Collection of film photos I shot over a summery weekend in upstate New York.
A few weekends ago we were blessed with some extremely beautiful weather. Spring has finally sprung, so all the trees are full and green. It was sunny and 70 degrees (Fahrenheit). My partner was away on a girl's trip, so it was just me, the nice weather, and my Nikon F3. I brought along a few rolls of Fuji 400 and headed out to a beautiful state park near me: Green Lakes.
Warm up shot as I was just getting started, but I like the texture and colors.
Off to a good start. Simple composition, but I like the layering with the tree trunk & branches.
Nice afternoon light, some water, and greenery is my happy place. It was so nice to get out and enjoy given the very grey and drawn out winter.
Nice bed of leaves, but honestly kinda missed focused towards the background.
This day, I was shooting with a recently serviced Nikon 50mm F1.4 (used to have a very stiff focus ring). I typically shoot 28mm or 40mm so 50mm was a nice change of pace, but I'm realizing that its plane of focus is thinner than I'm used to! I'll need to keep this in mind for future shooting.
That's a bench I could sit on for awhile.
Little zoom in on the branches from above. I love the water texture in this one.
Now we're getting somewhere. This feels like a painting to me, and I'm really happy with how it came out.
Similar to the last one, very happy with how delicate and soft this one came out.
I love some cool trees, and these definitely fit that description.
Tried to go for a nice little detail shot. I like the leaves and water texture, but I honestly may like the iPhone version I took better.
This is probably my favorite photo of this whole set. I know it's not anything technically exciting, but the water color, texture, and sun stars are just so pleasing to me.
You'll see a few photos across this blog that include the Sun's reflection on water. This seems like an easy shot (and typically is on digital), but I've gone through some trial and error on previous rolls with similar shots. What I've found is that the bright points of light really trick these old film camera light meters (and you end up with painfully underexposed images). My tip for anyone else doing this is to point the camera at a part of the scene that you'd like to meter for, then manually set your shutter speed and re-frame the shot to your liking. Note: I shoot in aperture priority 99% of the time.
Super happy with how painterly this came out. I also like the person in the photo for scale.
Natural framing + water texture are highlights for me on this one.
This is by far my favorite spot of the lake. It has a very large collection of fallen trees and it opens up to a great view of the lake itself.
Another shot from my favorite spot. I really love the sparkly water for some reason (using that metering tip from above).
Sparkly water. That is all.
Nearing the end of the walk now, feeling very fulfilled and relaxed from the lovely stroll.
And that is a wrap on day 1. The next day was a bit shorter of a walk, but same lake - this time with some Kodak Portra 400.
I decided to walk the opposite direction today, so starting where I left off last time.
Love the framing & subject, but honestly just mildly happy with this shot. Not sure what it's missing. Maybe a small aquatic bird or two on one of the logs?
Now we're talking!
No true subject in this photo, but that's okay. I like the water sparkles & the leaves being backlit.
Something I observed during these walks is that I do really have an affinity for backlighting my tree photos. It's not something I do consciously (at least not often), but I do find that to be a theme for images I'm most fond of. I think backlighting leaves just gives a very magical look.
Spotted the Loch Ness monster on a little vacation.
Not exactly backlighting, but couldn't pass this up. I do think the framing is a bit awkward and the light is a bit harsh on the areas besides the tree, but oh well.
Second favorite spot at this lake doesn't even have to do with the water, it's this patch of trees that gets really nice afternoon light. I had to wait a solid 10 minutes to get this photo without any people in it.
Although I went for a short walk at Green Lakes this day, I did stop at a few places on the way home. The first stop was the Erie Canal Trail, which as it sounds, follows the Erie Canal.
Obligatory sign photo, but I like the framing with the fences.
Lovely natural framing, but a bit disappointed in my exposure. I wish I got just a little bit more light for the shadows, but oh well.
Very simple composition with a nice diagonal line. Again, backlighting leaves.
Definitely getting "water will give you super powers if you jump in" vibes.
It's a little busy (sadly), but I do like the framing and the subtle detail of the broken down fence towards the bottom left of the big tree.
Definitely nothing special, but I do like the texture of the bark and the little white flowers (also proud of me nailing focus).
I'm sad about how busy the bottom third of the frame is, but I do like the pop of the house & the sky. I may consider a square crop in the future for this one that removes the bottom third of the photo.
Last photo from the Erie Canal Trail and honestly may be my favorite. The lines are very satisfying to me.
From here, I only had a few shots left in the roll and wanted to finish it off before getting home, so I let myself stop wherever caught my eye.
I've driven past this building probably 30 times and have always wanted to photograph it. Glad to say I finally did.
I always struggle to photograph in the direction of people's houses, but I couldn't pass up this front yard.
Similar story - this was someone's front yard, and I'm so glad I had the courage to park in their driveway and take this. It feels like a fairy-tale.
And that was the last of my weekend. I do have a few bonus photos though as the first roll I shot was already halfway done, so I figure I'd share the others here. These are from a beautiful afternoon at another lake in the area: Onondaga Lake.
Warm up shot and my first real shot back with my (now fixed) 50mm lens.
I think I take a photo of this tree every time I visit this lake, but for good reason.
Every summer, the city puts this dock out for people to use however they like, and I love how it looks.
Water viewed from the dock (another use of the metering tip).
More dock content. The clouds and lighting were so good this day.
These kids and their phones! What happened to enjoying the moment?! /s
Side note - I've been doing a lot of soul searching recently re: photos of people. I can probably dive deeper in a future blog, but the short of it is that I'm starting to find more confidence to take photos like this, but am also happy with this perspective of photographing people. I'm not a "in your face" person, and I think that reflects in the way I photograph people.
And with that, I'm going to let this blog sail. Or should I dock it?
