Taken on a backpacking trip to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, also known as the Enchantment Lakes, or just The Enchantments. I think that’s Lake Leprechuan on the right. My first major outing with my Don Lopp-modified Sputnik. When the larch are turning golden it’s one of the most breathtakingly beautiful spots I’ve ever visited.
Tag Archives: Sputnik
Sunset at Lake Balboa
The nearest lake and it’s only 4 miles from my house. I run here often. Lake Balboa is in the Sepulveda Dam Recreation area in the San Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles. I used at Sputnik and Fujichrome RDP III 100.
Ray Dillard – August 2016
All three of these images were captured in Elora, Ontario, Canada at the site of an old mill on the Elora River. I was fascinated by how much was left standing of this structure, although all things considered there was more missing than present! Matt Neima and Steven Lederman, featured in this folio, along with some other friends were out for this photo jaunt. It was a bright day, allowing some significant blue skies mixed with the deteriorating building.
“The Inner Garden” – As per my last run, I am still experimenting with multiple exposures, but this image is the only example I have included this time. It was very bright, so I had to do a bit of calculated guessing at the stacking of the exposure times. I was fascinated by the garden like aspect inside the walls of this building. I also loved the fact I was shooting through a chain length fence. All three images were captured on my Sputnik which I acquired from John Thurston.
“Under deConstruction” – The strange position of the construction barrel, with the bizarre rebar jutting out of the old foundation caught my eye here. It was also an interesting optical illusion that the supports appear as though they are pushing the crumbling walls over rather than supporting them. The Fuji Provia 100F film did a nice job with the blue sky and drab greys.
“Stuck in the Corner” – Experimentation is at the core of my shooting. I was intrigued at how much the person in the corner disappeared due to the brightness of parts of the building. My attempt here was to slightly over expose the brightest part of the building, hopefully then under exposing the bottom right area. Maybe it worked…
Thanks to Steven Lederman for developing this film for me.
Matt Neima – August 2016
Matt hasn’t shot alot of film lately, but still wanted to participate in this loop of the folio. Since members of Folio B haven’t seen any of his images, I suggested that I be allowed to pick out four slides from his past body of work for submission to the Folio. He agreed and asked me to curate. My image descriptions will also serve as my comments. Matt usually shoots with Fuji Provia 100F film (not for “Ferry Dock” of course), and a Sputnik. He has also owned two incarnations of the TL-120 – a TL-120-1, and a TL-120-55. As these selections span seven years, I’m not sure which camera or film was used for each one.
“Albion Falls” – captured in Hamilton, Ontario, Summer 2004 – I selected this shot for its composition, varied lighting, depth and detail. That particular area of Hamilton / Ancaster is home to a great number of waterfalls. Matt has captured a lovely rendering of one of them.
“Pretty Women” – Misha, Sandra and Kim, in Matt’s backyard, 2009 – I selected this image simply because I think it’s a great portrait. You can invent your own back stories for the expressions on the women’s faces. Thought went into the stereo composition – there are foreground elements, the main subjects, and a slightly soft background which serves to highlight the main subjects.
“Lake Huron” – captured in Pinery Provincial Park, 2010 – As you may know, it’s not easily to properly expose snow. Especially when it’s 30 below, ho ho ho. I like the repeating hilly motif from foreground to mid-shore.
“Self Titled (Ferry Dock)” – captured in Vancouver’s Ferry Market 2011 – I selected this image for the wonderful use of the dr5 process, the composition, subject matter and the sharpness of detail.
Matt died of cancer October 1, 2016. His generosity and support for his friends will be missed. [JRT October 3, 2016]
Claybank, Saskatchewan
Thank you so much for welcoming me into your group. I am struck by the great variety present in the folio. There are cha-chas, long night exposures, extreme hyper stereos, multiple exposures, homemade cameras, handheld shots, flash and more. All these different methodologies are used with a vast array of subjects. There is so much to explore with MF3D, and I can’t believe my luck that I’ve stumbled upon it when slide film is still available and this small but dedicated user group exists to support one another in our craft.
Thanks, I’m very grateful!
Claybank, Saskatchewan is home to North America’s best preserved brick making site. The Claybank Brick Plant was operational from 1914 to 1989 and made bricks for many building projects, including the Château Frontenac in Quebec City. The national historic site is open for tours during the summer, but you are able to visit the clay hills any time.
Shortly after receiving my Sputnik, I tried to think of locations near me which would provide good stereo photographic opportunities (a somewhat challenging task on the bald Canadian Prairies!) Claybank occurred to me as a unique place to photograph with its derelict brick-making plant and its eroded hills. I hoped that using black and white film would communicate a kind of neglected feeling about this old place.
All images taken in the Spring of 2016 on PanF+ except for Kilns which was Delta 100.
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- Brickworks
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- Kilns
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- Rejects
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- Clay Quarry Canyons
Foliage (aftermath)
We have a number of trees on our property. Last year we were very busy with our jobs, with Jet, late summer and fall, and so we kept having to postpone raking leaves… or we just didn’t feel like it. 
The more they accumulated, the less we’d feel like it! Sometime in December, we just had to do it. It became a huge chore taking us the better part of two days. I think we hauled two dozen TARPfulls to the curb, I bet close to a ton of leaves, no joke. Only a 3D picture can properly convey the mass, the heaps and mountains of leaves collected.
Shot with Sputnik, f22 probably, 1 sec. on Provia I guess.
Xmas 2014
“Candid” tripod shot on Christmas eve, when (according to German tradition) the tree is lit for the first time. Boris and Michele on the left, then Jet, and Sarah, his godmother. Probably shot on Kodak E200, 1 second exposure, f8? Focus variable throughout – not the best situation for the Spud’s optics. Lighting is tungsten and a bit of window light. Jet’s godfather, Travis, released the shutter.
2 Close 4 Comfort
Just a few houses down from us is an intersection that I’ve always judged to be hazardous. Melbourne Avenue intersects with Kenwood Lane in a “T” in such a way as to invite sleepy or otherwise impaired motorists onto your property. Melbourne goes over a little rise right before meeting Kenwood on a little steep downhill. The rise prevents a motorist from seeing the stop sign until about the last hundred feet before the intersection. If you don’t know the roads, and you’re going too fast, chances are you’d not be able to stop – especially because coming over the rise your car would be “lifting,” and your traction would be reduced.
To make matters worse, DIRECTLY in the path of Melbourne, i.e. exactly opposite Melbourne, is a house, 1321. When I first saw this arrangement, I immediately thought: I would not want to live in that house; but if I was forced into it, I’d always park some kind of large, heavy, junk car in front of the house. Well, of course the current owners never do that (and amazingly, STILL don’t do it).
So, coming home at night last winter, we noticed a lot of flashing lights just down the road from us. Jet is totally into emergency vehicles, so we went to have a look. I had a peculiar suspicion. Sure enough, an automobile was lodged in the living room of the house opposite Melbourne Ave. Upon coming closer, though, I noticed that it was not 1321 – the house right opposite the intersection – but 1323, the house next to it. The car had come over the rise much too fast and could not stop. The driver had tried to make a left turn, but came nowhere near completing the turn. They jumped the curb, plowed through some bushes, and ended up as you see in the picture, entering the house at a diagonal angle.
To their great fortune, the family was not at home. I ran back to our house and grabbed the Spud and a tripod. With a policeman’s permission I set up at the corner of the property. I shot a roll exposing between 15 and 30 seconds onto RXP (fuji 400ASA). Local TV and newspaper reporters were there too. In the aftermath the story circulated: this driver had been running from the police, all the way from interstate, outside the city. They had come into town at high speed, taking random turns, ending up at this very unsuitable intersection.
The house has just been repaired, some nine months later. I guess it took a while to get the insurance money straightened out. I’ve not yet talked to the homeowners about the event – I might give them a stereoview sometime as a conversation starter. But I have talked to the neighbors at 1321, where I always thought such a mishap would be the most likely: they were surprised by the event, but remain otherwise not much more concerned than before, still not parking their car in front of their house.
Construction
For the past year or so there’s been a hotel going up across the street from my studio. Though I swore some years ago that I was “done” with “clear buildings,” the proximity and thus convenience of this building stimulated me to make one last one. It’s the reason I bought a Sigma (DP-1 Merrill) camera: this last Clear Building will be shot with some decent resolution, so that I can make truly large prints.
That work has been digital and is ongoing. But on a recent early morning, I found the building looking quite attractive, complex and mysterious. I shot it with a Sputnik, shooting cha-cha to obtain a larger baseline – maybe 12 inches – to give it more depth and interest. I did not record exposures but I think I shot thirty seconds at f-11 onto Kodak E-200.
What’re YOU Lookin’ At?
Mountian goat in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington State
This shot has been in another folio so you may have seen it before.
Biker Bob in Colorado
Taken in Colorado September 2011. I call him Biker Bob, actually I don’t have a clue as to who he is. Taken with the spud, handheld, available light. I thought he looked cool on his bike.
Rocky Mountain National Park Female Elk
Same trip September 2011. Rocky Mountain National Park, taken with the spud, handheld with available light.
Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park
Taken at Rocky Mountain National Park in September 2011. Male elk taking it easy. Shot with the spud, handheld with available light.
Palacios, Texas
The American white pelican rivals the trumpeter swan, with a similar overall length, as the longest bird native to North America. They are commonly found on the Gulf Coast and this was taken in Palacios, Texas.
Reflections on Lake Chapala, Mexico
Lake Chapala is Mexico’s largest fresh water lake. It is located 45 km southeast of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and is situated on the border between the states of Jalisco and Michoacán, at 1,524 metres (5000 feet) above sea level. It is a shallow lake, with a mean depth of 4.5 metres (14.9 feet) and a maximum of 10.5 (34 feet). The lake is also a critical habitat for several species of migratory birds, such as the American white pelican, and home to thousands of indigenous plants and animals. It is also home to a large contingent of expats from Canada and the United States. It is a gorgeous place and I can see why people retire here.