Film 7

Some photographs of a walk around Halifax many years ago.  I can't quite remember when or much about the walk itself.  Just that we enjoyed a pub Sunday lunch with the largest Yorkshire puddings I had ever seen.

Film 6

Back to my student days for this roll.  the first photo is of my flat mate continuing the party after a good neet oot in Newcassle in our house in Benwell.  The house was later condemned as unfit for human habitation.  Nothing to do with our antics or the nurses below us who went out one night leaving a lit cigarette in the ashtray which burnt through their flat -  that's another story though.

By way of comparison the next photograph was taken in the house I grew up in in Bourne End.  My eldest sister and a family friend.  No empty bottles, fag packets or stains in sight.

Film 5

Film 5 is a snapshot into my university days.  That time of my life when I challenged myself intellectually and learnt to formulate ideas and arguments and ended of my educational career a fully developed adult.

I studied at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne where I read Agricultural Zoology, a course and a university that I enjoyed very much.

The first photograph is of my flatmates in the Student Union after a particularly cultural day out in Durham (we managed to get ourselves thrown out of the cathedral).

The next photograph is the first of a series of ever more bizarre photographs taken after we had celebrated our Christmas lunch at the end of term.  I can't remember why, I don't want to remember why and I certainly can't publish any of the photos that followed this one.

 And here we have two of my housemates buying milk.

Film 4

At some point in the mid 90s I walked the Corsican High Route, or rather the first (and tougher) half.  A hard trek was made harder by carrying my first medium format camera, a Mamiya C330 and tripod as well as tent, clothes, food etc., and I also took along a disposable panoramic camera.

These shots were from that camera.

Film 3

Another roll of film from my mid twenties.

This shot was taken in Snowdonia during a half forgotten week end away -  I think is was during the weekend myself and three friends walked every peak over 3000ft in the park.

My mother.

Two friends during a week end in the Peak District. I think this taken on the way up to Kinder Scout

A sheep.

Film 2

In 1991 I visited Belize on a two week holiday with a friend.  These shots are from that holiday.

Film 1

These images were taken during  a week end away in Wales (I think it was Snowdonia) when I was around 24.  All I remember of the week end was practising emergency stops with ice axes.

Me before I had any grey hair.

I am the one with the natty purple hat on (which I still have!)

In my study there is a box containing a large number of prints that has gathered dust for over twenty years.  The prints are of images shot over a period of about ten years from my final year at university to around about my 30th year when I developed a more serious interest in photography.

My first camera was a point and shoot my parents gave me as a present for my 21st birthday though I can't remember the make of the camera.  However, it survived a few trips in my rucksack and finally expired after a holiday in Belize and was then replaced by my first real camera, a Nikon FE.

I haven't looked at the prints in my box for many years, in many cases since I got the films processed in whichever processing lab was closest at the time.  The photographs are records of family gatherings, half forgotten holidays and week ends away with a few rather toe curling reminders of my misspent student years in Newcastle upon Tyne.

I have decided to digitise these films and post some of the better images on this blog.  The prints will be discarded and the negatives archived as I try to clear out some of the detritus of my life.

The photographs were taken before I had any real knowledge of the art of photography -  they were shot on cheap film (mainly Kodak Gold)  which any serious enthusiast would have scoffed at, though ironically such film has a certain cache amongst lovers of analogue photography these days.

The concepts of composition, the use of light and contrast were only beginning to be formed in my mind in those early days and whilst some of these shots have merit, most are simply snap shots.  They do, however, record my twenties if perhaps incompletely and for that reason alone they have merit to  me.

I will post images from each film as I scan and edit them with a brief narrative.  The films will be posted in no particular order, but just as I pull one from the box. I have set myself no timeframe or deadline to complete this task, I will post as and when I have the time to do so.

I've no idea how many films I have to scan, some of the negatives are damaged or missing and this blog will end when all the negatives are scanned.

Please feel free to Tweet, follow or whatever we do in this digital world if you enjoy this blog of rambling analogue memories.