COVID Road Trip #2 – The 2nd Leg Of The North American Loop Tour

I’m keeping my loop a33 images in the folio for loop a34, as they weren’t seen due to the folio being called home early by John Thurston. This is also to keep the folio moving in a timely fashion. I also don’t have anything new mounted yet!

Here’s the description from loop a33:
My second Stateside road trip after COVID was in April of 2022; “Old Car City” in White, Georgia. 4700 vehicles from 1918 to 1972 slowly being reclaimed by nature. It’s well-documented on YouTube.
“Twitter Barn” – Ever wonder where Elon Mollusk got the inspiration for his inventive re-naming of the Twitter platform? It was from this very barn, somewhere near the border of two States, on the way down to Georgia. TL-120-55, and some expired colour film. Could have been Provia 100F.
“Old Car City – Ford Detail” – I think this is an emblematic example of my work. Sputnik, Superpan 200.
“’50 Buick OCC” – I love the 1950 Buick. GM only made that grill style for one year. Sputnik, Superpan 200.
“’50 Buick Old Car City, GA” – A different 1950 Buick. Shallow depth of field, scratch on the film. Sputnik, Superpan 200.

All images home-processed using a JOBO CPP2 unit, with Unicolor E6 or Fomapan R chemistry.

CVLE Bike Fest

A couple years ago, we had a new bike race organized in my home town of Charlottesville. I like this subject matter for the challenge of capturing the essence of the sport, though it is also a bittersweet experience to stand on the sidelines with a camera, as I have several decades of bike racing experience, and I do miss participating (my last racing was ten years ago, and I’m fairly sure I finally quit for good).

I knew this shoot was going to be “low yield,” but I love these kinds of dynamic images in 3d. Few people have shot this style in MF3d, and it’s no surprise, because getting a good shot – where at least a few parts of the image are not blurred – is basically a crapshoot. Indeed, out of four rolls shot with two spuds, I got at most three or four images that meet that standard! For more backstory (and images) from this shoot, please visit my patreon page about it here.

There are several races during the day, but only two of the races have large fields of experienced riders, riding tightly packed, which is the most exciting. Thus, I shot with two Sputnik cameras, because during any given race, there’s no time to reload the camera; that gave me twelve exposures for each of those two races. Even before I started shooting, I tried a couple of different ways to aim and pan.  I discovered very quickly that trying to look down into the mirror finder was not going to work – too confusing!  I shot about half the material with my eye at the camera, looking through the “sport finder,” and the other half with the camera more or less at arms length, held out in front of me, aiming by “feel” – I felt this helped me keep the panning motion of the cameras very smooth.  I used shutter speeds of 1/10 and 1/25 second, which was about right for the camera apertures of f32 and f22.

Sputnik sport finder

(For those unfamiliar with it, here’s the “sport finder” mode in the Sputnik.  Note one hazard of using the sport finder: because you are not using the middle lens to aim, you have no feedback about whether or not the lens caps have been removed;-)

OBX pier

A couple years ago we rented a cottage with another family for spring break in the Outer Banks, NC. This image was made one evening, about twenty minutes after sunset. Shot at the usual f32 with my sputnik, on Fuji Provia, requiring about thirty seconds of exposure. This was my goal: to blur the waves into a fog. I’d like to find another opportunity someplace to make an image like this, but with bigger waves! (taller fog)

I had brought a bunch of film, and had hoped to make more MF3d images whilst in “OBX,” but ended up with so much other family related stuff to do, that this motif was the only one that ended up on MF film.

Great Mosque of Sousse, Tunisia 2023

The Great Mosque of Sousse is a great place to check out in Tunisia. Located near the Medina of Sousse, it was built in 851, and is now the oldest mosque in the city as well as the oldest prayer hall in North Africa. I wanted to get some night shots while in Tunisia, and chose the mosque as a great backdrop along with the moon. Not far from the main part of the old section of Sousse, it was only steps away from our hotel and a really fun place to smoke at a hookah lounge. Sousse is on the coast of Tunisia, and unfortunately is known as the place that had terrorist attacks in 2015 that damaged the tourism in Tunisia. Although still trying to recover from those days, Sousse is a good place to visit and Tunisia as a whole. The city is rich with history and was definitely noticeable all around you at every turn. This was shot with my Sputnik, on Provia 100f.

Duomo di Orvieto, Orvieto, Italy 2022

Duomo di Orvieto, is a gorgeous church in the heart of Orvieto, located in the Umbria region of Italy. My wife and I explored Umbria and Tuscany in 2022 by car, and in doing so, got to visit many different little towns off the beaten path. Built between 1290 and 1591, it is an amazing place to visit. Similar to the church in Milan with it’s black and white stonework throughout, it is a sight to see. Personally, I recognize myself as agnostic, but I am still always fascinated by religious structures throughout the world. This one was no exception. As to getting the shot, I managed to have a tiny tabletop tripod that is maybe 3 inches long, and has a quick release system. I slap that on my Sputnik and then find some railing that I can ‘pinch’ it on as I take the shot. I tried the string to foot method in the past, with little success. So, by not being able to use a proper tripod in churches, this is the best I could come up with. Shot on Provia 100f.

Khoa San Road, Bangkok, Thailand 2024

Khoa San Road is a very popular area of Bangkok. Those who have visited may have stayed near there, or are at least ‘in the know’ as to it’s existence. It was once, and still is, a backpacker’s hub (since the 1970’s) with tons of little shops, eateries, street food, and chaos. We happened to stay in this area of Bangkok for the first time, because it is known to be loud, crowded, etc. However, we managed to find a great hotel nearby that was on a much more quiet backstreet and was steps away from everything. Great experience! We happened to be there during Halloween last year and I wanted to get some night shots. As you can see in the photo, there are red streaks of light about head height in the image. Those are lit up red devil horns that people were wearing all night. Glad I captured at least part of that. This exposure I believe was about 20 seconds long. Shot at f16. Shot on (the now hard to get) Provia 100f with a Sputnik.

Ian’s D26 Submission

Owen’s Beach, Rushton Point, Tacoma, WA

I was struck by the lush green mossy branches and the cooler green ferns. It took me many attemps to parse a composition out of the complexity, and I’m not sure I really succeeded, but I think it gives the impression I was after.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA

I went on a business trip to San Francisco last year, and took a personal day to go walk around with a Sputnik. I haven’t developed the images from Chinatown yet, so I’m eager to see how those turned out.

Mount Rainier Pool, WA

This was taken during the excursion to Mt. Rainier during the 2022 3D Con in Tacoma. It was inspiring to be able to shoot in the same place where I’ve seen so many wonderful folio submissions, in particular Don’s. It was also a delight to be able to visit and photograph alongside Bob. Not to mention the many outstanding slides Bob brought to share on the bus ride. What a great day!

Douglas Park Lily, SK

I was hiking back to my car after a day of photographing the sand dunes at Douglas Park. The sun had nearly set and the light was fading, when I came across a handful of Western Red Lilies, which is Saskatchewan’s provincial flower in the undergrowth. The fiery colour was striking against the undergrowth. It was one of the rare times in Saskatchewan when there was hardly a breath of wind. I think this was a 10 second exposure. Evidently, there was a breath of wind, as observed in the white flowers, but I think it still came out OK, and I’m glad I had a roll of Velvia to capture the vibrant colours.

“PHOTO WALKS” – Steven Lederman’s d25 Submission

I belong to a number of Photo Walk groups here in Toronto. Participating in a Photo Walk is a great way to get one’s steps in, socialize with like-minded folk, and maybe use a camera that hasn’t been taken out in a while. If one is not driving, one can join one’s aforementioned like-minded friends in quaffing great flagons of beer after the walk, get sotted and beligerent, tip over tavern tables in anger, and tell everyone in the room what one REALLY thinks of them and their pretentious little point ‘n’ shoots.

“BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD…….ROCK”.
Captured during an excursion with the (Toronto) ANALOG FRIENDS photo walk group. TL-120-1, Kodak E100SW

“A STREETCAR NAMED RETIRED”.
Made on a solo photography jaunt. Sometimes you don’t want to be with others and their YouTube Influencer cameras. TL-120-1, Kodak Lumiere LPP

“CURB APPEAL”.
Snapped during a pleasant meandering with the TORONTO FILM SHOOTERS photo walk group. Sputnik, very expired and damaged AGFA APX 100 (Foma-R reversal kit)

“DOWN BY THE BAY”.
Photographed during a chilly Fall cattle drive with the TORONTO PHOTO WALKS (TOPW) photo walk group. There was an actual theme set for this photo walk, which was “Towers and Reflections”. Stereo Samulette, Kodak E100S

Biertan Fortified Church

Last year Liz and I decided to take part in Chris Marquardt’s Eastern Europe Electric Photo Road Trip. This was a combined guided tour, and photo workshop. We went from Transylvania, to Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Dresden and ended up in Berlin.

This is a view from outside the defensive walls of the Biertan Fortified church in Transylvania, Romania. These churches were fortified in response to the Ottoman army in the area at the time.

This was taken with a handheld (string monopod) Sputnik on Kodak E-100.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

After the photo trip was done Liz and I stayed on in Berlin so we could visit where her mother grew up.

This is Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The building in the cneter was built by Kaiser Wilhelm II in the late 19th century, and named in honor of his grandfather Kaiser Wilhelm I. This church was heavily damaged during an Allied bombing raid in WWII. Today it is a memorial hall, and contains a Cross of Nails made from the roof timber nails of Conventry Cathedral in the UK . The building on the left is the new church built after the war.

This was taken with a handheld (string monopod) Sputnik on Kodak E-100.

COVID ROAD TRIP #2

Covid Road Trip #1 was submitted to loop d24 of the Dragon Folio.

As soon as the borders to the US opened, I booked tickets for “The Presidents’ Heads”. My visit there took place in November of 2021. I met a lot of nice photographers at the Heads. A pair of them told me about this site that would eventually become COVID Road Trip #2 in April of 2022; “Old Car City” in White, Georgia. 4700 vehicles from 1918 to 1972 slowly being reclaimed by nature. It’s well-documented on YouTube.
“Twitter Barn” – Ever wonder where Elon Mollusk got the inspiration for his inventive re-naming of the Twitter platform? It was from this very barn, somewhere near the border of two States, on the way down to Georgia. TL-120-55, and some expired colour film. Could have been Provia 100F.
“Old Car City – Ford Detail” – I think this is an emblematic example of my work. Sputnik, Superpan 200.
“’50 Buick OCC” – I love the 1950 Buick. GM only made that grill style for one year. Sputnik, Superpan 200.
“’50 Buick Old Car City, GA” – A different 1950 Buick. Shallow depth of field, scratch on the film. Sputnik, Superpan 200.

Barber Shop – Syracuse, Sicily 2022

As we walked through the main palazzo in Syracuse, I noticed a barber shop and knew that I had to take a 3D shot of it. The barber was in the middle of shaving someone, so the composition with the mirrors and lighting was amazing. We were headed to another location and I took note of the shop as we passed by to come back to it later. Upon my return, it was of course closed, the barber was gone, and the lights were shut off. Regardless, I put my Sputnik up to the window and as you can see me in the shot, I took the photo. Still a fun shot to take but having the barber there working would have been much better. Shot with my Sputnik on Fuji Provia 100f.

Roman Amphitheater – Syracuse, Sicily 2022

Just outside of Syracuse is a collection of Roman ruins within the Neapolis Archeological Park. Within the park there are many sites to check out, including this Amphitheater built around 212 BC. It is the 3rd largest Amphitheater in Italy. It was in much disrepair and had been used as a quarry at some point by the Spaniards. It was just a shell of what it used to be. I tried to get the best viewpoint to show it’s size from the upper level. Having shot it in 3D, this does give it some of that ‘depth’ that it requires to show it’s true size. Shot with my Sputnik on Fuji Provia 100f.