Pig Sty Avenue

 According to Alex Kilbee on YouTube , his first practical exercise at Photography school was to go out and find photos of the entire alphabet from things that looked like letters. So, you couldn't use, say, the P sign that signifies a car park; instead, find a shadow made by a oddly shaped tree. I'm giving it a go. "M" from two hoops in the ground in the University for chaining up bikes; "K" from a gate with supporting struts; "A" from a piece of wood screwed into the wall at Whitehill swimming pool; "Y" from a tree; "Z" from tarmac overlaying services on the pavement... It's great fun, and I suspect it's doing its job of making one aware of shapes in the environment. Like learning scales on a piano. 

 I was thinking, perhaps an almost completely mechanical camera, able to shoot at least 1/1000s with a B setting, and needing a battery only to drive a needle-based meter, would help improve my photography. A Pentax K 1000, say, or, better still because I could use my Nikkor lenses, a Nikon FM. This train of thought was driven by a mind atrophied by Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I already have a purely mechanical camera with the F4 if I just switch it to manual. Duh. If it ever conks out entirely, then I might get an FM off of eBay, (and, as Don Corleone said, that day may never come). 

  This would be as good a place as any to start on this... 

 Same roll as I got the previous swan pic  from. So that was with the Nikkor 105mm f2.5, on Kentmere 400. I don't know where the vignetting came from, and the strangely antique look. I post processed it in the macbook's preview, keeping it simple... I just haven't got the hang of ON1 yet, bit I might have another go later. 

 Looking forward to cooler, earlier nights, I did a bit of research  on light trails. Here's the lowdown. Camera set on manual; small aperture; shutter release cable; 100 iso film; tripod. Exposures between 3 and 30 seconds, depending on amount and speed of traffic, which will take some experimentation - at least a roll's worth. The School of Photography suggests a very wide angle lens, 16mm, but I don't have one, and they're outrageously priced, even a pre-AI one. So I'll go with my little-used Nikkor AF, 28mm, f2.8. 

 One of those afternoons when I could walk the dog and finish off a roll of Kentmere. I took this with the pre-AI 105mm lens (the "Afghan Girl" lens), and then made up a batch of ID - 3 developer after loading the Paterson tank in the new dark bag. Post processing in ON1 Photo Raw, but I wish I could find something simpler. Fact is, I just need something to invert the negative, and then maybe tweak the brightness and contrast. Photo editors are fine, but there are so many buttons - I need to spend a weekend with ON1, when I get the time.  Whilst giving this roll a rinse, the doorbell went, and I got distracted because I was expecting nitrile gloves and safety goggles to keep me from being scalded or blinded when making up the PaRodinal, when I got back to the kitchen sink the water had started running very hot indeed. A wailing and gnashing of teeth ensued, but fortunately I was alone in the flat and when the negs were dry, they were fine.