Hi I'm Martin Smith, a amateur photographer that likes to shoot solely film. I use black & white with the odd colour image thrown in and mainly use a Leica M4-2 & M3 with Summicron 35mm, 50mm plus I now have a 90mm f/2.8 Tele-Elmarit-M lens. I tend to shoot anything I like, objects, scenes, landscape or street life. My film of choice now is Fomapan 100 Classic.
While out walking in Mote Park, Maidstone England on a Sunday morning, my wife pointed these five Border Collies out to me. Turned out the owner was out jogging with them and had stopped to check her phone while the collies eagerly awaited her next move!
Taken on my Leica M4-2 with the Summicron 50mm f/2 lens with AGFA Vista 200 film.
I noted last weekend that both Fishyfish arcade and Natalie Smart had both posted cemetery images as I had been shooting the same subject that day… How strange I thought.
Fishy did suggest “It’s the prophecy. It’s finally coming to pass!” maybe he’s right, we’re all doomed.
Anyway, shot at St Peter & St Paul’s Church, Borden, England. Some lovely old gravestones at this church cemetery, some are very weathered. This particular one is leaning around 30 degrees and so made the image easier to compose with the light and background.
Taken on my Leica M4-2 with the Summicron 50mm f/2 lens on AGFA Vista 200 film, which I have now change to black and white. I wasn’t happy with the colour version and feel the monochrome has more impact.
Three years ago I started taking shots of dogs, inspired by the images of dogs taken by Photographer Elliott Erwitt. My wife and I came across these two ladies with their dogs on Sheerness seafront, England.
These two feisty Chihuahuas gave me a stand off, as they didn’t like the me or the camera! Later after processing I hadn’t noticed their boy who was on the wall bored waiting as we all chatted.
Nikon F80, AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D taken on AGFA Vista 200 film converted to black & white.
Taken in 2017 while out on one of our many dog walks we came across this couple using the public gym machines along Minster Leas Seafront, England. Both husband and wife are in their 80’s and fitter than me!
Nikon F80, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D on AGFA Vista 200 film.
Another colour shot, this time with the Leica. My wife and I where in the Barton Coastal Park cafe, Sheppey, England one Sunday morning. While Helen was getting the tea’s, this little dog popped her head up from behind a table. She had such a surprised look, I just had get the shot!
Getting the picture wasn’t easy though. The light from the windows behind was really strong and while there is some light from the windows and a open door opposite, the room is quite dark. I had to get a reading using my Weston Master V handheld meter. Luckily, the floor is concrete and a suitable grey colour, and with some quick thinking (dangerous I know) I manage to get the picture.
Leica M4-2, Summicron 50mm f/2 and taken on AGFA Vista 200 film.
‘Leaving our mark on the world for new generations to clean up’.
Which for me sums up the state of some of our beaches in Britain today with all the junk and rubbish left behind from past and present around our coastline.
This is the beach at Warden, Isle of Sheppey, England. The pebble beach is mainly covered in chalk and hard clay from the eroding cliffs behind, which why the old World War Two defences have toppled into the sea, never to be removed. The old motorbike, well you can have a guess how that got there. The same can be said of the sofa behind me in this shot.
The Leica M4-2 has been sent off for a full CLA service at cameraworks-uk.com I’m back to using the old Nikon for the next eight weeks or so.
Nikon FE, Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai with a yellow Photax filter and taken on Fomapan Classic 100 film in the morning.
This is my dog Charlie who’s now a year old. I took this picture in the house we stayed at in Vimoutiers, France. I don’t often shoot colour film, mainly because of the subjects I like to take pictures of tend to lend themselves to black and white images really.
Sunlight was coming from the window behind the sofa over his head, and more from the patio doors opposite. The light reading was not easy with my Weston meter to get this shot, so I took the reading from the sofa it self, which is a brown leather and out of direct light. Charlie is a not pure black like when he was a puppy in the first image ‘Welcome’ his coat is more a smoky grey colour now so the image of him looks a little washed out with the light coming from behind, although I am very pleased with the result of the picture.
Taken on Leica M4-2, Summicron 50mm f/2 using a Weston Master V and taken on AGFA Vista 200 film.
