Previously on pinhole photography: A New Chapter, a New Book - Pinhole Photography, Film Pinhole Photography, Seaside Pinhole Photography, Lake Erie Lakeshore on Pinhole, Erie Basin Marina on Pinhole, Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day 2017, The Final Six, Large Format Pinhole, Large Format Pinhole by Cargill Pool Grain Elevator, Large Format Pinhole of Orchard Park Train Depot

A black and white theme for this rainy Thursday showing my progress with the large format pinhole camera I introduced in the last couple posts on the topic (see links above). To help with the strong contrast I experimented with pre-flashing the photo paper. What's pre-flashing? I briefly exposed the paper to diffused dim light from a flashlight. I metered the light falling on the photo paper and cut the exposure down to a 1/3 of the metered exposure time. Then, on location, I subtracted that third from that reading to insure I would not overexpose.

Orchard Park Train DepotLensless 4x5" Pinhole Camera, Ilford Paper This method allows the dim light from shadows to register on the photo paper where there would not be enough light otherwise thus revealing more of the dark areas. Retaining detail in highlights becomes more challenging thus the need to lower the scene exposure based on the pre-flash.

Alright, one more technical detail I'd like to share today, even though that one is more for fun. Why can photo paper be developed in a darkroom illuminated by a dim red light (or green in some instances too)? Because it is only sensitive to blue light. So, what happens when you try to use a red filter to darken blue skies as one would do with a black and white film? Yep, you guessed it, you'll get a blank image.

I feel a bit silly telling you but I actually did this. I was standing there by the Orchard Park train depot thinking of creative ways to further improve the photo, pulled out the filter, opened up the shutter of the pinhole camera, and thought, "what am I doing? This can't work, Can it?" I completed the exposure adding time for the filter factor and later developed the paper with the expected result :-) Rules of physics prevailed.

Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)

Would you like to see more pinhole photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my pinhole gallery on timelessbuffalo.com and enjoy! Come back often as that gallery will grow over time. 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.

Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!

Previously from Letchworth State Park: It's the season of color - Letchworth is getting very colorful! - Autumn vs. Summer, Great Bend at Letchworth - Two Birds with One Stone at Letchworth - Letchworth Off The Beaten Path - The Seasons They Are a-Changin' - Watching Time Pass - The Mystery of Papermill Falls - Back at Great Bend for More, Letchworth State Park - Could not Resist - Back for More at Letchworth - Letchworth Icon: Portageville Bridge to Be Replaced - Waterfalling Off the Beaten Path in Letchworth - Nickel Plate Road Engine No. 765 on Letchworth's Trestle, Middle Falls Blues ... and more posts about the Annual Letchworth Balloon Festival.

Two Bridges - Two WaterfallsLetchworth at Dusk There are so many beautiful areas in Letchworth State Park and they all look their best at different times of day and in different weather. As I continue returning to the park I always try to focus on a specific area and see if I can unlock its secret.

Today, I'm happy to share a view I have not shared before. The sun has set and the Genesee River gorge plunged into a deep shadow, the colors of the fall foliage gradually fading with the light. You can see the Middle Falls and further up the river the mist from the Upper Falls.

Look carefully (or click the first photo to see it large) and you will see the two bridges over the Upper Falls. The historic trestle bridge is still there and just in front of it the arch of the new one. It's not always you can witness a transformation like this and so far, I like the outcome. The new bridge will look great over the gorge as the old one has done for so long!

As the light continues to fade the Middle Falls come alive as the illumination kicks in between April and October. That led me to the next photo. Rather than appreciating and showing the whole beautiful gorge I zoomed in for a tight photo of just the waterfall lined with the deep steep rocky cliffs. I also liked the deep blue reflection of the dusk sky up above the falls.

Enjoy the view!

Middle Falls Bright & ClearLetchworth State Park

Middle Falls Bright & Clear, Letchworth State Park

Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)

Would you like to see more photographs from Western New York? Visit my Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! To get a dose of winter whiteness, click through to my Winter Collection of photographs. 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.

Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!

Foggy Fall Morning Big Bend of Letchworth Cloudy DaybreakHog's Back Upper Papermill FallsLetchworth Papermill Falls SidekickLetchworth Upper Falls WinterTrestle Bridge

To Paul

Sunset LightLake Erie at Sturgeon Point Previously from Sturgeon Point: And Still in White - Back at the Lakeshore for More Moody Photographs - Two Faces of One Lake - Same Lake, Different Beach - Struggle & Magic

This quiet sunset on Lake Erie turned into a detective story for me. It's amazing how puzzling photography can be!

It was a beautiful warm fall evening and the lake was a bit rough compliments of the winds and rain of the previous couple days. But not too bad, just right for my taste to experiment with different exposure times and just having lots of fun with the water.

The sky cleared too much not leaving enough clouds behind to catch the color of the setting sun. Also, I had visited this area of Lake Erie shore several times recently and was looking for something new. Something that would create a whole different photograph that put side by side with another from the same place would not be recognizable as such.

The first photograph you see above was an early one that evening, an establishing frame in my desperate search for something special. I liked the long exposure effect combined with the rocks being lit up like bulbs by the setting sun. And yes, I was able to show this was at sunset with the sunny blast of light on the left but drama was missing. Afterwards, I moved about quite a bit looking for different rocks, different perspectives. I came up empty handed and when the light was pretty much gone I started packing.

iPhone Sunset ActionLake Erie at Sturgeon Point Then, I remembered I did not grab a photo for my Instagram photo stream. I pulled out my phone, positioned it just about where my camera was last but even lower to the ground, waited for an incoming wave, I snapped the second photo you see here.

I will admit, I did not even pay too much attention to what I got. Unfortunately, I felt a bit disappointed and really was in a packing mood already thinking about what was next. It was not the first time I allowed that to happen and I am sure not the last but it is never good and does not help. As I know very well, it is not over until its over!

Once I collected all of my gear in the semi-darkness and make it back to the car, I sat down and checked the photo out. I got both excited and disappointed yet again! This was what I wanted! Something completely different, yet still a sunset photograph. But I only had it on my cell phone, not on the real camera in higher quality.

It just shows how flexible those little devices are. It was so easy to position it pretty much down on the sand of the beach, point it in the right direction while watching a sufficiently bright image on the LCD allowing for easy composition, selecting a focus and exposure point, and clicking as the wave crashed into the rocks near the shore. Don't let the brightness mislead you, it was pretty dark at that point and only because the exposure was set based on the dark water in the foreground did the sky ending up looking this bright. But that is the trick, to make a photograph rather than take one, to make it look like one wants.

The decision was clear. I had to come back another day and attempt to recreate this shot in the camera. But that is always easier in theory, not in practice as I knew from the past and would re-learn on the shores of Lake Erie again. I could not come back the very next day as weather was completely off what I needed to get the strong back-light. But I made it back couple days later.

What happened? Who moved my rocks? I literally spent at lest half an hour crawling on the beach (observed by other sunset lovers who asked me about my crazy activity when I was leaving) trying to find the same angle and just could not. Sounds strange? You bet! I know, but I am not making that up. Those fairly large rocks seemed to have rearranged themselves. Or maybe they were Trolls?

The lake was also too calm for the desired shot. While there were some waves they were about half the size compared to the first night that started this pursuit. While planning is good I had to accept what I was given (Trolls on a quiet lake) and try to turn this evening's photography into something different yet again.

All the while I was crawling in the sand I also suspected that even if I found the lost angle and if a random larger wave found its way to my frame I would still not have gotten my photograph. There just was no light. Heavy low clouds were completely obstructing the horizon and I could barely tell where the lake ended and the sky started.

I got lucky on that front though! As I was losing the last bits of hope seeing that sunset came and went strictly on my watch without any hints of it in the distance, it happened. The heavy clouds broke up quite a bit, an opening was created, the sky turned dramatic, and my camera and I were ready.

Water & Rocks at SunsetLake Erie at Sturgeon Point

Water & Rocks at Sunset, Lake Erie at Sturgeon Point near Buffalo, New York

I will be back, looking for my rocks, my angle, and my sunset action photo!

Enjoy the Beauty that Surrounds You! (#etbtsy)

Would you like to see more photographs from Western New York? Visit my Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! To get a dose of winter whiteness, click through to my Winter Collection of photographs. 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.

Do you like my free content but are not ready to buy a photograph for your walls yet? Using my links to do your shopping helps me share more photographs and write the stories behind them. And it costs you nothing. You just need to start your shopping by clicking on an advertised product or use the Amazon search box in bottom left. It does not matter what you eventually buy as long as you start here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small. Thank you!

Bone Chilling ColdSturgeon Point Rocky Shore at Sunset, Lake ErieSturgeon Point Sunset Hum of Lake ErieSturgeon Point All Quiet on Lake ErieSturgeon Point Lake Erie on the RocksSturgeon Point

Sunset AweSturgeon Point