It Happened Like This...

Quarante #1, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

We start today with a nearly matching pair of photographs, both of a lovely bit of sweeping road that eventually joins the D11 (I think) heading for Remelard. This shot was taken from the saddle of the bike kindly lent to me for the week by the proprietors of Forest View (Vue Sur La Foret). It shows just some of the beautiful countryside nearby, of which you'll see more in future posts. The camera in use is the marvellous Olympus XA2, ideal for sticking in a jersey or shorts pocket for when you're out and about.

In any case, these shots have jumped the queue somewhat in being posted because of something that could be of interest to you film shooters. I've mentioned before that I quite often scan my black and white negatives in colour, largely because I like the tones it gives. The shot above is scanned normally, i.e. the scanner set to colour negative, and the scanning settings to 24bit colour. (The film being Fuji's lovely Superia 100).

Quarante #2, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

This frame has been scanned with the film type set to black and white negative, and the colour settings at 24bit colour. It gives a slightly off kilter, cross processed feel to the shot, I think.

Limite Bains Surveilles, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

We do the PaD shots from this post in reverse date order, beginning with this, representing the 28th of July. This is one of a number of shots I took at Quiberville, a town we stayed at for one night to break the journey from Dieppe to Remelard up a little. There'll be a little more of Quiberville to come, as it's quite a lovely place.

Bon Voyage!, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

The 27th was the day we travelled down to Newhaven, and looked quite unpromising for the required 10 shots from the day. I took some of motorway service station picnic tables (which you won't be seeing) - however, having arrived a bit too early for the crossing, we took a break at Seaford, which is as beautiful and photogenic as one could wish for, and you will be seeing more of it. However, today's photo a day choice is this sign from the port at Newhaven, which has obviously seen better days.

One thing I keep forgetting to mention in these posts is the story of the roll of T-Max from which the shot above came. I reached the end of the roll in mid winder stroke, and foolishly tried to advance to the end of the stroke - this only accomplished pulling the end of the film from the spindle in the canister. At that point I had 36 frames of PaD material loose inside the F3, and in the interests of taking only what I needed, had left my darkbag at home :/ With necessity being the mother of invention, and all that, the camera was opened in an improvised darkbag consisting of my blackest sweatshirt, under the duvet of one of the beds in the gite, and the film taped back onto the spindle and rewound. It doesn't seem to have done any harm to the images, although I was worried that some light might have leaked in.

Darkness, originally uploaded by John the Monkey.

Lastly, we have this, from the 26th, and quite possibly the worst day of this year's PaD for me. It threw it down all day, and the only shots I got were two of this rusty lamp post in the centre of Manchester.

In other news, regular readers will be pleased to hear that the mudguards are now fitted to my bike - taking the wheels off (rather than threading the 'guards around them) really helps, and I recommend that approach to you whole heartedly. Also make sure that you have the chain and derailleur ready to go back to their normal position when you put the back wheel back on, as no one likes to hear swearing like that at that time of day.

I've also acquired a Nigel Dean touring bike (drop bars, but slightly less rigid frame than a true racer, and full mud guards &c) on which I commuted to work last week. If all you've ever ridden are mountain bikes or hybrids, I recommend trying a road bike - they're very good fun indeed.