The whole roll #21

I found an Olympus Mju II in a box and ran a roll of Kentmere 400 black and white through it. These photos are vernacular images of suburban Australian life with kids.

The whole roll #1 can be found here (where you can read about the origins of this project). Other “Whole Rolls” are here. I’ve put the details of the film stock, camera dev and scanning under the images so those who don’t care don’t have to read about it.

I just got back from a film-photography retreat for women which has altered my chemistry forever. I will write about it next time I have a roll to share because my next three and a half rolls are in from those three days in Flinders, VIC.

These photos, however, are from “daily life” with the intention of testing the massively hyped Olympus Mju II which I found in a box of old camera gear that my parents have had since their second-hand-shop days.

I enjoyed its size and weight, its slide-shell front, its ease of use. But that was where it ended. If I liked point-and-shoots, I’d have adored every inch of it. But I am used to the control of the Nikon FM with its manual focus, wind, exposure controls and everything else. The only thing non-manual about it is the lightmeter which I’m deeply grateful for.

So, without further camera-nerd ado, here are the results of the roll.

(Disclaimer: I WILL NEVER use AI to write my posts (including alt text and captions), edit my images or reply to your comments or emails.)

Felix: putting up with my surprise portrait-taking since 2014.

NO idea why I took this picture of the neighbour’s house.

An attempt to catch the rain in the netted wall of our old bird room. This is something the Nikon would have been better for. You never know where autofocus will go.

Again, I was wanting focus on the bits of plant matter in a puddle on the floor.

Hard to miss from this angle though. With flash.

An accidental plate of dirty rainwater: with and without flash.

Felix and Elsie in the couch.

Otto bathes his foot, ready for wart treatment and reading the latest Memory Cult magazine.

A super-failed attempt to photograph the barely visible school photo of yours truly on the wall in the foreground.

I’m surprised the flash wasn’t more effective in this photo. At least it gave Otto’s eye a twinkle.

My wonderful dorky children and the focus on the “stuff shelf” in the background.

Otto drinks milk.

I like this afternoon light in the hallway and the reflection in the mirror but this photo didn’t do what I wanted it to.

Same with this one. I managed to make my perfectly nice looking leg and foot quite monstrous while not managing to capture the shadow the way I was hoping to.

I call this: the diptych of blurry sons.

I kept accidentally pressing the shutter the whole way without half-pressing to autofocus. Another point off point-and-shoots.

Still life bedroom chaos with flash.

Still life desk chaos with flash.

Grumpy-looking selfie in the kids’ bedroom which is my childhood bedroom. I like the reflection on the shiny, polished boards. Tripod and flash in a very dark room. Their suitcases are very featured under the bed.

Dad rescues the orchid from children playing ball games. (Later, the orchid flowers were knocked off by an adult picking beans, so the intention was good but the orchid was doomed from the start.)

Dad's lunch: with and without flash.

Otto in the park.

My mum in the park.

And the topic in all the headlines…

Otto looking angelic near a creek.

The kids in their crocs up on a climbing wall.

Being offered a waterbottle. Shifted perspective. I kind of love this one.

Everyone chatting on their bananaphones.

Otto, momentarily exhausted.

Bird’s eye view of Otto in his momentary exhaustion.

It looks like I’d just done something Elsie wasn’t impressed with but I can’t remember what.

I’m a sucker for a bandaid photo. One day I’ll make a bandaid exhibition and nobody will come.

Otto took this one. He nailed the autofocus at least.

This was a roll of Kentmere 400 black and white. 36 frames, not stretched to anything because automatic point-and-shoots are liberal with their wind on, which is one of my big issues with them. I shot this on an old Olympus Mju II which is now in the loving hands of Alexandra.

The roll was developed by Les Porter in Newcastle. The film was scanned by my dad on an Epson flatbed.