Images shot on Kentmere Pan 200 in the Rollei 35
Since moving back home to the UK from Shanghai, I’ve probably shot most of my rolls of film either in Mansfield or Nottingham because both those places are very local to me, or at various seaside towns I’ve visited because despite them being further away I find them interesting enough to be worth the time to travel to.
I’ve probably got no excuse for not going and shooting in some of the other cities nearer to me than the coast, though. Birmingham would be interesting. Derby might be. But on this particular day, I found myself at a place I enjoyed both being in and taking photographs of.
The Steel City. Home of the Blades, the Owls, and the… Steelers. Maybe but also maybe not built on seven hills. We are talking of course about Sheffield.
Read on to see if I got owt good from this Kentmere Pan 200.
Contents
Beginning the day at the Sheffield Amphitheatre
You know I’m not lying about starting my day in Sheffield at the amphitheatre because there’s the first of the roll shot from this Kentmere Pan 200.
It’s a decent place to start your day here if you’re arriving by train, as it sits just behind the main station and gives a great view of the city before you head down into it.
The amphitheatre, which is right below the imposing and iconic Park Hill flats, opened in 2011 as part of a wider regeneration plan for the area and has since been used for performances, film screenings, installations, and as a filming location for TV programmes and films.
Having just done a bit of reading up on it, it seems the best times to visit the amphitheatre include spring when the trees are covered in blossom, and at sunset for watching the… sun… set… over Sheffield.
Unfortunately, it seems a time to not visit is after dark when, so I’ve read at least, it’s been known to turn into a popular venue for antisocial gatherings and behaviour, and possibly the buying and selling of certain stuff also.
The camera and film used on this day in Sheffield
I had decent hopes for the shots I’d be able to come home from Sheffield with, and this was for a few – well, four – different reasons.
First was that I’d been there a few months earlier and not taken any photographs but came away thinking it would be a photogenic place if we had the good light of a sunny day.
Second was that we had a lot of good light because this was indeed a sunny day.
Third was that I’d taken along with me the Rollei 35, which has a lens sharper than you’d possibly believe if you just looked at the size of the camera and had never used one before.
Fourth and final was that I’d loaded it with some Kentmere Pan 200, which I’d been impressed with previously when I tried some in the Reto Pano.
If all of the above came together, we should be good. It’s not for me to say, though.
I’ll let you decide if the images in this post – like these general street shots here and later of some Sheffield landmarks – made this a successful day photography-wise.
A few of Sheffield’s more famous landmarks
While I do enjoy walking around a city’s streets doing those random kind of snapshots, it’s always good to shoot some of its unique landmarks too.
And something good about doing this in Sheffield is that a few of them sit really close to one another, making it a quick and easy little walk to take them in.
First up is what is one of the world’s most famous theatres that is more famous for something other than plays and shows and other actual, you know, theatre stuff.
If it wasn’t for the snooker, I’m not sure if the Crucible, which first opened in 1971, would be any more well known than any other theatre in any other city with the same standing as Sheffield.
But the fact is it is the home of snooker, having held the World Championship since 1977 and contracted to do so until 2045 at least.
I’m probably completely ignorant to how good it is as an actual theatre too. Apologies for that, but I really have no idea. In my head it’s just far more of a sporting venue.
Facing the Crucible on the other end of Tudor Square is the Winter Garden, which opened in 2003.
It’s the largest urban glasshouse in Europe, home to more than 2000 plants from across the globe, and is in a far better state than the Winter Gardens in Great Yarmouth unfortunately were when I went there.
A short walk along Millennium Square then brings you to the large Sheffield Town Hall, with the Peace Gardens sitting right next to it.
The gardens were first laid out in 1938 and named St Paul’s Gardens after the demolition of a church on the site with the same name.
With the signing of the Munich Agreement, they were immediately given the nickname the Peace Gardens. In hindsight, that was perhaps not a great sign. In more ways than one.
The area was remodelled in 1997 to what we see now.
The Town Hall predates all this, having been built between 1890 and 1897, and with its exterior made from Derbyshire stone it remains a Grade I listed building – aka one that is of exceptional interest – to this day.
Something I like about these places are the nods to Sheffield’s history and geography if you know where to look.
There are carvings that represent Sheffield’s industries in that town hall stonework and its clock tower features a statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of metalworking and the forge.
Meanwhile, the Crucible shares its name with a steel-making process, and water features added to the Peace Gardens during that 1997 revamp represent Sheffield’s rivers too.
Back on the streets and one more Sheffield building I like
This day in Sheffield wasn’t only about the film photography. Having come on the train, I was able to visit a few of the city’s watering holes too.
A sunny day by myself in a place where I can slowly get through a roll of film whilst taking regular breaks of this nature is always a pretty good one for me, and one of the spots I went to this time was the Triple Point Brewery taproom.
It was a good choice for two reasons.
First, the beer is bang on.
Second, the streets I walked there and back gave a different aesthetic to those in the real middle of Sheffield that I posted earlier.
Away from the classical architecture and pedestrianised areas, this part of Sheffield is more industrial, with narrower roads that are no less photogenic than anywhere else in the city when the light is right.
That was a picture I found on my phone from that little pit stop at Triple Point.
Once I’d finished there though, I was almost finished with my day in Sheffield. There were just a couple more things to do.
The priority was to finish something else. This roll of Kentmere Pan 200. The other thing was to make sure I went to another of the city’s buildings that I like.
A few months before this, I’d been in Sheffield with an old friend. We didn’t really know anything about where to go for a drink, but when we saw this next place, we knew we had to go in.
My monochrome photograph doesn’t do justice to its brick and yellow exterior, but you can still see from the shape of the building that it’s a proper pub.
Once I’d emerged back onto the streets an hour or so later, it really was time to get this roll of film finished before I headed home.
I’d reached that point, that I often do when shooting on days like this, where:
- I was tired enough and had enough to drink that I was ready to stop shooting, to be honest
- I didn’t want any exposures remaining that I’d have to use elsewhere but didn’t want to just waste them either
- the sun was going down in such a way that most things were kind of looking good enough to just shoot anyway
So that’s what I did.
On my way back to the station – and another final drink in the Sheffield Tap – I just pointed the Rollei 35 at whatever shapes I thought would look good on monochrome film with their light and shadows.
A quick wrap-up from this roll around Sheffield
Before we wrap this up, a quick note on that final photograph there. I didn’t plan it, but it was fitting that it features the amphitheatre – where this day shooting in Sheffield began – there in the background.
It kind of brings it all full circle. Which is kind of what you get if you have an amphitheatre twice. If you know what I mean.
Right, anyway, moving on.
From the few times I’ve been there in my lifetime, I can say I do like Sheffield. It’s definitely more industrial than the biggest city near me, Nottingham, and that’s not a bad thing. I like that it’s got that character.
Speaking of Nottingham and Sheffield, I’m always going to want the Panthers to beat the Steelers, but I can’t really think of anything aside from the orange-clad, annoyingly successful ice hockey team that I dislike about this place.
It’s a good day out, and a good city to be shooting some film around too. 🙂
If you enjoyed this day shooting a roll around Sheffield and want to read some more film photography essays, why not have a look at these:
And if you think others will find this post worth a read, help them find it by giving it a share 😀
Great shots! Out of curiosity, did you use any color filters for this shoot? I am learning how to use them, hence my question.
Hi Angad. Thank you. 🙂
To answer your question, no, I didn’t use any colour filters here and I really don’t have much experience with using them either. I bought a yellow filter and shot one roll of Ilford HP5 using it, but that’s it. You can see some of those shots from around Nottingham here. But the majority of that roll, which I shot around Castleton/Mam Tor, I haven’t got around to publishing on here yet.
I wish you well in learning them though. Go make great things. 🙂
Great pictures.
I’ve been living in Sheffield for ages now so I perked up when this appeared in my feed reader. It’s always nice to see it from the perspective of a visitor, it can help remind you of why you liked somewhere in the first place.
Triple Point and the Rutland Arms are excellent stops to make. If you are ever at the station, the station pub The Sheffield Tap is also great and quite photogenic.
Cheers Ben. 🙂
I did mention in the post that I ended my day in the Sheffield Tap before I got my train home. What I didn’t say tho is that I went in there straight after arriving too. So this whole day was bookended by pints in the Sheffield Tap, ha.
You’re right also that it’s very photogenic. Damn, I’m going to have to go back and shoot some film in there now.