Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Busy Times

Life sure has been busy the last little while.  About a week ago I processed another batch of Acros film.  This is my ongoing testing with different developers.  This time around I was processing in Kodak X-Tol developer.  Just one more batch to do in D-76 and then I can compare results and draw some conclusions.  This current batch of test film included a few other images which I've finally found time to scan and post.





The girls started riding at a new stable this month.  It is at more of a beginner level stable with riders closer to their own age, and the riding is all outdoors.  The girls like it a lot and look forward to getting more involved.  It was raining heavily during their first lesson two weeks ago, so they were restricted to some indoor instruction.  Last week they were able to ride outside for the first time this year.  Margarit had to take them to that lesson as it was the same night as the Renegades first hockey game of the summer season.

Last weekend myself and five other members of the Monochrome Guild headed out for our annual Spring Photography Weekend.  This time we went down to Kananaskis and Banff, and stayed in Harvie Heights.  I took one of my few days off from work so that we could leave on Friday morning.  It was a nice day, breezy and not to warm, but pleasant.  We did some shooting in the Bow Valley and at Vermilion Lakes.  When we got up on Saturday it was raining quite heavily and turning to snow.  As we drove away from our hotel and headed up towards the Smith Dorrien Trail, the rain quickly turned to snow, and lots of it.  A photographers delight!!  Lots of fresh snow and dark brooding clouds.  We spent the entire day shooting, and by afternoon the skies began to break and it warmed up.  Sunday dawned clear and sunny.  We checked out and headed home on a round about route through Banff, up the Icefields Parkway to Saskatchewan Crossing, and then east on the Thompson Highway and eventually home.  We stopped to shoot a couple of times at Sawback, at Crowfoot Glacier, at Whirlpool Point, and Windy Point.  

Since I returned home, it still remains very busy.  I haven't found time to download and post any of the digital snapshots from the weekend, but will get to that in the coming days.  I did process the five sheets of Polaroid film that I shot on the weekend, but once again, no time to scan and post them.  Tonight it is off to another hockey game.  Wednesday the girls have dance class.  On Thursday I play hockey again, while Margarit takes the girls riding again.  Maybe by the weekend things will settle down a little and I can take time to breath.

Oh, almost forgot... we were busy on Monday evening too.  Margarit and I were invited to attend the Crossroads Camera Club year end banquet as guests.  I used to be a member of this group about ten years ago.  One by one as the members went fully digital and dropped film, I found myself more and more of an outsider.  Eventually this prompted me to resign from the group and start the Monochrome Guild.  I was a judge at one of the club meetings during the year and this was the reason for the invitation.  It was nice to get together with old friends and see some great photographs.

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