Asakusa
From the first Japan trip roll I developed. Almost destroyed this one too!
Asakusa
And this one didn't go swimmingly either.
A couple of problems while developing this one. As with everything I develop myself, I used a daylight developing tank that has a mechanism that lets you load the film without a darkroom or a changing bag. Unfortunately for me, my one has an internal feel that doesn't quite fit together correctly, or at least it's really easy to misalign it. The end result was five chewed up exposures, and a bunch of photos that have strange artifacts on. I can't tell if this is because I was faffing around with the negatives too much, trying to save them after they got partially shredded. But in some cases, I don't mind the result!
One thing that everyone who visits Japan shares is a hypocritical hatred of all other tourists who have the nerve to go and visit the same thing as them. I am one such tourist. I cannot be arsed to get up at 6 a.m. to go and see a shrine with no people in it, and if I roll out of bed at 2 p.m. do the decent thing and clear off.
I always think about this whenever I visit Asakusa. The crowds are horrendous. Help alleviate the problem by popping into the nearest Lawson, getting yourself an egg sandwich and marvelling at its fluffy deliciousness. Or maybe a donut.
I always think about this whenever I visit Asakusa. The crowds are horrendous. Help alleviate the problem by popping into the nearest Lawson, getting yourself an egg sandwich and marvelling at its fluffy deliciousness. Or maybe a donut.
This is not a Lawson. It's a Mr. Donut. Leave the temple via the main road, turn right, walk to the end of the road, there's a giant Mr. Donut there, one of the biggest we've seen, and funnily enough it's self-service, which is something else that's a bit of a rarity.
Remember, high sales = increased likelihood of freshness. Maybe those donut-hungry Asakusa crowds are good for something after all.
Remember, high sales = increased likelihood of freshness. Maybe those donut-hungry Asakusa crowds are good for something after all.
This was one of the first roles of black and white film I've shot with, and it takes a lot of getting used to remembering that you don't have colour, only contrast.
Every time you see me taking a picture of a crossing, what you're really seeing is me thinking "Ooh, this stripy road will show up nicely".
Every time you see me taking a picture of a crossing, what you're really seeing is me thinking "Ooh, this stripy road will show up nicely".
When I took this picture I was thinking, this'll be one for the ages. Clearly defined puffs of smoke, people reverently bowing into the cauldron, and so on and so forth.
Instead big old bright white smoke cloud. Could have taken a few more, but this film ain't cheap. A higher shutter speed would have done it. Maybe.
Instead big old bright white smoke cloud. Could have taken a few more, but this film ain't cheap. A higher shutter speed would have done it. Maybe.
Speaking of understanding contrast, this is an example of where I completely forgot about it. Skytree towering in the background, but you can barely see it because it's a bright tower against a bright light sky. You probably didn't even notice it until I pointed it out.
If you're walking this way, you are walking away from Mr. Donut. Hopefully you've completed your purchase and you're planning on a long walk to Skytree to burn off those calories.
If you're walking this way, you are walking away from Mr. Donut. Hopefully you've completed your purchase and you're planning on a long walk to Skytree to burn off those calories.
Another artifact and it's a pattern I don't see anywhere else on any of the other frames. Obviously you would think this is caused by the edge of the 35mm film. But why is it only on this one?
No such trouble here though, all the leaves had fallen off. But look how clean the pavements are, already cleanly swept, not a stray leaf in sight.
