Sheerness, England. 2026
Larger image can be seen on the RRF.
Leica M-P (Typ-240) KMZ Jupiter -8 50mm f/2 lens.
Anglers dream
Tag: Men
Admiring the day
Sheerness, England. 2024
Taken earlier this year, this image is crop of the original negative. Standing on the seawall path, I cropped out the beach and some of the sky. Film was pushed two stops and film was developed in Rodinal at 1:50.
Nikkormat FT2, Nikkor 85mm f/2 AI, with a yellow Photax filter and shot on Fomapan 100 classic film.
Backs to the sun
Minster on Sea, England. 2022
Leica M-P (Typ-240) with the Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH.
Washing the rain
Queenborough, England. 2022
I took my car along to a local hand car wash and the heavens opened.
To my left of this shot was another car being vacuumed under the canopy but these guys carried on out in the open. As fast as they applied the soap, it was being washed off by the rain. As they got wetter and wetter I started taking shots, even when the rain got harder they carried on with their jet washes. Amazingly, once under the canopy to be vacuumed these boys still used chamois leathers to dry the body work despite the heavy rain, bit pointless really, the car soon got as wet when it was being washed as we departed for home.
A job well done by them and I gave them both a good tip for their efforts. Just goes to show there’s always a chance of a good picture to be had even while getting mundane tasks done.
Leica M-P (Typ240) and the Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 II VM lens.
Monsieur Club
Vimoutiers, France. 2022
Leica M-P (Typ 240) Summicron-M 35mm ASPH.
Folkestone
I had not been to Folkestone, England in some twenty five years and it has somewhat changed. Last time I been there it was a very run down seaside town, with little or no investment or jobs after the demise of the ferry service to France was closed down in 2000 and the Channel tunnel which had opened six years before. Today it’s a very different place to town I knew.
Although very harsh light all day, I made this work in my favour and managed to get some great street shots and this was after I’d realised I had left my Weston lightmeter at home, so leaving me with no choice but to use the Leica’s own built in meter. Think I’m starting to get the hang of the of the M-P now.
I even got some abuse from a young woman who told me I was breaking the law taking pictures of people in the street. I do love these individuals who like quoting laws that don’t exist in the UK!
Walking along this shore path made out of old railway sleepers located on Folkestone seafront I was looking at the light was shining off them. Just waiting for the right moment, this girl walked pasted me and managed to catch her in the 1.4 depth of field.
Along the old harbour railway station this coffee vendor was parked between a gap under the old railway station canopy with sun lighting up his auto rickshaw. Little tricky getting the metering right but I got there in the end.
Art
Since last being in Folkestone, there’s a lot of art work around the town now. This one is by Norwegian artist A K Dolven called ‘Out of tune’
Quote from the Creative Folkestone website
“It features a 16th-century tenor bell from Scraptoft Church in Leicestershire, which had been removed for not being in tune with the others. It is suspended from a steel cable strung between two 20m high steel beams, placed 30m apart”
…must make a terrible noise on a stormy night!
There was two men on this bench but this larger gentleman appeared in the frame, sat down virtually pushing the other guy off the seat. Then started reading the other man’s newspaper.
The above image is a crop from a landscape picture, annoyingly other people kept walking into the frame …hard life being a street photographer! This been a film negative I don’t think I would have got away with such a crop without losing detail.
The 50mm Summilux and digital imaging shines through again. If you can get your hands on an example if only for a day, I highly recommend you give it a try. It’s sharpness even wide open is unbelievable. The harbour shot below was taken wide open as was the other images in this post.
Folkestone harbour …don’t ask!
If your ever visiting the seaside town of Folkestone, I can highly recommend ‘Marleys’ café for a great cuppa at only £2.00!
Also back down the same street there’s Nik & Trick Photo Services store. Well worth a visit, cameras, film and darkroom supplies. Link below.
All images taken with my Leica M-P (Typ 240) with the Summilux 50mm f/1.4 ASPH lens, using a B+W Neutral Density 2 Stop filter.
Final image at ‘Marleys’ taken with my Samsung A12 phone.
Tails wagging
Honfleur, France – August 2020.
One of those days that was really far too hot to have dogs outside really as the temperature was up in the 90’s. Anyway this fellow had spotted my dog and along with the girl at the back of the group peering over at him made for a interesting street scene at one of the many Cafés in Honfleur.
Leica M4-2, Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH and taken on Kodak Tri-X, rated at 800.
Fathers & Sons
Normandy, France August 2020.
Originally I shot the image for the reflections in the sand. Having processed the picture, not only have I captured the two men and the two little boys, the composition of the image is also most near perfect with the water running out across the sand out to the sea.
I’m pretty certain these are all members of the same family as further up the beach was mother and grandmother, in what was a glorious summers day at Lion sur Mer seafront.
Leica M4-2, Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH and taken on Kodak Tri-X, rated at 800.
Bikes & Girls
Honfleur, France. August 2020.
Street image of tourists and cyclists on Rue Haute, Honfleur Normandy. Two men on bikes with the girls walking the opposite direction made for a perfect shot.
Leica M4-2, Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH and taken on Kodak Tri-X, rated at 800.
Got you covered
Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France. Taken in May last year at the castle at the top of Mont Saint-Michel. Could not resist taking this dogs picture.
Taken using a Leica M4-2, Summicron 50mm f/2 on Kodak Tri-X film.
The Shootist 