Wheatridge Grange

Someone had taken the time and effort to cover the exterior of this building with metal sheeting to keep it from getting damaged. However, they never bothered boarding up the doors. The back side interior of the grange was in overrun by pigeons. It looked like prime hanta virus breeding ground. Needless to say, I didn't go inside. I took this picture last month with my Fujica 6x4.5 film camera.

Double exposure surprise

Last weekend, I developed four rolls of film. While loading two of them, I noticed that they didn't feel right...one loads roll film for development completely in the dark so you can't visually inspect what you're doing. I thought it was odd that there was tape attaching the front of the roll to the paper backing. I chalked it up to it being slightly odd film (Adox 50). While I was in the development process (18 minutes of developer time gives you a lot of time to ponder things), I realized that I probably was developing two rolls of unexposed film. Although this possibility was extremely annoying and seemed more likely as I continue to think about it while processing, I didn't scrap the process because there was a chance that I hadn't screwed up (a very, very slim chance).

Well, one roll was completely blank. However, one of the rolls had been sent through two different cameras on two different occasions. The results were surprisingly good. One set of shots had been taken on the streets of Paris with my Lubitel square format while the other set had been taken at Burroughs Mountain at Mount Rainier with my Fujica 6x4.5.

The mannequins had been abandoned in the street along with some garbage. Notice how there are two shots overlapping the Paris shot in picture one. There is a slight overlap of two shots in the second picture.

Although I was bummed that I screwed up with one roll (especially since Adox 50 is a soon-to-be disappeared film), I am really happy with my error. I don't know that I'll do that deliberately in the future, but I might consider it.

Stumps of Alder Lake

This photo was taken with a Fujica 6x4.5 using Efke 100 at Alder Lake in Elbe, WA during last Thanksgiving.

In my garden

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with a friend this afternoon and take a bunch of portraits of her. She was very tolerant of my "four camera" method of photography, which involves (of course) four cameras (Lubitel with a flash, Fujica 6x4.5, Nikon 35mm film, and Canon G9) slung all over my person and switching on and off a photo flood. I have to take the color film to the lab and get into the darkroom to develop the black & white (I'm hoping I got decent exposures). I may post one of the digital images here in the meantime if she's okay with it.

Because it's so nice, I decided to wander around the garden a bit with the macro function of my G9. I was lucky enough to find this red ant covered in pollen in a dandelion. Unfortunately, this is the only somewhat sharp image I got. At one point I got so close to the ant that he landed on my lens - too close to shoot but it was cool looking - like a dark, ant-shaped cloud.

Hungry ant

I also shot this blue flower - pollen is so cool looking in macro!

Another abandoned place

This time it's an abandoned lumber business. Unfortunately, the entire grounds are fenced so the best I could do was to squeeze the camera through an opening and hope for the best. Taken with my Fujica 6x4.5.

Abandoned lumber business

Peninsula "dirt" pile

Actually, it's not a dirt pile, it's a gravel pile. I am enamored with dirt, sawdust, gravel, rock, compost, etc. etc. piles that you find along the road. A lot of them are there because they're needed for some sort of road project. Whatever the reason, they bring me weird photographic joy. This one was shot with my Fujica 6x4.5, my new/old favorite landscape camera. "New," because I'm interested in using it again. "Old," because I used to use it an awful lot.

Gravel pile, Olympic Peninsula

A Tacoma treat

While driving along Schuster Parkway in Tacoma this evening, I glanced over at the Simpson Kraft paper mill and saw the most beautiful light on the plant. Though I was tempted to continue down the highway, I reminded myself that I would regret not stopping to take a few shots (I had about seven more shots left in my Fujica 6x4.5 that I was itching to blow through). Art trumped fatigue and I pulled over into Thea Foss park.

I walked down to the metal dock and started snapping and chatting to an after-work fisherman about the beautiful light and fish and whether it was possible for me to reach down and grab one of the salmon that were up against the dock. While I was contemplating the logistics of transporting a fish in my car without plastic bags, the fisherman said, "Look, there's a boat coming." I turned to look and saw a dragon boat crew paddling toward us. I then remembered it was Thursday and my mother was probably one of the paddlers. I knew my friend Robyn and her husband Steve would definitely be there. Lo and behold, there Kathleen was in her cute purple jacket and purple sunglasses.

Kathleen in her natural habitat & Steve the oarsman

The dragon boat leader told me that a tug was about to be launched from Martinec and I could go witness it if I jumped in my car and ran down there. Again, I considered ditching the idea, but how often does a girl from NJ get to see a tugboat hit the water for the first time. I drove down to Johnny's dock and joined the small but friendly crowd of people gathered to watch the event. The paddlers decided to row there.

Mt. Rainier, a dragon boat and the 11th St. Bridge - Ah, Tacoma.

Here's a shot of the tugboat hitting the water. Glory be! It floats! A tug is born. A great way to end a late September day. I should trust my photo instincts more often.