Hunstanton

Retro mono

/ mikeosbornphoto / 22 Comments

It’s time for another sidestep into film photography. Some months ago my vintage Olympus-35 EC was loaded up with an Ilford HP5 400 black and white film. On various occasions it’s been slipped into my pocket and taken on walks around London and beyond.

Finally the roll came back from the developers, spiced with the old-fashioned magic of wondering what the results were – and not quite remembering taking some of them. At least this time there were no misfires or focusing disasters.

My first impression wasn’t as dazzling as the first colour film, which was rich and sparkling, defying all expectations for a 46-year-old camera. Unsurprisingly monochrome is far more subtle and creates an entirely different mood. The contrast is decent but benefited from a minimal, careful amount of post-processing. The grain appears strong and consistent, adding atmosphere and authenticity – far removed from the smoothness of digital.

Any impressions or thoughts will be much appreciated…

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Olympus-35 ECGallery entrance

Bracing

/ mikeosbornphoto / 14 Comments

The British coast in winter is often freezing. A little desolate. And with leaden, depressing skies. But it’s not all bad news.

The coastline around Hunstanton in Norfolk has broad, sandy beaches and a magical low tide which make bracing walks longer and more invigorating. Those skies stretch the horizon, while the empty beach huts stand proud and colourful. Strong winds brought paragliders to the water and dozens of strollers were not deterred by the odd miniature sandstorm.

I came here three years ago but this time it felt different. My eyes were drawn to the architectural details of the seaside and those huge vistas which the camera devoured with pleasure. The inspiration had changed but it was still winter – and was wrapped up warmly.

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Norfolk interlude

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Brancaster stripes

I lived in Norfolk for several years, and it was a pleasure to return there for a few days over Christmas. It’s a broad county in eastern England, sparsely populated in places and possesses some beautiful coastline and countryside.

We witnessed the madness of the Christmas Day dip in the seaside resort of Hunstanton, which involved people taking to the freezing waters dressed in costume.

The following day saw some brilliant weather and a visit to the broad beach of Brancaster. It was also very chilly, as the photo of Dermot shows. We also visited the charming little town of Burnham Market. A change of scenery and some fresh air was a great Christmas present.

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You can also read this related post: Christmas afternoon

In fine focus

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Stony grain

The camera hones in on just a small strip of pebble dashed stonework, with bokeh at the front and to the rear, which renders the beach front at Hunstanton in Norfolk a mysterious blur.

This is the promenade wall of the seaside resort, captured on Christmas Day after watching the much more colourful, rowdy spectacle of the townspeople taking to the freezing sea to raise money for charity. More on that and my trip to Norfolk in the opening days of 2013.

That reminds me to wish you all a very Happy New Year with this muted, monochrome photographic gift. Your support and interaction has been really appreciated in 2012, and long may it continue.