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  • The Sugarworks

    For now 142 years on Auckland’s North Shore in the suburb of Birkenhead, we have had the Chelsea Sugar Refinery. They refine and produce the bulk load of sugar we see here in NZ.

    Located next to the main harbour, it was an ideal positioning, allowing for large cargo ship anchorage and loading/unloading.

    As with many large factory industries of the era, housing was built around the refinery for its workers and families. Unfortunately over the years they suffered from dampness/poor quality and a number were demolished. Now days there are a few brick cottages on its 39 hectares of land and a large number of public walking/bush tracks. Surrounding all of this is suburbia.

    The refinery, like other historic industries offers paid tours for people as well as a on site cafe – unsurprisingly, with plenty of sweet goodies.

    My photos in today’s post are a bit of a hybrid mix. Half taken on the Ricoh KR-5 (which recently departed me to a new home) as well as mobile phone. Not so much of a conscious choice – more the fact I finished the roll of Lucky 100 in the camera but still had shots I wanted to gather.

    One day I’ll take the tour. I have a book ‘The Chelsea Project’ which had invited I think 5 photographers inside taking photos of the workers and machines in action. Im sure the tour is not as action packed, but it would be cool to see if there were any modern day replication options!

    Later Michael Edit: Ah – on tours they lock away your phones and cameras! – a bit like visiting Wonkers factory I suspect!

  • A Random Dual Stroll

    No real theme to today’s post. Just a collection of pending images from a stroll around Devonport and Mairangi Bay on Auckland’s North Shore. Starting with Mairangi Bay, we took the coastal beach track, followed by the cliff return, grabbing a few interesting (to me) shots along the way.

    Then, in the same weekend, a bit of a stroll around Devonport.

    Thats all today. Not much narrative – just images.

    Till next time!

  • Through Someones Vintage Eyes – Iran & Afghanistan.

    I think this is my last box from this intrepid journeyman. Intrepid perhaps being a more modern lens on some of the venues we have relived through his slides. Yet another current day troubled zone – Iran and Afghanistan. Back int he 60’s/70’s however was the peak tourism hippy period of the century. Known by some as hubs of the ‘Hippy Trail’.

    Perhaps a combination of hard lighting conditions, old aged slides and my own development, some of these images don’t do justice of the beautiful wilderness visited. Much like most of the other slides of his I shared, I don’t know these areas myself. I think these opening sets are from the Afghanistan side of the trip. Viewing some of them, one wonders where the photographer and his friend were walking to. Wilderness!

    Some of the images remind me of an oil painting. Quite the wide open lands stretching forever.

    They appear to have passed through Balkh – assuming so, some archeological artefacts in that area date us there around 1500BC with the Iranic peoples. I love the transporters – look at the decoration and colour. The mix of fuel powered trucks and camel and donkeys.

    Some amazing structures amongst much simpler and more rudimentary places. Perhaps a divide of city and country living.

    Some of the above perhaps being the Iran section of the Journey? (Im basing this off the labelling of the box).

    Well, as I started this post, I’ll finish it with another of our photographer. My last box of his images we have had the pleasure to view. I’ll likely never know who he really was or the memories and stories the journeys held. He was likely to some degree local to me as I sourced them all from a Op Shop near home.

    For anyone who has enjoyed these – all is not over. I have sourced several different supplies of yet to explore slides that I have waiting to scan through. What will we find? – time will tell!

  • Third Time Lucky [400] – The Petri Flex V

    Until fairly recently (at the time of writing this), I was the custodian of a wonderful Petri Flex V. Made in the early 1960’s the Flex V was a unique design in its time as instead of a combination of usual gears, the innards of the Petri are based around a single long camshaft with a large torsion spring wound around it. You can feel this difference in use I think – something about it feels more direct somehow. Its a nice SLR to drive.

    A bygone name in the industry now, Kuribayshi – later renamed Petri was a decent player in its time in the Japanese camera segment. They didn’t quite get the status of the ‘Big 4’, but had a solid line of cameras in most design types.

    As directly hinted int he title, my most recent film through the Petri was my third roll of Lucky 400. Prior runs of the batch have had interesting albeit imperfect results. It seemed common that shots were riddled in marks and ‘black snow’. When you look out there in the www, its not just my experience, but one others get time to time. It’s a bottom priced bargain film stock, so with it comes perhaps some quality control. Anyway – this time overall was [nearly] great!

    Results this round were simply nice, mixed condition, 400 Speed film. All developed the same as prior runs. Nearly blemish free. Though one shot had a pretty major swirl that I simply cannot explain to being my own fault:

    Shots this round were featured around a lot of North Auckland over multiple outings with nowhere specific… though the Harbour Bridge did feature throughout.

    I worded ‘until recently’ in my opening paragraph. The Petri moved onto a new home recently. A combination of me not wanting to allow my collection to keep growing as well as making some funds to keep it growing perhaps in rotation of ownership. The Flex V was a nice model which I suspect I will regret selling – but who knows what I will find and experience next around the corner. Downsides to it was the very specific lens mount – so other lens choices were limited and hard to find. I guess also being reasonably uncommon parts might be non-existent if ever needed.

    If I am correct, I have once last roll of Lucky 400 left… will it be lucky or not! – we will have to wait and see.

    For today in NZ we observe Anzac Day. Lest We Forget.

  • Film Experiments Part 2 – Expired Ilford Micro-Neg Pan Type B

    Another post on the expired Ilford Micro-Neg Pan Type B. Following the last session, I settled on ASA6 feeling like the speed this film was sitting. Being a copy film, we also noted last session that its not got the widest range between bright and dark areas – in some ways a little like earlier digital cameras I enjoy shooting with. So with practice, I figured I’d be able to adapt with practice.

    Oh – and I purchased a new (old) camera especially for the experience – a Canon EOS 10QD. As the film has no perforations/sprocket holes, most standard cameras are incompatible. The 10QD was a reasonably early model of the ‘modern’ SLR with autofocus, autowind and multi focus points. Due to how it works, I was able to tape on a perforated leader to get it winding, and then it works fine the rest of the non perforated film! – Great. What I did fail to notice until the end of the roll was that it came with the date and time imbedded option turned on… literally who ever uses this function!?! (I know some do – but it permanently marks your negatives!) The House image above show how contrasty bright and dark can be… I worked at the image a bit to get that range! Bright just blows out in contrasty conditions.

    As I have a few other Canons, I shot this entire series on the 50mm 1.8 lens. The wide open 1.8 really helps in making the ISO6 film usable in standard outdoor conditions. Head inside and handheld even wide open is virtually a no-go… this said – the Mini above was in a well lit but indoor scenario. Just fast enough and low contrast of light… but that embedded date in this roll. Baa hahah.

    Usually due to film backing/transparency colour I make sure I convert to monochrome in editing. For this series, I kept the base as scanned. It’s got a pleasant vintage sepia tinge. Almost reminds me of old aged prints from a darkroom. Its a bit of a tricky film, but working with its limitations, enjoyable to play with!

    Oh. Where am I in the majority of this series? – Auckland’s Maungauika / North Head down in Devonport on the North Shore. I’ve featured here many times in the past. Vintage film, old war barracks – nice combo. The slightly out of focus shot on the left above had a great hunting feel to it.

    I’ve been venturing up the mountain for a lifetime now. As the years go by we are both aging. So many tunnels I used to explore have been fenced off and walled over. Dangerous drops fenced and plated over to ensure no one falls and dies. It’s for safety – but also drops some of its sense of adventure it used to have. Perhaps a bit like attitudes to war as people experienced when enlisting for adventure before facing the brutalities of reality in battles. These guns never experienced action in anger.

    So Ilford Micro-Neg Pan Type B Part 2 – completed. Not sure when part 3 will come, but I’ll mark this as a success!