35 mm film

Happy Birthday Ma’am

April 21, 2016Photo Essay, photography, Uncategorized35 mm film, archive, Happy Birthday Ma'am, Her Majesty the Queen, London Bridge, photography, postaday, Queenat90Andrew Seal View all 19 comments

On March 16th 1973 Her Majesty the Queen opened the new London Bridge just round the corner from Guy’s Hospital where I was working at the time. With my new Pentax Spotmatic at the ready off I went and was able to capture some memorable moments from the day.

The negatives have been protected in their plastic sleeves over all these years and today seemed the perfect time to revisit them. They’ve stood the test of time pretty well.

I even discovered online today a British Movietone newsreel of the day, which is wonderful archive worth taking a look at.

Happy Birthday Ma’am

negs

Weekly Photo Challenge: Weight(less)

January 8, 2016photography, Uncategorized, Weekly Photo Challenge35 mm film, ballet, black and white photography, photography, postaday, weekly photo challengeAndrew Seal View all 7 comments

This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Weight(less) from Ben has given me the perfect excuse to open up the archives once again and revisit a never-to-be-forgotten afternoon nearly fifty years ago shooting rehearsals at Covent Garden in London. You may remember my other archival visit in response to the Photo Challenge: Broken last May, which I cheekily entitled “Peeping Beauty”. As I wrote then, my negatives are as pristine today in their protective sleeves as they were all those years ago.

Although I love the convenience of modern day digital photography, I have to confess there is something magical about 35 mm film as I think back and remember waiting anxiously for those images to slowly appear in the dim orange light of the photographic dark room.