What do you do in the 10 months of grotty weather?

[Lee Turner]

OK, 10 months may be a slight exadgeration but yet again it's weekend, Lancashire and it's pouring down again. I haven't seen that strange round light in the sky for a couple of weeks now. Nights are not too bad as that's my time for darkroom work but just wondering what you busy yourself with photographically when it's constantly either chucking it down or the light is just that mucky grey colour.
I'm really thinking about getting a Nikonos just so I can get out and take some photos!

[Steve Bell]

I know the feeling. I've had 10 sheets of Rollei IR film loaded into film holders for the last 3 weeks now, and wonder if there'll still be there for next summer, or do I unload them. Surprisingly as it wasn't forecast, the sun has been out the last hour or so, but it's very windy, I might nip out this afternoon. I've a huge backlog of B&W film to process, Acros, Delta 100, FP4+, HP5+ and Rollei IR. This will certainly keep me busy on dark and wet weekends. Something I've considered is experimenting with still life. I've no lights, so I'd be relying on the window light and white mount board as reflectors. I have shot in the rain before from under a brolly, but using 35mm, I doubt it's so easy with LF.

[Tim Myers]

I've just returned from a week in Wales where I exposed 2 sheets of film. It was *sooooo* wet! However I've scouted out some very nice locations. Anyone fancy an autumn day out in Snowdonia?

[Bobbo]

Well, during the next "grotty months" I will be quite busy getting ready for the next 'good days'......

I need to finally sort out scanning and processing equipement...

Also need to service the rangefinder on the MPP and make up new r/f camms,...I have an idea for a quick change fitting so I can easily change camms for each lens. Also, will make an anatomical grip with combined vari-focal viewfinder incorporated.

There's lots to do and not many "grotty months" to do it all in!

[Tom Green]

Hi Tim, you picked a right week thats for sure , I wouldnt mind a nice Autuminal day out in Wales, any where in mind? There are a few places I could suggest, but the list would be long and I suppose most of the group have visited them in the past ,any way it can be tossed around if any one is interested . Have you seen, or have the book by Roger Tiley,called Grazing Slateland ?some interesting sights in it. I have been several times to the Cwmorthin Quarries in the past , sad and weird place.see if we can arrange something in the near future Tombo.

[Lee Turner]

There's lots to do and not many "grotty months" to do it all in!

I'll swap for where you live. Everywhere on TV looked sunny today, the football at the Arsenal ground, Southport air show, just about everywhere except our locale No wonder they processed cotton around this part of the country as it needed dampness for it to be workable.

It's quite strange that for 20 years I lived in a country where we had mostly sunny days but it wasn't very safe to go out with a camera whereas now I live in a safe country but the weather is grot (well in the Rossendale Valley at least). Such is life.

[Joanna Carter]

Well Lee, all I can suggest is you will just have to move out of your own personal rain belt

Here in Southport, well Birkdale to be accurate, it was a wonderful afternoon, but that still doesn't help if you have too much to do to get out with the camera

So where did you live before ?

[Ole Tjugen]

This summer is the first one I can remember when I've been able to load a 35mm roll of IR film - and finish it within a month!

Of course that unseasonably clear weather means that I'm about four months behind on the darkroom work. I have 25 35mm films, 40 120 films, 40 4x5/9x12cm/6.5x9cm sheets, 90 5x7" sheets and 20 8x10" and larger I just haven't got around to printing yet.

The grotty season will see me safely ensconced in my "grotto" darkroom!

[buze]

I picked up black & white /because/ of winter months. Before that I tought slides and digital were all I'd ever need

Of course now I realised there is more to it, but still, B&W works great in overcast conditions

Here (Berkshire) we had a sunny spell today. Not a sunny DAY of course (haven't seen that since july) but if you had heavy enough shoes to stay standing in the wind... good enough Finished a TMax 100 in the 1934 Zeiss Ikonta 530/2 (6x9) and it's drying....

[Steve Bell]

I did get out with the camera yesterday afternoon, but never used it, just too windy. I did spot an interesting old church, now on private land. I'll contact the hotel owners for permission to photograph. If I don't get anywhere with them, I could take step ladders to prop up in a public footpath, and setup the Toyo on the tripod using single legs on the flat top of a large gate post. Awkward, but an ideal position. This is another thing that can be done in bad weather, find new locations.

[Lee Turner]

I actually don't mind stormy weather that has drama in the sky as there are some great old buildings around here that would be perfectly matched. It's this monotone grey that's frustrating.

Joanna, I lived in Zimbabwe and South Africa before coming back to the UK. Johannesburg is not the best city to go walking around with a camera, or even walking around full stop! Funnily enough Joburg has the same annual rainfall as Manchester, but you never see drizzle there. It absolutely chucks it down for an hour and then the sun's back out. I find the unpredictability of the weather in the UK the hardest thing. If you organised a workshop for July in Johannesburg you would be guaranteed dry, cool and sunny weather. I can't tell what's going to happen in two hours time around here.

Right, enough whingeing and time to get positive again. Ah the sun's come out, no it's gone again. Even my kids have started calling me Victor Meldrew

[Tim Myers]

Hi Tom,

I've never visited Cwmorthin myself, but it certainly looks fascinating.

Last week I visited Rhaeadr Ddu, close to Dolgellau ant the falls were certainly spectacular, unfortunately it was raining, and had been raining for about 24 hours, everything was in flood, and I didn't get the cmaera out. I think these falls are certainly worth a visit in the autumn.

[Joanna Carter]

Hi Lee, yes the flat grey skies really can tempt you to drop in a sky in Photoshop sometimes

I heard that in Zimbabwe, they have a great anti-hijack device; flamethrowers under the sides of cars

I would certainly agree that drizzle is the very worst kind of rainfall; I worked in the south of France for about 6 weeks and it was great to get definite weather, now it's raining, now it's not. But, as others have said, at least it gives you time to develop and scan/print all the stuff you took when it was sunny

[Lee Turner]

I think I'm going to wander up to Heptonstall this weekend to photograph the ruined church and if conditions are too bad then retreat to the nearest hostelry

Joanna, the flame flower device was being used in South Africa. Eventually they banned it. At traffic lights there is quite a nuisance with people trying to put leaflets through the car windows and someone decided to use the flame thrower as a deterrent.
Strangely enough Johannesbug is in the province of Gauteng which, as some wag pointed out, is an anagram of "get a gun". After our family being the victims of 6 armed robberies we decided a bit of peace was needed.

[Joanna Carter]

I think I'm going to wander up to Heptonstall this weekend to photograph the ruined church and if conditions are too bad then retreat to the nearest hostelry

Hey, you haven't even turned up to a meeting yet and already you're starting your own Tearoom Appreciation Society sub-committee ?

Seriously though, if you have a good location to explore and wouldn't mind a bit of company, there are several of us who would value your local knowledge. If it suits the occasion, post a message in the locations group and help the cause of the TAS sub-committee