From the archives

The first portrait I ever shot (with any consideration) back in 2003.  Ilford HP5 Plus with the Chinon CP-7m.

1x1x1 - Auchmithie

At the start of January I set myself a challenge.  I would pick a location on the map, set a 1 mile radius and give myself 1 hour to shoot 1 roll of film.  The idea was that I would do one location per week.  Then it started to rain.

Not entirely keen on taking any of my vintage cameras out in the deluge, I waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  Then at last the sun came out.  I loaded my Nettar with a roll of Ektar 100 and headed for Auchmithie.

The old hotel, once a youth hostel.

Looking down at the ruined harbour from the Old Coastguard
Houses.

Waves breaking on the beach.

From a roll of twelve exposures I got three that I'm reasonably happy with.  The last four shots were done in a rush as the hour was running out and I didn't take enough care over exposure.  The others are fine but compositionally lacking.  One of the things I noticed working with this camera is of course the fixed lens.  Normally this isn't a problem, you just move around until you get the framing right or abandon the idea entirely and move on.  With a time limit, however, you can't spend long clambering about trying to get things perfect.  You've got to keep moving.

I'm really looking forward to doing this again.  I'd be interested in trying this challenge with a zoom lens and see if I do any better or differently.  Unfortunately I don't have a vintage camera with a zoom lens, at least not a working one, so I'm either going to have to do some repairs or get myself back on eBay.

© Ross Bull

From the archives

Recently I was having a bit of a tidy up around the house when I came across my old black and white negatives from my days at university.  All of these were developed by myself, either in the uni's darkroom or back home in my parents bathroom.

This one was taken at Napier University's Craiglockhart campus which was used as a military psychiatric hospital between 1916 and 1919.  Poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon both received treatment here which was reserved for shellshocked officers only.

Subsequently the building was used as a convent and then a Catholic teacher training college before becoming part of Napier Polytechnic in 1986.

Craiglockhart campus - Ilford HP5 Plus (35mm neg crop)

© Ross Bull