A trip to Madrid with my Leica M6 TTL and Rollei Retro 80S Film

Back in the beginning of March I went to Madrid for a long weekend with my husband for his birthday.

I knew there would be some great historic streets to take some photos so thought it would be a great opportunity to use my Leica M6 TTL.

I also knew that I wanted to take black and white photos. I really love the results I’ve obtained from the Rollei Retro 80S film in the past with other cameras as I love the high contrast. I therefore took this film with me.

Here is a sample of some of the photos I took during my trip:

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I took two examples of this photo – one with people walking in it and one without. I still can’t make up my mind which one I prefer as I quite like the street photography style with the people in it:

I then headed to the gardens in Madrid and took some photos:

We came across a cute little ice cream parlour during our walk back from the gardens with a mirror in the shop front so I took a selfie using my camera:

The apartments in Madrid looked really beautiful and very grand:

On our walk back to our hotel, we came across a retro sushi restaurant called Le Club Sushita. It was decorated with original 1960s furniture and walls and I instantly fell in love with the place. It had a really cool late 60’s club feel.

What was even better was the fact that they served amazing sushi which I really loved and we spent a lovely couple of hours in there.

Here is a photo of my husband I took whilst inside the restaurant. I didn’t use a flash but we were sitting near a window with daylight shining through:

On our last day in Madrid I managed to visit the Leica shop which had recently opened there.

It was a lovely shop with a photo exhibition upstairs which I was invited by the staff to have a look at. The staff were really lovely and welcoming to the shop.

Whilst there, I bought a nice red leather camera strap for my Leica which I really love:

The staff in the Leica shop also gave me this really nice Leica Pin Badge:

I really enjoyed my trip to Madrid. I had never been before and it was such a beautiful city to wander round and take photos. I would definitely visit again.

Photos from my Leica M6 TTL camera with the Ilford HP5 Plus 35mm film

The next black and white film I decided to try out in my Leica M6 TTL camera was the Ilford HP5 Plus 400 35mm film.

Here are some photos I took near Brighton Pier whilst walking my dog, Daisy:

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Here are a couple I took of Daisy on the beach:

Here are a couple of random pebble/debris shots:

I spent the afternoon at Brighton Marina and used up the remainder of the film there:

Overall, I really liked the dark and moody feel of these photos. I had taken the photos on a cloudy, overcast day and I think this helped the effect.

I used the 50mm Summicron lens. Again, I was impressed with the crisp detail produced in some of the closer shots, like the beach photos with the pebble detail.

Next week I will be blogging about the results I got from using Kodak Ektachrome e100 in this camera which I’m really excited about sharing with you.

Leica M6 TTL and the Lomochrome Purple 35mm Film

For the second roll of film that I tried out in the Leica M6 TTL, I decided to use the Lomochrome Purple 35mm.

In the past, I’ve really liked the effects of this film so was keen to see what it would look like when taken on the Leica camera.

I initially went down to the local Pavilion area in Brighton where I took these shots:

After taking a couple of the Pavilion, which in my opinion, were rather limited with the amount of the building I could fit in due to the fact I was using the 50mm Summicron Lens, I decided to take some photos of the local plants since I knew the green works quite well with this film:

I still think at this point, there was room for improvement on my focusing of this camera, however, I was quite impressed with the detail of the following photo I took:

I then walked back home along the seafront and took some beach/wave shots:

I was keen to get this film developed asap so decided to use the remainder of the film up in my garden. I was quite drawn to the table and chairs at the back of my garden so took a photo of those:

My cat Robinson loves a lot of attention from me when I’m at home so he came out into the garden and I took a couple of photos of him:

Again, I wouldn’t say the focusing on these two photos was particularly great but there are some nice purple tones in them.

Whilst there were some fun shots taken from this film, I knew that I needed to try out some ‘normal’ style films out in this Leica camera.

I questioned whether I should leave the LomoChrome Purple effect film for my Lomography camera’s rather then use them in my Leica.

Therefore at this stage, I still didn’t feel I had seen the full potential of what this Leica Camera could do.

This made me excited about what film to use next and see what the results would be like which I shall blog about next week.

Until then, stay safe everyone.

Leica M6 TTL Camera and JCH StreetPan 400 Film

When I first got the Leica M6 TTL camera, I knew that I wanted to try out a black and white film in it.

It was winter time so ideally, I wanted to use an ISO 400 film. I had liked the effects of the JCH film in other cameras I had used it in and thought I would try it first.

All the photos were taken using a Leica 50mm Summicron Lens.

I went to my usual spot where I like to test out new (to me) camera’s which was my local cemetery.

I like the peace and quiet there so I can fully focus on the camera and get used to how to use it.

I must admit when I first went to use the Leica, I did struggle getting used to to using a Rangefinder again.

For a couple of years, all I had been mainly using, was SLR’s and it had been a while since I had used a rangefinder camera.

I was slightly nervous whether the light meter would work and knew until I had the film developed, I wouldn’t know.

I decided to get the film developed at my local lab instead of developing it myself.

There are a few that came out quite dark and some, blurry, whilst I got to grips with using a rangefinder again:

You may also see a black line going through some of the photos. This got me into a major panic that there was a fault with my camera.

I checked online about this fault but couldn’t see any problems with the camera that had possibly caused this.

I knew that I would have to see when I got further films developed if they would have this problem.

Since getting further films developed, I’m pleased to report that it doesn’t appear to be a camera fault and I’ve discovered this line tends to appear in my photos when I get the film processed in an hour rather than waiting a couple of days. I’m not sure why that is at my local lab? perhaps it’s to do with the quicker time of drying them?

Unfortunately I don’t quite know enough about film developing to know the answer but perhaps someone reading this blog may be able to shed some light on the reason?

Here are a couple where I was quite impressed with the detail:

Overall, I think some of the photos came out ok for my first attempt at using this camera. Although I can’t deny it, I felt somewhat deflated after seeing the black lines in some of the photos.

Also, I realised that I perhaps made the wrong film choice when trying out this camera for the first time. The JCH film is very grainy and contrasty and I don’t think the way I shot it, showed the full potential of what this camera and lens combo could do.

I look forward to blogging in the next few weeks about other films I’ve since used in the Leica and my verdict on using them.

Film Inventory

So the past few weeks for me have been a complete write off with regards to taking photos outdoors.

I had a couple of photo walks planned over the two weekends prior to the one just gone, to different places outside of Brighton, but in the end I had to cancel both due to the terrible rain we’ve been having.

On one of the days that I cancelled, I decided to have a productive morning of doing an inventory of my film instead.

I had began to notice quite a stash building up in my fridge of a mixture of 110, 35mm, 120 and various instant film.

It’s all piled on top of each other which makes it hard to see. By doing an inventory, I felt it would help me when planning future photography projects, since I can just check my list rather than raid through the film in my fridge, making it all untidy again!

The aim of this inventory list is that I actually start using the film I have rather than just keep buying more.

There seems to be so many new films coming out lately, that I get really excited and have to buy them there and then but right now, I do not want to continue adding to my fridge stash (unless it’s something I see when out and about and not something I can easily buy online).

A good example of this was on Sunday when I visited the Photographer’s Gallery in London. They have an amazing selection of film for sale and the couple I purchased, I knew I wouldn’t easily be able to buy online so decided to add them to my current film stash.

I recently stopped my 120 subscription to Cool Film Club as I was finding that it was quite expensive and I wasn’t using the films instantly, since I didn’t have a photo project in mind for them.

Whilst some people may be proud of their film stashes, I actually hate to see my film just sitting there in the fridge doing nothing.

I also have a tendancy with some of the films that I think are ‘quite special’ to keep on saving them for that ‘special photo project’ which quite frankly doesn’t always happen so it continues to sit there.

My aim is to now try and use up as much of my current stash as possible before I purchase anymore (no more photo shops with unusual film visits for me for a while!).

In some ways I know I will struggle with this, since I want to use everyday black and white film (i.e. Ilford) if I’m taking photos locally where I regularly visit.

This is why I’m trying to currently plan more places to visit outside of Brighton that appeal to me for taking photos which will give me the opportunity to actually use the ‘special films’.

However, once I do finally start to get through my film stash, I’ll be able to then treat myself to more film.

I think it’s the colour film I will struggle to use more as I really do like shooting in black and white and I also like the fact that I then have the option to make these photos into prints in the darkroom, if I’m happy with them rather just scan or digitally print like I currently have to do with colour film.

To be honest, I thought I had used up quite a lot of my film stash during my trips to Turkey and Le Havre back in June but it’s surprising what a fridge can hide since doing an inventory!

Does anybody else do an inventory of their film? If so, have they found it helpful in trying to reduce their current stash?

I would love to hear what you all think about doing an inventory of your film and if like me, you have stashes of film too or whether you tend to just buy film as and when you know you are going to use it.

‘Kosmonauts hit Wapping’ Photo Walk

Back in August I attended a photo walk in London organised by the London Camera Project and Kosmo Foto.

The plan for the day was to meet at CitizenM Tower of London Hotel where we would walk around the Tower of London area, then through Wapping, onto the Tower Bridge and Southwark.

What was also exciting about this photowalk was that everyone attending would receive a 35mm roll of Kosmo Foto film. There were also prizes and rewards arranged throughout the walk.

On this particular occasion, I didn’t have anybody to look after my dog, but I desperately wanted to attend this photo walk and thankfully the organisers were happy for me to bring her along.

My dog Daisy and I travelled up to London via the train from Brighton and I’m grateful that I have a pet who is very good at travelling and we have been to London together before on the train so I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. I’m also able to take her on the Underground which is great.

This is Daisy getting settled on the train on our journey up to london (photo taken on my iPhone):

When we arrived at the CitizenM Hotel a little earlier than the official meeting time, it was quite obvious to see who was there for the photo walk because they had camera’s with them. Since I had Daisy with me, I was unable to enter the Hotel, where a lot of people were waiting. However, this was an advantage too because I was able to chat and guide the people who were there for the walk who wasn’t sure where the group was.

Here is a lovely photo of Daisy taken outside the CitizenM Hotel by @lomo_keiko using her Lomo LCA Camera and Lomography 100 film:

© @lomo_keiko

Daisy is with me most of the time so I’ve developed a skill in taking photos whilst also holding her lead. This meant that she really wasn’t a problem on the walk.

Thankfully, she proved quite popular with the other photographers attending the walk and I think a few photos were taken by them of her.

I decided for this particular photo walk to take my Olympus Pen FT camera with me. Whilst I was tempted to take my Hasselblad 500 C/M, I knew the Olympus would be the most manageable camera to take photos whilst handling a dog at the same time.

Although we were handed a roll of the Kosmo Foto film, I still had a Cinestill B&W film in this camera from some other event where I took photos and didn’t manage to use up the whole of the film (since it’s 72 frames!) so thought it would be best to use it up on this walk. I also knew I wanted to take black and white photos.

Here are some of the photos from the walk:

Here is a photo of Daisy and I taken by @lomo_keiko using my Olympus Pen FT:

This photo was also taken by @lomo_keiko using her Lomo LCA camera and Kosmo Foto film:

© @lomo_keiko

As you may be able to tell, Daisy was quite keen to jump into that river and have a swim!

Lastly, here is a photo of Daisy taken by @ermess_ using his Leica M6 and Kosmo Foto film:

© @ermess_

Whilst on the photo walk, we stopped at a couple of pubs along the way and the final one we ended up at was a really nice bar called Hawkes Cidery & Taproom, where further film photography prizes were handed out. They also serve some lovely Pizza’s which I really enjoyed after all that walking!

Needless to say, I had a lot of fun on this photo walk and it was really nice to meet some new people, as well as catch up with some friends I’d made from previous photo walks.

Whilst I wouldn’t normally take Daisy with me on a photo walk, on this particular occasion, because everyone was very accepting of her, it was really nice to have her out with me and I know she loves to visit new places.

In Le Havre with my Olympus Trip 35

Back in June I visited Le Havre for a holiday where my husband and I travelled across on our boat from Brighton. The journey took us approximately 4 and a half hours which was fairly quick and the sea was lovely and calm during our travel.

Whilst walking around Le Havre, I decided the Olympus Trip would be a perfect, compact film camera to take around with me.

I also decided to try out the Hillvale Holiday 35mm film which has an ISO of 200 and came all the way from Australia:

I had received this film in the Emulsive Secret Santa that I took part in last December and I had been waiting to use it whilst away on holiday somewhere sunny this year.

I initially took some photos around the harbour where we were staying:

We had travelled here for a music festival which happened at the weekend although we decided to spend a whole week in Le Havre.

One of our friends wanted to come to the music festival too but due to work commitments, could only make the weekend part so she travelled over from Brighton on a ferry then stayed on our boat with us for a few days whilst the festival was on. Here is a photo I took of her enjoying the sunshine:

I didn’t take many photos of the architecture since most of the original buildings were unfortunately destroyed during the bombings in early September 1944. This meant Le Havre had a lot of buildings re-built in the 1950s/60s so the whole place had a post modern feel.

I also had time to visit one of the beautiful gardens in Le Havre where I took some photos:

Using this type of film camera for a holiday, really brought back memories of the feel of my holiday photos that were taken back in the 80s/90s.

Using the Flash Shoe Accessory for My Olympus Pen FT

Several months ago I purchased a flash shoe accessory which was made specifically for the Olympus Pen FT.

When I initially fitted it onto the camera, I was really worried about it breaking the plastic around the viewfinder (there are many FT’s I’ve seen for sale with broken plastic on their viewfinders due to this particular accessory breaking them) so I was a bit reluctant to use it for a while….

Here is a close up of the viewfinder of the camera:

Here is a close up of the viewfinder with the flash shoe accessory attached:

However, the other week it was a miserable rainy day in Brighton and I desperately needed a photography fix! So I decided to carefully attach it to my camera and try it out at home by taking photos of my pets.

I had previously bought a Mirage 200 flash which I picked up for around £4 on eBay and it came with new batteries in it so that was a bonus! There was also the metal attachment with it in case I wanted to mount the camera on that instead of using the flash shoe accessory which means the flash sits to the side of the camera.

Here is the flash mounted on top of the camera:

I decided to use my 40mm 1:1.4 G.Zuiko Auto-S lens since I thought this would be good for portrait shots of my pets.

In my 35mm film stash, I had some Kodak Portra 160 colour film which, I decided to use for this project.

The Mirage 200 Flash provides an exposure table on the back of it which, suggested that I shoot at an aperture of f/16 if taking photos of around 1 metre (3 foot) away with a film ISO of 100, or it would be f/22 for ISO 200 film.

Since the lens I was using only goes up to f/16, I decided to shoot on that aperture.

I also had problems with the viewfinder being quite dark whilst shooting indoors so I really had to concentrate on getting the focusing right because it wasn’t very clear.

I ended up having to take photos of my pets over a couple of days since there was 72 shots to use up on the roll of film!

Once I got the film back, I was very pleased with the results! The film had exposed really well.

Here are a couple of photos of my dog, Daisy:

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Here is one of Daisy next to a cushion which I had printed up and made from a Polaroid photo I took of Brighton Bandstand:

Here are a couple of photos I took of my cats:

These final three photos of my cat, Mr Robinson, made me laugh. I can only think I perhaps wasn’t giving him any more treats for the day!

I would definitely use the lower ISO Portra film again for taking indoor photos as I really liked the colours.

Due to my fear of chipping the plastic viewfinder on the camera, I cannot see me using the flash attachment on a regular basis but it’s good to know I’ve got it for when I do need to take some indoor shots using this camera and I’ll just have to be extra careful when mounting the flash.

Cool Film Club

Back in September last year I signed up to Cool Film Club who provide a monthly subscription box service where you get two rolls of 35mm film for £14.75 including postage in the UK.

What I liked about signing up to this was that I was quite excited about receiving different films each month and the surprise element of not knowing what I’d be getting.

On their website they explain that the films will vary from Ilford Delta, Kodak Portra to expired films and other brands that I may never have tried before.

I’m always up for trying new films so thought the subscription box would be a good way of introducing me to some films I perhaps would have never normally bought.

I received my first box in October which was nicely packaged and I always get a free bag of Haribo sweets. They also provide a letter with each box confirming the films that have been sent to me and a little bit of information about each film to help give me an idea of what style photography they may work best for.

Here is a list of the films I’ve received to date:

OCTOBER:- Kodak Portra 160 and Rollei Retro 80s

NOVEMBER:- Kosmo Foto 100 and Kodak Ultramax 400

DECEMBER:- Rollei Redbird 400 and Ilford Pan F Plus 50

In January I received three rolls of film. The first two were Ilford Delta 400 and Konica SR100 (which was an expired film). The third film I received was Pulse which is a pre-exposed, creative film and the reason I received this third roll was because Cool Film had teamed up with Spektrem Effect who were giving away a bunch of this film.

It seems quite a common thing for Cool Film Club to team up with other companies as there was often a discount code of 10% if I got my film developed at SilverPan Film Lab which was a nice touch.

Some people may feel that around £7.38 is a little bit expensive for each film but this does include postage and I liked the fact I was getting a surprise each month which I found quite exciting. To me, it was like getting a little present (at my expense of course!) on a monthly basis.

I personally really enjoyed the subscription and the different types of films I was getting.

However, this month, I decided to cancel my subscription. The main reason was because I’ve really got into medium format photography so now only mainly use 120mm film. I think if I continued to receive the subscription, the film would pile up in the fridge because I wouldn’t really be using it. Also the £14.75 per month is money I could put towards 120mm film which I obviously get through a lot more quickly since it’s only 12 frames per roll.

I did like the thought of receiving a 120mm monthly film subscription and I emailed Cool Film Club and asked them if it was something they would consider but at this stage it doesn’t look like they will be doing this. I also looked online to see if there was anybody else offering this service but currently there doesn’t seem to be which is a shame.

If I found myself shooting lots of 35mm film again like I used to, then I would definitely reconsider signing up to Cool Film Club.

For anybody interested in possibly signing up to their monthly film subscription, their website is:

https://coolfilm.co.uk

Trip Zine Issue 2

A Couple of months ago, I blogged about a new magazine that had recently been published called Trip Zine.

The magazine is completely dedicated to photos taken on the Olympus Trip 35 camera.

Trip Zine recently had asked for submissions for their upcoming second issue and I was pleased to find out that three of my photos taken on the Olympus Trip had made it into the magazine:

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Trip Zine Issue 2 can be purchased at https://www.etsy.com/shop/TripZine