Nikon FE235mm Film Camera After couple winter-themed posts, which were rather appropriate given the recent cycle of snow and freezing temperatures, we're briefly going back to fall 2025 and my Fun Fall Fridays photo series. Maybe the sunshine will warm us up, even if just for a few seconds.

This fall Friday took us to the Sodus Point, NY area. We started the day with a wonderful hike around Chimney Bluffs and ended the day at Sodus Point to see the lighthouses and the lake. We also enjoyed walking through the village, even though its summer season was definitely over by then. I wanted to link to the Chimney Bluffs post here for an easy reference only to realize I did not get to posting that one yet. If you're curious how the day started, I invite you to return soon and hopefully the post will be here.

Sodus Bay LighthouseSodus Point, NY

Sodus Bay Lighthouse, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

We started the village walk by the old Sodus Bay Lighthouse, which is now a museum operated by the historical society. It was a gorgeous bright sunny day, which I could use right about now. Yes, the winter gloom of Western New York is already getting to me and it's only January.

For bright days with a lot of blue sky I settled on using an orange filter. It darkens the sky, makes white puffy clouds stand out, helps lit terrestrial objects to stand out, adds depth. There are other variables like the film used, lens used, and developer used but for the most part, I like the orange as it sits between yellow and red.

Sodus Bay Lighthouse Back YardSodus Point, NY

Sodus Bay Lighthouse Back Yard, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

From there, we walked the streets towards the beach and pier finding a few unplanned points of interest along the way.

Old Mansion GateSodus Point, NY

Old Mansion Gate, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

The tug boat, barge, and pile of rocks entertained us for quite a while and I was glad that on top of my 24mm wide angle lens I also brought a 135mm medium telephoto.

Construction on WaterSodus Point, NY

Construction on Water, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Moving Rocks in Sodus BaySodus Point, NY

Moving Rocks in Sodus Bay, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

The above and below photo show the difference between looking through the 24mm lens vs the 135mm one.

Fischer Hayden Tug BoatSodus Point, NY

Fischer Hayden Tug Boat, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Sodus Point Beach ParkSodus Point, NY

Sodus Point Beach Park, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Sodus Point Outer LightSodus Point, NY

Sodus Point Outer Light, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Puddle by Sodus Outer LightSodus Point, NY

Puddle by Sodus Outer Light, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

As I was looking for other interesting angles beyond the centered head-on, I saw the speedboat coming from the right. I hastily framed this composition and waited for the boat to be just about right, click.

Boating by Sodus Point Outer LightSodus Point, NY

Boating by Sodus Point Outer Light, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

For the most part, other than family photos, you won't find people in my photographs. That is intentional for many reasons. However, as I kept walking away from the outer light and turned around, I could not resist. The two fishermen completed the distant view of the lighthouse perfectly.

Fishing on Sodus Bay PierSodus Point, NY

Fishing on Sodus Bay Pier, Sodus Point, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Thanks for stopping by again, this time for an urban photo walk. I hope to see you again 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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Asahi Pentax Spotmatic FFilm Photography This is the second post of 2026 but the first one with 2026 photos. On January 3, 2026, conditions were finally right for a winter walk and this one took us to Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve in Depew, New York. Snow covered ground and winter clean up and simplification in action strongly contrasted my last visit in the fall. As many of the local deciduous forests of the area, Reinstein Woods looks very picturesque in the fall. In winter, the mood and focus change and the landscape naturally lands itself to black and white photography.

The choice of tools for the day was a black Pentax Spotmatic F loaded with Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 black and white negative film, later developed in Rollei Supergrain 1+15 developer for 7.5 minutes. While I still struggle with not knowing the true origin of this film, I am a big fan and it's hard to argue with the great results I get and the price they come at. By now, I have tuned my development in both D-23 and in Supergrain and the film has just become another known film to me.

The Wide Path AroundWinter Reinstein Woods

The Wide Path Around, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

I almost always use replenished D-23 developer for all black and white films. However, the way I use it results in lower contrast and thus the deviation to Rollei Supergrain to fight the winter gloom. While the bright white snow adds a good dose of light to the scenes the universally gray sky lacks any features and is darker than the snow. Color filters do not do much in this situation as they cannot selectively impact colors that are simply not there. And that's where I feel the extra kick of Rollei Supergrain comes handy.

Trees Down over CreekWinter Reinstein Woods

Trees Down over Creek, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

I also change my film scanning technique slightly with winter photos. I am much less aggressive on the black point on the histogram and leave it more to the left leaving the blacks further from pure black and the shadows more open. I feel that matches the experience where the gloomy overcast sky and snow on the ground create an even diffused light with few real shadows or blacks in the natural scene. In SilverFast, the same can be done automatically by switching the Auto drop down to the Snow mode. From there, the black point can be adjusted manually based on the specific scene. I like to be careful. Making deep blacks or dark shadows with winter scenes can quickly look unnatural to me.

Bridge and Log BridgeWinter Reinstein Woods

Bridge and Log Bridge, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

And yes, when the magic happens and blue sky shows up, it can be right back to color filters and D-23 even in winter. In those rare situations, a yellow or orange filter can create punchy contrast. I had used a red filter in winter before and liked the results but it can also get unnatural as with the black point setting. If you'd like to try, I recommend experimenting and finding what you like. Even on a single roll of film, you can go through the filters at least for couple scenes and later compare side by side.

Bark PatternWinter Reinstein Woods

Bark Pattern, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Tree HideawayWinter Reinstein Woods

Keeping Warm in Western New York Winter
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Hollow TrunkWinter Reinstein Woods

Hollow Trunk, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Leaning over PondWinter Reinstein Woods

Leaning over Pond, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Info BoardWinter Reinstein Woods

Info Board, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

HolesWinter Reinstein Woods

Holes, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Patches of WaterWinter Reinstein Woods

Keeping Warm in Western New York Winter
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Frozen SwampWinter Reinstein Woods

Frozen Swamp, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

By a Frozen SwampWinter Reinstein Woods

By a Frozen Swamp, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Stump ChairWinter Reinstein Woods

Stump Chair, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Stump & LogWinter Reinstein Woods

Stump & Log, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Tree SculptureWinter Reinstein Woods

Tree Sculpture, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Downed TreesWinter Reinstein Woods

Downed Trees, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Relax by the PondWinter Reinstein Woods

Relax by the Pond, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Locked DoorWinter Reinstein Woods

Locked Door, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Fallen OverWinter Reinstein Woods

Fallen Over, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

BowedWinter Reinstein Woods

Bowed, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Guarding the PondWinter Reinstein Woods

Guarding the Pond, Winter Reinstein Woods, Depew, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UFX400 Black & White Negative Film

Thanks for stopping by again and joining me for a nature photo walk. I hope to see you again 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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Nikon FE2 The winters have not been as well made as they used to be. Long stretches of freezing temperatures with a good amount of snow on the ground are hard to come by. Lake Erie freezing and suspending its lake effect engine has not happened in a while. For a bit, the water temperature was heading in that direction until we got the significant January warm up with rain. Right now, it's pretty much ice free even though it is officially reported at over 7% frozen. All the ice is on the western side in Ohio though having no impact on the weather in Buffalo, NY.

Despite the above, nature usually allowed for snowy walks on New Year's Day, either with an overnight snowfall or with snow the day before. And that's how we closed 2025. New Year's Eve lake effect snow got us over a foot and everything was beautifully white and wintery. Yes, the high winds were making outdoor experience a bit rough but once those calmed down everything was as it should be.

Unfortunately, January could not hold on to this great set up and couple days of very high temperatures and a lot of rain cleared all the snow out completely. We hit a high of 57ºF during the first week of January!

Back to the New Year's Eve snow machine, I was like a little child. I lined up my cameras by the door and headed out with each of them to document the winter parade. Yep, a line of cameras. I used my digital Nikon D610 for some instant gratification and family sharing, followed by a 35mm Nikon FE2 loaded with black and white film, and topped it off with a Minolta Maxxum 5 loaded with color. The black and white film is now developed and scanned and the photos are below.

Lamp & Fence in SnowWinter in Orchard Park, NY

Lamp & Fence in Snow, Winter in Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Winter LivingWinter in Orchard Park, NY

Winter Living, Winter in Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Road in WinterWinter in Orchard Park, NY

Road in Winter, Winter in Orchard Park, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

Keeping WarmWestern New York Winter

Keeping Warm in Western New York Winter
Photographed with a 35mm Nikon FE2 on Fuji Acros II 100 Black & White Negative Film

I hope you've enjoyed this quick winter visit to Orchard Park, NY, thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again.

Happy New Year 2026!

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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