Showing posts with label trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trip. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

An Afternoon Out with a Compact Camera

Recently I wrote a blog about the joys of compact cameras.

In-Praise-of-Compact-Cameras

The compact camera is a great carry around camera and sometimes the thought of carting around a heavy bag full of lenses, camera bodies and all that jazz, it just a bit much.  My 35mm film compact camera of choice at the moment is a Lomo LC-A.  It's definitely not perfect but it produces images that are not dreadful.  This is a very low bar, I know.  

The internet influencers would have you believe that a Yashica T4, Olympus Mju II, Contax T2 or Ricoh GR1S are the best compact cameras for 35mm film and so they may be, but now that the cat is out of the bag the prices match the hype that the influencers create. And that serves no one well, least of all those of us who are on a budget.

The LC-A isn't hyped by anyone, apart from the Lomography people - because they sell them, but that doesn't mean it's no good. Mine is from the early 1980s and is a genuine Soviet built one. You can pick them up for a decent price if you exercise some patience and avoid instant gratification syndrome.  I used the camera for a walk around one of Somersets' prettiest towns Frome a couple of days ago.  Here are the photographs.









Tuesday, 14 July 2026

London - A work trip

 My working life has always included national travel. There was a piece of work that came up recently that meant I needed to go to London for 3 days. While there I took the opportunity to play hooky for an afternoon. My work colleague is a metal detectorist and someone who takes deep dives into history.  The afternoon in question, meant that we had completed the work but our train tickets were booked for the following day (a money saving technique by our employer). So rather than sit around in our hotel or spend the day in a pub (not at £8.75 a pint thank you very much!) we decided to have a walk around London to see the stuff that normally gets left out on guided tours.

Here are a selection of my photographs from that walk.

St Alphege Church near the City of London Wall

St Bartholomew the Great Church

Smithfield Market

St Bartholomew the Great Church


St Bartholomew the Great Church





St Alphege Church near the City of London Wall



Thursday, 9 July 2026

Inverness - A work Trip

Inverness?  But thats in Sconny Botland? Oh well there was work to be completed and EasyJet ran a flight from Bristol Airport to Inverness Airport. I packed my Holga into my bag and a couple of rolls of Black and White film. There may be an opportunity to take some photos. I've been to Inverness a couple of times now and I have enjoyed the trips.  I had a walk around Inverness on the first trip as well as a chance to visit Loch Ness.  These are the resulting Holga Pictures.








Monday, 6 July 2026

Gateshead - A work Trip

 In November 2025, I was dispatched, by EasyJet from Bristol, to complete some work in Newcastle. The flights were not conducive to the normal model of travel to site, do the work and go home again.  This meant that I had an afternoon spare and having taken my trusty Holga GN 120 with me and a few rolls of film, I was able to capture some Holga Pictures. These are the Black and White shots. I did shoot some colour and so I may create a blog with those in.








Friday, 3 July 2026

A forward schedule of activity

 As previously mentioned my work life requires national travel. I have just been given a schedule for the second half of 2026. Hopefully there will be opportunity for photography on some or all of the trips

1)    South Yorkshire - August 2026

2)    Lancashire - September 2026

3)    Nottingham and Lincoln - October 2026

4)    London - November 2026

5)    Sussex and Kent - December 2026

6)    Hampshire - January 2027

7)    Devon and Avon - January 2027

8)    Scotland - February 2027

We shall see what I am able to do. 

I'll keep the Nikon F75 loaded with Kentmere Pan 400 film and travel light. I've been enjoying the Nikon F75 this year. The camera feels great in the hand and all the controls are easy to access. I've paired it with a Nikon fit Voigtlander Ultron SL-II 40mm, which is a lovely sharp lens that allows zone focusing.



Thursday, 2 July 2026

London - A work Trip

In January of 2026, I took a train from my home in Somerset to London. There was work to be completed but not by me. My role was to assure the work and ensure the operational priorities of the customer were accounted for.  I stayed in Stratford in the East of London, by the Westfield Centre.  Being January, cold and lacking light, I decided to do my best with my Holga and push the film.  Not every frame was a winner but there were some nice pictures