Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: film

USS Arizona Memorial

When I recently scanned some photos from a 2003 trip to Oahu, I couldn’t find any prints from my visit to the USS Arizona Memorial. I was pretty sure I took photos, but they weren’t in with the other prints. Later I realized I took the images on black-and-white 35mm film (Ilford Delta 400) and developed the roll myself, so the negatives were in with my other old darkroom work. I scanned a few of the negatives so I could see what I shot – easier than looking at the contact sheet thumbnails. While I had fun learning how to develop film, I wasn’t awesome at it, so a lot of the negatives are grainier than they should be. Or maybe we’ll just call that a purposeful creative decision. Yes, that’s it!

If you’re on Oahu, it’s certainly worth a visit to the memorial. I rented a car while on the island so that I could explore while Chris was working during the day. The drive to Pearl Harbor was easy, and only about 30 minutes from Waikiki beach where we were staying. I went during the middle of the week in the morning without a reservation, and I don’t remember having to wait for admission, so depending on the day/time of your visit you might be able to do a walk-in without advance tickets. We watched a documentary film before heading over to the memorial site via boat, which was a beautiful opportunity for photos. My visit took around 1.5 hours, and I remember being most impressed by the manner in which other visitors conducted themselves – everyone was appropriately solemn and respectful. It’s a place of great honor, so I was glad to see it being treated as such.

Morning seemed like a decent time to beat the crowds and get good lighting for photos. I wish I had shot at least a few color images, but I only brought one camera loaded with b&w film. Maybe the mood of the b&w is fitting anyway. Here are a few of those scans.

July 16, 2014
Photo Friday – Summer Sightings

Happy day-before-the-first-day-of-summer! This week’s photo is from a 35mm film scan – I took the image sometime in 2002 when I was living and working in Maryland. I can’t even remember exactly how I found this huge sunflower (I used to drive around frequently looking for anything to photograph) or if a friend found it and alerted me, but I remember being obsessed with sunflowers at the time. If I remember correctly it was just on the edge of someone’s farm property, so I don’t think there was trespassing involved. Obviously my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure I went back to the location more than once, and on one trip I went with a couple of co-workers/photography friends to see it. A giant sunflower-sighting was practically an event for budding photographers! (No pun intended on the “budding” bit.) The sky that day was completely clear, and when I crouched down looking for an interesting, uncluttered angle, I liked the way the cheerful yellow leaves contrasted with the sky. I took a few photos at various angles using a polarizing filter, and I ended up liking this one the best. The polarizer made the sky look so rich, and in addition to that, the print processing came out extra saturated. I love the way the final image turned out and it always reminds me of summer!

June 20, 2014
Hawaii 2003

I recently spent some time with my scanner and digitized a few more of my favorite 35mm film prints from my first time traveling to Hawaii waaay back in 2003. It was such a fun trip, so I definitely wanted to give it some space here on the blog! Chris was working at a conference in Honolulu for a week in June that year, so I was able to tag along and enjoy my first visit to Oahu. I filled the week with restful days at the pool at the Sheraton Waikiki and did plenty of sight-seeing. We rented a car and drove around the whole island when Chris had time off. When he was working, I explored Pearl Harbor and the Byodo-In Temple. (For some reason I can’t find the handful of photos I took at the USS Arizona Memorial, but it’s definitely worth a visit.)

Here’s one of only a few photos of me from the whole trip – we were at the Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu. Doesn’t Chris look thrilled to be posing for a photo?

Hiking to the top of Diamond Head is one of the first things we did on the island. I highly recommend this hike if you’re up for a bit of exercise! It’s a short hike, but the 0.8 miles to the summit are steep and strenuous, with stairs, switchbacks, and tight crawlspaces. Good sturdy shoes are a must, and some people chose to bring flashlights although we didn’t. The little tunnel was short enough that you could illuminate it with a cell phone if needed. Your reward awaits at the top – stunning views fit for a postcard, so bring your camera!

The Byodo-In Temple is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever visited. The grounds were immaculate and wonderful to photograph. Non-commercial photography is allowed without a permit, and the website even offers suggestions for the best time of day to photograph: “The best time to take photos of the temple and grounds is in the morning when the sun is still in the east.” The temple is a work of art, as is the Buddha statue inside. Before entering, I happily rang the bon-sho bell (or “sacred bell,” pictured below in the small structure), said to bring happiness, blessings, and a long life.

Sadly we didn’t spend much time in the water on this visit. I got completely spooked by a sign posted on Waikiki beach one day that warned swimmers not to enter the water due to the amount of jellyfish swarms! So of course in my head, that meant Hawaii = death by jellyfish. The sign was only posted one day, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I think I’ve made good strides towards getting over that fear, and I’d like to go back one day. (Of course, if the sign was posted again I certainly wouldn’t jump into the water, but I’d go in another day.) I hear the snorkeling is awesome! Plus I would love to see Maui.

Chris and I did explore other beaches, even if we didn’t swim.

This last photo is what happens when you hand a stranger your 35mm film SLR and ask him to take a photo of you on the beach. To be fair, properly exposing a sunset and people in the foreground is one of the toughest shots to get right, and I should have dialed in the settings for him. He actually made me super nervous because he approached us and offered to take the photo, but once the camera was in-hand, he kept backing up and backing up a little bit more. It turned out he just didn’t know how to use the zoom lens, but I thought for sure he was going to run off with my camera once he had some distance from us. Thank goodness for kind, honest people.

It was a gorgeous sunset though, and I still love this photo!

June 18, 2014
England 2003

As promised, I’ve finally gotten around to scanning a few film prints from my travels to England in 2003! This trip was incredibly special for so many reasons. It was my first time going anywhere in Europe, and I was visiting my parents who had moved to Lytham St Annes (near Blackpool) for my mom’s job. They were both excellent hosts, and made touring the country really fun and easy. The trip didn’t start out easy though – the day before I was scheduled to leave, I received notice that my flight was cancelled due to incoming Hurricane Isabel. I called the airline to ask about my options, and they informed me that they had one seat available on that evening’s flight and that it was mine if I wanted it! Great! Only…the flight was leaving in just under three hours. Oh, and I was at work, in Rockville, Maryland, which is at least a 45-minute drive from where I was living at the time. AND I hadn’t packed yet! So if you do the math, three hours minus the commute time, minus the required be-at-the-airport-two-hours-before-your-international-flight time, that left me less than 15 minutes to pack a suitcase for a week abroad. What I didn’t account for was how crazy the security lines would be at Dulles International Airport since everyone else had the same plan to get out of ~~Dodge~~ Virginia before the hurricane hit. Somehow I managed to throw a bag together and get a taxi to the airport in time, and thanks to the kindness of strangers who let me jump to the head of the security line, I just barely made my flight! And thanks certainly also go to my super sweet co-workers at the time who encouraged me to drop everything, covered the remainder of the day’s responsibilities for me, and allowed me to go, go, go. I’ll never forget how crazy that day was – that is not my preferred method of travel (I’m an obsessive planner), but it’s nice to know I can be super spontaneous, too!

Once I arrived in England, my parents ensured that I saw an amazing sampling of the entire country. My mom and I took a fantastic side-trip via train to London for a few days where we saw just about every major must-see including Mamma Mia at Prince Edwards Theatre, my dad drove me all over the beautiful countryside to various castles and towns during the week, and we all took an overnight trip to Newcastle upon Tyne and went up to see Alnwick Castle, where parts of the first two Harry Potter movies were filmed! We even drove across the border into Scotland, so technically I’ve been there, too. (Chris and I are actually planning a proper visit to Scotland next year.) There’s still more I’d like to see in England so I’ll definitely go again someday, but I’m grateful I was able to see so much during this visit.

Note: there aren’t many people-photos on this trip! At the time, I was really just into photographing scenery and details. I did snap a photo of my dad at Alnwick and I wish I had taken more photos of my parents and I together. I guess we’ll all just have to go back! Also, I used to be into scrapbooking and several of my photos ended up sliced-and-diced for the scrapbook pages, so I included a scan of my London two-page spread just for fun.

April 3, 2014
Milan 2004

Sub-title: The time I spent a day wandering around Milan, Italy by myself.

As promised, I have a couple of photos to post from my day trip to Milan that I’ve finally scanned from film. While Chris and I were staying in Lugano, Switzerland, I signed up for a day-trip bus tour that went across the border to Italy. Chris had to work that day, but I figured it would be safe enough to go by myself since I’d also be accompanied by a bus full of tourists and a guide who could keep an eye on us. It was only about an hour-long ride into the heart of Milan, and the tour stops included Sforza Castle, the Monumental Cemetery, and the Duomo Cathedral. Oh, and when I say “tour,” I actually mean we were dropped off at each of these spots and given time to wander around on our own. So much for safety in numbers! But I did enjoy the freedom of seeing whatever I wanted at my own pace.

The cathedral was certainly one of the most impressive parts of the tour. The architecture is just mesmerizing. I made my way to the top and took one of my most favorite photos ever by holding my camera up high and over the ledge into the street below, and hoping for the best. There was no LCD on my 35mm film camera! 🙂

The piazza was fantastic for people-watching. I had some fun interactions with the locals using my broken Level 1 Italian, and also some not-so-fun moments. See all of the pigeons in the photos below? Apparently some tourists think it’s super fun to have their photo taken with the birds, so there are vendors (?) milling about who give you corn to feed the birds and then volunteer to take a photo for you in return for a small tip. I had no interest in a pigeon photo, but this guy kept insisting (in Italian) that I must have one. He grabbed my hand and put corn in it, while also trying to take my camera out of my other hand. Thankfully I had the neck strap over my head like a ~~true tourist~~ safety-conscious photographer and he was not able to get the camera away from me. He probably meant well and just wanted a few Euros in exchange for the photo op, but I couldn’t be too sure. And I don’t easily separate from my camera! So I shared some polite/nervous laughter and politely refused the photo. Oh, and did I mention I had about two-dozen pigeons on my arms and shoulders and surrounding my feet at this point? Yeah. Pigeons like corn. A lot. So there were quite a few birds that accosted me, and there was quite a bit of arm-flailing on my part, all while trying not to let a random Italian dude take my camera from me. Rather than a photo, I wish I had video of that whole scene because I’m sure it’s pretty hilarious.

In order to calm my nerves after the Pigeon Incident of 2004, I walked around some of the streets of Milan surrounding Piazza del Duomo. There were some amazing couture boutiques as well as really cute street vendor carts. I didn’t buy anything except for lunch in a nearby cafe, but I always just enjoy my photos as souvenirs. (Okay, actually I do regret not buying some designer shoes or a handbag – come on, it’s MILAN.)

One of the last stops of the day was the Sforza Castle, where I had the privilege of seeing Michelangelo’s Rondanini Pietà, the last sculpture that he worked on in the last days of his life. We weren’t really supposed to take photos (I’m not sure if this rule is still current or not?) but I did snap one careful image when no one else was around. Side note: I’m assuming light from the flash is the main reason photos aren’t allowed, so I’ll just mention that I took a very quick photo without flash and without interrupting anyone else’s viewing experience.

Milan was absolutely stunning, but I know it’s just a small slice of Italy, so I can’t wait to go back some day and travel the whole country. And with Chris this time of course!

January 24, 2014