I felt that I needed to be much more deliberate. Going so far as actually imagining what type image I wanted to capture and how I wanted it to look. It is different that most other photography I do. It's the difference between a hunter going into the woods seeking whatever quarry he may find, as opposed one hunting a very specific prey with very specific weapons and knowledge. You have to consider it a lot more. The environment, the animal's behavior, weather conditions and more. The same can be said of large format, at least in my experience. Yes, you can go out and be spontaneous, but I felt like I needed to be purposeful. What am I photographing? When? What type of weather is there going to be? What type film? What position will I shoot from, assuming I had been there previously to scout it out.
That's when I decided I would take pictures of where I'd been before. I was familiar with these locations after all and I knew what to expect. So the first places I decided upon were the Stones River National Battlefield (and it's aforementioned failures), the Murfree Springs Wetland area and the Oaklands Historic Mansion. I decided upon the Oaklands.
One of the things I love about Murfreesboro is the rich history it possesses. Once the capital of Tennessee it featured prominently during the Battle of Stones River during the American Civil War. Much of the impact of the founding families can still be felt in the city today.
The Oaklands began as a plantation founded by Dr. James Maney and his wife Salile Murfree Maney. Located at the then north part of the town next to some nearby springs that Sallie inherited in 1813.
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| Murfree Springs located near the Mansion. Named for Colonel Hardee Murfree Nikon F6, Tokina 100mm 2.8 Macro Ilford XP2 400 film |
Setup was straightforward. There is a turn-about in front of the mansion with a large circular area of grass with two huge trees on either side. The Optar was working perfectly for once that day and I released it a few times just to be sure. I metered on several locations of the home and surroundings and performed a simple average. What was different this time was a second attempt at using color, after the failure at the Battlefield. Loaded with Portra 400, this time my shutter on the questionable Optar worked.
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| Golden Afternoon at the Oaklands Mansion Pacemaker Speed Graphic, Optar 135mm, Kodak Portra 400 |
Upon development I found the exposure was a little overexposed. But the beauty of color negative film, especially Portra 400 is it's incredible exposure latitude. It is extremely forgiving and a very good choice for one's first foray into color film. I made some corrections in Lightroom and got an acceptable image.
I am using a "hybrid" system to process at present, as I do not have a darkroom set up in my home as of yet. So I develop my film in the traditional manner then scan, process and print digitally. While not 100% traditional it does make film shooting easier for those who do not have a dedicated darkroom.
I did take a black and white capture from exactly the same position. I had to meter again for the slower film, which yielded a more accurate exposure this time.
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| Oaklands in Black and White Ilford FP4+ 125 film |
When I returned home and developed my sheets I was very happy. Both the images and the performance of the Optar's shutter. I thought my prescription for work to cure this shutter had finally succeeded. It was a brief calm before the storm. Nearly every shoot after this one would be met with failure of the shutter to release properly and end in many failures and frustration. It nearly made me stop shooting the format all together. Happily that was not the case.
If you are ever in Murfreesboro, be certain to stop by the Oaklands. They have many programs that occur there during the year along with a very friendly staff. Until then you can visit their website for more information on this wonderful historic home. www.oaklandsmuseum.org
Once again thanks for reading and until next time, search for beauty and creativity in the great world around us!
