On Tick Fen - Warboys

Our fathers father worked this land and his fathers father too;


We're farmers drainers countrymen and Fenmen through and through;

We've fought the Romans and the Danes and the French men many times,

We've battled against the elements to quell Crowland abbeys chimes. ( ref - Danger Bell )

We've mastered wind and rain, we've controlled the floods and tides,

Tempests storms and cyclones, and snow and ice besides;

We've moulded this flat land into to what it is today,

A jewel in the farming world to everyone's dismay.



A Poem by Rex Sly

[www.rexslyinthefens.com/contact.html]   Keep it Analogue

16 Foot Drain

You walk the roof of the world here.


Only the clouds are higher

And they are not permanent.

Trees are too distant for the wind to reach

And mountains hide below the horizon.

The wind labours through reed

As though they were the final barrier.

Houses and farms cling like crustations

To the black hull of the earth.

Here, you must walk with yourself,

Or share the spirits of forgotten ages



Edward Storey [www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/fens.htm]   Keep It Analogue

3rd Avenue and 42nd Street

We'd been on the "Southern Loop" of the bus tour, still stifling hot in NYC and we just wanted to get off and walk in the shade. UN building was the next stop so off we hopped and walked down 42nd street towards Grand Central Station. At the junction with 3rd Avenue I snapped a picture of the receeding street and the yellow cab.
Impossible PX680 Test Film
Polaroid SX70 Folding SLR

Keep It Analogue

FlatIron

The FlatIron Building set against a bland sky really helps here I feel.
Looks almost like the bow of a ship.

Polaroid SX70 SLR
Impossible Test Film PX680V4 (Opacificaltion Layer Test)

Keep It Analogue

Travelling Fair, Gt Yarmouth

It comes every year on the same weekend as the Grand National - it was one of the highlights of the year growing up in Great Yarmouth.
Happened to be in Great Yarmouth last weekend and took the opportunity to wander with the Polaroid 420 Automatic Land Camera and the Holga 120FN.
Lots of bright artwork to draw the eye, the seagull completed the scene.

Keep it Analogue

Fenland Project

Fenland revisited, big skies, straight roads...beautiful....at least it is to some of us...I guess moutains streams and spectacular scenery does it for others.
Appreciate where you are, where you live....look at it through fresh eyes....see the unseen, the overlooked the forgotten and above all......

Keep it Analogue

Three Random Images

These have absolutely nothing in common save for the fact they were all shot using the Polaroid 103 and Fuji 100c peel apart film.
The Album playing on the Rega is Erpland by Ozric Tentacles...if you are interested...the phone boxes are at Hopwood Park Services on the M42 South of Birmingham and the Alloy Wheel Garage is in Great Yarmouth.

Keep it Analogue

Psycho Santa

Polaroid, 103 Automatic Land Camera "Packtastic" - the joy of instant photography.

Fenland Project

Been getting heavily into Instant film since the summer time.
This image was made using a 1970s Polaroid SX70 Camera using film from the Impossible Project. This will form part of an ongoing series of instant studies of the fens.

Been using my new Polaroid 420 Land Camera over the last few weeks. The camera uses Fuji 100c colour and 3000b black and white, peel apart film. Focusing is via a rangefinder and you can attach a modern electronic flash via the camera's pc socket.
The photograph of the blue trainers was taken using a close up lens held in front of the camera's lens and guessing the distance, didn't guess correctly as the image is out of focus.....I think that adds to the effect though especially now that it is mounted onto watercolour paper.
1. Trim the photo's edges
2. Place in a glass tray and pour over nearly boiling water and watch the emulsion "lift" off
3. Transfer to cold water
4. mix pva glue and water 50:50 and brush on to the water colour paper and brush the lifted emulsion onto the new surface.

Not black and white but still traditional.....