CAN YOU SMELL IT?
I could tell the difference between Kodak Plus X and Tri X film by just the smell of it, even in the complete dark. I remember ordering my own bulk loader and 100 foot roll of film. I could load short rolls with 10 shots, or fill up those little reusable canisters with 40 shots. I went through so much film in those early days. I practically lived in the darkroom. I went in early to school to mix chemistry even before my first class.
Then I found Zone VI film and chemicals in the back of a photo magazine. First, I had to order a catalog. I only shot a few rolls but it really was unique. It was so contrasty, very hard to print while trying to keep the high values from blowing out and still have some detail in the lowest shadows. But I got a few decent photos. I still have that roll of negatives.
One day I decided to clean up a little, and while going through all my junk, threw out ALL my 35mm negatives. Mostly, no big loss. Just practice stuff. Hundreds of rolls. Maybe a thousand. But I do remember ONE negative I wish I still had. OK, maybe the whole roll.
It was in the spring. I was at school when a very serious voice came over the loudspeaker saying that anyone who lived in East Helena should get on the bus now if you want to get home today. WHAT? What was going on? Well it wasn’t really all that dramatic. The dam upstream had broken and our little river winding through town was going to get bigger.
GREAT! Half a day off playing. Our home was only a block from the river. We used to walk down the alley everyday in the summer to go swimming. In fact, we would walk all the way up to the dam and float our inner tubes for a relaxing lazy day. But the best swimming hole was just down our alley. There was a little cement structure with a waterfall where the water flowed over the dam. The river was usually only a foot deep which made it hard sometimes to even float it.
Instead of swimming today, I grabbed my camera. I walked around town photographing the river that was now running down the roads, through the park, and washing the streets in town. At least the ones closest to the flooded river bank. Most of the photos were not too impressive. Not a life or death kind of flood. Don’t need to build an ark or anything crazy. But better than wasting time sitting in school.
It was late afternoon and I had walked up all the way to the highway where it had threatened to spill over and close the road and back down past our swimming hole, through the park to the cattle bridge under the big tree out in the field. That was as far as we ever explored. And I took all the photos I could find. I was walking back, my feet and the legs of my jeans were soaking wet, so I decided to cross over at the bridge and make it easy. I had been by the river and I was getting a little tired from jumping from one rock to another trying not to fall in. Not very successfully either.
As I strolled down from the top of the bridge, I turned around to look behind me and almost tripped. The sun was still high in the cloudy sky with the black storm clouds lurking in the distance. The last rays were reflecting off the water that was still running down the street. It was making small ripples that seemed almost gentle and peaceful. The were bigger waves where the water flowing down the cross streets rushed in and crash against the small displaced river. I remember that it looked so beautiful and took a picture. It was a vertical composition that started at the bottom with the small ripples of water dancing just in front of my feet and rising clear up to the sun filtering through the clouds and sky. In the background was Mt Helena looking so majestic and regal.
Then I found Zone VI film and chemicals in the back of a photo magazine. First, I had to order a catalog. I only shot a few rolls but it really was unique. It was so contrasty, very hard to print while trying to keep the high values from blowing out and still have some detail in the lowest shadows. But I got a few decent photos. I still have that roll of negatives.
One day I decided to clean up a little, and while going through all my junk, threw out ALL my 35mm negatives. Mostly, no big loss. Just practice stuff. Hundreds of rolls. Maybe a thousand. But I do remember ONE negative I wish I still had. OK, maybe the whole roll.
It was in the spring. I was at school when a very serious voice came over the loudspeaker saying that anyone who lived in East Helena should get on the bus now if you want to get home today. WHAT? What was going on? Well it wasn’t really all that dramatic. The dam upstream had broken and our little river winding through town was going to get bigger.
GREAT! Half a day off playing. Our home was only a block from the river. We used to walk down the alley everyday in the summer to go swimming. In fact, we would walk all the way up to the dam and float our inner tubes for a relaxing lazy day. But the best swimming hole was just down our alley. There was a little cement structure with a waterfall where the water flowed over the dam. The river was usually only a foot deep which made it hard sometimes to even float it.
Instead of swimming today, I grabbed my camera. I walked around town photographing the river that was now running down the roads, through the park, and washing the streets in town. At least the ones closest to the flooded river bank. Most of the photos were not too impressive. Not a life or death kind of flood. Don’t need to build an ark or anything crazy. But better than wasting time sitting in school.
It was late afternoon and I had walked up all the way to the highway where it had threatened to spill over and close the road and back down past our swimming hole, through the park to the cattle bridge under the big tree out in the field. That was as far as we ever explored. And I took all the photos I could find. I was walking back, my feet and the legs of my jeans were soaking wet, so I decided to cross over at the bridge and make it easy. I had been by the river and I was getting a little tired from jumping from one rock to another trying not to fall in. Not very successfully either.
As I strolled down from the top of the bridge, I turned around to look behind me and almost tripped. The sun was still high in the cloudy sky with the black storm clouds lurking in the distance. The last rays were reflecting off the water that was still running down the street. It was making small ripples that seemed almost gentle and peaceful. The were bigger waves where the water flowing down the cross streets rushed in and crash against the small displaced river. I remember that it looked so beautiful and took a picture. It was a vertical composition that started at the bottom with the small ripples of water dancing just in front of my feet and rising clear up to the sun filtering through the clouds and sky. In the background was Mt Helena looking so majestic and regal.
I thought since they might have to cancel school tomorrow, which is what I was hoping for, I would develop the film right then and so got out all my tanks, reels and chemicals. I was so excited to see what I had and it wasn’t until I was looking at the wet negatives hanging in my kitchen, and saw that one really cool photo. The exposure was perfect! I didn’t realize the textures and details and balance when I had taken it.
I printed a few of those 5x7. In those days that was a nice enlargement. I’m still hoping that my family might find a print in their old scrapbooks or photo albums. But for now, I’ll just have to close my eyes and remember that wet spring afternoon that I got to skip school and play in the river with my camera. |