Poole Park and Harbour - March 25

I first bought a 35mm film camera some five years ago, an impulse purchase made after having fun with a disposable unit whilst on holiday. It turned out to be perfect timing, as the Covid lockdown hit some two weeks later and I was left with something to do.

I’ve since taken hundreds of pictures using various cameras, all of which I was fortunate enough to find second-hand and in great condition. The vast majority of these pictures are, quite frankly, crap. It took a long time to get accustomed to using a film camera effectively – keeping things in focus, understanding the light meter, rewinding the film after hitting the release button so that the roll doesn’t rip in half.

However, for every twenty shitty pics, there’s always at least a handful from each roll that come out as something appealing. Whether it was an intentional shot or a happy accident, I’m usually left with several prints that hit the spot.

This past month, I picked up my camera for the first time in around a year and had a play around, getting used to the settings once again and testing out some film that I’d been excited to use for a while.

The following pictures were taken in Poole Park and around Poole Harbour, not the most picturesque or even pleasant settings, often cold and uninviting, actually. However, they’re places I frequent for some reason, so they seemed good enough spots to get back to picture-taking basics.

Everything was shot on a roll of AGFACOLOR 35mm, which expired in 2003, with a 200 ISO.