Red Rock Canyon State Park

Not the Nevada Red Rock... but the small California State Park, east of Mojave, CA.  On I-14 heading north out of Mojave is a wonderful little desert gem. A few marked trails, an RV campground and plenty of unmarked areas for scrambling around.

We went with a church sponsored hiking group and ended up with a dozen hikers doing about 7 miles round trip that day.  A few photographers went early with me, to attempt a sunrise shoot, only to find a dull gray overcast sky.  Nevertheless we explored and captured some good images.

We headed out going east, walking through a sandy wash to an area called the Secret Silent City.

A unique place worth repeat visits, hopefully with some better light.  Some great colors, a small slot canyon and a plenty of geology to explore.  Just take plenty of water!

Images below were shot on Ektar 100 and Fuji Pro 400H from an RB67 and a Pentax 645.

Color Images from San Juan Bautista

On my last Mission trip, I shot some Tri-X 400 (shown in previous post below) and a few Ektar 100 images. I pushed the Ektar to 200 ASA and developed accordingly. The results were interesting. Very saturated and a few color shifts during the scanning, but nice, rich colors once adjusted.

The greens and reds...

Not sure if I like the Tri-X better on this one...

More California Mission photography

After nearly 20 years, I finally got back to San Juan Bautista, this time with my RB67. My previous effort came up a bit short, with only a couple of outside shots, since the courtyard and museum were closed at that time.

This time, I paid the entrance fee and got full access to explore.  A few of the TriX 400 B&W images are below. I did get a few on Ektar, but need to develop and scan. I will post a few of those in a later post.

Sacred Succulants

The Old Bell, now on display in the courtyard

The Alter

I am nearly half way through on my Missions Project, and I have visited almost half of the 21 California Missions.  I have added it to my 2019 goals, so we'll see!

Exploring with the RB67

Learning to use new gear takes time. Time behind the lens, head down in the waist level viewfinder, and testing various functions, knobs and levers.

It also takes time developing a new workflow.  Minor tweaks to the thought process, and developing a new flow while out in the field.  Several recent trips have helped me to do just that.

The challenge is to just take the camera out, and keep it with you, loaded with film.  And then, seize the opportunities as they come up.

Such as... in the coffee shop!

Or at the local nursery...

Or even just out playing.

Keep practicing! Eventually, I will get better and feel confident taking it out to bigger and more exciting photo shoots.

Think More! Shoot Less!

I recently found an article that struck a cord with me. "Think More, Shoot less" by Marty Knapp.  As a film only shooter, I can totally relate to this mindset. Thought I would share the link below.

Think-more-and-shoot-less

And check out his work. Some great stuff on his website.

Enjoy!

Change is Good

Right? Or so they say...

Sometimes we see a bright shiny object that catches our attention, and we test the waters. We think "what if..." and dive in hoping to learn and grow, and enjoy that "bright shiny thing". This camera was one of those "weak" moments.

My last piece of camera gear to suffer the house cleaning process was this really nice 6x9 folder. A Voigtlander Bessa I. Unbelievably clean, and fully functional, this was indeed a great find.

Last year I saw this camera in a thrift store, and my daughter managed to go back and bring it home, as my Christmas present. (yes, she is so sweet!) I took it out and flexed the shutter a bit, shooting 4-5 rolls through it over the next 9 months. Definitely fun to use, and very compact for such a large negative. A bit slow for a traveling camera though. No meter, zone focusing and only a general viewfinder to line up the image.

So I hate to let it go, as it seems almost disrespectful. But comfort comes from knowing that it was sacrificed (upgraded) for another photography tool. A very nice 180mm lens for the RB67 outfit. A perfect portrait lens, which will act as a short telephoto for my landscape work as well.

So the brief journey into the past ends with a new adventure, a new medium format lens, and a new perspective. Time to go shoot!

A Final Goodbye

One last emotional sendoff!

The last piece from my past life of exploring film photography as a young man. A Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5. Such a wonderful piece of photo gear. A fully manual, extremely slow, but a very creative tool.  A few rough spots, yet able to create very impressive negatives, that are so full of detail, it can amaze even the experienced photographer. Scan these negs at 1200 dpi and you have the equivalent of a 30MP digital file. Scan higher if you dare!

What did this camera teach me?

How to slow down and see the image before you raise the camera to your eye.
How to stop and enjoy the scenery, removed from the photography process.
How dedicated the photographers were 30-50 years ago (hauling these rigs around)
How to look in the corners of your frame.
What is the best aperture and shutter speed for each image.
Which film stock represents the desired goal of the image or place and time.
The hard work and inherent value of each image.
How many steps it takes to actually create art.

But, the future is bright! The new path forward includes a 6x7 negative with plenty of detail. Enough camera weight to feel like I have earned the image. And a slow process, much like the 4x5 sheet film experience. See below.

So off we go... To play, and explore!