and so the harvest came

I always look forward to our summer harvests when the Combines work the fields and lift their crops. The crop this season in the fields that surround us was spring barley. I know, its summer time but the barley is planted in the spring, hence the connection. I always have the best view and on this occasion I shot what I saw on medium format with a roll of expired Velvia. It was a windy and dusty day with low cloud.
I so wished for our Cornish blue skies that day but it was not meant to be.

The Combine worked the fields in a similar pattern with the tractors and trailers not too far away ready to catch the ears of Barley. The driver radio’s the tractor drivers and they pull alongside the Combine and the grain is off loaded. The farmer told me that this was one of the driest harvests that he could remember

Within a few hours, all of the 21 acres of barley that surround us had been harvested, leaving behind fields full of straw for them to return at a later date and bale for the winter months. They make the whole process look so easy.

I shot this on a roll of well expired Velvia, one of my fav E6 stocks. Always at box speed as I dont believe in that one stop per 10 years rule. Colours and grain, excuse the pan, were good although there was an element of redish/pinkish tones to the skies. That the beauty of expired. Love it….

Out in the Bay, fishing away....

There are a number of things that Cornwall is renowned for, the surf, the cream tea, the pasty, our glorious beaches and Sardines, yes, Sardines. Historically, the Cornish Sardines industry was once regarded as the global leaders during 18th and 19th centuries. Cornish sardines today are still considered among the best in the world.

Today, the Cornish Sardine industry still thrives and comes out of the port of Newlyn but clearly not in the same volumes that use to be landed. There are a handful of commercial fisherman such as Danny, the skipper of the Golden Harvest, which continue to fish for sardines as his family has done over the generations.

I got the opportunity again recently to join Danny and the crew fishing out the Mounts Bay area one evening. I guess you’d expect that you can fish any time but there’s a reason behind why you’d fish that time. “Its the light” Im told. The evening light is that time of the day when the sardines tend to sit closer to the surface making it easier to catch. When I say easier to catch, Danny still has to hunt for them via his radar/fish finder for help.

If not not aware, commercial fishing is widely recognised as one of the most dangerous professions due to the high risk of injury. Having said that, Its very obvious to see that Danny’s and his crew are very experienced and professional throughout the whole trip. Each and every time they fish, they have to be. The slighest mistake and god only knows what might happen.

So how does this work then? Bear with me here Danny, I think I remember what you told me. If not then I should of paid more attention.
How does one set out to catch these little beauties then? Well, its called ring netting. Danny searches for the fish, once he spots a shoal of size, he shouts to the crew and they sling the net. Then its all about Andy’s skill as a skipper to position his boat and en circle the area as such forming a ring like structure, hence the term, “ring netting. I think I got that right. The crew then start to haul in the net alongside the boats winching gear.

Once the full net is alongside the boat, it’s time to get the tons, yes tons of Sardines on board. That done with a huge vacunm type set up which is dropped into the net and the suction begins and then fills the tanks below. Now when I say tons, that varies on the size of the catch. Danny will casts his nets several times an evening with the aim to catch as many fish as he can. The evening ins’t over then. They”ll return to port and then the off loading of the catch begins. Long hours indeed. The skipper and crew are paid on the basis of what they land. The guys do this six days a week for approximately eight months of the year. Cornish sardines still remain the best in the world. Thanks again Danny and the guys for your time and allowing me once again to come aboard. RD

you'll always find colour in St Ives

15 minutes down the road from where live is the town of St Ives. Probably the single most visited town in Cornwall by our lovely tourist, whilst also drawing, excuse the pun, would be Artists here as we have some of the best natural light in the UK. Thats something we photographers love too……

Ive lost count the number of times Ive shot content here for both work and play, but I have a rule in place that I always stick to providing in the weather is on my side. Shoot before 10am and after 3pm. Nothing in between. Why you ask?, well those are the times when I find the best light to shoot with none of the whiting over haze you often see in between those hours. Im not saying that this happens all of the time but I do know how the weather works down here and if there’s any haze, Im off.

The selection of the images I shot below are all with coastal colours in mind. You’re never short of finding colour here but if I may, a tip for you all, arrive early as you can as the place gets packed and those colours might get obscured by our lovely visitors

Choice of film stock that morning. Well, bearing in mind my first statement, “you'll alway find colour in St Ives” it had to be a roll of medium format Kodak Gold. Id run out of Ektar that morning and thats always my go to colour stock but Gold certainly came up with the goods that day - Shot on my Hassy 500. The perfect match…..




OptiColour 200 review

I cant remember the last time I read or even listened to a new film review without someone bleating on and saying, “ its like……, and the colours are like…… The grains similar to……. Blah, Blah, Blah. Surely the whole idea of a new stock coming to the market is that it sits alone.
Its not anything else other than what it is. I judge a new stock on its own merits as to what it is, rather than what its like.

So, whats Opti colour 200 all about then? Well, its available in two formats, 120 and 35mm and I will be shooting both. Now, Im not going to witter on about stuff such as colour tones, saturation and shadows etc etc. That’s for the nerds and those who understand all that tech stuff.
Im just going to shoot it and see how it comes out and I certainly wont be making comparisons. It is what it is….

The first roll I chose to shoot was the 120 shot on my Pentax 6x7. I shot the enclosed images with a selection of mixed colours in mind. A cross section if you like to see how it stacks up on that front.

For me, there are some mixed results here. Firstly, the grain. I like it. Now for the colours. Please bear in mind that when I did shoot these the light was great, cloud free and blue skies that day. As for the one interior shot, lovely natural daylight lite up the sushi shot.

Colour. On three of the four outside shots the colour looks fine. A little flat I might say but on the automotive shot, there’s some really noticeable reddish tones creeping in there, as does the header image of the box/film shot above.

My conclusions in brief then. I like it, and I’ll certainly be looking forward to shooting it on 35mm with a certain subject or content in mind, rather than just shoot it for the sake of it. It certainly wont be replacing any of my key stocks such as Ektar, Velvia, Provia and Portra to name a few, but Im sure I’ll find another use for the 35mm roll.

As with all of my film shots, straight out of the box with no use of PS, LR, filters or presets. Dont have them, dont need them. RD


Other opinions are available and their findings might differ. Good for them

I don't have a favourite, but.....

I think its a really difficult question to answer if I have a favourite when referring to a single one of my camera’s. Its like saying, who’s your favourite child. All my camera’s have their own qualities both positive and negative but if Im shooting stills & portrait, I guess it would have to be my Hassy.

The Hasselblad 500CM is a big lump and for me, it’s not the rig I would use every day. Thats down to my 35’s and my 6x7. My Hassy does require some stability when shooting with it but believe me, once you’ve got your hands round it, its a killer rig to work with. It’s certainly not a camera Id use for motion related media, so thats why is so well suited for me when is comes to stills & portrait. Others might disagree but it’s all about which camera and set up works best, and on the MF front, this is the one for me

I came close to the idea of selling it recently when I was thinking about the last time I used. A stupid thought indeed which was further endorsed by wifey - “don’t you dare sell that”. She’s was so right. If Im honest, Id never find another one as good as this one if I’d sold it, I’d really regret it. Stupid boy! It’ll never be for sale….Im dying with it by my side.


So, what makes my Hassy so good for stills and portrait work then? Well, I love how solid it is and easy to handle. It feels like quality which it is and then there’s that rather engaging element I love so much, looking down into the viewfinder where everything comes into view. And then there’s the lens. One of the very best pin sharp 80mm Zeiss lenses out there. Im still amazes me just how sharp it is. All my work is “out of the box” meaning that its shot how I shoot it. None of that after processing with PS & LR, filters, presets and sharpening modes. I don’t have any need for that, never have, never will. I keep my photography real. Others out there enjoy those elements of photography and good for them but it simple isn’t for me. Afternoon bleat over…

Enclosed below is a gallery of just a few of my portrait, stills and other related content that Ive shot with the Hassy on a variety of film stocks




"Hit the north" Belfast street art festival

Whilst recently walking in and around Belfasts Cathedral Quarter area, I stumbled across the “hit the north” Festival. The biggest street art festival in Belfast. Over 60 artists from across the UK, Ireland and internationally were invited to display their skills on a series an hoardings and walls throughout this area

The location and central to the festival was the famous Sunflower pub. The only pub left in Belfast with the steel cages from the “Troubles” still in place. A cracking pub by the way.

The quality of art was amazing as was the colour and it was great to enguage with the artists and ask about their work, before opening and closing my shutter I might add. Alongside the Irish blue skies that day, this was indeed a cracking find for me and my camera. Consequently I thought it was only right for me to consume some alcohol based beverages that day, responsible of course, whilst viewing this collection of incredible street art

There was one piece of art that I must say did stand out for me that day and it was the one that had a very current and sombering connection to it. That was the art titled “Know their names”. The artist which designed this name escapes me but he wrote down 1,000 children’s names who have been killed by the Israeli attacks in Gaza. Everyone who view had the same opinion as me. Shocking….

Because I didn’t expect to find the festival and I was in Belfast for another reason, I came ill equipped with film. One roll would you believe! So, I searched for 35mm film locally, grabbed some more and returned to shoot some more content. I’d love to post all of the shots I took that day but I think the gallery below sums up the content and experience for me. Hope you think so too! RD

PS: I reckon I know where the “hit the north” title came from. Manchesters finest, The Fall


Foto app review - Finally some great news

Over the past few years, we’ve seen quite a few of new photo related apps spring up such as the likes of Grainery/Newgrain which is great to see but after a short while they generally seem to either run out of money to support their R&D plans or just sit there and never gather pace. Consequently, us real photographers out there have really struggled to share our work the way we’d like to socially.

Forget about Instagram, its an utter waste of space unless you enjoy the elements of endless pushed advertising content, reels and other valueless content. Its go longer a place for photographers.

So, whats the choice then? Well, I think Ive finally found one in the shape of Foto app. This platform is ace. Ive only been on it a few weeks now but its has all the qualities of a real game changer on the photography front.

Image below: design layout

Easy to use? Yes. It current runs on Android and iOS, great for smart phone and Ipad users. Desktop users will have to wait a little while for that experience but the guys at Foto app are looking at that this summer. I cant wait!

Uploading is easy, the design is great and the sharing of content is immediate. What I love about this app in relation to the others out there is that you cant see others followers or who they are following, you can only see your own. Who give a toss about that numbers anyway.


So what are your options then?

Well, you can go down the “free” option front. That will of course limit your uploads but its still a good choice. Or you can become what they call a Foto Ambassador · $5/month · $50/year · $500 For Life. If Im honest here, its not a lot on the $50 a year choice, my choice. Im not sure about the $500 tag though. I think i’d like to know a little more on the future of the app and their final goal before I opted for that kind of payment.

To conclude then

Great start, great design and great interaction with other real photographers. Foto app already has a premium look and feel to it which leads me to believe that this might very well be what we all been looking for. Chronological, ad-free, and uncropped. RD

Update: They just keep coming! bug fixs, new features. This is such a great app

The faces of Mumbai

There’s one thing certain about shooting portrait content in Mumbai, you’ll never be short of it. Wherever you look, wherever you turn, there’s another face you’ll notice and yet another one you’ll spot out of the corner of your eye, or perhaps they might even be one staring at you. After all, as a white European, we’re somewhat of a novelty.

Remember this though, don’t assume that everyone likes the idea of have a camera raised and pointed at them. You need to connect with your subject first. I was fortunate enough to have some language skills to help me along the way as well as a local fixer gifted in the art of explaining in detail to the subjects who I was and what I’m was doing in Mumbai.
A freelance documentary film photographer working alongside UK & European media outlets. On this occasion, searching for print based media content to share with us all.

Please note: All of these shots were taken with the subjects consent

only shot once before by..........

I got the opportunity some time back to shoot a quality example of a Ferrari Dino 246 GT. A local car to us here in Cornwall and a car that has a one owner history attacthed to it. A very rare example indeed

So, we agreed a location in advance which took sometime as did the request to shoot it. It was of course local location and on the day of the shoot, the weather couldn’t of been any better. Classic Cornish early evening lovely blue skies off setting the beautiful Ferrari rosso red colour which turned out to be a superb match. The choice of film on this occasion had to be Ektar. A stock that always brings the best out in colour. Matched with my Konica Hexar and my Pentax 6x7, they all worked so well together

As the shoot progressed, the owner said he had something to show me and produced this framed photo from his car. Who was it in the image I asked, only David Bailey. If you don’t know who he is and your a film photographer, shame on you. Anyhow, this framed photo, see below, is of David shooting the owners car back in the 80’s for a German motor related magazine. Ironically, the location was Cornwall. St Austell in fact. How nuts is that.

Yes I did get to go out in it, owner at the helm of course but what and experience that was as well as the opportunity to shoot it along with David Bailey. The only two times it ever been shot in its lifetime. Additional gallery shots below. RD

Lomography Orca 110 Black & White Review

Here’s another new film stock to me which I haven’t shot before. I love finding those newish stocks there are out there.
I did order two rolls as Ive another shoot in mind for the second one regardless on how these came out. So, I shot this first roll with a very open mind as to how it might come out. I would like to point out that your not going to get fine grain and sharp images here. This stock is all about grain.

I married up this first roll a Orca with my Kodak Pocket Instamatic 100 that I picked up at a car boot for 50p, see previous article re this little fella (https://www.rickdavy.co.uk/journal/what-50p-of-my-very-british-money-got-me). Ive shot one other roll out this Instamatic unit before which was colour with very mixed results, tobe honest that’s what I expected.

Below are three images Ive taken from that first roll that work for me in different ways. Image 1: Moody, full of grain and deep contrast to it.

Image 2: Ive called this one ghostly. Shot into a reflection I saw in a window. Grainy and grey

Image 3: One of the remaining train wagons used to transport the jews to Auschwitz. How period does that look?

Photography isn’t about crystal clear pin sharp imaging that digital now stuff’s down our necks, Its about being experimental with film and getting what you want out of your images.

Ive one more roll of Orca to use and I’ve got the ideal subject matter to use it on, the streets of Mumbai. Lets see how that one works out. RD

what's new for 2025 then

With the induction of a new year, Im sure I will continue to add more “lives” content to the “a day in the life of a” project as I’m not finished on that front. This is become one of those projects that never really has an end date in mind when I first conceived it.
As long as I keep finding lives to document, I’ll keep working on it.

Writing
Ive a few articles to write for those on line photographic platforms that I submitted content for and Im glad they’ve come back to me for more documentative related copy and imaging. Ive also a first for me on a podcast front. Neale James of Photowalk got in touch and asked If he could interview me regarding the “a day in the life” project. Im not sure how this will go but I thought why not give it a go. Ive never been a lover of hearing my own voice so Im not sure If I will play it back at all. Ive never listened to a podcast before, maybe this is the time to do so - im old school me…..

Travel
With 28% of the planet already covered, I certainly will be travelling more and combining that with work assignments too. Im current in Finland, then in a few weeks later I’ll be in India on a jolly but capturing content for an article for hugo at Grain. See my previous article here if your interested. Its a great on line publication as well as a hard copy read

Commissions
These days I only take on work that Im interested in and thats a great place to be. Im only interested in work that challenges me rather than the easier work routes that some other photographers prefer. Im lucky I guess to be in a position that I only need to can pick and choose what floats my boat. Once again on the commissions front, no pixels here, I only shoot film and I certainly won’t compromise on that front.

Any new kit/purchases?
Nope, Ive got my killer rigs and a fridge fully stocked with film. I love shooting expired E6 stocks the most. There is that phrase through isn’t there, “never say never” but I’ve spent too many years buying and selling kit to find the right set up for me. Now I have that perfect camera/s set up that covers all film formats. RD

why Im not "smart" and never will be

Since the introduction of smart phones, I never found the need to own one, use one or interact with one. Remember the days when people use to use the power of voice to communicate which these days seems to be completely lost. We as a nation have become so addicted to “smart” that life outside has simply been lost.

Ive been what one might call as a “dumb” user for years. A phone user that enjoys the engagement of voice and the odd text, not the distraction of pushed valueless content. Over the years, Ive endeavoured to stay brand loyal and some years ago I finally found a phone manufacturer that meets my needs and offers something that smart phones will never, Simplicity! Who am I referring to then? well, its Light Phone. Designed by a bunch of clever guys from the US with similar values to me.

Just take a moment to watch one of Light Phones informative video’s (below) to educate yourself and see how dumb is real.

The new LP3 now includes a built in camera which has not been featured on their previous models. Will I use it? I think not but Im sure others will. I tend to use a phone for the simplest of reasons, to speak direct to someone. Texting is so impersonal.

Walking down any street this days and you’ll just how engrossed smartphone users have become as they sit in their own little social bubble or surfing the net whilst on the move. Thats never been me. Im so far removed from the lives that they lead. Thats why I love LP so much. My new LP3 will soon be on its way and I’ll soon be dumber than Ive ever been. RD