Trippin' with that Lomochrome Purple!

Last year, I reported on using my one and only roll of Lomochrome Purple XR 100-400.  In the fall, I immediately placed an order for 5 rolls when Lomo announced they were accepting pre-orders for a new batch.  The film arrived back in May, I think, but due to the whole moving thing, my rolls were tucked away until things were settled here in North Carolina.  In August, I finally shot the first of my Lomochrome Purple in my Olympus Trip 35.  I sent the roll to The Darkroom earlier this month, and they processed the film.    I scanned the negatives in my Epson V700 scanner, and of course, I am really liking the results.  I shot the film at ISO 200, and the Trip 35 is the perfect camera for these wacky films.  I am not tying up an SLR with an unusual film, and as the Trip 35 takes up so little space in my bag, I can carry it with me on multiple photo shoots and it's there when I see something that I think would look good in that alternate reality world of Lomochrome Purple.

Here are a few images from the roll.  Most of them are on my Flickr page, as well.  I think the 200 ISO rating gives some nice results, and it's like a faux color infra-red film.  I know that I'll get the best results in full sun, so I try to go with that when I can.  I really enjoy using the Olympus Trip 35, and it remains one of my favorite little cameras.

Sierra Nevada Brewery, Mills River, NC

These flowers are really yellow and orange. 

Bridge over reed Creek, UNC Botanical Garden

UNC Botanical Garden

UNC Botanical Garden

Kudzu, of course. Now otherworldly. 

NC Arboretum

NC Arboretum

A favorite spit is the deck at New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing, Asheville

New Belgium Brewing, Asheville

New Belgium Brewing

Readying for Portland

I am looking forward to going to Portland, Oregon for a week.  The Pacific NW is one area of the USA that I have not yet visited, and I have been doing my research for the trip.  While Portland is known for the rain, the weather outlook is mostly sunny all week, which has its merits, for sure.  Of course, I am packing my Tamrac camera backpack (I purchased it at Central camera in Chicago about 16 years ago) with gear for the trip.  I am bringing my Nikon N80 because it's a lot lighter than my F100. Lenses -- 50mm Nikkor, 20mm Nikkor, and 24-120 Nikkor.  The 20mm lens is fantastic, and of course, the 24-120mm is a very good all-around travel lens.  It has served me well over the years.
I may also pack my Tamron 90mm macro lens, depending on how well it all fits.   I debated on also bringing a manual Nikon FE or FG, and decided instead to bring the Yashica FX-7 Super because it's light, works great, and is a pretty nice walk-about camera with good glass.  Having used it a lot over the past month, I am pleased with how it handles and just feels right. It's most likely to be used walking around the city, and filled with b&w film.  We'll be renting a car, so of course the Oregon coast is a sure trip, as well as the Columbia River gorge, etc.

I'll be packing my new Manfrotto "BeFree" travel tripod in my checked bag, and after having tried it out a few times locally, I know it will be an excellent camera support.  I am also bringing a Holga, Lomo Sprocket Rocket, and the venerable Olympus Trip 35.  All are cameras that I know will give me something different.

As far as film goes, 10 rolls of Fuji Provia 100,  lots of Kodak TMax 400, Ilford HP-5+, and some C-41 and specialty films such as FPP Infrachrome and Mr. Brown.  I know I'll be seeing lots of waterfalls, and Mr. Brown will be just the thing for those long exposures.

Other items - lens cleaning cloth, cable release (which the N80 accepts), quick-release plates, notebooks, some short pieces of gaffer tape, various filters, including a graduated ND filter, and business cards all go into the pack.  An empty collapsed small camera bag will go into my checked luggage for when I am just doing things in the city and don't need to carry the backpack.

I thought about just bringing my Nikon D300 and a few lenses, but the APS-C sensor won't give me the benefit  of the 20mm f/2.8 Nikkor.  Just in case, I am bringing a Nikon Coolpix S600 which fits into a pocket. While my iPhone SE does a pretty good job with snaps, the little digicam has a better range of focal lengths.

Onward!

A Marquette Trip... Trip 35, that is.

You can tell that I really enjoy using my Olympus Trip 35, since I have blogged about it so many times.   The camera, for all its simplicity of use, never fails to produce images that I like.  It remains one of my favorite cameras, and is perfect for quick shots when you want very little between you and the subject.  So long as you have your zone focus set, the camera does the rest.  After shooting many rolls of film with it, I think ISO 200 film works out the best in most situations.   Eastman 5222 for b&w, and lately, Kodak Profoto 200 color film.

Last week I finally got down to working on my backlog of C-41 rolls.  Some of them dated from the middle of 2017.  My Unicolor C-41 kit from the Film Photography project store had been freshly prepared, and my new Sous Vide stick pod immersion heater (I will feature this in my next post) kept all the temps at precisely 102 degrees F, making development go much more smoothly with less use of water.  One of the rolls was from my trip to Marquette, MI in late June of 2017, shot with my Trip 35.  I had forgotten about taking that camera, and the delayed joy of seeing the images was a real treat.

Downtown Marquette is a great place to shop

Walking around with the Trip 35 on a hot sunny day in Marquette was a perfect combination.  The camera handled the situations well, of course aided by the great latitude of the film. The one thing about the Trip 35 is that it has two shutter speeds - 1/30th and 1/200th sec.  So long as you don't get too far out of the camera's "comfort zone" you will have great results. I see the Trip 35 as one of those cameras that become a trusted tool the more you use it.

Look carefully.  Marquette in the distance, and my daughter rock-hunting on the
beach in the foreground.

Marquette's classic Post Office

Alley Cat

I often find the backsides of buildings far more interesting.

Peeking through the alley

A lot of sandstone was used in building 

Art in a public space

Just a beauty of a day

Getzs is the place to shop if you want to blow your budget

More backsides

More backsides

unexpected giraffe

A visit here is a great way to relax and have a good brew.

The film was developed at home in my Unicolor C-41 kit, and the film scanned in my Epson V700 scanner.  Minor adjustments were made in the images. 

Some more Olympus Trip 35 images

I am usually pretty good about finishing a roll of film in any particular camera.  However, sometimes one gets used and then gets out of my lineup for a while.  Maybe it's a sign that I have too many cameras? Nah!  Anyhow, I recently developed some accumulating rolls of b&w white, and this one roll of Kentmere 100 from my Olympus Trip 35 had July - September images all over it.  The first half of the roll was from the mid-July Ann Arbor Art Fair, then a few shots from our trip to the Upper Peninsula, and finished off with a few images from my visit to the FPP headquarters in New Jersey.  The Trip 35 is rarely my main camera, but when it is, I can easily run through a roll of film.  As a secondary camera, it really shines, and I rarely find a shot from it that doesn't come out as expected.  In those rare instances, it's probably because I have exceeded the capability of the camera.

Ann Arbor Art Fair.  If there is ever a time to use a camera like the Trip 35, that is it. We get about half a million people in the city over the course of 4 days, and you can't escape the Art Fair.  This year is the first time I have gone to work without seeing any of it, as my workplace is now 5 miles from campus.  So, I went on a Saturday morning hoping to shoot some really slow film (discussed here), but also brought the Trip 35 for street shooting.

Then in August, a few shots from the beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The storms a few days prior had sent waves far up on the beach, and the wave forms were still there in the sand, which I found to be really cool abstracts.

While the Trip 35 can't do everything, what it does do under good conditions really points out how good a little camera it is. No batteries. Just pop in a roll of film and you are good to go.  One last shot, of Mike Raso pondering his TLR at a Film Photography Project podcast taping session.  We have a good time doing these.  This was the first time I had used a flash with the Trip 35, and am pleased that it worked quite well.

As I went through these images, it is clear that the Trip 35 really lived up to its name -- it went on a lot of trips, with just one roll of film.  

Wassaic, the town that gets robbed of daylight

Wassaic, New York, is situated between two mountains - one on the East, and one on the West.  Wassaic is actually a hamlet, and is part of the town of Amenia.   This cozy little place nestled in this valley apparently gets the least amount of sunlight of any place in the lower 48 states.  The sun rose about 5:20 the day I took this photo, which was taken about 7:10 am.  The sun was just poking over the mountain and you can see that most things in town are still in shadow.  That will be repeated in the afternoon.  Probably not a good place to be if you are afflicted with SAD.  I like to visit Wassaic with my camera(s), and every time I have been there, the light has been different.  An Amtrak line runs through the town and you can pick up the train nearby and be in New York City in about 2 hours.  Wassaic is also the place where condensed milk was first manufactured, and the former Borden plant still stands, now converted to other uses.  The remains of lime kilns are on a hillside overlooking the town, and they were used long ago in a nascent iron industry.

June 24, 2016, Svema FN-64, Nikon FG

June 24, 2016, Svema FN-64, Nikon FG

 One cannot drive through here without being impressed by the mill-like structure next to the RR tracks. Formerly the Maxon Mill, it has been renovated into an arts center by the Wassaic Project. The Wassaic Project is quite the progressive change for an old mill, and it is a hub of art activity in the area. Visit The Wassaic Project for more information.

June 24, 2016, expired Plus-X, Nikon FM2N

June 24, 2016, expired Plus-X, Nikon FM2N

June 24, 2016 - Svema FN-64, Nikon FG

October, 2015, Ilford HP-5+, Leica M2.

October, 2015 - Lime Kiln, Ilford HP-5+, Leica M2.

October, 2014, Wittner Chrome

October 2015, WittnerChrome

October, 2015,  Wittner Chrome

October, 2015, Wittner Chrome

October, 2015, Wittner Chrome

March, 2014, The Borden factory.  Arista Ultra 100

Built in 1861, this was the first condensed milk plant, located in Wassaic, NY.  Noah Gridley, convinced Gail Borden to build his plant in Wassaic.  The building is now owned by the Pawling Corp., and they maintain a visitor's center there.

March, 2014. Inside the Lime Kiln. Arista Ultra 100.

March, 2014. Arista Ultra 100.   Scan of a print. 

The old Maxon Mill is quite photogenic, and is now a functioning art center, thanks to the Wassaic project.

As you can see, this is more of a photo essay than my usual ramblings on cameras.  I have been on quite a few photo trips lately, and am trying to produce more posts like these.   Why Wassaic, since I live in Michigan?  My wife Adrienne is from Amenia, NY, so whenever we visit family, I try and spend a bit of time photographing the area.  It was not until the spring of 2014 that I realized Wassaic was so interesting, so I have no older images from way back. I wish I had been doing this kind of photography 38 years ago!