Bespoke Strap attached to an iPhone with Gizmon iCA case

Bespoke Strap attached to an iPhone with Gizmon iCA case

My thanks to Fred for the photograph.

Making prints

I've spent half a day in the dark, developing film and making prints. I still get a kick from developing a print, placing the paper in the chemical tray and watching the image appear, it's quite magical. The process of making an image is very satisfying, I should do it more often. The finished print has an added value for me because of the time and care involved in making it. But for all the care in the world I've never managed to avoid the dreaded dust spots. I used to crave the perfect print and go to extraordinary lengths to avoid dust on the negatives, which when printed become white dots. I would run hot water in the darkroom until it was full of steam, in the belief the water vapour would weigh down the dust. Making prints in those conditions was like working in a rain forest and of course there was always one speck that avoided the steam and managed to get itself printed for posterity. Now I don't mind a few dust specks on my print, I quite like them in fact.

Miranda F Camera with red bespoke strap

Miranda F Camera with waist level finder plus Red Bespoke Strap

The model for my latest red strap is a beautiful black Miranda F camera. The Miranda camera company produced dozens of different models from 1953 to 1978 when they disapeared from camera making. My model F was made around 1967 and is the only black Miranda F, I've ever seen.

I have a soft spot for over complex cameras, and the Miranda is very close to my heart. Miranda's marketing was about creating a camera that did everything, therefore it should  appeal to everyone. Unfortunately, it didn't. The camera has two shutter releases, one on top, one on the front. Two lens mounts for screw or bayonet fitting lenses. Two flash sockets. Three viewfinders and three focusing systems. Lovely!

Miranda F camera with pentaprism and waist level finder

Fuji X100 Camera with Red Bespoke Strap

Strawberry Field - Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 43-86mm

Strawberry Field, Liverpool - Tim Irving

This is the Salvation Army children's home in Liverpool, near the house where John Lennon lived. As a child John attended the garden party each summer, and played in the woods you can see through the gates. His aunt said that you could hear the Salvation Army band from their house. The graffiti on the gates and walls began appearing in 1967 after the release of "Strawberry Fields Forever". When you get close you can see the recent graffiti is partially covering older faded graffiti. Messages, lyrics and names are beginning to cover Linda B 2011, making her the background for this years artists. It would make a great time-lapse project. 

The lens used was a Nikkor Zoom 43-86mm (The lens with the built in flare), used off the camera. My particular example has so many idiosyncrasies that Nikon could have marketed it as a specialist lens. Probably Nikons most un-loved lens, but personally I love it, it's a lens of great character. I know of no other lens that produces such a distinctive vintage, 60's look.

My Photographs available at the Bluecoat Gallery Liverpool

Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool - Tim Irving

I'm pleased to announce that a selection of my photographs can now be seen and purchased at the Bluecoat gallery in the centre of Liverpool. The photographs which span the years 1984 to 2010, are available from Nook and Cranny who run the print and framing section in the main courtyard. Like a proud father, I visited my prints in Liverpool over the weekend, just to make sure they were comfortable and settled. I also spent time in the main gallery viewing the current exhibition, "Galapagos" a group show by twelve selected artists. The show was indeed excellent and deeply inspiring. As it runs until the 1st of July, I may take in another viewing.

My first customer

On Sunday morning I arrived at the gallery early and was delighted to see a rook waiting pariently at the door. I have no idea if rooks are lucky, but I took this as a good sign that my prints will sell out. The rook seems to be a resident at the Bluecoat, I saw her knocking on doors and windows with her beak.

Granada, 1998 - Tim Irving

Nikkormat EL with Olive Bespoke Strap

Black and Olive

This is the latest of my bespoke straps. I couldn't resist a photograph before I ship it to its new owner in Sweden. The olive and black make a handsome couple. I was forced to use this camera and lens over the weekend because last Friday my regular camera developed a fault. The fault turned out to be a mixed blessing, in that I got the opportunity to use the old warhorse above. I'll show you some examples of the photos when I have them back from the lab, tomorrow. The lens on the camera is the infamous Zoom-Nikkor 43-86mm. A few people have claimed this to be the worst lens ever made by Nikon. Again I'll put the images up and you can make up your own mind.

Apple Quicktake 100 Camera

Apple Quicktake 100 Camera

The camera above is one of several vintage digital cameras I own. I bought my first digital camera, an Apple Quicktake 200, in 1996, the one above dates from 1994. It was the first digital camera to be launched by Apple and was in production for less than a year. The camera was very expensive, plus you needed a Mac to get the images out of the camera. Not suprisingly, theses are rare cameras.

I used these camera to make images for web sites and print during the nineties and I still have the original files on hard disks. It occurred to me that the images from these early cameras are very rare, so you may be interested to see what photographs from an early digital camera look like.

Original full size image from Apple Quicktake 100

Original full size image from Apple Quicktake 100

The photos above are about average for the camera, I'm sure many people would find them unusable, but you have to work with what you've got. By reducing the size, they look good and by uprezzing it's possible to make 20x30 inch prints.

Thumbnail Image from Apple Quicktake 100

Spanish Landscape taken with Apple Quicktake 100. Image up-Rezzed to make 20x30 Print

It still works!