Just outside of Oaxaca is Monte Alban. They are Aztec ruins, said to be over 2,000 years old. Very neat place to go and very easy to visit while in Oaxaca. I came across this gentleman hanging out under the shade of one of the few trees within the grounds. Thought that it captured the overall sense of the heat that day. Hit at least into the 90’s, but coming from cloudy Seattle, it was a welcoming sun exposure for me. Shot on my Sputnik, Provia 100f film.
I recently went on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. Such a lovely place to visit, and I can see why it is such a popular destination. This was my first out-of-the-country trip since Covid hit in 2020. I brought along my ‘other’ Sputnik, the one that I usually would leave at home as a backup. My main Sputnik never could focus properly after two attempts of repair, and started to eat film for breakfast. So, needless to say, I was pleased with the overall quality of the pictures I got with the other camera. I just feel that I could have exposed a little better, too bright for my taste. Maybe I need some ND filters next time? This is the backside of the church of Santo Domingo, located in the botanical gardens in the heart of Oaxaca. Nice place to visit if you are ever there. Shot on my Sputnik, on Fuji Provia 100f. 
End of the fireworks show where the pyrotechs pull out all the stops
Close up shot of a honeybee on a dahlia
Keep it down up there, Willya?
One of the reasons I wanted, and built, this Macrobox was to capture shots of Tess in MF3D. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy pursuit because the moment I started doing something she would be all over it. “No, Tess, I want you *in front* of the camera. Not *on* the camera.” That sort of thing.
I was able to catch her in a quiet moment when the camera and strobes had been pre-set for her position. I like to think that in this shot she is hollering at some kids upstairs to be quiet. In fact I caught her in mid yawn.
Counterclockwise, from upper left:
“For Fear Of Branching Out on Arbor Day” – expired Provia 100F.
“Goin’ Pseudo” – expired Provia 100F.
“Behold! The Omnipotent, Ever-Knowing VooDoo Orb Sac!” – expired Astia 100F.
“Weather Most Fowl” – egg-spired Astia 100F, using the Sunflower 16 rule.
All images captured with a TL120-55, and home-processed using a JOBO CPP2 unit, with Unicolor or Arista E6 chemistry.
Colony Place
This is along the main tourist shopping street just outside the cruise ship center in Nassau, Bahamas.
This was taken with a handheld (string monopod) Sputnik on Fujifilm Provia 100F.
Red Window
Not being one for shopping I wandered off the main throughfare to see what might be more interesting. Luckily we had spectacular weather, which lead to some very nice color contrasts.
This was taken with a handheld (string monopod) Sputnik on Fujifilm Provia 100F.
Unlike most of my mounted slides, I accidently labeled this one on the front side as seen from a viewer.
Green Porch
Just past the Red Window was this porch. I’m not sure what the building was, but the texture and coloring attracted me to it.
This was taken with a handheld (string monopod) Sputnik on Fujifilm Provia 100F.
Columbus
Back behind the tourist shopping area is a collection of government buildings. This statue of Columbus is protected by a fence and cannon. I didn’t see any placard describing the building.
This was taken with a handheld (string monopod) Sputnik on Fujifilm Provia 100F.
“BAR BAND“
Another pinhole picture, to the delight of some, and much to the chagrin of others. This is the mighty Heavyweights Brass Band entertaining a throng at Toronto’s Rail Path, an activity that started with the COVID 19 lockdown. The band decided to rehearse outdoors; a crowd soon gathered and threw money at them, so they made their Rail Path get-together into a weekly ritual. Seen here are Tom Richards, sousaphone, Lowell Whitty, drums, and Paul Metcalfe, tenor saxophone. Not pictured; John Pittman, trumpet, and RJ Satchithananthan, trombone. The image was a bit difficult to mount with the 3D World mounts – the step at the bottom left juts out on the left image more so than on the right image. I did try to use a cardboard close-up mount, but then a good portion of the image was lost. Just don’t glance down at the bottom left hand corner and you’ll be fine.
Captured with Clint O’Connor’s Limited Edition Stereo Flyer (#11 out of 100), on a Gorillapod, 2 second exposure, expired Fuji Provia 100F. Processed in my JOBO unit.
“MONOCHROME LAKE“
This was shot in a remote region of Northern Ontario, situated on Monochrome Lake, not to be confused with Black Lake, Mono Lake, Grey Lake or Gray Lake. The dumping of nuclear waste in the region caused the vegetation to devoid itself of its photosynthetic pigments, chlorophylls a & b, resulting in its inability to preferentially absorb light. This manifests as foliage with a very grey appearance. Monochrome Lake has experienced its fifteen minutes of fame – it was used as the location for the incredibly popular “Creature From The Black And White Lagoon” 3D movie franchise. It has also been featured in some episodes of the television series “Black And White Mirror”, currently streaming on one or another of those television streaming services that streams television. I guess that’s technically more than fifteen minutes of fame, as those “Creature” movies are well over an hour each. But I digress. Just in case you think I’m trying to hand you another one of my tall tales, I shot this image on Velvia 100 to prove that the area really looks like this in person. There. I knew that would convince you.
Captured with a Sputnik, handheld, on Velvia 100. Processed in my JOBO CPP2 unit.
“BEWARE OF DUCK“
I wanted to obtain some sunflowers, as one is wont to do, and was shadowed by a highly-trained, very aggressive Attack Duck. It was a situation most fowl! I was operating on a wing and a prayer as it tried to egg me on! When I finished gathering the sunflowers I told it to send me the bill!
Captured with a 3D World TL120-1 modified with a Thurston lens board and Mamiya 55mm lenses (TL120-55) on EGGspired KoDUCK E100G, sunny 16 (Sunflower 16) rule, processed in my Jobo CPP2 unit.
“SCREAMING HEADS TWO“
A wide angle cha-cha experiment. The lower left hand corner has an issue, so don’t glance down there. I’m sensing a theme! I shot this handheld, so perhaps it’s time to invest in a slider bar. From my similar submission to the recent Dragon Folio loop:
“Every year, Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day falls on the last Sunday in April. It is an excuse for my daughter and I to spend a day together photographing various locations in Ontario using pinhole cameras. I will usually pack a “lensed” camera in addition to my pinhole camera(s). On WPPD 2019 we visited artist Peter Camani’s residence which hosts his grand scale outdoor art exhibition. There are various shapes of cast concrete screaming heads situated throughout his 310-acre property near Burk’s Falls, Ontario, each sculpture being in the 15-20 foot tall range. On this occasion I had packed my Hasselblad SWC, and I can’t remember if I was consciously trying to capture a stereo cha-cha image or not. In any case, I found an uncut roll of film with three pairs of images that looked like they might work as stereo pairs. Despite some anomalies between the left and right chips, my brain can fuse these images into a stereo image. Hasselblad SWC, yellow or orange drop-in filter, expired Kodak Aerochrome film, home processed with a Jobo CPP2 unit.”
Travel has been a bit hard to do recently, out of the country at least. As you all know there’s a bit of a ‘stay-cation’ happening for most of us. Due to this fact, I have decided to share some of my more recent camping experiences that we have taken within Washington state, and with my newly acquired 3D World TL-120 camera (bought in 2020). This particular lake you see here is one of my favorite spots in Washington. It’s a small lake, but big enough to paddle around and explore. Only paddle boats are allowed which makes it nice and quiet at times and the camping is inexpensive. This shot was taken towards the Northwest side of the lake, just a little ways into Cooper River, which feeds into the lake. Since the lake is river fed from far off mountains, it gets pretty cold but is also nice and clear. I managed to scramble over the log jag to get this shot of my fiancee and our canoe named ‘Downeaster Alexa’. Both of them accompany me in many camping excursions that we all love to take. My personal critique would say, ‘get low to see more water and logs in the foreground’. But, other than that, I think it works ok.
As I mentioned, this was shot on my new TL-120 camera (1st generation), using good old Fuji Provia 100f film.
The Hoh Rainforest is one of the wettest places in all of the continental United States, and has been on my bucket list for years after moving to Washington. The Hoh Rainforest wasn’t dry per se, but it was definitely experiencing a drought, much like most of the west this year. The rangers had posted that it had received 5-7 inches less rain than previous years. It’s a bit of a drive to get here (although one of the prettiest I have ever driven), and it can become a crowded experience, especially during a weekend. However, it was still great to visit and a wonderful spot to see. Hopefully it will survive the implications of climate change, because it’s a gorgeous place in the world. This was taken towards the end of the Spruce Nature Trail. It was definitely one of the highlights within our visit of Olympic National Park. My inner critique would be, get low and get close (again)!
Taken with my 3D World TL-120, and again with Fuji Provia 100f film.
This was taken at one of my favorite campsites in all of Washington. It’s by far, one of the prettiest and most secluded sites on Diablo Lake. It features a lookout, swimming hole, a bear box, and even an outhouse! Not to mention access to the serenity of the lake and it’s wonderful turquoise glacier fed water. Now, this shot could easily have NOT been taken near any lake, since you can’t see any water. However, it was one of my favorite shots on this roll of film, and was taken spontaneously. The lighting was amazing, and definitely inspired me to take a shot. Diablo Lake campsites are on a ‘lottery reservation’ system through the National Park service and reservations are especially needed for this spot on the lake. The North Cascades are wonderful to visit, and I highly recommend coming here if you are ever in Washington. My personal critique would be, maybe get a little closer, and show some of the lake! Other than that, it was a moment of time that I was happy to capture, especially in 3D!
Shot also on my 3D World Tl-120 camera, with Fuji Provia 100f film.
F32 and BEE There!