Tag: Tri-X 400

I loved Coney Island last time I came, when summer was over and everything looked windswept and a little desolate. It was great to see it again at the height of summer, families everywhere, queues at Nathan’s for fried clams and hot dogs, the sounds of people screaming in delighted terror from the Ferris wheel and the Soarin’ Eagle, people everywhere wearing as little as possible and soaking up some sun and some beers on the beach and the boardwalk. Yes it’s cheesy and tacky and outdated, but that’s its charm. There’s something permanently nostalgic about Coney Island. The t-shirts and hairstyles may changes, but the ice creams, the beer, the clams, the sandy rumps and sticky hands and the stomach dropping thrill of the Soarin’ Eagle will be there every summer.

I’m not a great fan of Tri X – too grainy for me. However it was recommended for the darkroom course because it’s easy to develop and tolerates inexactness in temperature. I could see as soon as I laid the developed film strip out on the light box that I had overexposed pretty much every shot. I also had a lot of shots where the focus was off. No idea why. Usually I’m ok with the Olympus. And then looking at the scanned images I got back from the lab in Manhattan it all looks pretty nasty.  I don’t think they did as good a job as Michael’s Camera House back in Melbourne, who perhaps have learned to correct for my deficiencies. There also seems to be a slight light leak, still, despite having paid almost $300 to get Olympus serviced just before I left.

Ahh well. It’s still the first roll of film developed by me since my early 20s and there are some shots that are ok-ish. The first bunch I took on a day trip with some friends outside Toronto and the rest are of Bushwick, around Maria Hernandez Park and Myrtle Ave.