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Ithaca, NY in the Fall
Minolta Maxxum 5Minolta Maxxum 5, AF 24mm f/2.8
I am not sure how but Ithaca, NY somehow escaped our visit for almost three decades of living in Western New York. At least part of the problem was me being confused and thinking we did visit, even if a long time ago. I must have mixed it up with a trip that we explored waterfalls around Watkins Glen on. Either way, for one of the Fun Fall Fridays in 2026 Ithaca was penciled in for and the trip happened.
And it was a wonderful trip! It turned out to be a beautiful warm sunny Friday and walking around Fall Creek, the Cornell University Campus, and later the village of Ithaca and the Cascadilla Creek was a blast. No problems getting enough steps for the day on days like this!
I love black and white photography for several reasons but for fall foliage it really is not ideal. Therefore, Minolta Maxxum 5 loaded with Kodak Colorplus 200 joined me on this trip. Yes, I still have a frozen stash of that version of the film that can now also be purchased under the Kodacolor 200 branding.
And while I was really happy with the beautiful fall day for walking, sunny days create photographic challenges with too much contrast between deep shadows and bright sunlit areas. For deep gorges and waterfalls a cloudy day often works better but one can't win it all. Maybe another visit on a partially cloudy day? We'll see
Forest Falls, Fall CreekIthaca, NY in the Fall
Forest Falls, Fall Creek, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Ithaca, New York, is uniquely situated at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake in the scenic Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. New York's surveyor general, Simeon DeWitt, mapped the area in the late 18th century and named it Ithaca after the ancient Greek island in Homer’s Odyssey. As of recent estimates, Ithaca has a population of 33,600 residents. Its growth was accelerated by the founding of Cornell University in 1865 and Ithaca College in 1892.
Horseshoe Falls, Fall Creek, Ithaca, NYIthaca, NY in the Fall
Horseshoe Falls, Fall Creek, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
During the last Ice Age, massive continental glaciers carved deep, U-shaped valleys into ancient river beds. When these glaciers melted roughly 12,000 years ago, debris dammed the valleys, filling them with water to create the Finger Lakes we know today. Because the main valleys were carved much deeper than their smaller side tributaries, it left shallower streams suspended high above the lakes as hanging valleys. Water plunging over the steep cliffs eroded the soft sedimentary bedrock over millennia. This dramatic geological process carved the iconic, deep gorges and waterfalls found throughout the region today.
Suspension Bridge over Fall CreekIthaca, NY in the Fall
Suspension Bridge over Fall Creek, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
The first part of our walk explored the cliffs and waterfalls on Fall Creek as we gradually made our way to the Cornell University Campus. From there, something of a second part took us around the small but beautiful Beebe Lake, and eventually back to our starting point. The last part took us through the village to the Cascadilla Creek and along its banks. Unfortunately, there was a closure at the end of the creek trail, and we had to return the same way we came. But who'd complain about another chance to see the beautiful creek?
Living by Fall CreekIthaca, NY in the Fall
Living by Fall Creek, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
The Fall Creek Suspension Bridge on the Cornell University campus is one of Ithaca's most iconic and pedestrian crossings. The bridge is 270 feet long and is suspended 140 feet above the waters of Fall Creek. While the current steel structure was erected in 1960, a pedestrian suspension bridge has existed at this exact location since 1913. It is engineered to have a noticeable sway and bounce under foot traffic, giving pedestrians an exhilarating, elastic sensation. In the 2010s, Cornell added a stainless-steel cable net barrier that wraps underneath and around the bridge truss to improve safety without blocking the scenic views. Local student lore dictates that if someone refuses a kiss while walking across the bridge at midnight, the entire structure will collapse into the gorge (that and other myths).
Beebe LakeIthaca, NY in the Fall
Beebe Lake, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Beebe Lake is a scenic reservoir located directly on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY. It was originally created in 1838 by damming Fall Creek to provide water power for local mills. Over time, it evolved from an industrial pond into a popular campus recreation hub for ice skating, boating, and walking. A one-mile trail loops around the lake offering a short walk through the surrounding woods. A popular student legend claims that walking around the lake with a partner means you are destined to marry them.
Canoes by Trail, Beebe LakeIthaca, NY in the Fall
Canoes by Trail, Beebe Lake, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Above Sackett Foot BridgeIthaca, NY in the Fall
Above Sackett Foot Bridge, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
The historic Sackett Foot Bridge is an iconic stone arch structure located at the eastern head of Beebe Lake. Funded by Colonel Henry Woodward Sackett, it spans a gorge over waters that historically served as a student swimming hole. Today, it stands as one of the most photographed landmarks on the Cornell campus, especially during autumn.
Lover's Falls, Fall CreekIthaca, NY in the Fall
Lover's Falls, Fall Creek, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Beebe Lake below Sackett Foot BridgeIthaca, NY in the Fall
Beebe Lake below Sackett Foot Bridge, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Fall at Ithaca Falls, Fall in Ithaca, NYFall in Ithaca, NY
Fall at Ithaca Falls, Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Fall in Ithaca, NYFall in Ithaca, NY
Fall in Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Octopus, Fall in Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Fall Leaves at Cascadilla CreekFall in Ithaca, NY
Fall Leaves at Cascadilla Creek, Fall in Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Cascades of Cascadilla CreekFall in Ithaca, NY
Cascades of Cascadilla Creek, Fall in Ithaca, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Sunset over Cascadilla CreekFall in Ithaca, New York
Sunset over Cascadilla Creek, Fall in Ithaca, New York
Photographed with a 35mm Minolta Maxxum 5 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Thanks for joining me on this fall daytrip and until the next one!
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.
The Lost Mossy Well HouseChestnut Ridge Park in the Fall
Bridge across Bubbly WatersChestnut Ridge Park in the Fall
Old Stone Well HouseChestnut Ridge Park in the Fall
Mighty Old TreeLetchworth State Park in the Fall
Covered Bridge Covered with ColorsAllegany State Park in the Fall
Late Winter Sunrise at Green Lake, Orchard Park, NY
Olympus Stylus Zoom 14035mm Film Camera
It's been hot for several weeks, thus, I am choosing a cool off post today with a few images from late winter 2026. There were just a few frames left in the camera from Exploring Johnson City, New York and I had the itch to go out, enjoy the sunrise, and document the last bits of winter hanging around for one final look. Catching the daybreak is certainly easier in winter than in summer and one does not even have to set the alarm. On the other hand, sunrises roll too quickly into a workday.
There is usually a flock of geese or several spending the night on Green Lake and arriving at sunrise is a great time to watch them wake up and start the flight prep. Eventually, they start taking off one group at a time making quite a racket and provide opportunities for those that arrived on time. It's similar at Birdsong, however, I think the likelihood of catching the geese taking off is a bit higher here at Green Lake.
Last Ice on Green LakeYates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Last Ice on Green Lake, Yates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
While the 140mm zoom on this automatic camera is no birder's dream set up it comes handy thanks to its compact form factor and just being available for the random opportunities. As the geese started the take-off procedure I figured why not, panned with them for a bit, and clicked the shutter. More than a longer zoom I missed any type of manual settings or override for the below frame as it was very bright and the autoexposure definitely underexposed the scenes quite a bit. However, the scanner and the software were able to bring the scene back to life and I quite like the imperfect moody rendering of the photo.
Geese over Ice on Green LakeYates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Geese over Ice on Green Lake, Yates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
The camera definitely worked better with the more average light situation at the below scene when it worked with the sun rather than against it. I have photographed this eye-catching winding path through Yates Park many times and am sure I will in the future. Whoever designed the curve of the path did very well and I thank them!
Winding Path around Green LakeYates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Winding Path around Green Lake, Yates Park, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
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.
Moody Morning at Green LakeOrchard Park, NY
Leaning over the Creek in Birdsong on InfraredOrchard Park, NY
Birdsong Creek in the WoodsOrchard Park, NY
A Creek Flows ThroughOrchard Park, NY
Birdsong Phalanx GuardOrchard Park, NY
California 2026, Day 1: Solvang
Nikon FE35mm Film Camera
After the travel day and arrival we decided to take it easy on our first day in Solvang, California and stay local and just walk the town. Despite my usual aversion to touristy places and civilization in general I found it pretty easy to enjoy the town. Solvang, CA is a town that pretends to be in Denmark and most of its buildings are show of architecture that could fit in. I have never been to Denmark so I can't be a good judge but it certainly looked a hint more European than other American towns. As a result, there was plenty to point my cameras at and I made good use of both of my cameras I had for this trip.
For color, I went very lightweight with an Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 point and shoot 35mm camera, and for black and white my trusty Nikon FE. Which one to raise was often driven by the location and sometimes by the subject itself. I usually did not have to hesitate and think, the choice seemed to be easy.
WorldMark Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
WorldMark Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Olympus Stylus Zoom 14035mm Point and Shoot Camera
For the longest time I was confused about the windmills scattered through the town. I have always associated these historic windmills with the Netherlands, not with Denmark. But a little bit of time with the Internet and I learned that they used to be common in Denmark too and feature some clear distinguishing features. In the end, why not, they provided quite the visual magnet to capture.
While the Olympus point and shoot can be limiting in some exposure situations, like on a bright beach, it does very well for the most part and it's convenience, small size, light weight, and handy zoom range is hard to beat on a vacation with anyone who is not a crazy photographer. It makes it easy to move things along without driving them crazy. There is one annoying thing I will need to figure out soon though. At the top center of the frame, there's some type of a hair caught somewhere forming a loop down into the frame and back up. When the aperture is more open, the hair gets blurred out. Other times it gets lost in darker scenes where the top of the frame is busy or with patterns. With clear blue skies, it becomes rather annoying quite rapidly and I am thankful for the healing feature of photo software.
Colors of Mission Santa Ines, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Colors of Mission Santa Ines, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
The morning was cool and very foggy and the whole valley to the east was covered. We were told that was not usual for Solvang, however, when it repeated day after day I had my doubts. We headed out the back way that started under our balcony and led through a field to the Santa Ines mission. Yes, the mission was featured in the Day 0 blog post too, but with its absolutely wonderful architecture it simply had to be. Plus in the morning I was hoping for sunshine on the stucco unlike the evening before when that side of the building was in shadow. The fog had its own plans though and my morning light was bright, yet wonderfully diffused providing for a whole different photographic opportunity.
I also kept searching for different angles to prevent coming back with the same angles repeated over and over. It's not always easy as some of the perspectives just looked so appealing!
Welcome Garden at Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Welcome Garden at Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
From there, we wondered through the town in an unplanned fashion in a vague effort to hit every single street and see every bit of the town. As you can see below, we were out early enough on Saturday to catch the town still sleeping or barely waking up. And that was just fine with me as the tourists did not start arriving until about noon. Thus, even the weekend was very enjoyable. That's true almost everywhere. Get up early enough and one can have a place to themselves.
Panino Sandwich Shop. Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Panino Sandwich Shop. Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Copenhagen Sausage Garden, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Copenhagen Sausage Garden, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
I can't help but insert a negative comment in here. While the Copenhagen Sausage Garden looked appealing with their sausages and beer, and it did suck us in for a supper on this Saturday, I was rather disappointed. It was very overpriced, significantly more than the rest of the town, and the care was not all that great. I enjoyed both my beer and the sausage but did not go back for seconds on this day or for the rest of the week. I guess they get enough one-time visitors that they don't have to worry about repeat business. We were staying right in town and I would have gone back had it not been so ridiculously priced.
Now we're finally getting to those windmills mentioned earlier. They are very photogenic, buggers, aren't they?
Hamlet Square Windmill, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Hamlet Square Windmill, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Solvang Brewing Company Windmill, CaliforniaCalifornia 2026
Solvang Brewing Company Windmill, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Unlike the beer garden mentioned above, most other restaurants, bakeries, and ice cream shops were priced all right for California. We just had to learn to be price aware. If there was a place that seemed a bit on the high end, there was usually another similar one within 5 minutes to compare to. And there was plenty of selection to satisfy both hunger as well as various cravings.
Mortensen's Danish Bakery, Solvang, CaliforniaCalifornia 2026
Mortensen's Danish Bakery, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Solvang Tours, CACalifornia 2026
Solvang Tours, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Wine Valley Inn, Solvang, CaliforniaCalifornia 2026
Wine Valley Inn, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Banquet House, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Banquet House, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Bit o'Denmark Restaurant, Solvang, CaliforniaCalifornia 2026
Bit o'Denmark Restaurant, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
I'll probably get in trouble for saying that here but the Bit o'Denmark Restaurant did not draw us in despite walking by it many times as it was on the same street where we stayed and under 5 minutes away. The menu did not have anything that screamed "you can't leave Solvang until you eat me" and the prices here were also a bit high for the cheap me. This was despite having a pre-trip recommendation from a friend of a friend. I had to wonder though, was that simply because of the history and prominence of this restaurant or their menu? Since we skipped I can't judge. Maybe next time.
We did have the last breakfast of the day at the Red Viking Restaurant, a plateful of eggs, potatoes, and a few other things I can't remember but I'll say it was very good and filling. And I felt really bad for the waitress who was haggled by a customer sitting next to us. She orders eggs over easy and complained they were too easy. I could not keep my cool for too long with customers like that, I'd show them the door and then get fired shortly after.
On the way for a short afternoon break and rest from walking, we went by the Santa Ines Mission again to catch it in yet another light. The sun did not hop over to the other side of the building yet and provided the brightest illumination of the stucco yet. Some repeat shots, some new angles, and also making up for a metering mishap from the night before.
Fenced Garden at Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Fenced Garden at Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Compared to the morning shot in color, you can see the fog has lifted and the garden has a nice hilly background.
The Cross at Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
The Cross at Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Colonnade Arches, Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Colonnade Arches, Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
The below angle became my favorite at the Old Santa Ines Mission. Actually, both of them. The angles photo of the chapel door and the colonnade in the background, as well as the head on photo of the door and cross.
Chapel & Colonnade, Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Chapel & Colonnade, Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Chapel Door, Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, CaliforniaCalifornia 2026
Chapel Door, Santa Ines Mission, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
After recharging our internal human batteries, it was time for another round of a town stroll.
Renaissance Antiques, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
Renaissance Antiques, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Roof at Renaissance Antiques, Solvang, CaliforniaCalifornia 2026
Roof at Renaissance Antiques, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
HRS Clock & Watch Repair, Solvang, CaliforniaCalifornia 2026
HRS Clock & Watch Repair, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
The Good Life Garden, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
The Good Life Garden, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
The Book Loft, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
The Book Loft, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
The Solvang Bakery and Windmill, Solvang, CACalifornia 2026
The Solvang Bakery and Windmill, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
Thanks for joining me on this first episode of our California 2026 trip. There should be 7 more coming up soon and I hope you'll be back.
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more travel photographs? Visit my Travel Photography and Landscapes Faraway photo galleries for glimpses of places beyond my usual Western New York.
California 2026 Series: California 2026: Day 0: Arrival, California 2026, Day 1: Solvang, ...
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Exploring Johnson City, New York
Olympus Stylus Zoom 14035mm Point and Shoot Camera
While visiting Binghamton, New York, we took advantage of the trip and hopped a town over to Johnson City to continue our exploration of the area. We walked through Binghamton itself on our previous visit.
The starting point was at Sole City Coffee on Main Street but wow, shame on me, no front photograph of that place! There is one from the back alley coming later on but I completely failed to document the tasty start. That leaves a reason for another visit, doesn't it?
I changed things up completely as far as the photo gear for this trip went. I only packed a single point and shoot camera, the Olympus Stylus Zoom 140. This was to keep things very light and not drive my wife too crazy :-) I usually use autofocus cameras with color film but for this mostly urban stroll I wanted black and white. Thus, bulk-loaded Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 became the film of choice.
Tri-Bros Transportation, Johnson City, NY on Film
Tri-Bros Transportation, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
I really like the camera and how light it is and the quality of the photos one can get out of it. But yes, it can be limiting with its full automation and no exposure compensation. As long as scenes are balanced, photos turn out great. However, on a bright beach, in snow, and other unbalanced situations it's easy to end up with underexposed photos. And while it does not allow for easy filter mounting, which I always do with my other cameras, this roll turned out to my satisfaction even without a yellow, orange, or red filter. The mix of blue sky and white clouds must have been just about perfect to prevent a washed out whitish sky.
Avenue CJohnson City, NY on Film
Avenue C, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
There's also this pesky hair that has been bothering me for months! I can't get to the bottom of that sucker! It shows up in some photos and not others in the center top of the frame. My guess is that when the camera stops down to smaller apertured and the depth of field increases, the hair becomes more visible. Since it is at the top of the frame, I should be able to find it in the center bottom on the camera. So far, I have not. I checked the front, the inside of the camera, no hair. When it shows up and I can crop out the top of the frame, I sometimes do. Other times, the healing brush comes to the rescue. I want it gone though!
JC DeliJohnson City, NY on Film
JC Deli, Johnson City, NY Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Dubai HouseJohnson City, NY on Film
Dubai House, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Main & Broad StreetsJohnson City, NY on Film
Main & Broad Streets, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Main & Broad IntersectionJohnson City, NY on Film
Main & Broad Intersection, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Fat Cat ComicsJohnson City, NY on Film
Fat Cat Comics, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
8-bit BitesJohnson City, NY on Film
8-bit Bites, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
8-bit Bites SignJohnson City, NY on Film
8-bit Bites Sign, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Back of Sole City CoffeeJohnson City, NY on Film
Back of Sole City Coffee, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Above Back AlleyJohnson City, NY on Film
Above Back Alley, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
After enjoying the town for a bit it was time to see what's around. We still had plenty of time, looked at the map, and the hills to the north caught our attention. It was not all that easy though. Accessing the area from the east from Robinson Hill Road did not seem possible. From the south, we thought parking at the Traditions at the Glen would be possible as a starting point for our hike. However, that turned out to be a private golf course and even the entrance to the trails was marked as private. We opted to stay out of trouble and went back to the map. While the name IBM Glen seemed like a potential for another private property the map and quick Internet search seemed optimistic about public access. And indeed, that was the place to park and head into the woods.
Bricks at IBM GlenJohnson City, NY on Film
Bricks at IBM Glen, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Bridge at IBM GlenJohnson City, NY on Film
Bridge at IBM Glen, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
The last photograph below of the walking tree was a photographic trap in the making. It would be so easy to spend an hour just there looking around for the best angle, wait for the best light, repeat. I still walked around couple times, only took two pictures, and then selected this one to share here. A reminder to myself, this needs to go through the darkroom and through the cyanotype process. So many ideas, so little time.
Walking Tree at IBM GlenJohnson City, NY on Film
Walking Tree at IBM Glen, Johnson City, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film
Thanks for stopping by again for another mostly urban photo walk. See you soon!
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.
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California 2026, Day 0: Arrival
Olympus Stylus Zoom 14035mm Point & Shoot
So many times in the past have I tried to share trip photographs as a whole story and so many times have I not made it to the end. If you visit my blog once in a while. you know what I am talking about. How about that 2023 trip to Alabama? Not finished yet. Remember that Czech Republic trip from 2016? Yep, still not finished! Why am I starting a blog post on this note? Maybe it's a fair warning to you not to expect too much. Maybe it's a challenge for myself to do better and make it through. After all, this one was just a week, I can surely finish that, can't I?
I kept my photographic equipment very light for this trip. Everything fit in a single small over the shoulder bag. I stuck to my usual two-camera system, one for color film and one for black and white. But I still managed to scale down the overall size and weight by leaving my usual SLR candidates for color at home. Those would be either the Nikon N75 or the Minolta Maxxum 5. For this trip, I went with the Olympus Stylus Zoom 140. For black and white. I rotated back to the Nikon FE, which was the camera that restarted me on film back in 2015.
First Glimpse of Lake CachumaCalifornia 2026
First Glimpse of Lake Cachuma, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
As we were nearing Solvang, California, we left the 101 and went up into the mountains leaving the crazy traffic behind and instead being treated to some breathtaking mountain vistas. Too bad there were not more spots to stop at along the 154 but maybe that was good, otherwise we'd have never made it to Solvang in daylight.
Lake Cachuma VistaCalifornia 2026
Lake Cachuma Vista, California, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
We checked in to our Solvang, CA base for the week and quickly headed out as the sun started going down over California. We wanted to get a quick initial peek at what we were in for and to get our bearings around town.
Nikon FE, Top35mm Film Camera
Over the last couple years, I started making this annoying and expensive mistake while loading my Nikon FE. Not expensive in money terms but expensive by ruining hard to repeat or unrepeatable photos from faraway places.
For the first 5+ years I used the camera in manual mode and for each picture set both the shutter speed and the aperture based on the match needle meter in the viewfinder and the light situation. That allowed me to easily do exposure compensation without using the +/- dial that is not very natural on this camera and is easy to forget in the wrong position.
Then at some point I switched to aperture priority and started leaving the shutter speed at A. For the most part, that made photography simpler and quicker. Exposure compensation became trickier as I had to start using the top left dial but all was well. However, that is where the mistake comes in. When loading the camera, I insist on having the lens cap on and that throws the meter off and the shutter would take forever in the A mode. Thus, while I need to click away the initial three frames, I switch the shutter speed to 1/1000 sec. Things go bad when I leave it there and since I am now used to aperture priority I may not immediately notice. This results in quite underexposed pictures, sometimes still usable, other times not really.
On this evening we first headed to the Old Mission Santa Inés. And wow, was it photogenic. Despite the sun and light coming in from the wrong side at sunset I still felt the itch to photograph about ten frames despite knowing I would have the opportunity to return at sunrise and take advantage of better light. But I was there then! Almost all of those ten frames ended up being lost due to the very low light and the 1/1000 sec shutter speed. Fortunately, we were staying for the whole week and realizing this mistake a little while in I knew I had to come for a do over.
The photo of the chapel at the mission is one I like despite it also being underexposed and rescued on the computer after scanning. The huge empty wall with this single vintage door fed the minimalist in me and I was happy. I also like this black and white version quite a bit as removing the stucco color further simplified the scene. I would really like to run this frame through the darkroom and also as a cyanotype to see how that comes out.
Old Mission Santa Inés, Salvang, CACalifornia 2026
Old Mission Santa Inés, Salvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black and White Negative Film
I will skip ahead a little here and finish my troubles with this first black and white roll. Apparently, goofing up the exposure on the first ten frames was not enough. At the end of the roll, for the first time ever with my bulk loaded film, the tape failed to hold the film attached and it came loose. That meant rewinding could not be done by standard means.
Back at the hotel, I took advantage of the windowless bathroom, placed a towel along the bottom door gap, opened the camera and pulled the film out manually. As the roll was now outside of its original cartridge, it needed to be kept from light by other means. I placed it into the black opaque canister the cartridge originally came in and wrapped the canister in a thick aluminum wrap harvested from a chocolate bar. This shows the canisters really should be opaque black and not transparent gray as they often are.
The final problem was that with a film secured this way I did not feel asking for a hand-check at the airport on the way back would be a success as it looked rather fishy. Therefore, this roll went into the carry-on that went through one of the new CT scanners at LAX. It did not raise any alarms and went through. I have to admit, while I certainly noticed the underexposure of the first ten frames that I goofed up due to camera settings I did not notice any CT scan induced problems with the rest of the roll. Maybe the first ten were so bad that I became blind to subtle problems?
First Windmill, SolvangCalifornia 2026
First Windmill, Solvang, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
We are ending the day with color as the final rays of the setting sun bathed Alisal Road in spectacular warm light that turned the colorful Solvang buildings into structures straight from a fairy tale, especially The Solvang Bakery below. Wow, was I glad I had the two-camera combo with me!
The Solvang BakeryCalifornia 2026
The Solvang Bakery, California
Photographed with a 35mm Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 on Kodak Colorplus 200 Color Negative Film
Thanks for joining me on this pilot episode of our California 2026 trip. If things go as planned there should be 8 more coming up soon and I hope you'll be back to travel with me.
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
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