Thursday, July 28, 2011

Recesky

I'd first written about putting together my DIY TLR camera on my old blog HERE. I shared a few other photos HERE. That was back in December of last year. So it has been a while since I've shared any photos taken by my plastic wonder. Too long.

To make up for it, here are a few I've taken over the last month and a half--

Desert Willow in bloom at the Virgin River.
I love the vignetting you get when you get close to your subject.


Roaring Virgin River

One of my favorite orchids

Off of Babylon Road in southern Utah.
I just love that soft-focus!

Perfectly broken down shed.

Red Cliffs Desert Preserve.

Waves in the sand.

Reflections at Red Cliffs Recreation Area.


Quiet, peaceful, contemplative spot.

Quail Lake

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A place to return to

One of the local spots that I like to go back to over and over again is the Red Cliffs Recreation area. Normally it is somewhere I hike with friends, but on occasion, I like to go when I know it will be quieter and I walk through the hills and canyons alone.
On one of those quiet days, I took the following Polaroids:

standing in sunlight

its' complicated
season attraction
Of the above photo, my Flickr friend Jacki wrote, "Like a dream that fades into the light when you wake..." I really love her way with words. For me, words and images occupy separate and distinct places in my brain. If I am thinking in imagery terms, that is when I photograph what is around me. If I am thinking in terms of words and verbal connections, then I write. But writing about my photographs has never been my strong point. It is something for me to work on, for sure.

view of red cliffs
This last image wasn't actually take at Red Cliffs, but just outside, in Leeds, UT. It is a pioneer-era building that is now on the edge of a mobile home park. It was such a contrast. There was this old stonework building still holding on, still claiming the shape of a home after 120+ years, and it was next to so many pre-fabricated quickly constructed homes. 

homestead
The blue-toned photos were taken using Blue 100 Type film on my Polaroid 350 land camera.
The remainder of the photos were shot on my SX70 Alpha camera using PX 70 Color Shade film from The Impossible Project. These were some of the first photos I shot on this film.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Polaroid Week Favorites

Here are some of my very favorite images from Polaroid Week. Not all of my favorites, but a lot of them. Enjoy!



If you close the door, the night could last forever... by ludwigwest


Untitled by abdukted1456
Untitled, a photo by abdukted1456 on Flickr.




Untitled by ludwigwest
Untitled, a photo by ludwigwest on Flickr.



Grand Canyon NP, AZ by moominsean
Grand Canyon NP, AZ, a photo by moominsean on Flickr.



  by deader than yesterday
 a photo by deader than yesterday on Flickr.





Horsies in the rain by emilie79*
Horsies in the rain, a photo by emilie79* on Flickr.

Dune, at Sunset by dreamscapesxx
Dune, at Sunset, a photo by dreamscapesxx on Flickr.


'Roid Week - Last Day! - We Made It! by Jezlyn26


fetch by Urban Gazelle
fetch, a photo by Urban Gazelle on Flickr.


leads me back by er_code_blue
leads me back, a photo by er_code_blue on Flickr.



Lil' Squinty by jbhalper
Lil' Squinty, a photo by jbhalper on Flickr.



bed head by .{kim unscripted}.
bed head, a photo by .{kim unscripted}. on Flickr.





These last few I couldn't pull the actual photo, so you'll have to click to see these:

The rest of Polaroid Week. . .

It was such an amazing, inspiring week. There were people that came out of the woodwork, so to speak, and tried their hand at using their old Polaroids and found that they could work magic. There were people who had taken an amazing shot months ago and held onto it to share it during Polaroid Week. And there people like me, running around taking road trips so that they'd have a few new sights to share. Granted, I didn't get that far away from home, but I still wanted to try to share a few new things, some stuff out of my comfort zone. . .
So here are the rest of my submission from Polaroid Week:

at the dock

curious lamb

little lambs
beachcomber's collection

radishes


wading

homestead

view of redcliffs

Monday, July 11, 2011

'Roid Week 2011

Polaroid Week kicked off today, and I'm so excited to be a part of it. I missed out last year because I was busy preparing to get married.

Here are my entries from today:

Tree growing in Quail Lake


Kanarra Falls hike
I chose these two for today because of their similarities and contrast. They are both photos of fresh water, both photographed in southern Utah, and both taken using Polaroids, but that is about where the similarities end.
The first image was taken on my SX70 using new PX680 film from The Impossible Project and the tones went all warm and yellow. On the other hand, the second image was taken using my 350 Land Camera using expired Polaroid ID-UV film and the colors most definitely shifted to cooler tones. So I ended up with a warm square and a cool rectangle of water in the desert.

Cedar Pockets

I keep coming back to this area. (Here and Here) It is one of the closest places out of state that I can get to, and my husband works around here, so it is a well-known stomping ground. I love hiking the mountains around this part of northern Arizona, but even more, I love walking around the river. The Virgin River meanders through Cedar Pockets, a BLM campground and recreation area. While it can get crowded, if you are out hiking first thing in the morning or just around sundown, it can seem like you are the only person around. Walking along the river, all signs of civilization are drowned out-- all you can hear are the sounds of water lapping up onto the "beach" and the noise that standing waves make when they fall into themselves or collide into one another.



I grew up an hour away from the coast. I spent many childhood afternoons swimming and building sand castles at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. So while the muddied river water might ruin the illusion for people used to more pristine salt water, I could easily imagine myself at the beach when walking barefoot on the sandy shoreline of the river.





Of course, the vegetation kind of gives away the location. 

But if you find a spot where you can sit, preferably with your feet in the water, and you close your eyes, you might be able to think that you are somewhere tropical--especially in the summer when the sun is beating down on you and the sand is radiating heat back up at you and all you can hear is the roar of water rushing past. 




This is a project that my dear hubby started. He would find large river-tumbled rocks and carry them over one by one until he outlined the path of the trail that lead to the river and beyond. When local boy scouts asked to be given a project, he passed the torch to them, and flagged the path that they could finish marking. I think it looks like art, really. I much prefer it to stakes in the ground or metal posts that carry arrow signs to keep travelers going in the right direction.


This is my favorite double exposure that I've ever taken.


Watching the sun set on a cloudy evening on the banks of the Virgin River. 

I'm still not done with the photos from Cedar Pockets. It has turned into one of my favorite places, and I am sure that I am going to return again soon.

*All of the above photos were taken on my Diana Mini. 

Friday, July 8, 2011

Another version of Taylor Creek

I just realized that I hadn't posted the rest of my photos from last trip to Taylor Creek in May. I figured I should go ahead and remedy that. These are the photos I took with my Diana Mini while hiking around. The film I used was Lucky 200iso film, and I love how grainy the images turned out.

Looking up

I love how the play of shadows makes that orange rock wall look gray-blue

The trail was thick with Juniper trees for a good long portion.

You can compare the above image with what my Polaroid did using film from the Impossible Project HERE.

Stained and worn rock alcove.
I love the subtle layers in the rock, and the signs of it having weathered many many years in the elements.
The Double Alcove, what we worked so hard to get to that day.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Pipe Spring National Monument

It is a lonely place. I imagine it was only that much more lonely in its heyday, totally disconnected from civilization. Mormon settlers built the place up around the spring, which made life harder for the Paiute that were living in the area. It was and is a dry, desolate place. It was miles and miles from anywhere, and today there is still very little near it. It was built on beautiful but harsh land and it took tough people to make a living out there.





 When the first settlers came through, it was a prairie. There are reports that when riding horses through it, the grass came up to the horses' bellies. In some areas the grass grew over five feet tall. I could have disappeared by walking into it. Now the whole area is covered in desert scrub brush, sage, and cheatgrass. They have a small area set aside to try to recreate the mix of grasses that used to grow on the land with ease. I took the following photo while imagining the history of the place, trying to see it covered in a sea of waving blades of grass.


Each of the above photos was taken on my Olympus OM-1 using Lucky 200iso film.