Print: The View From Rock Bottom

Last weekend, Aaron and I explored an abandoned grease factory in Huntley, Illinois. The building has been abandoned for over three decades, and it shows. Walls and ceilings are missing, trees are growing through the floor, and graffiti covers the structure like wallpaper. This chair was sitting in the back room of the factory, overlooking a small forest stream (since the wall had long since fallen down). I used my Mamiya C330 with a 55mm lens, and Kodak T-Max 400 film. The physical print is 10 x 10 inches.

Roll: Into the Woods

Last weekend, Aaron and I explored LaBagh Woods, a forest preserve in northern Chicago. Labagh Woods is a small, claustrophobic preserve that has a somewhat sinister reputation. The woods are a known hangout of unruly teenagers, gangs, and even cults (severed pig heads have been found on multiple occasions slightly off the trails). Graffiti covers many of the trees, bridges, and signs in the preserve. A number of murders and suicides have also occurred in Labagh Woods, and some say the forest is haunted.

While I doubt the woods are haunted, I did have a bit of an uneasy feeling while exploring LaBagh. I brought along my newly acquired Pentax MX, which is in much better condition than the previous MX I owned. I mostly used the 50mm F/1.7 lens that came with the camera, but also used my 24mm F/2.8 for a few shots.

My "new" MX, with 50mm F/1.7 Lens

Here some of my better photos from our trip to LaBagh. Everything was shot on Kodak Tri-X 400.

LaBagh was a fun place to spend a few hours. I recommend taking a walk through the woods... as long as you visit during the day. Thanks for looking!

Frame: Stump

So a couple months ago, my beloved Pentax 6x7 body broke down. I finally got around to buying another one on Ebay this last week, and unfortunately it doesn't work quite right. The shutter "bounces" at 1/1000th of a second, causing half the frame to turn out unexposed (See below). So, I'm going to send it back and try again with a different Ebay seller. Sigh. I did like getting to shoot with a 6x7 again, though, and enjoyed my time testing out the camera. I took this shot in a forest preserve in Morton Grove. I used Ilford Delta 400 film. This is a scan, not a print.

The replacement Pentax 6x7 at 1/1000th... damn.

Spotlight: Minolta SRT 202

Last weekend I went to a camera show, and picked up this sweet Minolta SRT 202. The SRT 202 came out in 1975, and was Minolta's flagship mechanical camera, and also the successor to the famous SRT 102. It's apparently pretty hard to find in Black, so I guess I lucked out.

The SRT 202 has a full information viewfinder (aperture and shutter-speed settings are visible with your eye to the camera). The focus screen is a split image/microprism, and cannot be switched out, sadly. There is no mirror lock-up switch on the SRT 202, which I find odd, since the SRT 102 had mirror lock-up. One odd "feature" the SRT 202 has is that the depth-of-field preview switch only works when the shutter is cocked. Strange!

I put a roll through my SRT 202, and had a lot of fun with the camera. Unfortunately, the 1/1000th speed "bounces", resulting in half of the frame not getting exposed. All other aspects of the camera worked fine, with the exception of the internal meter, which I did not test.

Here are some of my results (all shot on T-Max 400):

  Thanks for looking!

Spotlight/Roll: Leica M4 at the Renaissance Faire

The Leica M4 was first introduced in 1967, and is considered by many to be the final "classic" Leica model.

The M4 is an evolution of the Leica M3 and M2; taking the best features from both of those cameras, and adding in some new additions of its own. The viewfinder has the same lower magnification as the M2 (0.72), and includes frame-lines for 35mm, 50mm, 90mm, and 135mm lenses. The frame counter is the same as the M3, and automatically resets when the bottom plate is taken off.

The Leica M4 introduced some new, innovative features that would become standard for most Leica M models to follow. The rapid-load system was introduced; a built-in loading system that did away with the removable (and losable) take-up spools, all while making film loading exponentially faster. A tilted film rewind crank was also added (as apposed to previous knurled rewind knobs), and greatly reduced the time it took to rewind film back into its canister. The film advance lever was also re-designed to increase cocking speed. These additions made the Leica M4 much quicker and easier to use, all while retaining the classic look, feel, and quality of previous M cameras.

Top View

I recently traded in my M3 for an M4 at Tamarkin Camera in downtown Chicago. I kept my same 50mm Summicron lens. The lower magnification of the M4 viewfinder makes it easier for me, a glasses wearer, to see the 50mm frame-lines. I've shot a few rolls with it so far, and am happy with my decision to switch.

I recently took the M4 to one of my favorite places, the Bristol Renaissance Faire. All was shot on Ilford HP5+. Here are some of my results:

Thanks for taking a peek!

Print: Ringwood Manor, Kitchen

This is the kitchen in the Ringwoad Road house, near McHenry, Illinois. Dead bugs littered the counter tops, and there was a mysterious pile of clothes on the floor. The door on the right led to the basement, which was pretty much empty. I used my Pentax LX with a 24mm F/2.8 lens, on Ilford Delta 400 film. The physical print is 7 x 10 inches. I had to burn-in the windows quite a bit, but I like how the print turned out. It makes me want to go back.

Thanks for looking!

Print: Ringwood Manor, Master Bath

This is an interior shot of the Ringwood Road house I explored last weekend. It's the master bathroom, located at the end of the hall on the 2nd floor of the building. I found it odd that amidst all the clutter and decay, the bathtub was nearly spotless. I used my Pentax LX with a 24mm 2.8 Lens on Ilford Delta 400 Film. The physical print is 8x10 inches.

Thanks for looking!