Posts

Still Learning French. Thinking of Snaps.

 On 3rd August I wrote, "...nearly half way through the course now" , meaning Duolingo. That was August last year, mind. Actually I'm on Unit 82 now, of 199 in total, so I'm almost half way, in January 2023.  In other news, I've got a new iPhone 14 Pro which might be resurrecting my interest in photography. This YouTube video is helpful.  

More future-proof gardening

 Prairie gardening

Heatproofing - Alys Fowler's ideas

So that I can find this again: ideas on gardening for climate change, from the Guardian.

Not yet down the drain

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I started learning French with Duolingo in February 2021, and that doesn't really lend itself to blogging. I'm nearly half-way through the course now which means I'll be done around 18 months from now.  I completely lost interest in film photography in 2020.  I'm beginning to plan a garden for the house we're going to get, wherever it is, when we retire. Several years away. There will be a path winding through it, and I got the notion of using old drain covers as stepping stones laid amongst thyme. So far, eBay has only come up with one that I really like. Not going to buy it, simply processing ideas. It's £40, which might be a bit steep as I'll need a couple of dozen of them... Might be better off touring scrapyards. By golly, Blogger feels a bit clunky, adding photos!

Every day's a school day with a Nikon F4 #2

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At last! After maybe 6 or 7 rolls I'm getting the hang of the F4. All those buttons were intimidating until I began to get an inkling of what the Focus and Exposure Lock buttons could do. It's the realisation that this camera was designed and used to capture, for example, action in football games or riots. It's slightly insulting to use it for static portraits, like inviting your drug-using disreputable pal to your granny's birthday party. Action! This is the last of a few rolls of Kodacolor 200 I was using. It's been ok as part of the learning process, but is rather grainy. I've got a roll of Portra 400 in now, and then it's an old roll of HP5+, and nine of Kentmere 400; just yesterday we found a roll of Lomography Color Print 800 when tidying out the old sideboard - no idea when I got that, but heigh ho. By the time I get through that dozen or so rolls, I might be more or less competent.

Back to the Nikon F4 and C41; Every Day's a School Day #1...

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Thanks to the Photo Express people for developing this roll of Kodacolor 200 and getting it back to me almost by return, (posted late on a Friday afternoon, returned on the Wednesday). Much less hassle than doing 35mm colour myself at home or at Streetlevel . Bit of a chore, C41 developing and scanning, leave it to the professionals. Besides, I don't have a neg scanner these days, and Streetlevel is still under lockdown, I think. That's me back on the F4, which I have quite literally picked up and dusted off again. Frankly I have been somewhat intimidated by it, so I'm working through that, a roll of my stash of odds and ends of 35mm at a time... This photo, I've misframed it slightly but obviously, slicing off the top of the sitter's head, and leaving her unintentionally off-centre. This was Aperture Priority, f1.4, by the light of a table lamp. The shutter speed selected by the meter must have been quite slow, maybe 1/15, because there's  a slight but noticea