Going places ; just like that

We went away, again. This time to the big city of Bergen, which is not very big at all to any foreigner. It's still the second largest city in Norway, holding something like 278 000 people inside it's borders. It's a fine city, for sure, and I like to stroll around the streets of this place. There's something here that really speaks to me, somehow. I think it's about the fine history and the lovely old woodhouse architecture scattered around the city centre. There's a lot to see, and a lot to put on film. And there's a lot of great people living here.
It's a fairly long drive down to Bergen from Ålesund. Loads of ferries and narrow roads, just to make everything go real slow. It's a 440 km, or something like 270 miles drive.
One of the apprentices connected to my wife's office had just passed through to the final of the national competition, and my wife wanted to go to Bergen to see her compete on the final. As she checked the flight tickets for the next morning I thought Bergen would be nice for me as well... 
A couple of hours later we found ourselves inside the car heading south. The time was around 11 pm. We parked outside the arena around 6.30 am. Plenty of time before the event started.
I was a bit tired of the driving, but when it comes to being awake for long periods of time I'm usually the one to go for...
She became second, btw. the apprentice. Only 1/2 point behind the winner. Quite great, I must say.

Must be a couple of years ago I was up here now, snapping this one with what I think was a Nikon F3. Maybe about time to take another trip to see if this old stadium entrance shed has fallen a bit more apart, don't you think? We used to go through this place a lot back in the days, as there used to be a very nice running field with the latest red, rubberized fashion cover on the running track and everything. Many years have passed since then, and these days I guess most of the old track is way beyond any kind of repair. My own personal records on 60 meters and 100 meters was done on this track... some time in the very early 80's. As I said, a few years has passed since then... 

And what would you not be willing to do for your readers only? This is a tiny bit of the bunch who used the afore mentioned running track through the first years of the 80's. This snap was taken of a journalist from the local newspaper some time in May, probably 1982 or 83 as our very well selected team happened to be the winners of this years big event when all the schools in town raced each other through the streets of Ålesund relay on the 17th of May. Of the 9 sprinters, 5 of us was from the same class at school. Cool, huh? Yours truly in the first row, no.2 from left. Built for speed back then...

I never go to Bergen without visiting the great vintage camera shop and it's owner Mr. Antonio Stasi. This man is a living legend in Norway, and owns the only place in Norway you can get more or less whatever you like to any of your cameras. At least if your cameras are of a certain age. Mr. Stasi is an Italian living in Norway for many years, and with a genuine interest in anything photographic. We had a nice and long chat about a couple of great Leica lenses, and one not so great Leica lens... I also had the pleasure of trying a few very rare but great rangefinders of different origins. 
He also happened to privately own a M3 with a serial number extremely close to the one I got. 
I did not buy anything big this weekend, but went away with a yellow filter fitting a Summicron lens, and a yellow filter for the Rolleiflex. I'm in more need of yellow filters than a new camera these days, to tell you the truth... 

It's up there as well, standing just beside the old race track. They might have removed it by now, or maybe straightened it up a wee bit. I will find out when I take the trip next time. I will put it on my list of things to do in the near future. 

So, I put the filters on the cameras and went out snapping. Not that I snapped a huge lot these few days, as I used a lot of time just walking around looking as well. As I said earlier, I really like to just stroll around through these streets just looking. 
The few snaps will show up when I get a few films developed. Could take a few days as I got a few other things to take care of as well... But it will happen, so stay tuned :))

When checking your cameras...

Oh yes, I do that from time to time. Checking my cameras. 

I do it just because I seem to be lousy at keeping my own promises to myself. You see I had this kind of resolution for this year, which did not work out at all. Just like 99% of all my other new years resolutions, by the way. 

This one should be simple enough to keep, I thought. Simple, and hopefully it would keep me from wasting too much film. At least that was the thought and the bright idea behind it. 

Only load one camera with film at a time sounds simple enough, don't you think? Well, I tell you it's not simple at all. 

Couple of days ago I threw them all onto my bed and started checking, and found that film was loaded in quite a lot of them. How did that happen? I also found cameras I had forgot about, loaded with film taken maybe a couple of years ago but the spool still inside, not developed. 

I also found one of the Voigtländers with the spool still sitting inside, but the film obviously snapped. I need to take that out inside the dark place, I guess. Hopefully I will be able to save it. 

And I also found the old Minolta Hi-matic G in there as well. Loaded with something I hope is a 400ASA film, as that's what the ASA ring is adjusted to. One single frame was snapped on that one, by the way.

Oh yes, it's from a few months back in time, I know. Early this summer, actually, when we were doing refits on the ship close to Avaldsnes in Karmøy, Norway. The old stone church, you may remember. The one with the doomsday stone close to the wall and everything. This is probably a rangefinder snap of some kind. 

So now I got a couple of bags full of 9 cameras, and I kind of feel the urge to empty the rolls inside. They will not be reloaded immediately, but my hope is to adjust the new years resolution a bit before next year starts. 

What's the best thing to do, you think? The obvious answer is of course to get rid of all the cameras to limit the choice down to one or maybe two... but I'm not there at all. Just saying!

I want to keep them all, and I want to use them now and then. 

Maybe a nice thing to do is to actually try use them all through next year? Like doing things a bit different to what I tried to do this year? Just load them up and really try hard to empty them all before 2017 is done and dusted? Or maybe put up some kind of schedule to make sure I have used every single one of them at some point through the year, one or maybe two at a time? There are good things and bad things about these kinds of limitations for sure, but maybe it's worth trying for a period? 

From the old wool factory area close to where I live. This reminds me I was talking about hauling myself over to the place again one day to try do something more with it. Well, it has not happened yet. Luckily it seems there will be time enough in the days to come, so I might get the chance soon. I don't know what this was snapped on, but I suspect one of the rangefinders with the 21mm Elmarit, or maybe some Nikon with a 24mm attached. Looks a bit wider than that, so my bet is going to be put on the rangefinder suggestion. 

Lots of questions but few answers today, I totally realize that. I really would like some ideas or thoughts around these things, so please feel free to throw them inside the comments section. That would be very much appreciated, thank you :)

Out in the light

Still got my "night vision" on. Been inside the darker room, as you do on a nice day anyway.
Done a few prints, as you might suspect.

This is not one of the new prints! It's the younger daughter back when she was a couple of years old probably. No idea which camera this came from, but probably either the Nikon F-401 or maybe even the FM2. I used them both back in this period. Could also be an old Canon AE-1 I used to own, but I doubt it. 

Been working day and night to try clear out a lot of inventory from the house. What a mess! Seems like we have been collecting things for no particular reason. I must say I'm quite happy to see most of it away soon. Putting everything on the trailer tomorrow to drive it away for good. 
Sold a few things as well, as it happens. The fly rod and a bunch of other things was picked up by some guy willing to pay a few shillings for the lot. I guess he did a good deal on that, to be honest. 

All three of them out in the woods. We used to go there a lot, as it used to be a very short walk from home. 

So... you might wonder a bit about all the colours appearing around here this afternoon? Well... I have been scanning a bit as well. Found some old slides up on the attic, and had to give them a shot through the scanner. I don't know which type of film they were snapped on, but probably some Fuji stuff. I might find out some day if I decide to go for it, but that will involve opening the frames and stuff. I might just leave them be as they are. 
Snapped towards the end of the 90's. I guess late 98 or spring of 99.

Not too bad this film. Nice colors and everything.

Finally

Yesterday we finally got the news I have been waiting for the last 25 years or so. Good old Bob Dylan lived to see himself receiving the great reward I would say the Nobel Price in literature is. Or at least should be. Congrats, You Great Poet and dinosaur.

A while ago, when me and my wife were down south a bit to check what the islands down there had to offer. Lots of stone, some heather and a nice atmosphere would be the most obvious answer. There might be other things to say as well, but that's for another day I think. This was done on Kentmere 100 film stuck inside one of the Nikons.

I have been busy the last week after I returned back home. Clearing the house is the task at the moment. We have been thinking about moving to some other place in the not too far future, and need to get rid of tons of stuff to make that happen. Things tends to accumulate over the years, and you won't believe to what extent you may be a horderer until you actually start trying to get things off your property. Been working a week now, but still there's a lot to do. 
Some photographic equipment needs to go away as well, but I hope to keep most of it. Seems like that's going to be possible.

Oh well, you have seen this before. This day there was some fog going out the fjord. It was soon to be evaporated by the sun, though. Kentmere 100, Nikon FM2

I was just scanning some film. When I was sitting here doing that I noticed great things happen with the foggy stuff down at the lake a few meters away from the house. Sun, frost, fog and water. Might prepare one of the big Mamiyas for tomorrow morning and take a walk before sunrise to try capture some of it. Weather dependent, of course, like everything else over here. 
It's been nice for a week now, but as you know I have been busy doing other things.

A new week

Monday.
I'm just home, as you might know, from a month at work in the middle of the sea. You need some time to shake the somehow lonely feeling of work off of your back, but I'll get there some day soon. Been home since Friday, but have not been able to do anything yet. Except from going to a small concert and a couple of parties that is, but I kind of feel that does not count.
Still it does.
Count.
One should use some time to just live as well.

From work, of course. There is no way I can possibly recall the name of this thing made of steel pipes and girders. It's there, anyway. 

The concert? Well, I'm afraid the foreign language speaking readers of the words around this place have never heard of the singer/songwriter/performer/painter/drawer/storytelling artist called Unni Wilhelmsen? She's the one to the left dressed in white playing that black G-sharp guitar tuned into some open Joni Mitchell tuning.
She is very well known all the way around this long but small country anyway. Been so for 20 years this year. She brought herself and three guitars. A really good sounding Martin D-28 and a couple of G-sharps. I got a G-sharp, as it happens. Great small guitars, as you might know. I got a Martin as well, a D-35. They are great, big guitars.
I brought a camera to the concert. It was loaded with some quite extremely pushed 400 film. I got no idea if anything on the good side of things will come out of it, but we might see. One of these days.

I found this boat during one of our trips this summer. It seems like it's seen better times, to be honest. You would not like to go far out at sea inside this thing nowadays, I suppose. Duly snapped with one of the Nikons onto Kentmere 100ASA film. 

And we went to this party. Laughed plenty and had a great time inside a house by the sea. Or it was more like on and above the sea when I think about it. Nice place, beautiful people, great evening.
I brought a camera this night as well. Didn't even bring it out of the car you might be relieved to learn.
And now I'm here, at the cottage, trying to plan for the days ahead.
Well, I do have the overall plan already. Just have to break it into details now, and then start the hard work.

Coffee first!!

I just bought some film

I'm not switching too much between films, to be honest.
I usually have a few types in stock at home, but nothing very fancy. Not that there's a huge lot to choose between these days, but luckily I'm still not the only one liking the old fashion grain.
You know they got old fashion grain, and new stylish grain. Sharper stuff, as it happens, but I have not managed to get into that sort of thing. Some call them Delta-, and some call them T-grain, or something like that. I like the old fashion stuff, for some reason.

Things like this. Old grain, coming from a fancy battery-camera from Canon, most likely. I only have one camera able to zoom in like this, so got to be a snap from the only film I have run through that thing, as for yet. I might need to reload it, some day... This is Bressay, by the way, just opposite of Greenhead Base just north of Lerwick, Shetland. And yes, there's a seagull just coming in from the right. A bit difficult to avoid them, at times.

So, yesterday there was this message popping up on one of the quite well known social media sites asking if I was up for a few rolls of Ilford PAN 400... and who could possibly say no to that? Never used them before, but being quite a big fan of HP5 and a couple of other old style 400 ASA films I just could not let them go. I have seen snaps all from more or less all around done on this film, and are very much looking forward to give it a go myself.
Any advice you feel like sharing with someone new to the stuff? Push abilities, any special development techy things? I might just dunk the first one in a mix of water and Rodinal and let it sit for a while... Who knows, it might come out just fine for all we know. Sometimes they do just that...

Another farm on Bressay. Snapped from the ship as we snail our way out on the southern side of Lerwick. Not always an easy task when the current is on the rough side. Same batter-camera from Canon. The one I got from the captain, as you might remember. EOS 550 som something like that, I think. It works, obviously.

But we have to wait a few more days before I get the chance to load a camera with a roll, because I'm still at sea. Might be home thursday evening, which will be absolutely well deserved. And nice!
I hope to see you sometime before that :)

And no post without a snap from something totally without batteries. This one's from the Diana F+ thing. Toy, made of plastic all the way, but fun. Oh, and I completely forgot to tell you... I just bought another camera, for the sum of NOK 50,- That's about £4.50 or something. Quite a lot, you may say, but it's never been used before... hah! Another Diana, but the Mini version this time. For 135 roll film, as it happens. Can snap half frames with it and all. That would keep me occupied through the winter, I should think :))

Level waters again, finally.

I know, I know... no posts in a few days from this part of the world. I hope you all excuse me, as the weather has been a bit on the rough side the last three or four days. At sea that would mean nothing is quite like it would be if you stepped on dry land all the time. We have had some trouble putting one foot ahead of the other one, as you might understand. 
Yesterday was not too bad, but then the internet went away... again. You can't have everything, can you?

Brilliant weather today, though. Sun is shining and everything. 
I was just outside to get a feel for it, the temperature and such, but I can't exactly tell you I was struck by some kind of heat wave. Cold as heck, actually. So that's it, I suppose, for this year. Heat gone, winter will be here soon enough. 

Todays snap...? Well, something I have posted some time before, I guess? 
It's from the summer in Oslo a few years back. Snapped just before that old Nikon FE2 went down, hard, for the n-th time.