Bubble Trails

My last post of 2025.  Onward to the new year.  May 2026 be better than the year we just finished...!!  This is one of my recently developed sheets of Kodak T-Max 100 4" x 5".  The film was rated at 80iso and developed in 510 Pyro, 1:100, for 8:00 minutes at 24C.  I ran this batch on December 15th.

I shot this back in November when Margarit and I went for a walk down to the little waterfall on Shunda Creek.  The air temperature was below freezing, and there was no sun.  The water was still open and flowing, with only a few little bits of ice starting to form at the edges.  The rapids on the upper right were generating a lot of bubbles but with the cold temperature, none were bursting and they accumulated in this pool below the rapids.  They were doing this slow rhythmic dance with the current and I wanted to show this in my photo.  I put a #25 Red filter on my camera to increase contrast and create some separation between the dark water and the white bubbles.  It also served as a neutral density filter and allowed for this long exposure.

I shot this image on November 7th at about 1:15 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony SV45Ti view camera and a slightly wide 125mm lens, fitted with that #25 Red Filter.

The exposure was for 30 seconds at F20.0.

Shoreline Trees

This is a recently processed older photograph.  On December 23rd I processed a batch of 4" x 5" T-Max 100 film in 510 Pyro.  Development was at 1:100, for 8:00 minutes, at 24C.  

I shot these trees along the shore of Abraham Lake last spring.  When I was back at this same spot in the fall, the water level was right up into the trees.  I still marvel at how much the level of the reservoir fluctuates from spring to fall.

I shot this on April 20th 2025 at about 1:30 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony SV45Ti view camera and an old, almost antique Fujinon 150mm lens.  The film was rated at 80 iso and a #25 Red Filter added some contrast.  The exposure was for 1/8 second at F20.0.

Ice Detail

This is a much more recent photograph.  This is part of the recently processed batch of Kodak T-Max 100.  I ran this batch on December 15th.  I actually ran about five batches of film over the holidays.  This was while I was laid up with sciatica, and the fresh incision in my leg.  The film was rated at 80iso and given normal development in 510 Pyro, 1:100, for 8:00 minutes at 24c.

This is a detail shot of the ice at the shoreline of Abraham Lake.  This was taken on December 4th at about 1:00 in the afternoon.  I was at Preachers Point, where the lake had begun to freeze.  The rest of the lake still remained open, though with the recent cold weather much of it has probably since frozen.

The dark area at the lower right is a little bit of open water right at the shore.  The dark area at the upper left is smooth ice.  In between there is an area of significant methane bubbles.  The level of the reservoir continually drops over the winter and this results in broken slabs of ice, and sometimes a little open water right at the edges.

I shot this with my Ebony SV45Ti view camera and a long 300mm lens.  A #25 Red filter lowered the value of the ice and water and made the bubbles stand out a little more.  The exposure was for 1 second at F29.0.

BP11.0 - Warspite Hotel

Here's another old shot, also from the batch of recently processed film.  This is Kodak T-Max 100, processed in 510 Pyro, 1:100.  The film was rated at 80 iso and development was for 8:00 minutes at 24C.

This is the Warspite Hotel from Beer Parlour Project outing number BP11.0.  That is my colleague Chris standing in front of the hotel, chatting with a patron in the pickup.  When we visited, the hotel had just recently reopened, after been closed for an extended period.  The town was very grateful and supportive of new owner Sunny and his family.  We heard that shortly after our visit the hotel was sold.

I took this shot on April 12th 2024 at about 7:45 in the evening.  It was taken with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Fujinon 125mm lens.  The exposure was for 1/15 second at F8.0.

BP10.0 - Chipman Hotel

These are a couple of recently processed sheets of film from a Beer Parlour Project outing in early 2024.  I am slowly getting around to my backlog of undeveloped film.  Both of these were shot on Kodak T-Max 100, rated at 80 iso, and processed in 510 Pyro developer, 1:100, for 8:00 minutes at 24C.

The first image was of the hotel shortly after our arrival.  It was a very mild winter day and the streets were wet with melting snow.  It was this high level of humidity that resulted in some heavy fog, later in the evening, as it cooled off.  I took this photograph on February 2nd 2024, at about 4:20 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a slightly wide Fujinon 125mm lens.  The exposure was for 1/8 second at F20.0.

The second shot was taken later that evening.  February 2nd 2024, at about 8:40 in the evening.  By this time the fog had rolled in, and it is evident in the background of this night shot.  I used the same camera for, but this time with a much wider Nikkor 75mm lens.  The exposure was for 1 minute at F14.0.

Christmas 2025

Well....  Christmas Day ended up pretty low key for us.  We just hung out at home with our immediate family.  It was me, Margarit, Hailey, Ryan, Helena, Braeden and Hank.  We slept in until about 10:00AM and then had our gift opening.  Later in the afternoon we put together another big Christmas Dinner.  This time the turkey was about half the size of the one me made a few days prior.  But we also had a baked ham.  In addition to all the meat, there was the usual side dishes... stuffing, mashed potatoes and vegetables.  After dinner every one was too full to move.  We just hung out together, visiting for a while, and then some of us... mostly the older crowd... went to bed early.

On Boxing Day we slept in for a bit and then I made a big breakfast.  Bacon, sausages, eggs, biscuits, and Ryan made a batch of pancakes.  It was pretty low key.

It has certainly been a white Christmas this year, at least here in Edmonton.  Out at Nordegg they've only seen a light dusting of snow since I was last out there.  In the city we got walloped with a heavy dump of snow on Christmas Eve, that carried into Christmas Day.  Then on the afternoon of Boxing Day, it started up again.  It has been fairly cold, and for about the last week to ten days the temperature has consistently been around -20 during the day, and colder at night.  We are supposed to get some milder weather as December winds down and we move into the New Year.

Chain and Sprockets

I've always been drawn to old threshing machines.  The intricate and exposed mechanics of these old behemoths is fascinating, both visually, and for they way that the functioned.  I've photographed them many times in the past, with limited success.

This is a recently processed sheet of Kodak T-Max 100, rated at 80iso and developed in 510 Pyro.  Development was at 1:100 dilution, for 8:00 minutes, at 24C.  I shot this restored thresher in the exhibit hall at the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin.  This was taken on June 9th of 2024, at about 1:30 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony SV45TE, and a Fujinon 250mm lens.  The exposure was for 30 seconds at F11.0.

Oh Christmas Tree

On December 20th we had our first Christmas dinner of the season.  This would be our dinner with Margarit's side of the family.  Shawn and Lisa came, as did my nephew Garrett.  Sadly his sister Bethany and her partner Cody were unable to make it.  We had a huge roast turkey, that had been in the oven all day.  With it we had all the usual fixings.... stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts and salad.  It was a good feed, and we really enjoyed the visit.

During the evening Margarit upheld her old family tradition and lit a bunch of candles on our Christmas tree.  These are not electric lights, but actual burning candles.  Of course we stayed right beside the tree and paid very close attention to all the candles.  They are only left to burn for a short time and then are extinguished and put away for next season.  It looks pretty amazing I must say, even though it always makes me a little nervous.

Fuel Truck

We've been stuck in a cold snap the last week or so.  Plus I'm not feeling great... suffering with a bout of sciatica, and the incision in my leg is still healing.  So, in advance of Christmas, I have been spending a bunch of time in the darkroom, developing my backlog of film.

This one was just recently developed, but the exposure dates back to the summer of 2024.  Arturo and I were out exploring and stopped at the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin.  We were more interested in the old stuff outside, than we were in the restored stuff in the museum itself.

This old White Fuel truck sat parked outside with a bunch of other oldies, waiting its' turn for restoration.  I'm not sure if that day will ever come.

I shot this image on a sheet of Kodak T-Max 100, rated at 80iso, and processed in 510 Pyro Developer, 1:100, for 8:00 minutes at 24C.  I shot this on June 9th of 2024, at about 3:00 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Rodenstock 90mm lens.  The exposure was for 1/8 second at F20.0.

Frankenstein

I waited five days after my surgery, and then removed the dressing on my leg.  But, in pulling the bandages off, the incision started bleeding again.  I immediately put a new dressing on and left it for a couple more days.  Then recently, Hailey got her car stuck in the snow and I was the only one available to help push her out.  When I did that, the incision started bleeding yet again.  So I put yet another dressing on, and left it alone for a couple more days.  It is now ten days since the surgery, so I removed the dressing.  It seems to be healing up well enough, and I was able to clean it up a little.  I am now leaving the dressing off, so that it gets some air and the incision can heal.

All in all, the surgery went really well.  I had six screws and a metal plate taken out of my leg.  This hardware was installed back in January of 2025 and the original injury, a broken fibula, has now fully healed.  The hardware was bothering me, particularly if had on tight footwear like skates or hiking boots, so I elected to have it removed.  

There are 15 staples in my leg that are fairly uncomfortable, but other than that, there really isn't much pain.  I am bothered more by the sciatica that has inflicted me since early December.  I can't wait until I can fully recover from both of these.  The staples will be removed on December 29th and I expect to be able to play hockey shortly after that.  As for the sciatica... who knows.  I understand that it generally lasts for four to six weeks, and I'm about three weeks in.

Ice Bubbles

I shot this one a couple of weeks ago, and just developed the film this week.  This is a sheet of Kodak T-Max 100 4" x 5", rated at 80 iso and given normal development in 510 Pyro.  Development was for 8:00 minutes at 24C.

Last time I was out at Nordegg I took a drive up to Abraham Lake.  Most of the lake still had open water at that time, but ice was starting to form at the upper end, by Preachers Point.  Although we had a bunch of snow at Nordegg, what little fell up by Preachers Point was mostly swept away by the wind.  It was a beautiful mild day and the breeze was light.  I managed to set up my view camera and take a few photographs, including this one.

I shot this on December 4th at about 1:20 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony view camera and a slightly wide Fujinon 125mm lens.  A #25 Red filter deepened the value of the sky, and made the snowy peaks stand out.  It also darkened the ice and made the bubbles a little more obvious.  The exposure was for 1 second at F20.0.

The Card Game - BP34.0

My daughter Ryan, and her boyfriend Braeden, playing cards at the Andrew Hotel.  We were there for the Beer Parlour Project outing BP34.0 on August 15th.  This was the day that the reporter from CTV news was also out to film the event.  I just recently processed this sheet of Kodak T-Max 400 film.  Development was in Kodak T-Max Developer, 1:4, for 8:35 minutes at 24C.  I shot this image on August 15th at about 7:30 in the evening.  I used my Ebony view camera and a 150mm lens.  I neglected to record the exposure data but based on other images taken at the same event my guess would be this was an exposure of about 1/2 second at something around F8.0.  The film was rated at 1250 iso.

Shunda Falls

Here's a new one.  I just developed a batch of Kodak T-Max 100 sheet film.  This was 20 sheets of 4" x 5" run in 510 Pyro Developer, 1:100, for 8:00 minutes at 24C.  This particular shot was taken recently, when Margarit and I went for a walk down along Shunda Creek, during our recent stay at Nordegg.  We enjoyed a week out at the cottage together in early November.  On a few of the days it was really mild, with temperatures well above zero.  But other days were colder, and at night the temperature dropped of significantly.  As a result, ice was starting to form on a lot of surfaces in and around open water. 

This shot was taken on November 7th 2025 at about 1:45 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony view camera and a long 300mm lens.  The camera is an Ebony SV45Ti, and I bought it used from my friend Rob, when he gave up photography.  I have two others, an Ebony SV45TE, and an Ebony SV45TU.  I leave the Ti out at the cottage in Nordegg so I don't have to haul a camera back and forth all the time.  The exposure for this one was 4 seconds at F22.0.  This resulted in a nice silky appearance to the small waterfall, and some nice bubble trails in the creek below.

Under the Knife

On December 11th I went in to the UofA Hospital in Edmonton for surgery.  This relates to the surgery I had almost a year ago... last January... to repair my broken leg.  Recently I consulted with my surgeon and elected to have all the hardware removed from my leg.  This includes a metal plate and six screws.  The fibula is healed just fine, but the hardware bothers me when I wear skates or boots.  So... on December 11th I went under the knife.  Before putting me under anesthetic they gave me a marker and told me to write the word "YES" on the leg that required surgery.  That didn't really instill a whole lot of confidence...?! 

I was given a spinal block so that my entire lower body lost feeling, but other than that I was wide awake during the whole procedure.  It is a very strange feeling.  It felt as though my knees were up in the air and my heels were digging in to the mattress of the operating table.  But when I looked, my legs were laying flat and pointing in a different direction.  I even got some phantom cramping in my thighs, from the feeling that my knees were up.

When I got out of surgery I was taken to a recovery room for the spinal block to wear off.  That took a few hours, but eventually it happened.  The nurses were a little concerned because during the recovery my resting heart rate dropped to under 40 beats per minute.  I have been monitored ever since and it seems it was just my body's reaction to the anesthetic.  Since then everything has returned to as normal as I get.

Since the surgery I just have to play the waiting game and let the incision heal.  I didn't have any significant pain and haven't bothered to take any of the medication that was prescribed to me.  They put about a dozen staples in my leg, which are pretty uncomfortable, but not really that big a deal.  I am scheduled to have them removed on December 29th, after which I should be able to return to regular activity... including hockey.

This is why I come here....!

I live slightly over half the time at my home in Edmonton.  The rest of the time I'm out here at Nordegg.  In addition to the peace and quiet, and the wilderness at my back door, this is why I come here...!!!

Ice Bubbles

On December 4th, after helping to flood the Nordegg Community rink in the morning, I took a drive up to Abraham Lake.  The skies were partly sunny, and the temperature was mild.  It actually peaked at +6c at one point that afternoon.  Considerably warmer than what was to come.

The lake was completely open, and the winds were surprisingly light.  But at the upper end of the lake, where the North Saskatchewan River enters, there was some ice.  There was virtually no snow, and the ice was clear.  There was a large area where quite a number of people were exploring and skating.  The lake level had dropped considerably from its high point a couple months ago.

There were lots of ice bubbles, and in places where there was little open water, you could see methane bubbling out of the mud.  They say it is from decaying vegetation.  The Bighorn dam that created the reservoir, was built 50 years ago.  You would think that all of the vegetation would have decayed by now.  That certainly does not seem to be the case.

Although the breeze picked up from time to time, for the most part it was calm.  I was able to get my view camera out and take a few photographs.  But I continued my struggles with sciatica and a couple of times, as I was climbing up the bank from the waters edge, my leg almost buckled under my weight.

Big Difference

What a difference two months makes.....  Back in early October the water level on Abraham Lake was at its peak.  At Preachers Point, the water was right up into the trees.  Two months later, in early December and the water level has dropped significantly.  Obvsiously this lake is a reservoir, and the water is slowly released over the winter months, both for flood control and to generate electricity.  Its gotta be at least 20 feet lower than it was the last time I was here.  This is the same grove of aspen trees, almost exactly two months apart.  

Most of the lake remains open, but at Preachers Point, where these snapshots were taken, it is starting to freeze. There was about 3 or 4 inches of ice and the bubbles were starting to form.  Before you know it all the winter tourists... known locally as "Bubblers"... will be heading out to see the annual spectacle.

Hanging Around Nordegg

Ryan and Braeden were out at Nordegg for a couple of days, at the beginning of December.  I came out and joined them, on the afternoon of the day they had to go back home.  After they left, I was on my own for the week.  I'd brought along a bunch of bruised and frozen apples that had fallen off our tree back home.  I left these out for the deer, and they enjoyed them, despite their condition.  Hunting season ended at the end of November, so they will soon be a lot less skittish.

I helped out my neighbor Tom, who volunteers to look after the rink in town every year.  One day we flooded the base that he had started, with 400 gallons of water, hauled in by another neighbor, Wayne.

A day or so later four of us pitched in and cleared a couple of inches of fresh snow off the rink and then gave it a light flood with the garden hose.  Then a day later, Tom and I gave it yet another quick flood.  That evening we put our skates on and rattled around for the first time of the season.  We used scrapers and knocked some of the lumps and ridge off of the ice.  It was still a little soft, because the temperature got up to well above zero that day.

I knew the Nordegg rink was smaller than official NHL size.  Most of the rinks that I play on in the city are official.... 85 feet wide by 200 feet long.  The one at Nordegg is 55 feet wide by 115 feet long.  So only 40% the size by area, 58% by length and 65% by width.  But I get it... most of the time we only get about ten to twelve guys out to play.... and its a lot less work to clear the snow and flood.

I've been battling a bad case of sciatica all week.  I've had mild incidents in the past, but nothing like this.  Its been bad all week, and the pain is constant.  I've been hopping myself up on advil and muscle relaxants, but nothing seems to help much.  I probably overdid things.... between shoveling snow, flooding the rink, climbing around out at the ice bubbles, and then skating, I think I made it worse.  I'm resting it for a day, hoping it improves.

Margarit was going to come out for a few days, but cancelled because the road conditions turned kind of ugly on the 5th.  So I remain out by myself.  My jukebox technician was also going to head over, but he had to postpone as well.  So it is a quiet and relaxing but rather painful few days for me....

BP39.0 - Last Chance Saloon - Rosedeer Hotel - Wayne, Alberta

On Saturday November 22nd we headed over to the Last Chance Saloon.  The saloon is in the Rosedeer Hotel in Wayne, Alberta.  My oldest daughter Hailey and my youngest daughter Helena had driven down the night prior, and they joined Chis and David and myself at the Saloon.

Ever since Chris and I first initiated the Beer Parlour Project, back in 2022, people have been proudly announcing to us that they know of the perfect location.  Over and over and over again we have been told that we MUST visit the Last Chance Saloon.  We have always been reluctant to do so, and put it off for quite some time.  Finally, earlier this year, we decided that we have to get it over with and visit the Saloon, just to put and end to the suggestions.  This was not meant with any disrespect whatsoever to the establishment as it is certainly a glorious old structure with a long history.  The problem is that for much of the year it is overrun with tourists.  Our project is intended to involve meeting with the locals that have grown up with the old hotels and are regular patrons.  There is none of this at the Last Chance Saloon, at least not in the summer months.

So, we decided that it would be good to visit in the off season, before the hotel shuts down for the season, but after most of the tourists are gone.  We were not disappointed.  The owner Paula and her family were wonderful to us, and the most enjoyable and entertaining hosts.  The saloon was not as packed as it is in the summer, but considering it was a cold evening in late November, it was a pretty good turnout.  

I ended up visiting with a few people that I knew.  Lori used to work for Dinosaur Valley Studios and she came out with her husband Al.  Al used to live in Edmonton and went to school with my wife Margarit.  I also visited with Diana and Bouke... neighbors from East Coulee.  There were a bunch of other locals there as well and we enjoyed the evening.  We ended up staying well after closing and visiting with owner Paula and her kids, daughter Marae and son Jhett, as well as Jhett's fiancee Becca.

Tin Toy

This is a scan of another recently processed 4" x 5" negative.  This time, this is a sheet of Ilford FP4+125.  I recently ran a batch of this film on my Jobo Processor in Perceptol Developer, 1:1, for 11:45 minutes, at 24C.

The film was rated at 100 iso.  I shot this old tin toy inside one of the buildings at the Nordegg Historic Site.  Strangely, this building is rumoured to be a former brothel.  I'd been in this building numerous times in the past and never saw the toy.  I suspect some photographer found it somewhere on the site and placed it there...?  But who knows, perhaps it was there all along.

I was on one of my many tours of the mine site when I shot this.  I have permission from the County staff to photograph the site.  I am documenting all the small little details, and keeping a current record of the site, now that it has been abandoned for 70 years.  Some of my prints hang in the Discovery Center in Nordegg.

I took this shot on June 25th at about 4:00 in the afternoon.  Despite the fact that it was nearly the longest day of the year, and the sun was high in the sky, it was very dark in this corner of the building.  I shot with my Ebony view camera and a Fujinon 180mm lens.  The exposure was for 16 seconds at F22.0.  There was no motion to contend with so the long exposure worked just fine.

Grader Controls

This is a scan of a recently processed 4" x 5" negative.  This was from a batch of Ilford HP5+400 that I ran a few weeks ago.  The film was rated at 320iso and developed in 510 Pyro, 1:100, for 7:35 minutes at 24C.  

I shot the controls of this old grader up at the Nordegg Historic Site.  As usual, I was at the site with permission, and continue to document all sorts of details.  This photograph was taken on September 3rd 2025 at about 3:00 in the afternoon.  I used my Ebony view camera and a Fujinon 180mm lens.  The exposure was for 1/4 second at F36.0.

BP38.0 - Carbon Valley Hotel

On the morning of Friday November 21st, after breakfast at Whif's in Drumheller, both Greg and Wes headed home.  Later that afternoon Chris and David and I headed over to Carbon.  Chris and I had scouted here earlier in the summer and introduced ourselves to the owner, Kim.  We promised a return visit, and on this day, that came about.  The place was pretty well attended and we really enjoyed the evening.......

Some Christmas decorations were set up at one end of the Bar.  There were quite a number of locals in attendance.  We interviewed a number of them, and I managed to shoot a few portraits.  It seems there is always someone that says they have lots of stories to tell, and then when you sit down with them they draw a blank and can't think of anything.  Mike started out that way, but once we got him going, the stories just kept coming and coming.  He was most entertaining.

We ended up staying four or fives hours and came away with another great experience.  After we packed up all of our gear and said our goodbyes we made the drive back to East Coulee and crashed at the shop.  But not before staying up late and visiting for a couple of hours, over a few more beers.

David Thompson Country Calendar 2025 - December Image

This is the last of my calendar images for the year 2025.  I recently completed the 2026 version of the David Thompson Country Calendar and it is currently available to purchase at the Beehive Artisan Market in Nordegg.  I understand that a number of them sold during the recent Christmas Market.  This is the image I selected for the December page of my 2025 calendar.  It was taken a number of years ago while walking along the shores of the North Saskatchewan River on the Kootenay Plains.  This area experiences very little snow accumulation during winter months.  As a result it is a haven for wildlife during the cold months of the year.

Almost Forgot - BP37.0

I almost forgot about this one....  This is a shot of my brothers and I, posed in front of one of the murals at the Roadhouse Bed & BBQ at the Rosedale Hotel.  This is Greg on the left, me in the center and Wes on the right.  I can't remember which member of our group took this snapshot for us during the Beer Parlour Project outing in October.

BP37.0 - Roadhouse Bed and BBQ - Rosedale Hotel

We dragged a rather large entourage into the Rosedale Hotel for Episode 37.0 of the Beer Parlour Project.  This included my colleague Chris, my brothers Greg and Wes, and my friend Frank and his wife Chris.  Chris Doering brought along his inlaw David Clarke as a guest photographer.  This ragtaggle entourage joined the collection of locals that were hanging out there.

New owners of the establishment, Dave and April were most hospitable.  We really felt at home, and enjoyed the evening we spent with them.  Kudos to them for re-opening his historical old establishment, after it had been closed for a around a decade.  The locals really seem to have latched on, and support them in their endeavor... as we do.

We met up with one of our followers at this outing.  Ken is an instructor at SAIT in Calgary, but also has a part time residence in nearby Cambria.  We thank him for coming out, and to supporting both us, and more importantly, the Roadhouse.  We hope to reconnect with him and explore some of the mine workings near his residence.

Local resident Todd did a great job entertaining the locals with his music.  I understand that some refer to him not as Todd, but as Toddler.  My brother Wes also took the stage and played a couple of songs.  A great time was had by all.

As we were leaving we saw a poster up at the bar that advertised Monte.... one of the outlaws from the train holdup at Big Valley.  This one featured an image from our previous Beer Parlour Project outing... I think one of Chris'

It was great to get out again on one of our outings.  We have experienced a bit of of a break since our most recent outing at Ferintosh, and it was good to get back into the groove.

December Calendar Image

I post this as I am frantically working on putting together my 2026 calendar.  This is the final image from my 2025 Calendar.  It's hard to believe that this image was taken in December.  It was back in 2023, when I went out on a day trip with my friend Steve and we explored the old abandoned Russian Monastery.  It was an abnormally mild fall and there was no snow, and warm temperatures.... much like this year.

I don't think this poor old piano will hang on much longer.  It was left at the monastery a few years ago, presumably as some sort of offering.  It has fallen into very poor condition suffering through the elements.  Sure makes for a great photo though...!

Apple Tree

I was driving backroads, exploring with my camera, in April of 1999.  I saw this solitary tree out in a field north of Warburg.  So I ended up taking a couple of photographs of it.  In those days I was using a very bulky and heavy Sinar monorail view camera.

This shot was taken on a sheet of Kodak High Speed Infrared film, on April 11th 1999 at about noon.  I used my Sinar camera and a wide Nikkor 75mm lens.  The use of infrared film dictated that I had to use a #25 Red Filter.  The film was processed in Kodak T-Max Developer, 1:6, for 7:00 minutes at 20C.  The exposure was for 1/15 second at F25.0.

Fast forward years later and I learned that this Apple Tree was once in the farm yard of a friend of ours.  Brenda grew up here, until the land was taken over for a coal mine for the Genesee power plant.  We became friends with Brenda and her husband Mike when our daughters ended up in school together.  Hailey and Emily are still friends, over twenty years later.  At the time that I took this photo, the girls weren't even born yet.

Some years ago I framed a large print of this same tree, from a different negative, taken at the same time.  That one hangs at Brenda and Mike's house.  Recently Brenda asked me to make three smaller 8x10 prints of this second negative.  She is going to gift them to her siblings this Christmas.

I managed to finish them up and get them mounted and matted before I took off to Nordegg.  Brenda will pick them up from our house while I am away.