I’d been to the Puyallup (pyoo AL ip) Spring Fair on Friday night and saw a poster advertising fireworks on Saturday “at around 9pm.” I made the trek the next night, got there early, scouted where the fireworks would be and what I could get in my foreground, etc. My plan was to shoot with the TL-120, and I started capturing other images while I waited. At 8pm I had just finished a roll in the TL-120 when I started hearing boom-boom-boom behind me. Not knowing how long the fireworks would last, I zipped up my backpack, grabbed both tripods with cameras already set, and hurried over to my spot. I would have done much better with the TL-120, since I would only have to wind one camera, and there’s more to check on the 2 Hasselblads. And sync is not an issue on the TL-120.
Tag Archives: long exposure
Temple Guardian #1
This is from my early days with my “Don-Lopp-modified-Sputnik.” We try to visit NYC every other year during the winter holidays. This is from a late-night visit to the NYC library. I spot metered around the scene. It’s quite dark there at night, with a little bit of ambient light from the traffic.
Provia 100F, f22, 80 seconds.
Silver Falls, Salem, Oregon
Shot with my home-made stereo camera. Probably f22.
Maia B 15
My version of a Christmas image? Well, making it did involve the use of a string of Christmas tree lights. 
Maia is a bit soft because she’s just trying to sit still for 30 seconds, while I pull the pile of lights out of her lap.
Fuji Astia, f22, about 30 seconds exposure, tungsten lights, using twin Mamiya 6 w/ 75mm lenses, 3.6″ stereo separation. Distance to subject about six feet. Original slide.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
…and the Clock Struck KAZAM! #2
Carnival rides light up the Puyallup Fair at night
I have my night exposures of carnival rides pretty well set, but this particular ride was running without the spotlights for most of the duration of the ride. It looked darker than usual, so I bumped the exposure. Taken with twin Hasselblad 500Cs, 50 mm lenses. Exposure could have been 16 seconds at f22.
The top part of the ride is swinging down, and looks to me like the pendulum on a clock. It intersects with Sinbad’s extended sword in the painted backdrop. It looks as though he’s hitting the pendulum with a loud KAZAM!
Canyon X Colors #34
Reflected, unfiltered light in Canyon X
Last year I was on a break between contracts, and Mandy saw a window of opportunity to sneak off for a vacation. Picking the southwest US was easy. She had only 2 weeks available, but I was free as a bird, so I offered to drive down to Page Arizona a week early. That gave me a few days to spend with a photo guide, Mandy flew down to meet me, and we took it from there. I’ve seen shots of Antelope Canyon for years, but I had no idea what a tourist trap the place has become. When I went to Antelope, which is a fairly short Canyon, there were 200 other photographers crammed into this tiny space elbow to elbow.
I also went to Canyon X, which only one tour company has the rights to visit, and it was a completely different scene. Unfortunately, most of the day at Canyon X we were getting filtered light, but there were some lucky breaks, like this one. It’s all reflected light bouncing around. There’s no surface in this shot getting direct sunlight. I metered off the highlights.
I think this makes a nice complement to John’s ice cave.
UVA Hospital
Shot in natural evening light using twin Hasselblads with 75mm lenses.
I had set up the twin rig Hassys but one of them was acting funny, making a nasty noise advancing the film (they have electric/motor drive film advance). Just to be safe, between exposures I shifted the tripod over 9-12 inches each time. I figured if the film advance was screwed up (it was) I’d have some side-steps on at least the one roll. And that’s how I “succeeded” in my photography that night. The careful observer will be able to make out the Orion Nebula in this shot, as well as read the time of day in a distant wall clock!
12″ (?) interaxial original slide shot in 2004. f/11? five to ten seconds exposure, if I remember correctly.
EMP Backside #1
Experience Music Project, Seattle Center
The EMP (Experience Music Project) is Seattle’s version of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum, at the Seattle Center. The building is designed by Frank Gehry. I’ve never been inside (it’s kinda pricey – I’d rather have a new camera filter) but the outside has given me a lot of photo ops. Remember waaaaay back in loop 19A, when Dave Casey had a photo of the “sculpture thingie by the EMP?” The shadow of that sculpture thingie can be seen in this shot.
Shot with a TL-120, Provia 100F, 2 minutes.