Thirty-six frames at a time, and no hurry to see any of them.
Notes on film photography, long walks, and the slow, slightly obsessive repair of cameras that were built before I was born.
Bringing a 1970s rangefinder back to life
The shutter was stuck at one second, the light seals had turned to black tar, and the viewfinder looked like it had spent a decade in a sandstorm. Three evenings, a very small screwdriver and a lot of lighter fluid later, it fires again — and the first roll through it is in the gallery below.
Read the essayRecent frames
All rolls →Notes
Archive →- Forty kilometres along the old canal path6 min
A slow day on foot, one roll of black-and-white and the odd pleasure of walking somewhere you could drive in half an hour.
- Why I still develop film in the kitchen8 min
Chemistry, patience, a changing bag and an unreasonable number of clothes pegs.
- Light seals: a small job everyone puts off5 min
Twenty minutes, a toothpick and some foam. The most satisfying repair on any old camera.
- Shooting the same street for a year11 min
Twelve visits, the same corner, very different light. What changes when the subject doesn't.
- Winter rolls and cold batteries4 min
Mercury cells, hand warmers and why the mechanical cameras never complain.
About
Field Notes is a small, independent journal about shooting on film: long walks with a camera, rolls developed by hand, and the patient repair of cameras most people would have thrown away.
It is written slowly and published rarely, which feels about right for a medium where you wait a week to see your pictures.
Questions and corrections are always welcome — just reply to the letter.
The occasional letter
A short email when there's a new essay or a finished roll. Four or five a year, never more.