Taking pictures again in Matlock Bath

So I got back into photography after a 10-year slow decline, and it was film that did it for me.

It’s a tale you’ve probably heard before. I used to take a lot of pictures, on film. Then I got a digital point and shoot and mixed it up, then went all digital around 2015/6. Fast forward to today and my interest in taking pictures had all but gone.

It’s hard to say what got me back in. A combination of living next to two excellent camera shops, the release of a few new film cameras, and rediscovering (and developing) an old disposable camera filled with happy memories from 10 years ago.

So I got myself a Pentax 17. Not the cheapest way into the hobby, but one that ‘just works’, which is rare in the film world even back in my day. Also, I’d never shot half-frame before and it’s a novetly that kind of appealed to me.

If aren’t familiar with half-frame, it’s a camera that takes half-sized photos. So you get double the shots albeit at half the quality. It also explains why most of my pictures here are portrait, because when you hold the camera ‘normally’ it takes portrait photos.

So I took the Pentax and a roll of UltraMax 400 to a little holiday we had around the Peak and in Matlock Bath. It’s a weird town but a great place for a photographer, I can’t help but feel like I should have done better.

And yet, there it is, my first roll of photos in ages, and sure enough, I’m quite excited to get back out there.

Could it be that shooting on film has got me back into taking pictures?

Possibly. It certainly has made me open my eyes again. I can’t disregard the idea that it’s new-stuff-itis that has got its grip on me, but only time will tell.

Some notes on the Pentax 17, first roll:

• Surprisingly sharp results are possible. The lens is lovely. Focal length is approx. 35mm which feels about right for a point and shooter.
• I struggled with the ‘macro’ mode, even when using the ‘wrist-strap as a guide’ trick.
• Otherwise I quite liked the zone focus.
• It’s too easy to knock the ‘mode’ wheel. Some of these I shot on night mode without realising.
• The roll jammed on re-winding! I lost a few frames because I didn’t realise. Could be user error on loading the film, I’ll keep an eye on it.

There’s a pick-up-and-go quality to the camera that overall I have been really enjoying. It’s been a nice way to ease back into things, now it’s time to dig out that old SLR…