Agfa in Rodinal

I processed a couple more batches of film this weekend.  This included some Agfa APX-100 in Rodinal developer.  This film is no longer available, and this was the last of my stock.  I also processed some Agfapan 25, also in Rodinal.  This film amazes me...

It has not been manufactured for many years.  I bought some on Ebay about a decade ago.  The seller insisted that the film had been stored frozen, and was in usable condition.  When I received the shipment the boxes were all musty and moldy, and it was obvious that it had not been particularly well stored.  The one box that was opened was questionable, as it seemed that mold had begun to consume the emulsion.  But, the remaining half dozen boxes were still sealed inside, and despite the condition of the exterior packaging, seemed to be OK.  The expiry date on this film is 1990.  Twenty Five years later I am processing film, exposed over the last few years, and it is still yielding acceptable negatives.  I wonder if some of the digital image files created this year will still be readable a quarter century from now...??

I also ran a batch of Efke PL25 earlier today, that is still in the process of being washed and dried.  This cleans up the last of my outstanding film from 2009.  So, I am no longer five years behind the times... only four, as I still have several sheets left to process from 2010.  But, I'm working on those too....

Actually there is only one image from this current batch that dates back to 2009... all the rest are newer. Here is the last of the old ones, taken in the fall of 2009 out at Brazeau Dam.  Another one of my images of aspen trunks.  One of these days I'll actually get one that I like...

This next one is of a creek out southwest of Edmonton.  It was taken in 2011.  This small creek is but a small trickle most of the year.  In some years, when the spring thaw is quick enough, it turns into a raging torrent. On this particular occasion is was blasting out of a culvert and creating a huge foam filled pool.  The backlighting and shadows seem to add an eerie element to this unusual element.  In the foreground there is a road killed porcupine at the lower edge of the frame.  A rather unusual image to say the least.

Next we have two images from 2013.  Back in the spring of last year we attempted to make a day trip out to Nordegg.  We were unable to explore the townsite due to an an out-of-control forest fire that was burning nearby.  It was relatively small and was eventually brought under control without any damage to the town, or to the historic site.  But, on this particular day we had to venture further up the valley and explore Windy Point on Abraham Lake, and the Kootenay Plains.

A year earlier, during another trip out to the historic site at Nordegg, I captured this image of the forge in the old blacksmith shop.  This one I quite like, and may eventually get around to spending some time with the negative, and attempt to see if I can create an expressive print.

Here are three images from various short day trips.  The first one is of some lily pads on a small lake in Elk Island National Park.  This was taken with a long focal length lens back in 2012.  I don't think that this one is worth investing the time in to print.  Though perhaps if I was to crop in a little tighter, it might be worth a second look.  The next one is of an ice crusted brand in a small stream, out by Battle Lake, taken in the spring of 2011.  And finally we have a shot of a rather distinguished looking old house.  This one was taken in the fall of 2011.  I drove past this location a couple of weeks ago and the house has been torn down, and the yard converted over to farmland.  It is now part of a much larger agricultural field and there is no evidence of the home that was once there, and of the stories that could be told about life at this place...

Finally, here is an image of some snow covered rocks in Medicine Lake in Jasper.  This was taken on the Fall Photo Weekend in November of 2011.  There are some scratches on this negative that will likely prevent me from ever printing it, though I do have other versions of this shot on other films.