remember the olympus trip 35?

yes, you got it! and i mean the one made out of metal, not the plasticky, later version.

well, im a self-confessed olympus trip fanatic!

so much so, that when i was with my family in the USA on holiday, a bloke saw me taking shots of the buildings etc (oh, im talking about las vegas here...!), he gave me a funny look, came up and asked me why i dont use digital, as its easier and cheaper...

so i too gave him a funny look, and said that the majority of the world's professionals still use film as well, so there must be a reason for it.....!

i mean, the quality of the photos i get from my olympus trip has got to be seen to be believed, so why should i ditch it for a digital camera?

oh, and remember THAT famous tv ad about the trip, starring david bailey, one of the worlds foremost photographers? you can view it here

as the year draws to a close, and what a year its been, our thoughts turn to what the new year will bring.

now, at this point, there are 2 ways in which our thinking will head, depending on what kind of people we inherently are -- we either look forward optimistically to all the positive things that may happen, or we start whingeing about whether we'll survive another year....!

here's where i put up my hands and admit that i do like a good moan now and then, and my wife always reins me in from going too far into the abyss of whingeing! there is a limit to how far to take our complaining, as if we push it too far, as i have done sometimes, it can lead to an immense feeling of utter desolation and depression!

so, in a nutshell, i will say here and now, that yes, for sure, i'll have a moan or 3, but thats about it...after that, i'll be my usual cheerful self!

and whats this all got to do with film photography, i hear you all say? well, a lot actually...you see, when i go around with my camera taking pot shots here and there, i always get funny looks from everyone, probably thinking what a fool he is for using silly old cameras, but i just smile back in my self-assured smugness!

for i know, come what may, i will carry on using film, as long as there's a sun in the sky....and digital? well, yes, i have one of those too, but when i want to be creative in the proper sense of the word, out comes my roll of 400TX and my olympus trip camera...!

here's wishing all my readers a very healthy, wealthy and peaceful new year!

see you in the new year!

every now and then, we all get fed up taking shots with our cameras, whether they be film or digital.

call it information-overload or some-such, it pays sometimes to get away from all that stuff and try something at grass-roots level. and what could that be?

well, pinhole cameras, of course! i have made many, many types of pinhole camera, all of them using simple items found in any home.

and the photos i got were so unique that i was inundated with requests from friends, and foes, to either make them one,or else show them how.

so what i did was get together everything that i used, and how i did it, and put it all together in a little e-book form.

ok, if you have always wanted to try pinhole cameras, why not make your own? just message me via twitter here and i'll send you the plans 100% FREE of charge!

remember the olympus pen f? yes, the one that gave you 72 photos from each and every 35mm roll of film?

and it was so unique, that it had absolutely no competition at all! and the quality of results it gave was so astonishing, even hardened leica users purchased it in droves!

well, i have one of them for sale, complete with it's original macro bellows. check it out here >> http://www.atomicmall.com/retrostuff999 or http://www.cqout.com/list.asp?seller=allsales

i was just having a rummage in my odds n ends box, and found all these films (shown above)!

some of them are unused, whereas others are obvioisly exposed and ready to process, although when, is another question!

mind you, most of these films came out of vintage cameras i have bought over the years, so there may well be a surprise when i do go and get them developed!!

who knows whose photos will appear....!

the mellow mornings of autumn are now with us (yes, yes, intermixed with gallons of rain as well..!!)and this is one of the best times of year i enjoy the most.

im one of those guys who tends to try and get his daily "stuff" done as early as possible, leaving plenty of time in the day free for other things. so what i do every morning is get my 18 month old alsation simba, out for his daily walk.

we are blessed as there is a large park just 10mins walk away where we live, so soon as we reach it, i let simba off his leash and he bounds away after the squirrels, which he has never managed to catch!

the morning walk takes place around 8am, so at that time, there's hardly anyone around.
and we do this in any weather -- rains, snow or shine!

on today's walk, i noticed that some of the trees in the park had developed dramatic colours in their leaves, and in the muted light of early morning looked so bright and cheeful.

so i collected some of the fallen ones, brought them home and took a few photos for you all to see -- i hope you like the one above!

yes...you guessed it!

i just wanted to talk a little about the rollei 35 camera -- what a beauty!

and its not just looks either, as many of you may know already. its almost unbelievable how the engineers managed to squeeze so much into such a tiny little space!
i have have the top model--the 35S with the schneider lens, although i also had another one with the tessar lens too and there's very little between them both.

but the photos i took with it have been enlarged to 12" by 12" and would you believe it, theyre so good!

i was chatting to a friend of mine who repairs cameras for a living (itself a dying trade!) and he was saying that if the rollei was manufactured today, the cost would be over $2000, or even more!

so if you have a rollei, or are thinking of getting one, bide your time till you can get the 35S or 35SE -- you may pay a little more but by golly will you have a fantastic little performer!