Beningbrough Hall Garden

I’ve shared photos of Beningbrough Halls Gardens before and every time we visit I get a bit giddy because it is exactly the time of thing I love photographing. Old green houses - check, flowers - check, gorgeous textures that make the happy synapses in my brain ping - check!

These photos are from the rolls of film that I developed myself and its probably taken me this long (over a year yikes) to get over the frustration of these images not being completely perfect. I love the grain but the water stains and the marks I still find incredibly frustrating because I know they are due to my own mistakes rather than it being something out of my control.

Maybe I owe Beningbrough Hall another visit to try again so I can get it right ha.

Camera: Canon EOS 750
Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 - sent to me by Kodak Alaris and developed and scanned by myself (flaws and all )
Location: Beningbrough Hall

Falling back in love with film

I’ve been overthinking - like I do - about why I’ve struggled with film so much recently. One is the weight of equipment physically, I just can’t carry as much for as long anymore thanks to chronic illness (anyone have any tips for light film cameras they looooove?). So I’ve been using my phone and then not sharing photos anywhere (second question - would people mind me sharing digital phone photos here..? Would I mind, I used to… Hmm, I’ll over think on it) But the other thing - the thing I couldn’t figure out wasn’t as obvious until I found the right photo that highlighted the issue and here it is…

Looking at this photo, my first thought was ‘Eeep!! Look at the colours on that!’ and then my second was ‘there is no way I could have got those colours scanning this film myself’. And I realised, that I hadn’t fallen out of love with film photography but instead with all the other ‘stuff’ that goes with it. I got caught up in the ‘internet prestige’ (for lack of a better term) of developing and scanning photos myself… and I didnt realise how much I really chuffing disliked it haha.

There is something so infruitating about scanning colour film that honestly makes me ragey to my gut, everytime something is too green, or too purple, I want to punch a wall. And there is something about dust particles on a scanned film that you’ve wiped a million times with the right kind of cloth and blown on the scanner with the stupid puffer thing that makes me want to scream. Perhaps if I had the time, money and effort to dedicate to a better scanner and scanning programme I would do it better. But then again, probably not… I am a perfectionist and in doing a process and not getting it 100% as I wanted, I just wasn’t enjoying myself anymore.

Thankfully - Take It Easy Lab opened in Leeds around the same time that I had a crack at developing film myself and ended up loosing two films to the chemicals - and suddenly I had a local film business to support that I was more than happy to send my money to! And here we are, I have a photo that I’m absolutely thrilled with, a process that is a lot easier, less stressful and a much happier sense of self for it.

Camera: Olympus OM-10
Film: Fuji Superia 200
Location: Sandilands, Lincolnshire
Developed by: Take it Easy lab (not an ad, just a very grateful nod to them for saving my sanity)

p.s. I hope my prestige isn’t too damaged by this revelation… eep

Pulled through a hedge backwards maybe?!

Way back in 2019 I shared the first photos from this roll of Dubblefilm Pacific that Analogue Wonderland generously sent me - and the unexpected results that it had. These photos are not meant to look like this - they are meant to look ‘crisp and subtle, with imbued subtle blue or green overtones’. They are not meant to look like the roll has been pulled through a hedge backwards and possibly even stomped on (please note - I did neither of these things - and also that I wouldn’t get these results if I had actually tried that ha).

Oh the joy of film and its persistent occurances of WTF and FFS keeping us on our toes.

I’ll be honest - I don’t hate the results. Sure I’m still a bit gutted as it looks like the film should have gorgeous results but theres something old worldy about these with the speckles and marks. Maybe they were taken in 2019 - or maybe 1919 - who knows!

Film: Dubblefilm Pacific 35mm - generously given to me by Analogue Wonderland (Who had no idea I would be such a risk in producing such unexpected surprises haha, or indeed that I could milk a roll of film for two years across my blog! Please visit their awesome website and buy their stuff - support our film friends!)

Camera: Canon EOS 750
Location: Filey, England

More OM-10 love

Now that the restrictions have eased in England, we’ve been able to see family, friends and just general people out and about. Its funny how I used to deliberately avoid people in my photos but after being at so many empty places in the last 18 months, its been really lovely to see people visiting areas again. Though I do still prefer them at a distance ha!

I’m also so pleased that we finally got to go to the beach again, after possibly the longest time I’ve ever spent away from it. This Norfolk gal at heart did not like being away from the sound of the sea and feel of the sand! Luckily our next visit to the beach is only in a matter of weeks rather than months.

Camera: Olympus OM-10
Location: Lincolnshire Coast
Film: Fuji Superia 200