Hello everybody! I am back! If you are a regular reader of my blog you have probably noticed I have been away for a while. Yep, I have taken a break. Between a wonderful family trip for spring break and then coming back and catching up on things it's been a nice opportunity to take a little breather.

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That does not mean I have been dormant photographically. I brought back a nice batch of film from the trip that needs developing. I also managed to get out and shoot the cherry trees by the Buffalo History Museum, even though the day I picked was far from the best. A cloudy gray day with absolutely flat light. I am glad I tried though and hope for a better timing next year.

Barn & Silos in WhiteCross-processed Velvia 50 Let's roll back a bit though. Today, I'd like to go back a few weeks when I caught the tail end of the winter season in the rural southtowns of Buffalo, NY. The purpose was a bit different with that set. I wanted to try my first cross-processed slide film to get the goofy colors it renders. I thought it would suit the subject matter well. I loaded my Pentax Spotmatic with a slightly expired Fuji Velvia 50, waited for a nice sunny day, and headed down some back roads I explored in the past. 

I started on my favorite road that is close enough for me to visit often. It's the home of the barn in the first photo and I like how it always looks different based on the time of the day, the season, the weather, and other variables. It's also nice to see it age. I hope it will not follow the fate of other barns I have photographed in the past where my final photo was a ruin.

After this encouraging start I continued south into a territory I had been to only a few times, all the while thinking whether I should really cross-process the film in the end or just develop normally as I photographed some of the locations for the first time. Was it the right choice to have the first, and for now the only, photograph of a location on a photo with odd colors? Unlike other analog choices, I was not technically committed yet, only in my mind. While the choice of camera and film was made how I would develop it was still open. However, I always went back to remembering what triggered this whole mission. It was the curiosity of how everything would look.

Rural ColorsCross-processed Velvia 50 If you have not tried this analog technique, you might be familiar with it from our digital world. Cross-processing is often referred to as xpro. You may have seen digital filters with that name in the social network apps or other apps for processing photos captured on your phone. Guess where the inspiration came from?

Soon, I was upon my second barn that I arrived at in great light. The barn was lit up but the sky above and behind was very ominous resulting in an irresistible combination. This is also a location I visit rather often but for different reasons. This day, the barn took the spotlight though!

In all these photos the remaining snow played a double role. I really liked how it worked with the subject matter and it came really handy when manually color balancing the photos after scanning the film.

I really liked how the barn in the next photo turned out. A white barn, a white fence, white snow, yet, all came trough very nicely and the odd colors still left a mark!

Rural White WinterCross-processed Velvia 50

Rural White Winter, Cross-processed Velvia 50 (xpro)

The final photo for today is from a location that I found just recently despite being about 10 minutes from my house. It was one of those moments where I was heading out to a specific place to take pictures but decided to wander as opposed to driving down my usual road. I made a few random turns down roads I had not been down before and it really paid off. And it usually does. I will leave you with that as my parting thought for our busy world.

Turn the navigation off, forget the beaten route you know by heart, and feel free to get lost. Literally, just take random turns in an unknown territory. Quite often you will eventually end up somewhere you know. If not, that is when you can go back to your phone or a GPS or even a paper map! Oh, and if you rely on your phone for maps, make sure you download offline maps for the area around where you live. You might be surprised how quickly you may lose data in rural areas. Your phone and the GPS on it will continue working but it can't display maps without data, or having them pre-downloaded for offline use. I still like to keep a dedicated GPS in my car too, along with a paper road atlas and a detailed map from AAA.

Color of WoodCross-processed Velvia 50

Color of Wood, Cross-processed Velvia 50 (xpro)

I am really curious about your opinion. Do you like the cross-processed look of these photos? Which of these four is your most favorite? Please, leave me a note in the guestbook.

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 darkroom prints, head over to the Darkroom gallery. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered, I will be happy to help! For a quick reference to all photo galleries and collections as well as all photo products currently offered through my site, please, visit the Products page.

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Previously captured on film: Analog (Film) Photography - Film Pinhole Photography - Winter Jinx - Seaside Pinhole Photography - Theatre District at Sunrise, Buffalo, NY - On Main Street, Buffalo, NY - On the Road around Buffalo - Lake Erie Lakeshore on Pinhole - Erie Basin Marina on Pinhole - From Ohio Street - As the Names Change - Buffalo Classic on Classic Medium - One More White while Appropriate - More Winter in Hamburg, NY - Palace in Winter - A Shed - The Chimney - Road Trip 2018 on a Page - Road Trip 2018: The First Few Darkroom Prints - First Roll of Infrared Film - Road Trip 2018: A New Darkroom Print - Analog Colors - Cheap Shots of Sunny 16 - Darkroom: A Split Grade Print - A Drive-Through Nation - A Quiet Moment - Lighthouse Beach - Nostalgic Colors - The 70s Look? - Lakeshore Mood - Back in the Woods - Swamp Trees - Swamp Ponds - How Were the Darkroom Prints from Lighthouse Beach Born? - Rural Western New York in Goofy Colors

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