as far as I am concerned.

So, Forte Polywarmtone. 

Good luck Adox - I think it is going to be a difficult job.

I had great pleasure using up the last of my supplies and hope I have done it some justice.

TTFN - thanks for reading, and if you could help me across that road I'd be forever grateful . . . 

Lost Light

I KNOW, time is pressing; it's a few days before Christmas and you're rushing around, adjusting the pressure on the sprouts in the pressure cooker, wrapping pressies, having a fit . . . there's no time to read this!
So listen, just you go and do what you want to do and come back to this when you have time.

Just bring your own bottle next time you lousy freeloader you . . . 

Look, OK, I Know They're GNOMES!

Well, The Season is upon us again, and like last year, where I wished I'd taken more pictures during the year, I can honestly say that this year I haven't.
In fact film stats have been totally pathetic . . . and if you throw in a bare THREE sessions in the darkroom with RC paper (gargh!) then you can see:

'E's been a very naughty boy . .

This being said, I still think I can do what is fast becoming a Christmas Tradition here at Sheephouse Turrets . .

Ye Olde Annual Sheephouse Roundup

Oh yes, from the countless comments I've had - well, at least 7   - this is a popular read.

So without further ado, and because I know you're desperate to finish off that bottle of home-made 90% proof Egg Nog, I shall start where all good years start:

January

Ah, the month of post-Crimbo recovery where the delights of the curling, mayo-soaked Turkey sandwich quickly start to pale.

I started the year with good intentions, and especially with regard to my Large Format photography which has been totally neglected for a couple of years, but alas and lackaday, viewed from writing this in December, my enthusiasm came to naught.
I think part of that might be down to the nagging thought:
"How the hell do you make a photograph as good as this?"

Walker Evans
Portrait Of Hazel Hawthorne Werner c.1930

I was fortunate enough to pick up a first edition Walker Evans book (First And Last) for a small handful of quids, and there was another photograph from this session in there.
Heading towards 90 years old, this portrait of a (by all accounts) maverick, spirited young woman transcends those years and changes and could quite easily have been taken today.
Except it wasn't.
Look closely and you'll see a master at work.
The incredibly narrow depth of field; the stunning catchlights; the sheer non-pose; the blemishes. Damn, it is honest and raw and real . . and made with a Large Format camera.
With my arse firmly kicked, I folded down my front standard, compacted the bellows and retreated . .

Yes, January was an interesting month from the point of view that my lovely DeVere was unwell. Well it wasn't really, not in a life-threatening way, but in the annoying sense, because the bulb holder went! Bing-bang-biff-boff-pow it did and then it lit no more.
Now if you own a 504, maybe you'll not know it yet, but that lovely 24 Volt 250 Watt bulb requires a holder that can take the post-nuclear heat of the bulb chamber. It gets blindingly bright and red hot in there, even with the fan, so, if your bulb holder gets taken out by a rogue Chinese bulb, then here's the solution - what you need is a Gx5.3/Gy6.35 Low Voltage Lamp Holder. 

The one I got was made by Bender and Wirth, so German. High quality, and with some judicious manouevering, it fits.

http://www.bender-wirth.com/katalog/katalog.php?lan=1&BASE_KEY=GX5.3

I believe from memory mine is the 961 model. I also added some high temperature shrink around the bits where the cable joins the spade ends (I'd had to cannibalise those from the holder that had gone caput).

 

While you are there you might want to have a butchers at your bulbs. Basically, if it is Chinese or PRC, throw it out. It will shatter, and in may case it took out the bulb holder too.

You are safer spending money and either finding some NOS British or USA or European made bulbs or buying new:

Philips Focusline (Made in Europe)

GE Quartzline (Made in USA)

But seeing as production shifts around so much these days you are best checking with the vendor where they are made.

Trust me - you'll be glad you checked.

February

Ah, season of mists and solid coughing fits!
Well this year we were treated to THE BEAST FROM THE EAST!
Fellow blogger and pal, Bruce of the Online Darkroom was trapped in a car on the M80 for 18 hours . .  . without a camera!
I finished off a roll of Tri-X I'd popped into the olde Nikon F with the 24mm Nikkor (possibly my favourite 35mm lens) and popped another roll of Tri-X into the Leica M2/35mm Summaron combination. 
The difference between the two was notable - the Nikon being solid and I was able to shoot exactly what I saw; the Leica was intuitive and on the fly, seat-of-the-pants shooting - very different in a "snap first ask questions later" sort of way.
I mulled both experiences over and decided I preferred the Nikon way. That 100% viewfinder makes all the world of difference.

View From The Bus
Leica M2, 35mm f3.5 Summaron, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
#73 Bus, Dundee, 2018

Sadly, due to being in a hurry, I developed the Nikon film in some old (but not that old) Rodinal-type developer (R09 for all you fact fans) . . and the whole film was blank, saying to me that the developer was dead. It felt like a bereavement. Never happened before. 'New' Rodinal types have not the slightest bit of longevity of the proper old Agfa stuff . . and that's why I'll never use it again.

March

The Beast was still Beasting, so I took advantage of all that snow (calf-deep in places) and loaded a roll of Delta 400 into the Hasselblad and had a mini-explore of an area right next to me, but which I had been unaware of in the 20 years we've lived here. The path had more than likely existed all that time, but hadn't at all been obvious till the Council decided to add some new steps. Anyway, it takes me down beside a school and thence through what must have been at one time the lost footings and gardens of grand houses, then over a railway bridge and out onto a main arterial route.

I had a great time using the 500C/M - easily one of the finest cameras I have ever used.

The Beast Visits The Harris
(Yeah I Know It's A Bit Squinty - It Was F'in Freezin' Right)
Hasselblad 500C/M, 60mm Distagon, Delta 400, Pyrocat-HD
Harris Academy, Dundee, 2018

The enjoyable experience made me think that I'd really like a better walkabout camera too. I love my Rollei T, but you know what GAS is like, was there something better out there?

I had also become enamoured with the 24mm Nikkor, really enjoying the really wide perspective of photography. I put two and two together and rather than investing in a large and heavy 40mm for the 500C/M, a thought came and hit me over the head like an enthusiastic mugger:

THE HASSELBLAD SWC!

Looking around I discovered that they were getting scarce and expensive, so with the encouragement of my darling wife and the thought that I could (like my Father) be dead in 10 years time, I thought Feck it, and bought one.

It was a 1982 SWC/M with the more desireable Prontor CF shutter, just serviced from the good chaps at Ffordes. A lot of money (borrowed off my son) and a couple of years paying back . . but it really was love at first feel.

This is him - left and right profile:

He's got a few scrapes on the finder, but in reality most of the battle scars are on the film back - which was serviced, just looks a tad rough.
My feelings about the camera were to be cemented when I processed the first film.
It was tough getting my head around the field of view - this is the best of a bad bunch:

Dawn Dog
Hasselblad SWC/M
Dundee, 2018

You really have to get your whole perspective (sic.) around that wide view though - it isn't an easy camera to use initially - the need to get as close to everything as possible really is quite different . . however, that clean, undistorted image is well worth it.
To cut a long story short . . . I love it.

April

Lee Friedlander
Peter Exline, Spokane, Washington 1970

This photograph, made my jaw hit the floor the moment I saw it - it contains almost everything I like in a photograph, weird metaphors, a photographer, sunlight and reflections. On the latter it is utterly subtle but they're there in a "WTF How did he do that?" sort of way. Allied to that the large arrow of light pointing to the guys temple and the striping of his face make you think you're entering some weird world of ritual and symbolism.

And there, Stage Left . . Mr. Lee Friedlander. I'd known his photos (selected ones) for years, but upon reading that he almost exclusively used the Superwide I investigated further and discovered a delight of humour and ideas. Have a look for yourself.

Inspired, I headed out with the SW and tried to see what I could do.

She's So . . . Modern!
Hasselblad SWC/M, Delta 400, Pyrocat-HD
Dundee, 2018

This was my favourite.

I don't know what it is about it.

Her obvious delight at being a stereotype?

His obvious delight at having a young woman flash her gnashers at him?

The gnashers and reflection of window bars being almost as one?

The legend at the top:

"Leanne's Delight Is Our Customers Rewarding Their ???"

Actually, I think it is the way her hair has been rendered by the Biogon.
It's spot-on to my eyes.

At the end of April, after a years' absence, I took to the mountains and came back with just about my favourite landscape photograph of all the landscape photographs I've ever taken.

It was courtesy of the SW.

I also got others I was proud of with the 150mm Sonnar, but this, this is it to me:

Lost Burn, Glen Doll
Hasselblad SWC/M, Delta 400, Pyrocat-HD
Clova, 2018

Rather like Leanne's hair, the Biogon has rendered the grass and light in such a way as to be almost ethereal to my eyes.
It was chucking with rain at this point, and the light was terrible - sheltering under trees, guarding the camera from giant drops that were gathering and, er, dropping from the canopy above wasn't easy.
I was lucky to have bought home any bacon at all.

May

Ah, well there I was, on the cusp of some DIY. our sitting room hadn't been decorated in 18 years - it was tired, and at that point in time I thought to myself "Y'know, the paper and woodwork is a mess. Why not strip it all back and start again."

N'er a truer word is said in jest, and little did I know then that what I was about to start on, would be the hardest physical job I have ever done . . . and I've done a few. But this, this was something else.

I blithely peeled back a corner of peeling lining paper and got my scraper out . . .

November 

and 6 months later I finished . . .

I won't bore you about trying to Escape From Alcatraz With A Teaspoon, but that is what it was like.

I won't bore you with trying to clean up half-done scraping jobs filled with polyfilla, lining papered over and then varnished on top of that; nor will I rant about the clouds of fine dust that burst from a woodwork undercoat/ground made from a thick mix of Linseed Oil, Lead Oxide and fine Plasterer's Sand; a ground that was in truth harder than concrete. 

Underwear hanging around your knees saturated with sweat? 

8 pints of water drunk in one afternoon to deal with dehydration? 

Carbide scraper blades blunted in a couple of hours? 

Chaos, mess and more chaos? 

Drops of wallpaper 1 metre wide and 3.3 metres long?

It was all of that and more . . nearly 60 square feet of sheer exhaustion. 
What a job.

This is a small snapshot of the wallwork . . . add into this the paintwork which encompassed 4 doorways, one 9 foot tall window and allied skirting . . . och you get my drift!

Clear Striations - Antique Wallpapers Welded Together

Cultural Vandalism - I Am Not Proud Of Myself For This
But It Had To Be Done

Like Thick Lino.
After I'd Removed The Top Layers, I was Left with a 3mm Thick
Layer Of Soldified Concrete.
Steam And Chemical Stripping Didn't Work . . AT ALL.

Progress?

Possibly

At the end of May, fed up of scraping I got up super-early and headed out with the SW, only to be beaten by tide timings, so Dundee city centre it was!
This was my favourite from that session - to my mind it looks like something from 'proper' Soviet times:

Comrade Dennis
Hasselblad SWC/M, HP5, Pyrocat-HD
Tay Bridge, 2018

I liked the look of HP5 in PHD so much, that for 2019 most of my faster film will be it. Plus it's the cheapest good quality named fast film you can get at the moment.

I had one more visit to the city centre with my camera before the end of the month

Cultural Upgrade
Hasselblad SWC/M, HP5, Pyrocat-HD
Dundee, 2018

The above is a scan from a 6x6cm contact print, so not a proper print (no time).
I was astonished by this Cultural Upgrade, solicited by Dundee City Council in a wee lost lane, called Mary Ann Lane (it's next to the Bus Station of you're interested).
The hummingbird is ok - nice colours, but the debris left behind (this was typical of the whole lane which too had been 'treated' to some lovely street art) was something else - I would say the Tesco Savers Lager tins outnumbered the spray tins by about 10 to 1!
Nice work if you can get it.
Oh to be an artist . . sigh . . .

St. Paul's Court Portal
Hasselblad SWC/M, HP5, Pyrocat-HD
Dundee, 2018

I wrote about this delightful place in FB at the time, so I'll say no more except pack the disinfectant gel and remember to wipe your feet after you've visited (it's right opposite Gelatly Street in Dundee if you're a visitor - cross the Seagate; see that pend? pass the bins and turn left).
I am super-chuffed with this print. It is on Ilford MGRC and was printed on Grade 3; I must make the time to make a proper archival one on Galerie.
The thing I love about it, is the combo of HP5 and Pyrocat-HD and how they have interacted with the Biogon. Have a decko at the detailing of that door-grill. Most lenses I've used (including decent LF ones) would get nowhere near that balance of detail and tonality.
Like I said . . super-chuffed!

June

The consequence of all that blood sweat and tears was that, in the finest Summer people could recall for years, I spent most weekends indoors working like a blue-arsed fly.

Photography?
That was for mortals! 
Printing?
That was for moles! 
Hah, what need had I of that when all I thought and talked about was scraping fecking walls and woodwork.

Well actually, that's not all true.

St Andrews Bottie gardens provided a day out for some not very good photos on really ancient (around 5 years expired) TMX 100. Sadly all fairly underexposed because I'd set the wrong EI on the light meter AND underdeveloped them . . where's that kipper???

Underexposed, Underdeveloped Hothouse
Hasselblad SWC/M, Anciente TMX 100, Pyrocat-HD
St. Andrews Botanical Gardens

We did manage to get some R&R (not rock n'roll, though there was plenty of that played whilst scraping) and a couple of days out, plus a really lovely stay in Edinburgh

I used the Rollei T as a walkabout in Edinburgh and it was very fine. I even had a dreamy-eyed old Dutchman come up to me in a cafe, point at it and say:

"Aaah, Rolleiflex!".

He used to have one . . and by the look of it, he was going home to buy another one.

I've not had a chance to properly print any of these, so they're scans off of the contacts.

Waiting For My Friends
Rolleiflex T, Delta 400, Pyrocat-HD
Moffat, 2018

Weird Afternoon
Rolleiflex T, Delta 400, Pyrocat-HD
Edinburgh, 2018

July
My favourite month, and did I see much of it?
Did I feck!
Feeling like a Morlock, I worked hard at paid work during the week and at the weekends came home and threw myself against the massed canons of ancient decor:

 Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
   Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
   Rode the six hundred.

Your valiant scribe eschewed all thoughts of a nice cold beer with the missus in the garden and donned a heavy duty face mask and industrial gloves instead.
Relaxation?
Pah, that's fer wimps!

August
Covered in clouds of Lead Oxide dust, flakes of old paint and a white residue of sanded filler, I soldiered on.
Man it was HOT.

September

For a period of two weeks I was banished from my ladder . . . 
I had to do something . . 
Anything that didn't involve swearing and tears.. 
Now what was it?
Ah, the annual break . . so Brussels it was!

If you've never been, GO. 
It is quaint and posh, downtrodden and chic; a city of character, great food, astonishing beer and really interesting things to see and do. 
This was our second visit, and honestly, I'd go back again. 
It felt like a home from home.

I took a Nikon F3 (for its metering capabilities) and a 28mm f2.8 Nikkor (late version . . another bargain actually) - film was Tri-X. 
I loved using the F3 with a proper Ai-S lens . . . 

Why on earth was the digital camera ever invented???

Three Girls Waiting For Their Friend
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
Adam Museum Of Design, Brussels, 2018

Dirk Frimout - The Belgian Spaceman
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
Brussels Planetarium, 2018

Portal To The Underworld
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
Basilica Of The Sacred Heart
Brussels, 2018

A Quiet Moment
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
Petite Sablon
Brussels, 2018

Impossible To Get A Boring Photograph
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
Atomium
Brussels, 2018

Les Pionniers Belges Au Congo
Thomas Vinçotte (1921)
Nikon F3, 28mm f2.8 Ai-s, Tri-X, Pyrocat-HD
Cinquantenaire Park
Brussels, 2018

October
The push was on! Not only was I working on the deco at weekends, but also evenings!
I chatted many times with Bruce about getting out and taking photographs . . he even cleaned out his darkroom (!) but still I had no time for anything other than The Grand Finish.
It was at this point that hope disappeared.
Faced with the underside of a horizontal doorframe lintel, where I'd missed scraping the nightmareish ground, I broke down and had a good cry.
Then I had a good swear.
Then I scraped it, manned up and strode forth refusng to trim my beard till it was all done! 

November 
Weird though - it got to the point in November where I seriously began to doubt my own sanity.
Everything I turned my hand to needed tweaking or sorting or putting right - I was spending 10 hour days working at the weekends with 15 minute lunch breaks. 
I lost weight, lost tools, and lost my mind.
It wasn't just crazy, it was super-crazy-with-knobs-on . . .
Despite this and the odds being against me, eventually,  I got there.

Yes I Know It Is Out Of Focus OK!
That's What Happens When You Don't Concentrate

The above is an example of why you should treat a SWC/M like a Large Format camera and perform a check of everything before you operate the shutter:

Composition ✔️
Lighting ✔️
Exposure ✔️
Focus ❌
Also, it is a tiny scan from a contact print, so stick that in yer pipe and smoke it.

Anyway, eventually, the carpet was laid and furniture assembled. 
My beard, which had been tripping me up, was trimmed and a bottle of champagne cracked in celebration.

December

Yep - that's now.

I'd planned on getting to the hills before the snow arrives in earnest, but it was not to be. The remnants of storm Diedre (?why did they have to start naming storms? I have no idea and will chalk it down to some touchy-feely brain-storming session at the Met Office) was bringing in freezing rain and snow, so I chickened out.

Still, the streak of grim determination cultivated over the Summer got me out and about - there was no way I wasn't going somewhere to photograph something - this was the first 120 film I was going to use since June  . . .

And I did it!

I'll detail the trip in the post-Festive FB . . it was quiet and relatively quick . . but FUN and made me think about a lot of things photographically and also how I am going to move FB forward . . but more on that next year.

Just for now here's a sample.

A Quiet Path To A New Year
Hasselblad SWC/M, Ilford Delta 400, Pyrocat-HD
Wormit To Balmerino, 2018

But until then folks enjoy The Festives.

And that as they say is that.

Thank you all so much for reading this drivel over the year - I hope some of it makes sense. 

Good luck for Next Year.
Make time for photographs that count.

Now if one of you could help me with these compression stockings . . . that should disguise me nicely.