This was a fun cyanotype session. Some old tricks and some new. I've played with different paper types again to see which one will fit the subject matter the best. I also did some toning to have non-blue alternatives. And for the first time I've tried introducing some color into the my cyanotypes.

Country StoreTextured Traditional Blue Cyanotype

Country Store, Textured Traditional Blue Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Rough Textured Shizen Design 140lbs Watercolor Paper

Both photographs here are from the same location in Virginia, a random mountaintop find on a beautiful scenic route through the mountains.

Country StoreTextured Green Tea Toned Cyanotype

Country Store, Textured Green Tea Toned Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Rough Textured Shizen Design 140lbs Watercolor Paper

As you can see, for the Country Store I started with my favorite rough textured watercolor paper. It renders the photographs in low-fi, which I really like with structures of all kinds.

Country StoreSmooth Blue Cyanotype

Country Store,  Smooth Blue Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Smooth UCreate 90lbs Watercolor Paper

But I also tried a smooth paper version for comparison, and as a starting point for the next experiment. There are many ways one can introduce color to this monochromatic process but on this day I specifically wanted to try the random and abstract approach of pre-coloring blank watercolor paper and then coating the cyanotype emulsion over it. I did not have any specific color matching plan, just the opposite. For the Country Store I went with rather pronounced random patches of color. The result? see below :-)

Country StoreAbstract Colors Smooth Cyanotype

Country Store, Abstract Colors Smooth Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Smooth UCreate 90lbs Watercolor Paper

For the second photo I started with the same approach, a traditional blue cyanotype on the rough textured watercolor paper. It removes most of the detail in the photograph and increases contrast providing bright highlights and deeper shadows. It works for some subject matter and not so much for other.

Mountain Top MusicTextured Blue Cyanotype

Mountain Top Music, Textured Blue Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Rough Textured Shizen Design 140lbs Watercolor Paper

I really like how the green tea toned version came out here. The low detail low-fi quality of the paper still came through but the toned version lowered the overall contrast and opened up some of the deep shadows. The old truck looks great!

Mountain Top MusicTextured Green Tea Toned Cyanotype

Mountain Top Music, Textured Green Tea Toned Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Rough Textured Shizen Design 140lbs Watercolor Paper

I've also printed the smooth version as a baseline to see what I was going in with into the coloring.

Mountain Top MusicSmooth Blue Cyanotype

Mountain Top Music, Smooth Blue Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Smooth UCreate 90lbs Watercolor Paper

Unlike the Country Store, I tried a more subtle approach here with the Mountain Top Music scene.

Mountain Top MusicAbstract Color Cyanotype

Mountain Top Music, Abstract Color Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Textured Meeden 140lbs Watercolor Paper

Well, maybe not so subtle for the second version but the smoother transitions between colors still provide a different mood than the Country Store variety of color patches.

Mountain Top MusicAbstract Color Smooth Cyanotype

Mountain Top Music, Abstract Color Smooth Cyanotype, An Original Hand-Made 5" x 7" Cyanotype
Chemically Printed on a Hand-Coated Smooth Strathmore 140lbs Watercolor Paper

What do you think? The Cyanotype process can be tuned to be almost as predictable as traditional darkroom printing, or it can be left somewhat unpredictable. It's all a choice. And pre-coloring the paper can add a new twist to both. You can pre-color with the final image in mind, or do so before even knowing what will be printed over it. I liked this initial experiment a lot and will definitely be doing this again.

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Previous posts in the Cyanotypes series: 1. First Cyanotype - 2. More Cyanotypes - 3. Highlands Cyanotypes - 4. How do Cyanotypes Happen? - 5. Cyanotypes V: Tweaking the Curve - 6. Cyanotypes VI: Toning - 7. Cyanotypes VII: More Toning - 8. Cyanotypes VIII: Toning Different Papers - 9. Cyanotypes IX: Horní Rozsíčky - 10. Cyanotypes X: From Black and White or Color - 11. Cyanotypes XI: Moravian Countryside - 12. Cyanotypes XII: Prague Castle - 13. Cyanotypes XIII: American History - 14. Cyanotypes XIV: Gulf Shores, Alabama - 15. Cyanotypes XV: Different Take on Travel Photography - 16. Cyanotypes XVI: Nostalgic Pernštejn - 16. Cyanotypes XVII: Rajhrad Monastery Variations - 17. Cyanotypes XVII: Rajhrad Monastery Variations - 18. Cyanotypes XVIII: Pernštejn, Brno - 19. Cyanotypes XIX: Mountain Top Country Store & Music

If you like cyanotypes, you can explore the Cyanotypes Photo Gallery dedicated to my growing collection of them. Would you like to browse through traditional darkroom wet prints? Visit my Darkroom Photo Gallery and enjoy!

Fort Morgan Wagon Wheel Toned CyanotypeAlternative Process Photography Smith's Fort, Toned CyanotypeAlternative Process Photography House of Memories, Tea Toned Cyanotype IIAlternative Process Photography

Chautauqua Belle Steamboat, Meeden CyanotypeAlternative Process Photography Bon Secour Alley, CyanotypeAlternative Process Photography

Holga 120N, 60mm f/8Toy Camera This was my first outing with a Holga 120N. It's my daughter's but has been sitting on a shelf for a while so I took her out for a walk to the village of Orchard Park. I had previously taken photographs with its sister, the Holga WPC, or Holga Wide Pinhole Camera. Both are plastic toy cameras of lo-fi build to get lo-fi pictures. While the WPC does not have a lens at all, just a tiny pinhole, the 120N features a 60mm plastic lens.

The camera has a zone-focusing system, i.e. you don't see the effect of focusing in the viewfinder. You just have to set the focus to one person (about 1 meter), small group (about 2 meters), large group (about 6 meters), a mountain (infinity), or anywhere in between. I guess experience can help with knowing where to set the dial. The Holga features a single fixed shutter speed, supposedly about 1/125 sec. A simple metal spring rotates a disc around to open and close a small opening behind the lens. How small? There are two settings. One for f/8 and one for f/11 (or maybe f/13) accomplished by sliding a button to a sunny or cloudy setting. Lots of people report that their Holga's aperture does not change with the slider. Something probably broke inside or a part is missing. I had to take apart and fix this one for a different problem too, they're not built with lasting quality in mind.

C's Custard Delight in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

C's Custard Delight in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

I usually like to combine opposites. I use more low-fi film in hi-fi cameras and vice versa. For pinhole photography I'll go with Fuji Acros or Kodak T-Max 100. But this time, I went a bit crazy and leaned into the lo-fi full force with a Foma Retropan 320 black and white film, the grainiest film known to me. And I developed it in Rollei Supergrain developer. Since I had not used this developer with this film before I went with the short end of the suggested time (1+9, 6.5 minutes) figuring lower contrast would be easier to deal with than losing details to high contrast. The resulting negative was very flat and I had to add contrast after scanning. I may try darkroom printing a few frames too but am not sure if contrast filter 5 will be enough. I will develop for 7.5 minutes next time, if there is a next time for this combination.

Orchard Park Train Depot in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park

Orchard Park Train Depot in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Out of the 12 frames on the 120 film roll, I ended up with about half and half split between what I could expect out of a Holga and bad results, not exactly sure why. It seems like this Holga does not like backlight, and maybe I moved the camera a few times too during exposure. It is an odd experience with the stealthy shutter.

Orchard Park Public Library in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Orchard Park Public Library in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

And yes, you are absolutely right about the repeating theme of my posts. Without intending to, this is the third one in a row from Orchard Park, NY. Wondering what's coming next? We'll see what develops, ...

Orchard Park Police in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Green Lake South Shore, Yates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce in Lo-Fi,  Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Ginger Snap Patisserie in Lo-FiLo-Fi Orchard Park, NY

Ginger Snap Patisserie in Lo-Fi, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Holga 120N on Foma Retropan 320 black and white negative film, home developed in Rollei Supergrain developer

Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! For more travel photography, my Travel Photography gallery offers an interesting mix of places all around. And for more black and white photography hop over to the World without Color photo collection. 

One Way Do Not EnterBlack & White Orchard Park, NY Beautiful Barn in WinterBlack & White Orchard Park, NY Barn and Silos in WhiteBlack & White Orchard Park, NY

Nikon F4, AF 20mm f/2.8Green Lake in Winter What can I say? If you've seen my previous post you will note we're back at the same location, the beautiful Green Lake in the village of Orchard Park. But this time, instead of a manual focus camera loaded with black and white film I came with the latest and greatest equipment. I brought along an auto-focus Nikon F4 fitted with a very wide angle 20mm AF Nikkor lens loaded with Kodak Ektar 100 color negative film with its "world's finest grain".

Definitely a few deviations from my habits, which was intentional. I usually resort to black and white in winter because why would anyone do anything different, right? Color is naturally lacking, it's usually overcast and gloomy, and black and white somehow manages to make all of that look attractive as long as there's snow. But this was a special kind of a winter day in Western New York! It was cold but sunny with clear blue skies. Thus the idea to go with color.

I also switched up from a manual focus camera to an auto-focus. While the Nikon F4 is no autofocus champion given today's expectations it was a pioneer and for the most part it does pretty well. Just make sure your batteries are in a good shape. I have found out that focus hunting and failing to establish focus can be a sign that the batteries need to be swapped even if the camera does not complain yet.

Sunrise over Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Sunrise over Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

And while the 24mm lens I used last time is plenty wide I do have one even wider and must admit that I do not use it nearly enough. Since it is an auto-focus lens, this morning was a great opportunity to attach the AF 20mm f/2.8 Nikkor to the Nikon F4 and head out. When I started in the photography hobby I thought wide and super wide lenses were literally about the width. And sure, they certainly fit in more with into the frame. However, the photo taking and thus photo viewing really is more about the front to back dynamics. I feel it is important to be really close to something in the foreground and then let the scene develop front to back.

Frozen Green Lake through Trees, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Frozen Green Lake through Trees, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

The sunrise was absolutely beautiful and unsurprisingly the opening photo is literally of the sun rising over the Yates Park and Green Lake. I am very happy with how the camera, lens, and film combo handled the situation.

Green Lake's North Shore Trail in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Green Lake's North Shore Trail in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

I parked at a different spot this morning and thus initially headed against my usual direction around the lake. The path was snowed in and walking was difficult but very enjoyable.

Snowed In Stairs to Green Lake, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Snowed In Stairs to Green Lake, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

The stairs were not really there but the railing indicated which way to go, or slide down. I chickened out though and walked making sure my boot caught a solid footing with each step. I did not feel like nosediving.

Tracks around Frozen Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Tracks around Frozen Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

Right by the lake I always appreciate the fact that I can get photographs of undisturbed snow as people usually do not venture into the knee deep snow. This morning I went for a different approach and created my own disturbance, the tracks along the lakeshore.

Green Lake Ice Crystals in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Green Lake Ice Crystals in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

Aren't the ice crystals gorgeous? They would have made for a super macro photography theme too but I tried to make the most of what I had with me. I went as close as the lens could focus without going for a swim and am glad the texture made it into the photo. Nature's magic!

Snowed In Fence at Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Snowed In Fence at Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

Afterwards I went backwards in my usual direction and not only made it back to the parked car but also looped the other way. The split rail fence always challenges me to try to find a new angle, new look. This morning it threw me a freebie as it was buried in snow.

Basketball, Anybody? Yates Park in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Basketball, Anybody? Yates Park in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

Clear blue sky, a basketball court, and a layer of snow covering it. I could not resist!

Tracks in Snow around Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Tracks in Snow around Green Lake in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

I decided I'd finish the whole roll of film so that I did not have to wait to process it. It was a splendid winter morning with lots of beauty around so why not? Instead of returning, I headed for the south shore where the dam is and walked down to Smoke Creek below the dam. I still struggle a bit accepting this new look. The old flow through the forest was so charming. This mostly deforested plain still looks too bare, too sad to me. Maybe one day nature will find a way to reclaim some of the lost ground?

Sunrise over Smoke Creek in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Sunrise over Smoke Creek in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

Here's some civilization too as we pass by the administrative buildings at Green Lake. Yes, I am pretty sure you have seen it in my photographs before too. I am pretty sure though that this was the first time with the 20mm lens.

Recreational Department in Yates Park in Winter, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Recreational Department in Yates Park in Winter, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

And for this scene, the super-wide angle lens definitely came in handy in all directions. I usually struggle to fit the building in but not this time. It all fit easily and I even made a few steps closer to avoid the blank foreground scenario.

United Materials, Industrial Orchard Park in Winter, New YorkYates Park

United Materials, Industrial Orchard Park in Winter, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

To close, another scene I struggle with. There used to be an old wooden pier serving as a boat launch but it succumbed to the passage of time and was replaced with this plastic monster. I really don't like it and usually can't even convince myself to take a picture here. Snow came to help though and since most of the plastic is covered I found the view acceptable to occupy 1 frame on the roll of Kodak Ektar.

Boat Launch in Hibernation, Green Lake, Orchard Park, New YorkYates Park

Boat Launch in Hibernation, Green Lake, Orchard Park, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon F4 Camera on Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative Film, Developed in Cinestill C-41 KIT

So what do you think? Did you like this color edition better or are you a fan of the black and white one?

Thank you very much for stopping by and spending a few minutes with my photography :-)

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! For more travel photography, my Travel Photography gallery offers an interesting mix of places all around. And for more winter photography hop over to the Winter Photo Collection.

Green Lake Bench is OccupiedWinter in Orchard Park Warm Water at Green LakeWinter in Orchard Park Winter at Green LakeWinter in Orchard Park

Creek through the Seasonal WoodsWinter in Orchard Park Fall vs Winter along the CreekWinter in Orchard Park