First Shot of 2022

The batch of twenty 4" x 5" sheets of film that I developed on March 12th, included my first photograph of the year, taken four years ago in 2022.  This was a sheet of Rollei RPX-25, developed in Rodinal 1:50, for 11:00 minutes at 24C.

It was almost exactly four years ago, as I took this photograph on March 21st of 2022, at about 2:00 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a long, Fujinon 250mm lens.  No filter was used.  This is Shunda Creek, near my part time residence in Nordegg.  This overview was taken from the bridge near Beaverdam Lake.  

Technically this was my second photograph of that year.  The first one was a sheet of Kodak T-Max 100, at exactly this same setup.  That shot was followed by this exact duplicate on Rollei RPX.  I almost always take a duplicate shot at every set up.  I have learned the hard way, even with my years of experience, that I sometimes mess things up.  I have lost numerous images due to handling and developing errors, and by shooting a duplicate I have mostly eliminated this.  The exposure was for 1 second at F51.0.  The way the film rendered the highlights on the water during this long exposure, is very similar to the image I posted yesterday.

Old Negatives - RPX25 in Rodinal

On March 12th and 14th I headed into my darkroom and ran a couple of mixed batches of film.  Mostly this was to finally get some really old negatives processed.  I didn't really have enough of any one particular type of film, so I had to do mixed batches of different films.  They all required the same developer and temperature, but the development times were different.  So at points during the process some of the film had to be pulled from development, and other sheets left processing longer.  Its all pretty easy to do with my method of using stainless steel hangers for each individual sheet, in open tanks.  Of course this type of processing needs to be done in total darkness, and you really need to pay attention.  I also had to add some recently shot images to round out the batches.

These two batches included some Efke PL25M, Rollei RPX-25, Ilford FP4+, J&C Classic 200, and some Arista EDU Ultra 200.  The Efke and J&C films have been discontinued, and I don't shoot the RPX or EDU very often.  I think I will probably phase these out of my regular routine, once I deplete my current stock.

This negative was developed on March 12th 2026.  It is a 4" x 5" sheet of Rollei RPX-25 that I gave normal development, in Rodinal developer, 1:50, for 11:00 minutes.  I shot this one way back on May 15th of 2022.  I was out for a spring walk with my camera, in Blackmud Creek Ravine, not far from my home in the city.  It was about 2:30 in the afternoon and the light was pretty intense and contrasty.  I used my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a wide, Rodenstock 90mm lens.  A #25 Red filter made the background shadows fall off, and darkened the tone of the water, making the bubbles trails really stand out.  The exposure was for 8 seconds at F32.0.

I only have one sheet left from 2022 that remains to be processed, and will get to that shortly.  I checked and I have about 18 sheets left to go from 2023.  I haven't counted yet for 2024 and 2025, and of course now I am starting to shoot in 2026.  It seems there is always film waiting to be developed.

The Last Apparition

This is the last of my five submission images for the Apparitions project.  My colleague Arturo also has five of his images included.  We are in a holding pattern for now, waiting to hear back from some of the galleries that were sent our exhibition proposal.  We have more galleries to submit to in the coming months, as their calls come up.

This image is a little different flavor than the others, and I have posted this one on my blog in the past.  This is a native site that honors the regrowth after a forest fire.  This is out on the Kootenay Plains, not far from our property in Nordegg.  This area was heavily burned when the Spreading Creek Fire went through the area a number of years ago.

Another Apparition

This is another of my images from the Apparitions project submission package.  This one is kind of a weird image, which is exactly why I chose it.  This old doll, the hatchet and the saddle shoes were all artifacts in an old museum.  But the museum was abandoned, for about 40 years, and towards the end, when the site was no longer monitored and maintained, many of the buildings and artivacts were looted.  The building that housed these items has since been moved to another location.

Arturo and I have now sent out our submission package to eight galleries... since early February.  We have about four or five more, that have upcoming deadlines through the next several months.  We are considering applying for another Arts Grant to fund travelling of the show to galleries that are further away.  With each acceptance comes the expectation that the prints will be delivered to the gallery, the artists will attend the opening, and the prints will be picked up after the show.  Many galleries pay an exhibition fee which partially covers these costs.  But if the venue is further away, then the costs exceed the fee.

One More Apparition

This is another of the submission images from the Beer Parlour Project.  This "Service Counter" shot was taken in a small town in southern Saskatchewan.  I was travelling with my friend Chris for some Beer Parlour Project outings, and attempting to shoot subject matter for the Apparitions project at the same time.  We were all over southwestern Saskatchewan in June of 2024.

In one of the small towns that we visited, we spotted an old building that looked like it had once been a farm implement dealership.  We managed to track down the name of the owner, and he graciously allowed us to photograph the interior.  It was much as his father had left it when he closed the business back in the 1980's.  His son, the current owner, and in his 80's at the time of our visit, operated a farm nearby.  He told us that he had probably not been inside the building for a decade.  It certainly was like a time capsule.

Mid Century Modern

Margarit has been collecting a bunch of stuff to put on display in the 1950's cabin.  Recently she bought a shelf unit, and I hauled it out to Nordegg for her.  Since then she has been working on a display in the master bedroom, that features her collection.  She spent some time on it last time we were out at Nordegg and added a bunch of items.  I'm not sure if she's done yet, of perhaps still has a few things to add.

Big Wind

Overnight on March 7th and 8th a weather front rolled through Alberta.  There were high winds pretty much province wide, and the temperature plummeted.  Out at Nordegg we had the wind, and the temperature dropped to well below zero.  We got a light dump of about an inch or two of fresh snow.  That made things rather treacherous as the new snow concealed all the icy patches that remained.

Two trees came down across our driveway, and Helena rolled them out of the way before I had a chance to get out and do it.  These were standing dead trees that were between our firepit and the edge of the driveway.  They had been dead for some time and I probably should have taken them down some time ago.  Fortuneatly they didn't do any damage, and they can stay there until I have a chance to cut them up for firewood.

When I took a run over to the dump on Monday I noticed that quite a number of trees had come down in the area.  There was a large one that had dropped on a cottage in the subdivision.  It was about 15 lots or so away from us, and I don't know the owners.

When I drove back home to the city I saw evidence of wind damage all the way.  Numerous trees had come down along the roadsides pretty much all the way home.

Last of the Season for the Bubbles

Later on Saturday, after we got Hank dried off and warmed up, we headed out again.  This time we left Hank back at the cottage, to snooze by the fire.  The girls and I took a drive west.

We made a brief stop at Dry Haven Creek and took a short walk.  It was quite icy and slippery, and the creek was still completely frozen over with ice and snow.  So we continued on up to Abraham Lake.  It was warm, but very windy and not all that pleasant to be outside.  There were still a few "Bubblers" trying to make their way onto the ice and catch a glimpse of the bubbles.  The ice is badly deteriorated, and dusted with snow.  There are puddles of water on top of the ice, and a large area of open water at Windy Point.

It was neither safe nor pleasant to wander onto the ice, and not really much to see in the way of bubbles.  The spectacle is best viewed early in the season right after the lake freezes over.  So, we ventured back to the cottage and put a roast in the oven for dinner.  Hank was really happy to see us return.

Beaverdam

On Saturday March 7th Margarit, Helena, Hank and I took a drive over to nearby Beaverdam Lake.  The temperature got up to about +11 at one point, but it didn't feel as warm as the thermometer suggested.  It was quite heavily overcast for most of the day, and there was a bit of a breeze.

We went for a walk on the shore of the lake, and down along Shunda Creek, where it exits the lake.  We were startled and surprised to see a small flock of ducks on a little patch of open water.  There is a lot of sulphur in the water, I assume from some of the nearby coal seams, and except for periods of extreme cold, there is often open water on the lake.

As we walked along the creek, Hank got a little too close to the edge of the ice, and broke through into the creek.  It was in a spot that was deep enough that he was fully submerged.  You could see the panic in his eyes as he hit the cold water.  The girls immediately tried to pull him out with his leash, but his collar slipped off.  Margarit had to quickly kneel down and grab him before the current pulled him away.  Needless to say that put a quick end to our stroll as he had to take Hank back to the cottage and get him dried off and warmed up.

Half A Million

Last night my blog reached a milestone.  It hit half a million page views....!  Since the middle of 2010, so 15-1/2 years, I have been posting my photographs and lots of other mindless schlock, here on my blog.  I know that some of my friends and family follow along just to see what I'm working on.  I'm not sure where all the other views are coming from, but Thank You to everyone that takes the time to check out what I'm doing.

Another Apparition

This is another of my images that has been included in our gallery submission package for the Apparitions project.  I took this photograph on one of my two trips to southern Saskatchewan in the summer and fall of 2024.  Hopefully this one does the subject justice and implies a human presence.

Apparitions

I haven't mentioned much about my Apparitions project in recent months.  It is still limping along quietly... in the background.  Arturo and I have been working together on this project since 2020.  This is a portion of our Artist Statement, that describes the project.....

The title Apparitions was selected for our exhibition as all of the silver gelatin photographs presented adhere to a common theme or thread; the images all portray evidence of a human presence.  At times that evidence is in times past, while on other occasions it is remarkably current.  Visual clues are presented as to what may have transpired, but the performers are not included in the scene.  The viewer is to interact and engage with the images and determine what has come to pass.  The apparition of the outcome is called upon by the image, but the audience is left to draw their own conclusions.  Undoubtedly diverse viewers will derive their own tale and conclusion, at least partially based on their own life experiences. It thus becomes an introspective journey of sorts.

In 2024 we received an Edmonton Arts Council grant that funded preparation and presentation of the selected exhibition prints.  We have selected 32 prints that are framed and ready to be displayed.  Since the production phase of the project was completed, we have been making gallery submissions to line up some exhibitions.  I've lost count exactly, but we have submitted to something around 15 galleries so far, with more upcoming.  We are hopeful and anxiously waiting to see if the project will be accepted for exhibition.  We are hopeful that the finished prints can go on a gallery tour for two or three years so that our efforts can be appreciated.

This is a sample of one of the images that is included in both the submission package, and will also be presented in the exhibition.  Both Arturo and myself are equally represented.  We have included ten sample images in our submission package, and this is one of mine.

Lots more Hockey

Yesterday I played hockey twice...  At noon I had a game with my Vintage League.  A bunch of the old retired guys that usually play are away on holidays, mostly to Mexico, at this time of year.  So we only had ten skaters per side, plus the goalies.  It was a great time and I really enjoyed it.  My Red squad won both games... 5-1 and 9-3.

In the afternoon I had a bit of a nap... then in the early evening I watched the first two periods of the Edmonton Oilers hockey game against the Ottawa Senators.  They played terribly and blew the lead a couple of times, though they did eventually win the game in overtime.

Then later still I headed over to the Argyll Arena for another hockey game, this time with my Renegades team.  This was the last game of the regular season, against a team called the Boomsticks.  We've defeated these guys in the past by this was not our night and we ended up losing by a score of 8-2.  We finished the regular season in 5th place and the playoffs start on the weekend.

In between I hung all my gear up on a drying rack, hoping to air it out and let it dry off before having to drag it to another rink and wear it again.  There's nothing worse than putting on wet gear...!

Today I drove out to Nordegg.  I slept in a bit after being up late from all the hockey.  After making a stop in Rocky Mountain House for some groceries I arrived at the cottage around 4:00.  I will play hockey one more time, this time on the ODR (outdoor rink) later tonight.  It's much warmer out here in the mountains than it was back in the city.  The daytime high temperature peaked at around +6C, while back in the city it only made it up to -9C.  I'll be hanging around out at the cottage for a few days, and will play hockey again on Saturday.  Then, when I return to the city there are yet more games with my Vintage League... every Tuesday until the end of the month, and then every Thursday until the end of June.  And there will be some playoff games to be played with the Renegades as well.

David Thompson Country Calendar 2026 - March Image

This is the image that I selected for the March page of my 2026 David Thompson Country calendar.  There are still a couple of copies of this calendar available to purchase at the Beehive Artisan Market in Nordegg. 

This is a view of Coliseum Mountain, taken from the Forestry Trunk Road just outside of Nordegg.  The foreground area was burned by a forest fire a number of year ago.

March Calendar Image

This is the image that I selected for the March page of my 2026 Fine Art Photography calendar.  I had over two dozen of these calendars printed last fall, and handed them out at Christmas time to friends, neighbors and family.

This is a shot taken in the spring of 2024 at the Abraham Slabs area, along the David Thompson Highway.  In the fall, when the reservoir is full these trees are standing in water.  By spring, the lake level has receded and they trees are some distance from the shore.  This was taken with my 4x5 view camera on a blustery spring day.