Photos are for the Road

I like to take photos while driving. I know that this notion has frightened some of you, but I do. Now, more often than not, I am a passenger, so it doesn't hurt that I am taking photos while moving.  There is a certain sacrifice that one makes when moving at 60 mph down the road, and at the same time attempting to capture a beautiful sunset, cloud formation, wildlife or what have you:  Things that are moving, look blurry.  Well, I like blurry, sometimes. Even when I was a small child, I used to look out of the window of my father's truck and focus and un-focus my eyes on the scenery passing by.  The fescue, barbed wire, or the gravel on the shoulder racing by in a grey blur.
I recently took a trip with Stephanie and Shannon back to the farm country where I was born. Here are some photos from the road.

 

And NOW....

I've made it back to winter again.  Next year, the 'year in review' will go throughout the month of December and not the month of January. I'll have more sense.  January has been 'The month of the Camera", insofar as we in Ohio are concerned. Due to the generosity of 2 friends and Steph and I's industriousness, our camera collection has grown by 6 new cameras.  We added a Mamiya MSX 1000, an Olympus Om-1 and Om-2, a Mamiya 135 ee, and a Honeywell/Pentax Spotmatic.  All cameras are in functional shape and with a bit of TLC and lens cleaning, (fungus) they'll be back on-line.  Stephanie, too, has caught the 'film-bug' and has finally finished her first roll of film in several years.  Its always good to go back to analog products and do what first sparked your interest in any given craft or art.  Also, due to my friend Derek, I've developed my first roll of 'found film'.  Derek sent me a roll of kodacolor II film from 1974-1981 (approx) and I developed it in acufine developer.  It took a week's research to determine what times and temperatures to use, and I did find several individuals that helped along the way.  The film was 127 type, which is 43mm wide and contains 16 exposures. Kind of an 'in-between' film for 135 and 120, now discontinued utterly.  There were 2 exposures that had been saved on the roll, all the rest were solarized completely due to someone opening the back of the camera after the film had been exposed.

Here is the result of my research. I developed for 8 min @ 22c in acufine developer.

I would encourage anyone who reads this to send along any 'found films' that they might have lying about, and i'll see what can be done with them.  You can always reach me at josephdecker0@gmail.com if you'd like to send along some film, or have an orphan camera that needs a home.  Broken is best!  It gives me an opportunity to learn something. :)  Thanks for all the views and the lessons last year, I hope this year is just as good!

Fall! part two

COLOR! For those of us who miss it. 

Fall! Part one

Summer! part 3

Well, summer's over. On to FALL!

Summer part 2

I was lucky enough to travel quite a bit this summer. Most of these photos are from a journey Steph, Shannon and I took to Philadelphia and back in a convoluted way through the Pennsylvania wilderness. It was a beautiful ride. 

Summer! part 1

Ah, just think...Soon it will be summer, infields, swimming, gulls, summer rains, hydrant flushing and hosta. What more could one ask for?