Road Trip to Newry

London-Newry, a fictitious town in the country of Irelantis created by the incredible artist that is Sean Hillen.

I recently enjoyed a road trip from Dublin to Newry to participate, albeit as an observer in celebrating the Newry Arts Festival. The journey was very enjoyable, even though Irish Rail had selected this Bank Holiday weekend to carry out service work on the rail lines between Dublin and Newry. This resulted in a very enjoyable road trip made up of trains, buses and cars.

I shared the road with Sean Hillen along with fellow photographers Bob Dixon by bus and train before being joined by Arron Kirwan who met us at Newry train station in his car, we then set about exploring Newry.

Back in the 1980's I was a regular visitor to Newry, crossing the border and doing your best to avoid customs and army checks, all in the name of cheap booze, chocolate and anything else that couldn't be bought cheaper, or at all in Dublin.

After exploring new places and catching up with old familiar places we made our way to the Newry and Mourne Museum where we were treated to an incredible presentation where Sean took us back in time to the creation of Irelantis along with its fictitious towns like London-Newry, as well as his many other works which included his fantastic documentary photographs of The Troubles in Ireland.

Afterwards we made our way through Newry and onto the train station for the journey back to Dublin.

I enjoyed re-exploring a town I know of old, but this time with the view from a local artist. Thank you Sean.

Words & images ©Jim Leonard With thanks to Sean Hillen, Arron Kirwan and Bob Dixon

A Prized Find In Prague

Back in September 2021 I began travelling again after many restrictions were lifted following a difficult time during the first two years of the Covid 19 pandemic. Although we had booked many flights, all of these were cancelled before we eventually got to travel.

When I found myself in Prague, one of my favourite cities in the world, I began to re-explore this beautiful city in the Czech Republic. Within walking distance of Wenceslas Square there are some fine camera shops where you may find some gems from the Soviet era along with other classic cameras from around the world. I'm practically a regular in these shops on my visits to Prague and some of the staff recognise me when I enter, even after a break in travel for a couple of years.

Whilst browsing the collections I spotted a beautiful Leica ii Mod D, the first of the coupled rangefinder cameras from the Leitz company, which sat beautifully on a red cushioned display stand.

      Leica ii Mod D (1932)

As I gazed through the glass case I just had to ask for more information about this camera. The salesman took the camera down from the display and carefully handed it to me. On further inspection I noted the serial number, this was a first batch model from February 1932 in black paint with nickel coated dials and subtle brassing around the edges, it also had a Summar 5cm f2 lens. The camera came with really interesting provenance. The owner of this camera had passed away some years earlier and the camera remained with his wife, at 100 years old she was moving to a care home and was selling off some of her belongings, this camera was amongst those belongings. It transpired her husband, the owner of this camera had owned the camera for a very long time before he passed. He was attached to the 310 Squadron at RAF Duxford in England, a crack Spitfire and Hurricane fighter squadron made up of Czechoslovakian pilots who, after Germany invaded their country, went to England in order to fight the Germans. After the war the cameras owner left the RAF and returned home, he then became a merchant sailor where his ships sailed from Germany delivering supplies around the world. The camera remained in his possession until he passed away, and now it rested carefully in my hands, with me wondering if I should buy it.

I put the camera back on the counter, still unsure if I should buy it, and knowing it would need a full service. The sales assistant asked how long I was staying in Prague on this visit, it was a Tuesday and I told him I was there until Sunday, he placed the camera into a box and told me he would keep it aside for me until midday on Friday, if I didn't return by then it would go back on sale. I then left the shop.

                                 Leica ii Mod D, Kodak Tmax 400. Dublin 2022

I thought about the camera but no more so than the following day when myself and Angie set about exploring parts of Prague we hadn't visited on previous visits. We went to the Prague Technical Museum and when we entered the large hall I couldn't believe my eyes when I seen on display, a Spitfire fighter plane from the 310 Czechoslovakia Squadron RAF Duxford. Was this a sign?

Over the next couple of days we met up with friends and enjoyed our holiday, I was happily shooting away with my Leica M6, so I guess I didn't really need another Leica..

On the Friday morning Angie asked if I was going to buy the camera, I figured I wasn't, even with such amazing history to go with it, Angie asked if I would regret not buying it if, after we arrived home, I had left it in the shop, I said I would regret it, right said Angie, let's go to the shop.

      Dublin Architecture. Leica ii Mod D, Kodak Tmax 400. 

As we walked through the shop the sales assistant spotted me, he went to the back and brought the camera to me, I looked at it again and told him I'm buying it. We haggled a little over the price because the camera needed a service, I told him my friend back in Dublin, Noel Young, was the best Leica service and repair person in Ireland and he would service it. The camera was wrapped up, I handed over my Czech Koruna cash and shook hands. This prized find in Prague was coming home to Ireland with me.

     Dublin. Leica ii Mod D, Kodak Tmax 400

Some time after I returned home I made contact with Noel telling him about my find and to see if he could fit my new Leica into his busy schedule, Noel told me his health hadn't been great of late and it could be a while before he could service the camera, I didn't mind waiting, I was in no hurry, Noel was the best in the game and well worth waiting for. I put the camera in my display cabinet until Noel was well enough to work on it. 

     Noel Young. Rolleiflex T, Ilford HP5

Noel's health deteriorated, we kept in touch and chatted about Leica cameras and all things photography. In October 2022 I visited Noel at home where I brought this old 1932 Leica to show him, he smiled as he held it. We also discovered this Leica was in the same batch as Robert Capa's first Leica, another very interesting piece in the history of this camera. Noel told me me this camera needed to be used and asked me to promise him I would send it to someone reputable to have it serviced, I gave him my word. The following week Noel passed away.

A couple of weeks after Noel's funeral I was looking at the camera, I made contact with Aperture in London, England. I spoke to Aperture about the camera, its history, and what it needed to make it usable again. I packaged the camera up and arranged to have it shipped to London. Thanks to my photographer friend Arron Kirwan who arranged the shipping, since Brexit it has been very difficult to do business with UK based companies. It was serviced by Aperture and shipped back to me where I loaded a roll of Kodak Tmax 400 and took a ramble about my home city of Dublin. 

I am very happy with the results from the first roll I've shot with this camera, I think about the history it has captured in the ninety one years since it was manufactured. The camera feels new, a testament to the quality and build of Leica cameras.

Dedicated to the memory of Noel P. Young, friend, photographer, Leica specialist.

©Jim Leonard

Mystery Film

 

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing the photography section on one of my usual online sales sites, not really planning on buying anything, but you never know, a bargain may pop up, or just something that catches your eye.

As I was scrolling through the many advertisements, some not even catching my attention, I was then drawn to a heading, 'Watson Model 100 Bulk Film Loader..' Now one thing I don't need is another bulk film loader, I already have a Watson, along with a Kaiser bulk loader. But the heading on this one continued, '... Containing 100ft of an unknown brand of film'. I was intrigued.

A bid was made and for the price of a couple of pints of beer I became the owner of another bulk film loader. I was interested in the contents of this film loader, wondering if there was anything viable in there.

After a few days I received the Watson in the post, it was in the original packaging and included all original paperwork. I removed it from the box, I could feel the weight of the film it contained and out of curiosity I popped it into a dark bag to check how much film it contained, I was happy to feel a full 100ft spool, or certainly close to it. 

Now the label on the outside of the holder was interesting, perhaps holding a clue to which film was in this bulk holder. The label showed the ISO to be 1600, it was Fuji black and white, and it was loaded on the 17th June 1997. Was it Neopan?

Neopan was one of my favourite films, in fact the last wedding I shot completely on film was shot on Neopan and every image was beautiful, unfortunately Fuji discontinued Neopan a few years ago. It was time to try remember and research which black and white film rated at 1600 was sold by Fuji back in the 1990's. There was a lot of info to be found, the common one of fast film stock having a shorter life, much talk saying not to waste your time with out of date 1600 film, but I decided to give it a go. I loaded a cartridge with enough film to shoot 12 frames, I threw out a couple of questions on a Face book page I help moderate, Irish Analogue Photography Group. Ideas came back and I decided to shoot this 1600 film at 400 and develop for 800, using Digital Truth's Massive Dev Chart and their time for Neopan 1600 rated at 800. I developed in Kodak HC-110 B dilution for 4 minutes and 45 seconds, to stop I gave the film a one minute water bath, it was fixed for 5 minutes with Ilford Rapid Fixer, washed with a final rinse with liquid dish wash.

When I unspooled the film after it was developed I seen the images were very faint, but the film edge codes and text was clear, I suspected fogged film due to age. A closer look certainly showed the film to be Fuji, further down the film it was clear that it was 1600PR with emulsion number 143. Some forums will tell you this is Fuji Press Rated film, an interesting read in itself, but referencing Fuji's official guide shows it to be Neopan 1600, I have to be honest and say I can't say for sure if Fuji Press Rated film is in the Neopan range of film, Fuji did make a Color Press film, the batch I have is certainly black and white. 

After scanning it was clear this film was heavily fogged, most likely due to its age and the fact that fast film does not last as long as some of the slower film speeds, but is it a non runner? I don't think so, judging by what I got from it I would consider using this for a project of some sort, I plan on shooting more and trying different times but there's no doubt about the fog.

Technical data; Camera - Leica M6 | Lens - Voigtlander Color Skopar 35mm f2.5 | Film - Fuji Neopan 1600 expired two decades (estimate) | Developer - Kodak HC-110 B dilution | Stop bath - Water | Fixer - Ilford Rapid Fixer | Scanner - Epson Photo V850 Pro

©Jim Leonard

Fuji GW690II Professional - A Review

     Fuji GW690II     

I've been a fan of rangefinder cameras for sometime now, I've owned and shot a few from a Zorki 4, Yashica Electro 35, Ricoh 500, various Leica models and a Mamiya 6 Medium Format rangefinder, but not necessarily in the order. The Fuji list of rangefinders have interested me over the years, they come in a range of different frames sizes and all from a roll of 120 Medium Format film.

This week I got my hands on a Fuji GW690II Professional 6X9, this model which comes with a Fujinon f3.5 90mm lens which equates to 45mm when compared to 35mm film lenses. This camera is a Medium Format camera shooting 120 film (it can also take 220 film), each negative measures 6x9cm in which you can capture beautiful detail, you get eight frames to a roll of 120. The GW690II was manufactured from 1985 through to the early/mid 1990's. It's a well built camera with a solid feel to it, loading the film is easy, it has two shutter release buttons for landscape and portrait modes, winding the film to the next frame is done with a double stroke, the same as the earlier model Leica M3.

     Glasnevin Cemetery, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

It was time to test this camera and with travel restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic I did not have many options, I chose to visit Glasnevin Cemetery on the north side of Dublin. Opening in 1832 Glasnevin Cemetery has seen the internment of over 1.5 million people.

                               Glasnevin Cemetery, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

I packed the big Fuji into my bag along with a couple of rolls of Ilford HP5+ black & white Medium Format film and made the short journey to the cemetery. The weather was bitterly cold, overcast and dull, I opted to push the film to ISO 800 which would help with the poor light and increase the contrast, which I like.

     Glasnevin Cemetery, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

                               Glasnevin Cemetery, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

I was pleasantly surprised with the handling of the Fuji, it's a big camera, so much in fact it's nicknamed the Texas Leica by some. The grip is comfortable and the additional shutter release button is quite handy.

      Glasnevin Cemetery, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

     The Crematorium, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

                                The Crematorium, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

       Glasnevin Cemetery, Fuji GW690II, Ilford HP5+ rated at ISO800

As already mentioned, the weather wasn't great but the combination of the Fujinon 90mm EBC (Electron Beam Coating) lens and Ilford HP5 pushed to 800 made capturing these images a pleasure, or as enjoyable as one can be when photographing a cemetery. The Fuji GW690II really is a handful, it's a big camera and attracts attention, however you can carry it quite easily on a neck strap, it's much easier to carry and a lot more portable than my Hasselblad 501cm, but it would never replace the Hasselblad. I'm going to hold onto the Fuji for a while, I like the feel of it, I love the big 6x9 centimetre negatives and I'm really looking forward to putting a roll of Kodak Portra of Ektar through it, just as soon as the weather brightens up and improves.

Technical details-

Camera; Fuji GW690II

Film; Ilford HP5+ 120 rated at ISO 800

Developed in Kodak HC-110 in dilution B

All images ©Jim Leonard

 

Lockdown Project

As we all know by now 2020 has so far been a strange and difficult year for many, the Covid-19 virus has changed the way we live, the way we socialise, the way we seek and portray our art. In fact a lot of us will have suffered from a lack of enthusiasm as we try to keep ourselves busy with travel restrictions in place and no chance to really socialise or mingle. 

During the full lockdown some months ago I created my own project of gathering local history from where I live, visiting old churches and schools, exploring the canal walk that runs close to my home, I photographed as much as I could within the restricted limit of 2kms which later changed to 5kms.

      Clonsilla School (1854). Rolleiflex T, Ilford HP5. ©Jim Leonard

Rediscovering your local history can be fascinating, searching local archives, seeking out interesting buildings and making connections that made your locality what it is, you get to walk in the footsteps of those who lived there before you.

      St. Mary's Church (1840-1850) Rolleiflex T, Ilford HP5  ©Jim Leonard

As photographers we often choose a project based on the camera we use, the film we have selected for that project, or the subject, which is probably the most common. My own projects are generally associated with events, travel and/or culture.

Jack, as part of my project on the Skinhead culture. Rolleiflex T, Ilford HP5 ©Jim Leonard

As we enter into another phase of Covid-19 restrictions I thought about another lockdown project, and I guess this isn't really lockdown as we know it, many business's are thankfully still open so the economy, as much as it has suffered, is still turning over, again however, these restrictions prevent us from running and attending social events, it has certainly effected my skinhead project of which I had hoped to be in the final stages of compiling a book, perhaps I could work on something else to get a selection of those images out there, a zine perhaps?!

Now we're down to travel restrictions of just 5kms from our home in an attempt to bring the Covid positive numbers down, as photographers what do we do if we want to continue creating whilst staying within the restricted limits? I guess it very much depends on where you live, if you live in the centre of a city then you have an abundance of undiscovered streets and buildings to choose from, although footfall is down so street photographers may need to diversify. So what about those of us who live in the suburbs or countryside? do we just go out and photograph the same buildings and streets as we did during the last lockdown? Well I guess we do, but we too can diversify, yes we are about to take the same walks along the same streets or canal walks we've been doing through the Spring and Summer, photographing those interesting buildings steeped in local history, or a hill walk or walkway with interesting views.

      Royal Canal Walk Clonsilla. Nikon D500 ©Jim Leonard

New Project

Most of my projects are shot on film, or a mix of film and digital, so I thought about how I was going to approach my new project which involved photographing the same locations I had photographed during the first lockdown without losing interest to both the photographer and the viewer. I browsed ideas, checking in with other photographers and what their thoughts were on new projects with the same subjects. After much thought and research I decided I'd shoot the same topics and locations but with one theme in common, I chose to shoot the same locations on a specific film, but which film?

                 Developing paper negatives in the darkroom ©Jim Leonard

After much thought, research and internet browsing I decided to choose a specific film to shoot the same buildings and walkways I had shot during the Summer. This time around with Autumn changing to Winter I decided to choose reversal film, or slide film as most would know it by, black & white was my choice this time. 

Colour Reversal film was very popular a few years ago, it oozed colour and punched that image right to the viewer. Unfortunately the use of reversal film reduced over the years, in particularly since the introduction of digital photography and the number of labs who processed this E6 developing fell dramatically resulting in many labs closing with zero number of commercial labs processing reversal film in Ireland in 2020.

      Fire Station Budapest. Leica M6, Fuji Velvia 100 ©Jim Leonard

Fomapan R100

After deciding I would select film as my main project point of these new restrictions I decided on reversal film, a complicated yet beautiful process which often gave incredible results, even though metering and processing temperature requirements were quite precise. I had previously been a fan of black and white reversal film and although this film had largely disappeared I knew that Foma still produced such film, they even produced a reversal developing kit to go with their branded film, credit to Foma for that.

      A package from Czech Republic

After shopping around for the best prices on Fomapan R100 I chose to order straight from their factory in Czech Republic, a country I visit every year and pass close to their factory on my travels, something I only discovered this week, perhaps on my next trip I might get to visit the factory. 

After browsing the website of Foma and setting up an account I placed my first order.

     Fomapan R100 Black & White Reversal film

After a few days my order arrived from the Foma factory, everything was well packaged and the carton carried an advisory notice stating that film products were contained, I'm hoping this resulted in gentle handling by customs. I ordered a 30.5m roll of film which I will load into 35mm cassettes using my Kaiser bulk film loader.

     Foma photographic paper which was a complimentary addition to the delivery

                      Fomapan R processing kit

              

So that's the new project almost set up, the locations will be familiar but the results will be different as I haven't shot on black and white reversal film for a few years now. 

Stay tuned for the results.

Jim