I have been really busy with my FMP and dissertation however last week on the 6th I visited the Peaks. I took some images for my fmp at Wyoming brook with a camera I built, and then used a Diana 4×4 in the Burbage Valley
Author: R J Calow
Stuff I saw this December – Last roll of 2017 with a Diana
With the realisation that it is 2018 in 30 minutes or less, I realised I have not posted in a month here. A slippery slope. I have been busy rewriting proposals and reading for my dissertation rather than taking photos. However, I have learnt more about photography this semester than the two previous years combined.
Somewhere along the line I acquired an original Diana clone named Rover (probably after the car manufacture). This was used as a carry about camera. I have tried the lomography variants of the Diana, and I disliked them, something about them, to me, seems too forced -I like the pinhole feature though. With this “original” however, I was surprised when I saw the 4×4 negatives, they have the right amount of softness and the centre sharpness I like. Other than having the loudest wind-on that has people stop and stare in the street, it produces an interesting look.
Here are a few from the roll (ilford hp5 pushed a stop):







Hopefully 2018 will mean adventures and more photography.
Birds – double exposure
I don’t normally do single image blog posts but, this double exposure I took with the fujipet toy camera is hard to ignore.
“The photographer is always trying to colonize new experiences or find new ways to look at familiar subjects – to fight against boredom. For boredom is just the reverse side of fascination: both depend on being outside rather than inside a situation, and one leads to the other.” Sontag, on photography, page 42
Stuff I saw at Lumsdale and Stanage edge
On Saturday I did some fmp preparation by using two toy cameras in the winter sunlight around the peak district. Much underexposure in the shadows, even with pushing the film two stops. Have to look into long exposures with the holga, maybe rig up a shutter release.







Fly agaric – industar 69
Whilst camping last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot this emblem of autumn.
Rather than use the optically perfect fuji xf 35mm F1.4, I used the more interesting industar 69 pancake lens on my xpro1.
Stuff I saw in Nottingham with a Fujipet EE
Yet another ebay find. It is essentially a fixed lens toy camera (think fuji holga). The electronics are dead but they did nothing more than move a aperture disc inside, a very narrow f stop at that. The shutter is similar to a holga, and disassembly is similar too.
Anyway here is my test roll from around Nottingham today between coffee, beer and ‘States of America’ exhibition at the contemporary.
Stuff I saw at higger tor










Olympus Mju ii // Kodak trix at 1600, hc110 1:47 dilution for 16mins at 20c. Grain, grain, grain – “Photographers seem to need periodically to resist their own knowingness and to remystify what they do” Sontag, on photography pg 126.