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So I've had a roll of 120 film sitting in my camera since last summer's roadtrip, and I finally went and got it developed at Thompson Photo the other day. 

My old Soviet-era twin-lens reflex seems to be taking on some Holga-esque lens characteristics. I'm kinda OK with that. Enjoy.

Good news for my lungs. And photos.

Guess who doesn't have tuberculosis? This guy.

Had to get tested for working at Beardsley Community Farm and handling "produce intended for human consumption". Ironic since they used to call TB "consumption" back in the day. At any rate, the TB skin test is one of the grosser things I've experienced lately. They take a tiny syringe and inject it just beneath the surface of the skin on your forearm, and inflate a penny-sized bubble under your skin. Gross.

In other news, I went by Thompson Photo here in Knoxville when I got back from the roadtrip and picked up my processed 120 film. I was really excited to see how it turned out since I'd never used this camera before and never used color medium format film.

They're all square-format, 6x6cm negatives, and I had them scan them onto a CD for me, so I won't be sure of the quality of the negatives until I get something printed. I was pretty pleased with them overall, even though there were light-leaks on a few frames and the color seems a bit off.

I may try to get the next roll cross-processed, meaning have it processed in the chemicals intended for a different type of film. From what I've seen, cross-processed color negative film (what I have currently) comes out with lots of red/orange shading to it and can be a pretty cool effect.

I'll probably try some dual-exposure stuff too, now that I'm more comfortable with the camera and film, so look out for that in the future. I have one roll of film from the roadtrip that I'll probably just have processed normally.

there and back again, an itinerary

Finally finished up that first roll of 120 film for the TLR. Twelve frames in two weeks, I'm a speed-demon. That's one of the nice yet frustrating things about shooting film. The cost of the film and processing combined with the low frame-count on a standard roll of film turn most people into meticulous and thrifty photographers.

So my inaugu-roll is sitting on the counter at Thompson Photo on Middlebrook and 21st, awaiting enough brethren to merit firing up the processor and mixing the chemicals. The negatives and a CD containing the images will be waiting for me when I get back from Texas in a couple weeks.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I'm going to Texas. Eventually.

The Great Roadtrip of Summer 2011 starts on Friday with a short drive up to Mammoth Cave National Park in central Kentucky. I have an 11:15am Grand Avenue tour slot reserved. Unfortunately the tours are the only way you're allowed to explore the gargantuan cave system, but the Grand Avenue tour is supposed to take about 4 hours (over 4.5 miles), so it should be worth it. Probably gonna go find a backcountry site once I finish up with the tour and camp out Friday night.

Saturday I drive up to Indianapolis to meet my family for an old friend's wedding on Sunday. For the 2nd time in 2 years all 5 of us are finding our way back together from 3 continents. Should be a bunch of old friends from Senegal at the wedding, so it'll be a reunion of sorts.

Sunday night/Monday will find us caravaning up to Iowa, stopping periodically in Illinois to see extended family (whom I still only see every 4 years or so, even though I live in the same country now...). Cedar Rapids, IA is a home-base of sorts for my parents and where one of the sisters lives, so I'll hang out up there Friday which happens to be Dad's birthday.

Next I'm off to the minuscule town of Menno, South Dakota, where the first Aisenbreys to America decided to park their wagons and set up camp. I've always been enthralled by my family's genealogy, and lucky enough to have a name rare enough that the lines can be traced back to 1600 (and maybe earlier, which I hope to find out if I can track down the family historian in Menno). My great, great grandfather, Christian Aisenbrey, whose name I borrow for my middle, is quoted describing the area, "When we came in this region in May 1874, it was a bare open prairie. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but green grass and above it, the blue sky; no trees, no bush. On occasion, one could see small herds of antelope and a few buffaloes, prairie wolves and coyotes."

So after a day or two on the "bare open prairie", It's a straight line south, about 700 miles, to my next designated stop in Denton, TX, about 30 mins north of DFW. Friends and friends-of-friends, good food, and Texas heat for three or four days before making the slow and muggy drive back to Knoxville on I-20 (I-40 is just too monotonous).

So look forward to posts and pics and travel-logs and whatnot, and say a prayer for safe but adventurous travels.

In Soviet Russia, picture takes you.

Guess what came in the mail yesterday?

summa this:











to go in this:












out of which will come things like this (hopefully):
































All these photos came from an awesome Lubitel Universal 166 site you should check out if you're into vintage or medium format cameras. They've built a new model of the classic Soviet medium format "Lubitel" camera, and have a bunch of great medium format galleries.

So, budget willing, I'll have some new stuff to show you soon. I think I'm gonna try to document next month's roadtrip with it, but I need to get in a little practice first.