The Bothy

I like to spend time with my friends in remote abandoned buildings...

They're called bothies and they're not really abandoned, they're managed by Bothy Associations. For those who don't know, A bothy is a basic, free to use building in a remote area - usually for hikers to stop at and take shelter in. Think - camping with walls. Every now and again I will take a trip and stop off at a bothy. These bothies will usually have a fire place some chairs and in some really good ones they'll even have a sink and working toilet. It all adds to the fun.

Film photogarphy.

I have been to 2 bothies in total but I have been a few times to each of them. The most recent ones I have been to I have taken some form of camera with me to document the trip and capture memories made with friends. I have used my Canon 2000D or most recently i experimented with a bit of film.

I tried on this film roll to capture photos with no people in it if there was humanity in it, it was just human presence. For example tyre tracks or fencing. The colours in these images are really appealing to me. I love the warmth and orangey tones that they have.

Film photography.

I enjoyed shooting analogue, as I usually work digitally. It was a nice change but also slightly daunting as i only had 32 pictures that I could take - so no happy snapping. I limited myself to one attempt at each photograph. This led to some images definitely not being quite right like a finger poking into the frame or it being a lot darker than I wanted it to be. But it was enjoyable never the less.

Claerddu bothy itself suited this approach. The landscape around the bothy is quiet but expansive. Just stepping out of the door of the bothy led to open ground and winding stream hidden in the grassland. The disposable film camera felt appropriate - unpredictable. Not knowing how the images would come out becomes part of the experience for me.

Film photography.

It is exciting waiting for them to return as I have to post them off to get developed because our dark room only processes black and white film. The waiting for the images to return and opening the envelope is the most fun part the uncertainty of it all, not knowing ho they will turn out. I also find myself forgetting what photos I have even taken because it always takes a little while to get the images back.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience and I will definitely be shooting some film again when time allows me to! I will also definitely be making a 2026 bothy come backas the weather sorts itself our a little bit.