Pentacon SixGreen Lake, Orchard Park, NY
Today I'm taking you along on a walk down the back roads of Orchard Park, New York. I drive on them frequently but this day it was time to leave the car behind and walk on foot with a camera in hand.
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I had multiple motivations behind this walk. First and foremost, I really wanted some of these pictures while we were under winter's rule. I took an almost identical walk a week before and ended up with no images. I will never know exactly why but between the camera not liking the cold, a possibly older film, and maybe messing something up with my Caffenol mixture the roll was so faint that I did not even bother with it and into the garbage it went.
Mixing D-23Photo Chemistry
I took the same camera along again, my newly acquired Pentacon Six. I wanted to know that it worked. Only later did I have a chat with a repairman for these cameras who shared that Pentacon Six was really susceptible to not running the shutter properly in low temperatures. This time, I loaded it with film I am very familiar with though, a roll of Fomapan 400. And I eliminated one big variable, the Caffenol. While I have had some wonderful results from it this year I also ended up with two blank rolls already and did not want to repeat that.
To make sure things would not be too predictable though and to go against my own best judgement of only changing one variable, which would have been the camera in this case, I decided to try out a new developer, one that could be easily mixed at home, that would last a while, and that would be fresh each time. Sounds intriguing? Indeed. The developer is D-23 and the magic of it lasting and being "fresh" each time is in its replenisher DK-25R. So far, all ingredients are easy to buy and easy to mix. And while the pre-mixed developers are not expensive at least one major brand has suffered quality problems after shifting their manufacturing oversees.
Railroad Crossing, 3 TracksOrchard Park, NY
Railroad Crossing, 3 Tracks, Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a Pentacon Six on Fomapan 400 black and white film and developed in D-23
The first photo was really the primary trigger for these photo ops. I had driven past this railroad crossing sign many times and either did not have a camera with me or was in too much rush getting somewhere. On this day, I parked the car nearby and headed around the area on foot with just the Pentacon Six in hand. And I was not disappointed. The intersection looked great again, the snow cover was just about perfect, and I was really happy with how the film came out of my first attempt at home-brewed D-23.
Beautiful Barn in WinterOrchard Park, NY
Beautiful Barn in Winter
Photographed with a Pentacon Six on Fomapan 400 black and white film and developed in D-23
The barn was a wonderful bonus. While I was aware of it I did not have it on my mental list to return to. It's also set in a bit of a dip making it harder to see while driving on the road above. The winter set up worked wonderfully again simplifying everything placing focus squarely where it needed to be.
And to close today's post? I will deviate from the theme a bit here as the last photo was from a separate walk. Even the roll of 12 pictures proved too long for the village walk and I still had 2 frames left. My favorite wetlands provided an opportunity for another 3-mile walk and some photography.
A Bridge over a Frozen CreekOrchard Park, NY
A Bridge over a Frozen Creek
Photographed with a Pentacon Six on Fomapan 400 black and white film and developed in D-23
Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy
References: D-23 on Pictorial Planet
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Spooky Winter WetlandsWinter
Winter EntranceWinter
Through the Winter LandscapeWinter
Birdsong Gate in WinterWinter
Winter Creek at BirdsongWinter