Last post I wrote about how I enjoyed my visit to Speke Hall, a National Trust property on the outskirts of Liverpool. These few images are from my second roll, this time one of my Ilford FP4 (20 year old movie stock). I also shot a roll of Ilford Delta 400, in the very dark interior and a few frames of colour in the gardens, so I’m afraid you have a few more to look forward to yet!
I’ve now gelled with the Nikon F3, and the 35mm lens. That combo might now have overtaken the Pentax ME Super and 50mm in the favourite spot. Either way I’m pleased with the images I got. The fact of the the matter is that if I manage to get a couple of images that I really like and want to print from a roll, then I’m happy with that. That’s not to say the others are rubbish, just sometimes it take me a few angles to “find” the photo.
I remember seeing a Michael Wood documentary about King Arthur, featuring a jewel, looking not unlike a letter opener, that carried the text “Arthur had me made” that stuck with me, and I was remined of it when I saw the above – a voice from ages past.
You may be surprised to find out that the location of this Tudor Mansion, is literally at the end of the John Lennon, Liverpool Airport runway. If you were to walk from the house down to the Mersey, and through the gate you would emerge here…
In the image above, the raised gantry in the foreground carries the landing lights out into the Mersey following the line of the runway. Back inside the grounds of the Hall there is a viewing platform. I spent about 10 minutes, and saw a couple of middle size planes take off and a couple more land. I used my 180mm Nikkor, the one where the auto focus is faulty, but still seems to operate flawlessly on the F3!
Not all the photo’s were a success. Below I manged to do exactly what I intended technically, it just didn’t work as a photo! I find the background too fussy, and the flower to small. Oh well – next time…..
S.H.O.U.T. 