Old camera, even older buildings

[silverscape]

I was out taking photos again recently with an old but very trusty camera...my Minolta SRT-101. It was made long

before I was even born but still works perfectly. It's one of my favorite 35mm cameras.<p>

 

I was doing research on abandoned railroad lines with a couple of friends, and we came across this old wooden

bridge. I had never seen it before, so of course I had to come back and get some pictures of it! I developed

the film, and I was working in the darkroom a couple of nights ago. So I have some pictures to show you guys.

The film is Arista Premium 100.<p>

 

If anyone is familiar with the area, this is in Redlands, California. This was an old Santa Fe Railroad line

that made a loop through the valley, from San Bernardino to Redlands. It was built in the 1880's and was

originally called the "Kite Shaped Track" because of the kind of oblong loop the route took. Later on, it also

became known as the "Redlands loop."<p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/AbandonedSantaFerailroadbridgeFeb2011small.jpg"> <p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/AbandonedSantaFerailroadbridgeFeb2011bsmall.jpg"><p>

 

This next view is looking west, toward the old right-of-way. There actually used to still be a track there just

a few years ago, although it probably hadn't been in use for a very long time.<p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/AbandonedSantaFerailroadbridgeFeb2011csmall.jpg"><p>

 

These next pictures are of an old abandoned building in Highland, California. I'm not sure what it was for, but

I've always been curious about it. This is actually near the same railroad line that went to Redlands, and to

me, this building kind of looks like some kind of old railroad depot for freight. But I've been told that it

wasn't really related to the railroad. Still, I'm wondering what it was.<p>

 

I wanted to experiment with filters, and I used a 25A red filter with both of these pictures. It almost looks

like I took these at night!<p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/abandonedbuildinginhighlandfeb2011small.jpg"><p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/AbandonedbuildinginHighlandFeb2011csmall.jpg"><p>

 

Thanks for looking!

[jeff_livacich]

<p>Hey, Chris. Those old Minoltas are so nice to use.<br>

<br /> The Redlands Loop was one of the two loops of the kite shaped track, much smaller than the other loop which went past Cucamonga, Claremont, Azusa, etc., to Pasadena, down and around through Whittier, La Mirada, Placentia, etc, up through the Santa Ana Canyon past Corona and Riverside to San Bernardino, where it crossed itself to begin the Redlands loop part.<br>

<br /> Good to see you getting around the area, finding stuff like the old bridge. Development has taken so much of our remnants history away-it's good to see them while we can.</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

<p>Really nice pics I especially like the one with the San Bernadino? Mountains in the backgraound. That building shot reminds me of an abandoned building in the video game Return to Zork. Using a red filter really brings up the contrast the skies do get dark. Documenting the past is great. The more you can learn about what you photograph the better.</p>

 

[k5083]

<p>I like #2 because you can see the right of way and the hills and sky provide orientation. I think I might like #1 if you had let in more of the environment at the top. It appears that the contrast between this derelict structure which nobody much notices or cares about, and the surrounding housing subdivision would combine in a way that is jarring, in a good sense. Even in California, though to a lesser degree than in eastern America, less still than Europe and vastly less than most of Asia and the mideast, we tread on the past daily while paying it so little heed.</p>

 

[k5083]

<p>I like #2 because you can see the right of way and the hills and sky provide orientation. I think I might like #1 if you had let in more of the environment at the top. It appears that the contrast between this derelict structure which nobody much notices or cares about, and the surrounding housing subdivision would combine in a way that is jarring, in a good sense. Even in California, though to a lesser degree than in eastern America, less still than Europe and vastly less than most of Asia and the mideast, we tread on the past daily while paying it so little heed.</p>

 

[doug grosjean]

<p>Hey Chris, keep it up. Right now you're young, and the pace of change seems slow. But the photos of old buildings, friends, families.... that you're taking now, will become more and more special to you as time goes by.</p>

[rustys pics]

<p>Great series Chris! In fact a red 25A filter was often used in conjunction with underexposures in old B&W films to create a "Day for Night" effect. It's one of my fave filters to use for B&W. I've been using my Minolta SRT 101 the past week and hope to develop the film and post here. Life has been busy so not much shooting. But when I DO shoot, it's 90% film!</p>

[digitalandfilm]

<p>Are you happy with the Arista Premium 100 film?<br>

How did you compensate for the red filter?</p>

<p> </p>

[silverscape]

Thanks a lot for replying everyone. You guys had a lot of great feedback and advice.

 

Bob, Arista Premium is great. I order it from Freestyle Photo Supplies. For the red filter, I just increased the exposure by 3 stops. In most cases, I decided to just decrease the shutter speed and I had the camera mounted on a tripod. (Except for the last photo, where I wanted a shallow depth of field and so I used a bigger aperture.)