Spring into Summer – Bluebells and Poppies on Film (Fujifilm NPH400 Fujichrome Velvia 50 Agfachrome RSX II 200)

Spring is here at last, after the wash out last year, this 2025 in East Anglia has been quite nice, lovely sunshine though there’s still a chill in the air. I haven’t had much of an opportunity to go and shoot much yet but I will very soon.

I thought I’d share a few pictures with you which I took in a May once upon a time with my Rolleiflex 3.5F – a month I always love and look forward to as it’s when the weather is fantastic,  The trees have young leaves and everything is so bright and airy, and it’s a time when in some woods at home the bluebells are in bloom.

I love this time of year and try to capture the Bluebells in all their glory as they carpet the clearings and patches of woodland bringing magic with them. They’re only fleeting though and after a couple of weeks they’re gone, not appearing again until the following Spring. I visited a few woods around Epping Forest, but the most amazing carpet was to be found in Wanstead park in East London which is a part of the Epping Forest. The Best time to capture these is at dawn or sunset when the sun is low and warm and illuminates these magnificent flowers and fills them with light, magic and drama.

I took my Rolleiflex 3.5F and a Rolleinar I and II close up lenses with a roll of Fuji NPH 400 Negative Film which has a wide Latitude/Dynamic range.
The Rolleinars are tricky as my eye sight isn’t the best at close up (need to get my eyes tested) and using a Waist level Finder while kneeling in bracken, brambles and stuff isn’t fun – But they’re great for portraits and head shots and give massive amounts of shallow depth in the photos when shot wide open.

These were shot with the Fujifilm Professional GA645i with it’s fantastic Fujinon Super EBC lens. I grabbed these on a roll of Agfa RSX II 200. A classic E6 chrome made by Agfa with a very characteristic warm tint but plenty of resolution and sharpness.

The poppies I only came across once, the same year as I took these bluebells, I remember I had 3 cameras with me that day and used them all to capture the Poppy field, it being the only one I have ever seen or come across. I noticed it far away in the corner of my vision as I drove through rural Wiltshire – I remember I turned the car around then had to try and find a route down some small B roads to find it. What a magical experience; the warm sun, the sound of the breeze amongst the flowers amid the constant drone of bees! I’ve never seen or come across one since, even though every summer I try and find one.

These were again shot with the Fujifilm GA645i but with a tasty roll of Fujichrome Velvia 50. Beautiful memories and they evoke memories of Summer.

Spring always evokes visions of Bluebells and Summer of Poppy Fields. So here you are, Spring will go into Summer, enjoy these blessed seasons and find some beautiful things to photograph.

Share this post: