Dungeness is unlike anywhere else in the UK. The coastline is often referred to as a desert, but technically there’s too much rain, however it still feels like one. No trees, no walls, no fences. It’s an unspoilt landscape rich in minimalism. 

I took my Fuji GA645 which is an autofocus 6x4.5 camera. I loaded it with Fuji Pro 160, which is a great high contrast and colour saturation film. If you can find some I would definitely recommend using it. 

I like the expansive bleakness of Dungeness, you can create some wonderful spacious landscapes there, with small intrusions of huts or clouds creeping into the frame. 

Unfortunately Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage was undergoing some external repainting so it’s not quite the all-black finish it usually is.

We stayed in Ness Cottage, which is the one with the red door in the images. I highly recommend.

This Grey Town visualises the looming presence of the Cemex factory across the bucolic landscape of Rugby. Taken on film, some actually colour cinema film but converted digitally to black and white. 

For some reason, the Konica BM-201 stuck out from all the compacts I was scrolling through on eBay. There was something beautiful about the design. The simple uncluttered shape, the little square lens that pop out. The matte silver body. Stunning. So I bought one for £100 in summer 2024. I tested it out and everything worked except the flash. The trouble with these cameras seemed to be the shutter button, which eventually becomes harder and harder to press. 

I took the camera on holiday to France, to the southern town of Collioure. I live near to Birmingham airport, and RyanAir fly to Perpignan for a very cheap fair. Perpignan is around 10 miles from Collioure I believe. Not far. I took a few rolls of Pro Image 100 and Kodak Ektar. The results are so good. The lens on the BM 201 is a class act. It gives beautiful contrast and sharpness. I haven’t noticed much deterioration around the corners which can happen with compact lenses. Focus (although noisy) is very accurate. The family of cameras in the Konica Big Mini range have a big brother - the BM 301, which legend has it was used by the great Robert Frank. Good enough for him, good enough for me. The 301 has a faster lens but essentially, it’s got the same character. 

The camera eventually died. And so did the replacement I bought. Two dead ducks, dying for some repair but no one I asked could to do it. If you find a BM-201 which actually fires when you press the button, cherish it!

Incidentally, if you visit Perpignan in September you might encounter the fantastic Visa pour L’Image, a festival of photojournalism which spreads across the town, creating galleries in some notable historic buildings. https://www.visapourlimage.com/en