What I am enjoying most about photography at the moment is the experimentation and exploration of it. As I'm on the shallow end of my photographic timeline I have so much to try. And so not long ago I shot Tri-X for the first time in my life.
My sons and I recently joined West Park Christian Church in Indianapolis. It was built in 1909 at a time when this westside neighborhood was new. (See
this post on my blog for a 1914 panoramic photo of the building and neighborhood, coupled with a similar shot I took with my iPhone.) But the intervening years have not been kind, and this neighborhood today is very inner city, with all the attendant problems of poverty.
The building itself is in solid but unrestored condition. Its most remarkable feature is its curved pews.
West Park Christian Church by
mobilene, on Flickr
This photo shows the curve better, but I'm not as wild about the composition.
West Park Christian Church by
mobilene, on Flickr
I was shooting my Pentax ME with the 50mm f/2 SMC Pentax-M lens attached, which needed to be wide open in the available light even shooting Tri-X 400. This scene presented an exposure challenge with the dark wood pews and the sun streaming through the stained glass. I biased for the pews so they'd show up at all.
West Park Christian Church by
mobilene, on Flickr
This is my favorite shot of the day, because I like the way the light from a window out of the photo to the right landed on these steps.
West Park Christian Church by
mobilene, on Flickr
These are the main doors, although almost everbody enters the church using a very unappealing steel door around back. The symbol on the right is of the Disciples of Christ, though this church went "independent" a number of years ago.
West Park Christian Church by
mobilene, on Flickr
I have a thing for church cornerstones and shoot them whenever I can.
West Park Christian Church by
mobilene, on Flickr
One last somewhat related shot. The street before the church was paved sometime in the 1920s, I'd guess. (The 1914 panorama I linked above seems to show a dirt street!) The gutters are brick!
Brick gutter by
mobilene, on Flickr
I imagine you can see the "I'm just trying stuff" nature of some of these shots. That's the joy of it for me; when I get a shot I like it's almost gravy. Almost!
My go-to b/w film has been Neopan 100 Acros up to now, but I really, really enjoyed the grittier look I got from Tri-X and plan to stock up and shoot more of it.
I don't process my own; I mailed this roll off to a joint called The Darkroom.
-Jim
