Not Forgotten!

I know folks! I've been away for quite a while. Well, not far away, as a matter of fact... just around the corner, but still away from the blog somehow.
I was just developing a couple of rolls, and thought I might better drop in just to give a short update to let all of you know that I'm still standing on two feet.

Holliday here in Norway right now, and that's the biggest reason I've been away for the last few weeks. Not that I've been traveling a lot this year, but anyway...
I've shot a few rolls though, and been developing a couple just this evening.
Basically it's all old stuff though, but I will probably get a couple more done tomorrow. If we're lucky I get some scanned by tomorrow, but that depends a lot on the weather and things that has to be done around the house... you know.

Just found this one... Done some time ago using my old Rolleiflex and some film... think it was Tri-X in Rodinal. Shot near Kirkwall in almost pinch black highlight.

My youngest daughter heading towards the head of the pier. Rolleiflex and some film. 

And that's it for today! 

I'll be in touch, I guess :))

I forgot to put in the title... so had to edit this one in...!

So, all of a sudden the message came across to my office that we are going ashore tomorrow, and home wednesday instead of thursday or friday. That's good news! That's allways good news. Strange how much that one day, or those 24 hours, actualy have to say.

Me and the captain got our asses out of our chairs and went out on the front deck to do some work a few hours ago. There's a few rollers out there for the AB's to put their fluffy ropes over when the ship's being tied up alongside. Or, they used to be rollers... now they were completely stuck and at no use. 
The guys that were supposed to do this hard job originally did not want to be much part of it, since they had the impression that it was impossible to get it done. You will probably end up absolutely totally flabbergasted when you learn that it actually was no big problem at all. You just need to find and use the right tool! That's not for just anyone to figure out, obviously.

I just keep on where I left yesterday, posting grand compositions... I have no idea which camera I used here, but since it's small format film it probably was a Nikon or maybe some Leica stuff. I like this a little, but not that very much. I post it anyway, as it seems I am running a bit low on photos at the moment. I should probably fish for my external harddrive in my bag somewhere.

You might wonder, by now, why my pictures in this blog is so totally off from the text you can come?! Well, I tell you, I purely choose the shots from what I got right here and now. At the moment, that is. I hope to be able to catch up a bit later, and maybe even get to things in a bit different way. Now I'm just getting used to the feeling the blogging gives me, and trying to absorb that to the best of my own welfare. End of...!

You might also wonder why I'm still sitting around here, doing what I do right now? To be honest I just started wondering about the same thing myself. I got loads of stuff to do before I can get off this ship wednesday morning, so I might better get to it. 

I'm going here again, soon. I will surely pass this place when I get on the ferry taking us out towards the small but lovely island called Ona, out there on the coast of Norway. Well, the island is well off the coast, if you take a good proper look at a nice map. This was done using some camera, on something that looks like Ilford Delta 100 film, duly washed in ID-11 or maybe D-76 developer.

I know something about this shot! It's the view from our cottage down by the sea, looking towards the mountains on the other side of the fjord. It was done on the incredibly bulky Mamiya RZ67 with a 250mm lens attached. Shanghai film, ruined before, after, and during the developing which was done in either Rodinal or D-76. I suspect Rodinal...

Lo and behold...!

The separator we have used the best part of the last few days mending, still seem to work. I put my hands together and ask that it will remain that way at least until next bunch of engineers comes on board, probably thursday. 
Today's been most paperwork and things. Nothing interresting, but loads of boredom.

From time to time I drive out to this island almost only to take this picture. Some times the weather is good, most of the time it's kind of bad. This seems to be a Mamiya RZ67 shot, and would then be a few years old. I like this place... Don't know about the film, but could be some Shanghai GP3 wet up in Rodinal and agitated more or less carefully for a long or shorter period of time.

I bought myself a new telephone just before I left for work three weeks ago, but it's still sitting back home because I could not find it when I had to run away. Now I just remembered that I also have changed the operator company, which means that I will be excluded from any line other than the emergency lines when I get ashore, because I left before my sim card arrived. 
I can't wait to find out about all the hassle that will be created by someone I know when I get to the big city in Norway in a few days, and have to find my family without having a working phone in my pocket. 
It does not take much energy to get ourselves into trouble these days, huh? Luckily I am old enough to remember the good old days, way before cellphone world. We actually managed, somehow, to live our lives back then, so I guess I will be alright this time as well.

Shure, it's a pinhole shot (from that same old coffee box) from the small island Ona, again. I like this, even though it probably looks like waste to most of you. By some mistake it went off (yes, in the developer...) to become a wee bit darker than intended, but that's the secret or way of art folks! You can't always get what you want... 

Suddenly I heard that we seem to have plans for at least one of the weekends when I get back home. A long weekend in kayak, living in a tent. That sounds like a helluvalotoffun!! I need to decide which camera I need to let take the sinking test. My guess is that one of the manual Nikons will be the one that makes it through, and thus will come with me on the trip. I should probably bring something digital as well, as I know that lots of my family and people will demand good shots posted more or less live, but I think I better leave it be! I don't have to many digital ones anyway... but I got a bunch of other stuff. 

Stay tuned to find out if a Nikon FM2 can take a good filling of sea water and still survive!

OK! It's truly a bad perspective of this totally amazing window! Next time I get the chance I will shoot straight at it, leaving no fussy lines and all, if anyone understand what I mean?! Straight on, to make it all square and fair. Well, not square actually... more rectangular and fair. Anyway, it's one of my favourite window. I got another one as well, and I bet you won't believe me, but they are just 50 meters or so, apart. How cool is that?? 

How is it even possible...?

As all 0 of you will know by now, I work on a ship. There's a lot of others working on the same ship as well, and there are offices not to far from my cabin. Every office and cabins have at least one, often a bunch of, telephones. We are calling each other if we need to speak to someone, which is quite useful and also quite normal in other offices as well, I would think. 
What's weird though, is that some times someone never give up a call when no one is answering the phone! You would think that if you call someone that's sitting 30 cm from their phone would be able to pick it up within a minute or so?? Why wake up the whole ship to get hold of someone that's obviously not there anyway? Someone on board probably have some kind of strange way to make themselves heard.

The beach of Dingieshowe in Orkney, a most lovely beach where norse people has thread before. Shot with a Leica M6, Summicron 35mm on Tri-X film. Not the best choice maybe, but I had a few rolls I had to finnish off.

So, you might think I actually fixed that separator yesterday, didn't you? No way! Tested today, and found even more issues with it. Worked on it for hours just to eventually find the photocell detecting oil in water to be bugging up the whole unit. A 25 sec. job to clean out. Now it's good though, so tomorrow will be a brighter day, at least seen in that perspective. 

Ever seen the view from our cottage by the sea at Sulesund, Norway? Well, here it is anyway. Taken some time ago with that same Leica M6, but with a different lens this time. Elmarit 21mm wide angle stuff. I have no clue of what film was used, as I am far away from the originals out here at sea.

Friday today, and weekend coming up. Not that it makes any difference out here, but it's allways good to know that time flies and that you soon will be home. Need to start the usual routine of getting all the paperwork done for my back to back. I guess I will make it in time this trip as well. 

Look what I found! A never before posted pinhole photo from Ona once again. It's shot in the middle of the island, in between the houses cramped together to get room for them all. Mind you, this is a super wide angle view of it all, and not to be taken for reality! It's kewl tho :)

Ahhh...!

So! You can actually also put in a title at the top line nowadays?! A good thing that I found out then, already in my fifth post. 
Today's been quite a good day at work, as we (or I, myself actually) found out what seemed to be the plague inside our bilge water separator in the engine room! It's not the usual type, mind you! It's a high-tech wonder from either Finland or Sweeden, and it looks more like a moonlander than anything else. Almost as advanced as one as well, so no wonder we have been struggeling a bit lately with that bloody machine.

Ever seen the island called Foula? Probably not, unless you got a big ship and/or live in an area around Orkney or Shetland. Well, this is her silhouette, and I love it! I like grain as well, at least sometimes, when I find them in my photos. 

Last night I was going to move one of my cameras, a Nikon FE2, and managed to kind of throw it from the bedroom, through the bathroom door (not a great distance due to this being a ships cabin), and onto the floor tiles in there somewhere. The noise was truly bad, and the camera looks even more battered in todays daylight than it did in yesterdays daylight. It still works fine though, but I got to wonder how many lives a 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor lens really have?! If anyone knows the answer, please don't hesitate to give me a hint. This is it's second very hard fall, in addition to a number of ligher ones. 

Looks like I need to buy a few new (cheepo) straps for a couple of the cameras sooner rather than later. Not that any of the cameras are any expensive high-end stuff, but I use the bastards every now and then, and would like them to live for a few more years.

Ona, a tiny small wee island where I got a few rooms and a roof over my head. There's a nice lighthouse there as well. You see a lot of the island on this shot, done with a pinhole camera not to long ago. You see, it's complete with fingerprints and all. 

No kiddin'...

...the sun is shining, even though I'm Way Out West of Shetland these days! How cool is that? It's not happening to often, I have to admit.

Else, this day has been more or less packed with shit as well. The two norwegians pedaling through France this year was pretty close today, but lacked that little extra for the victory on the 5'th stage. Other chances will come though, so I just prepare for that to happen any day soon.

I kind of like this. It's from Orkney, and I just call it "220" even though it was definately shot on some 120 film through the lovely glass of my Rolleiflex.

The Offshore Manager of the company that hires our ship came through the door of my cabin to pay me a short visit for some old nagging yesterday evening. He noticed a couple of old Nikon cameras lying spread around the tiny area and started to discuss a lot of stuff regarding the subject of cameras in general, and old Nikon's in special. His jaws slack and drivel down his cheek probably indicated that he had seen something similar at some point earlier in life, mumbeling something about an old F4 some place at home. I would love to take over that camera, but the problem these days obviously is that people know that they can put it on e-bay instead and get a few lousy bucks for it. Better give it to me, I think! Well... the F4 is battery prone, so actually not on the very top of my wish list as I hate battery powered cameras. That's only valid if I have to pay money for them though, so I grab them any time for free!

Anyway... the Manager went off having forgot all about the stuff he was nagging about, so those old Nikon's helped a lot for sure.

This was not shot on any Nikon, but rather "my" old Voigtländer Vito B from the late 50's. The camera is actually my father's, but I think I better take care of it. The shutter is half dead at long exp. times, but it's getting better ever so slowly :)

By the way! Getting closer to hometravel day now. One week to go, and I will be off from here and on my way back home. I bet there's more than enough going on to keep me busy over there as well, but will be great to get home to my loved ones and to a bed that's not rolling around for no reason. 

Maybe I'll get started on the process of building my darkroom as well this month?! I got the space now, and only need to actually build the bloody thing. Will be great not having to crawl around on the bathroom floor to do that old silverprinting! 

A lucky shot using a home made pinhole camera from an old coffee box. It's just the box, a tiny wee hole, and some very old (45 yrs. or so) B&W photographic paper my father handed over to me not long ago. I love pinholes!

Well! Thinking about my post from yesterday I should really stop now. People are not that keen on reading a million words when they are just bull anyway. 

Have a great evening, all of you 0 readers! :)