8x10 Hidden Valley

 Today was Zoom, Zoom and more Zoom. Yes, I had three Zoom classes to teach today, two of them were mine, and in the third I was substituting for a colleague who had to have a medical procedure done. I am, what is the word, knocked out.

Still, after my morning classes and before my last class, I went ahead and loaded my Patterson tank with two more negatives shot yesterday at the Hidden Valley Nature Reserve. These were taken towards noon, after I had finished with the Power House. I wanted to capture a few scenes, and was hoping to venture deeper into the woods, but I was tired and I only had two more negatives to spare. I choose what I could, which was this open area close to the walking path. If I ventured further in, I would be tramping through sand, and with all the equipment I was carrying, namely, my 8x10 3D printed camera, my backpack with three film holders (which was heavier than it sounds) and my very heavy tripod, I just didn't want to do it. There is a nice little pond inside, behind the trees, though.

I took this shot then headed home. I desperately need a center ND filter, because the vignetting is very, very strong. It is always notable with this wide angle lens, but this is getting outrageous. The other thing that is more outrageous is the cost of one of those filters, which is over $500. I am not spending that kind of money, I will learn to live with the vignetting, although if I were to print the negative in the darkroom, I might be able to ameliorate the problem with some dodging of the center area. But when will I get an enlarger? Never, unfortunately. 

All of this makes me more enthusiastic about going out to take photos with the 8x10 camera. I wanted to load some color slide film and see if I could let out my inner Ben Horne, but while the slide film is on the way, it is not here yet, nor would the conditions be propitious tomorrow. We have a forecast for cloud coverage all day tomorrow. I will have to wait until Friday, and then, I am going to take it somewhere. My first choice is to expose a few negatives at the South Coast Botanic Garden.

But for now, I am happy with this negative. Yes, there are problems, and yes, the composition could be more compelling, but when I look at the negatives, they look very sharp to me, and that is a big plus. The center ND filter is an unresolvable problem, so I will settle. I have one more 8x10 negative to scan today, but it is still drying in the bathroom.