Before 2020

I am not usually a huge fan of cross processed film, but this lone roll of E-6 film was just sitting undeveloped on a shelf staring me in the face, so I impulsively chucked it into the developing tank along with a roll of regular C-41 color film. I was using the venerable Summicron R 35 mm f/2. It is a terrific lens, but flares pretty easily and has just the right amount of distortion. Looking back, the past often seems like a more innocent time. That is frequently down to nostalgia, of course, but for most of us alive today, it's probably an accurate assessment of our experiences prior to 2020.

But Mine

As a younger person, I would never have ventured anywhere near 'the barn' or any other well known photographic or tourist landmarks. It seems I had a real aversion to such places back in the day. As I've gotten older, though, I find that my so-called standards have dropped quite a bit, and, in recent years, I have actually sought out some of the more famous spots. My touristy shots still aren't my favorite images, but I have to admit that the view of the Tetons was spectacular from this location. In fact, my favorite photograph from this day doesn't include the barn at all. Hmm, somehow younger me overlooked that possibility... The crowds weren't as bad as I feared either, and now I have a series of images of the barn I can enjoy in the privacy of my own home. No one ever need know I did the tourist thing.

The lure of the superzoom camera

 

A few years ago, we had a family reunion of sorts in Jackson, Wyoming. One of the cameras I had with me was a Canon Powershot G3X, an all-in-one camera with a 25x zoom lens and a maximum equivalent focal length of 600 mm. Kind of a beast of a camera, really, but I was happy I had it with me that trip. 

One fine May morning, I noticed it had snowed a little bit over night, and I went out to get a few documentary photographs. For those of us who live below the Mason-Dixon Line, May snow is most definitely photo worthy.

The dumbest thing I've ever done...

... photographically speaking.

A few years ago, we had a family reunion of sorts in Jackson, WY. It was the time it snowed in May. Wild stuff. It was also the time I made the stupidest mistake ever with my photo gear.

I decided to bring the Leica R6 as my main rig with the pocketable Rollei 35 as a sweet back-up. I was armed with the well respected 35 mm Summicron as well as the cheapish 28-70 mm Leica zoom. The latter is likely a rebranded Tokina or Sigma, but it seemed like a good, relatively compact walking around lens. 

For today's images, I was using Kodak Ektachrome 100 which I had every intention of processing in normal E-6 chemistry. I usually wait until I have 8-10 exposed rolls and then process them all at once so that the chemicals don't rot on the shelf. But I just wasn't shooting much E-6 at the time, so I made the decision to cross process in C-41 color chemistry. I know that the X-pro look can be over done, but I do really like the way these images came out. You'll note that the lens has a little geometric distortion. :) But the image does capture the mood I experienced on this walk.