Month: June 2025

bookmark_borderAll about P

Posted on by Eddy Young

I came across a sheet of film negatives that I had apparently forgotten about. 36 candid pictures of P taken sometime between 2008 and 2010. Given the sense of reset brought about by COVID in 2020, the discovery feels almost archaelogical. You can even see P using her Blackberry on the train.

A woman smiling while holding a Blackberry device on a train, with a blurred background.
Portrait of a woman with long dark hair, wearing a green t-shirt and a black jacket, looking directly at the camera.

(The negatives had all manners of scratch from being dumped at the bottom of my film box file.)

bookmark_borderOut and about with a Minolta X-300

Posted on by Eddy Young

You would think that, with more daylight hours, summer is ideal for outdoor photography, but it really is not. Trees turn into masses of green glistening with sunlight and put everything else in shade. The sun rises too early—four o’clock, really?—and sets too late—around dinner time with P. And when I gather enough courage to venture out, it’s a long and hot uncomfortable walk.

Thankfully, my local neighbourhood has been a good provider of my shutter therapy. Last Saturday, I monitored the outside conditions until a couple hours before sunset when they became just right for me to leave the cool of the house. I walked through the nearby retail park on to Farnborough IQ business park. There, I went through the usual cycle of avoiding the security guards, being spotted on CCTV, and eventually being caught and told by the guards that it was “a private estate”, that photography was not allowed, that the Heritage area was not National Heritage, and that I definitely did not have a right to take pictures. I, however, had the privilege to do so as long as I did not loiter. Still, I enjoyed a nice wander around the disused buildings that played such a big part in the history of British aviation.

I brought the Minolta X-300 and a few rolls of Fomapan 200 black-and-white film. I hadn’t used this camera for a long time and wanted to exercise its internals. I relied on the internal lightmeter readings to expose all the shots, and so I was pleased when perfect pictures came out of development with Rodinal 1+50.

Here are some shots from the day.

A photographer's reflection in a convex mirror, capturing the surrounding industrial buildings and a parked car in black-and-white.
Black-and-white photograph of a large, curved metal structure with a tree in the foreground.
A black-and-white photograph of a brick building with large windows, partially obscured by trees and shrubs.
Black and white photograph of a vintage, abandoned building with large windows and a prominent central entrance, set against a plain background.
A black-and-white photograph showing a brick building with the number 'R52' on the wall, partially shaded by a tree in the foreground.
Black-and-white photograph of a building partially obscured by tall conifer trees, with a sign indicating 'HALL ROAD' in the foreground.
Black-and-white photograph of a building with a clock tower against a cloudy sky.
Black and white photograph of a large industrial building with a gabled roof, featuring symmetrical patterns on the brick facade, surrounded by a grassy area and a small tree.
Black-and-white photograph of an industrial-style building marked 'Q120' with windows and a door, surrounded by trees and greenery.
A black-and-white photograph of industrial equipment featuring a large cylindrical tank with connected pipes and valves against a backdrop of wooden panels, illuminated by soft shadows.
A close-up black-and-white photograph of a building covered in climbing ivy, showing the texture of the leaves against the wall and a window opening.
Silhouette of a large metal structure resembling an archway, set against a cloudy sky with shadowed buildings in the background.

bookmark_borderObjects in the rear view mirror may appear prettier than they are

Posted on by Eddy Young

I see this tree in my rear view mirror every time I drive back from the supermarket. I have seen it countless times since it’s been pollarded at the beginning of spring and have seen its bare branches start to grow leaves, becoming more beautiful each time. Then, its allure peaked and it started to turn into just another tree. So, tonight I took a photo of it before it becomes ordinary.

It still looks much prettier in the rear view mirror.

bookmark_borderSights from my commute

Posted on by Eddy Young

I pass these two sights every evening when I walk back home from the station. The tree top is usually the roosting place of two or three pigeons and is also usually bathed in sunset colours. On cold winter nights, the Topps Tiles entrance door is striking by the glowing yellow lines on either side and their reflections on the tarmac.

I tried to capture those, but the conditions were not ideal: too much cloud cover blocking the rays of the setting sun and too much cloud cover messing up the twilight.

Nevertheless, I waited more than 90 minutes to shoot those, so I’m going to post them anyway.

I’ll try the shoots again another time.