andytree101

W is for Wareham

Wareham in Dorset is an old Saxon town. Although there is evidence of Roman, and slightly further afield, Mesolithic activity dating back to 9000 BCE, the oldest thing you can visit are the old walls above. Most likely built by Alfred the Great to keep the invading Danes out. Obviously that didn’t go well asContinue reading “W is for Wareham”

A Walk to Canford with the Pentax SPII

While I had my “Pentax Box Open” deciding to part with the Spotmatic SP – I made sure I clicked the shutter of the SPII a few times to keep it ticking over. I’ve never really stopped and looked at it closely enough to appreciate how close it is to the much lauded K1000, inContinue reading “A Walk to Canford with the Pentax SPII”

One Last Roll: Rolleiflex SL35E

Last time I wrote about Lulworth Castle in Dorset and finished by showing what is believed to be the first “free standing” Roman Catholic chapel built in England after the reformation (1786) (left). There is also another church here – St Andrews. It has an impressive 15th century tower that pre-dates the castle, the restContinue reading “One Last Roll: Rolleiflex SL35E”

Lulworth Castle

Lulworth Castle was completed in 1609. Entrance is via the courtyard pictured above. It was built for Thomas Howard, 3rd Viscount Howard of Bindon. After his death, it was purchased by Humphrey Weld in 1641. It has been in the Weld family ever since, and remains so today. The family now live in a “house”,Continue reading “Lulworth Castle”

Notes from the (not so) darkroom

Sunday last I developed a roll of Foma 200. Nothing new there, but I decided to have a bit of an “end of season chemical clear out” at the same time. For the last 10 rolls of film I’ve been using Barry Thornton’s 2 bath Metol developer (BTTB). I was encouraged to try this byContinue reading “Notes from the (not so) darkroom”

FP4 at Longham Lakes

I took a local walk around Longham Lakes recently. They are pretty well hidden, yet just off the A348. To make matters worse there is no public parking there, so the only real option is to walk the last distance along the busy main road. It’s a pity and not ideal, but ultimately worth itContinue reading “FP4 at Longham Lakes”

P is for Portesham

You may have noticed I’ve made a couple of posts with similar titles. I’ve done A,B and C. So what’s that about? Well as mentioned before, I’ve half decided that going forward, I’m going to shoot little or no more colour film, but sticking to B/W. That is after I’ve used up my colour stashContinue reading “P is for Portesham”

So how good is FP4?

You may remember for a couple of years I worked my way through 400 feet of Ilford FP4 movie film. I thought I’d finished it all up, but then found a last roll at the bottom of a camera bag. By then I’d rolled off 30.5m of Foma 200, that I’ve started using. I justContinue reading “So how good is FP4?”

Piddle, Puddle or Trent #8 (final)

As we leave Aff’, Briants’ and Turners – Puddle behind us, so too we leave the green river valley with the quaint Dorset, chocolate box cottages decked with roses. Now the river meanders across Bere Heath, more open and sandy. Here it’s either very difficult or outright impossible to follow the river. Below from theContinue reading “Piddle, Puddle or Trent #8 (final)”

Single Photo: Sunflower Head/Orchid Leaf

I grew 7 sunflower plants this year, 6 made it to maturity in the garden, all of them made over 6 feet tall, one randomly to at least 10 feet. Then we had a windy day, all was well except one, the cane holding it broke, and it fell. I chopped up the stalk andContinue reading “Single Photo: Sunflower Head/Orchid Leaf”