Three Cameras On A Beautiful Saturday Morning

I really like the idea of the three camera concept. Taking three cameras and using them to their strengths is a great exercise. When I am covering a sporting event I am doing that all of the time. You use the right tool at the right time. For something like the Saturday on the Square that was in Lafayette it was more for fun. I had two film cameras and my trusty Sony with me to walk around. When I am using film cameras it makes the turn around for posts a little longer as the film has to be sent out to be processed. It is a fun way though to get out and try some things. I am not on assignment so if I fail at something crazy it is not a big deal. Below are some of my favorite photos from my walk around downtown.

Sony A7R3

These photos are made with my Sony A7R3 and my Sony 24-105mm lens. This is my go to combo for walking around somewhere. It is what I know the best because I use it everyday.

The first photo with the Sony is of the balloon entrance to the square. The best part of this photo is that with digital I could see what I was getting real time. The balloons were moving so fast that it took a couple of frames to make sure that the courthouse was framed properly.

The musical star of the summer on the square was Sheeza. Her songs were the soundtrack for my walk. Here she is in her element with the courthouse as the background.

Fuji AX-3 With Flic Film Aurora 800

The Fuji AX-3 is quickly becoming my favorite film camera. I find it very easy to use, and the results from it have been good so far. I had an experimental film in it for this walk. I had it loaded with Flic Film Aurora 800 in it.

We will start this section off much like I did above. You get the photo of the balloons from the entrance to the fest with the courthouse framed in them. The balloons were blowing in the wind making my framing not quite work here. I still like the idea of this photo.

Another photo of the courthouse from the walk around the square. The Marquis de Lafayette always standing guard over the town that bears his name. I like how this photo turned out.

This might be my favorite photo from the walk with this camera. The Wells Building looking good in the early morning light. It is a simple photo, but the Aurora film made it look really good here.

Part of the fun of walking around was listening to the music of Sheeza as I did so. Here she is in between songs.

Time to close out this film with one last photo of the courthouse.

Canon AE-1 With Reflx Lab 250D Film

This was my more experimental roll. I have never shot film like this before. The Canon AE-1 is also a camera that I can struggle with as well. I don’t think I do anything differently from use to use, but my results are all over the place with it. I like this camera, but it doesn’t always work for me. That was the case on this day as well. I had some film in it that I was not sure about as well. I have not had much luck with some of the specialty films. The rolls don’t always work out. That was the case with this roll too. I had photos that turned out from both ends of the roll, but the middle of the roll seemed to be ruined in some way. I used a new company to develop the film because this was ECN-2 film which needs a special process. I don’t know if it was the developing or the film that failed me here. I did end up with a couple of photos that I could show though.

I only had a couple of usable frames from this roll, but luckily this was one of the first photos that I made. The courthouse and the balloons to the entrance to the event look pretty good here.

I like this photo of Lafayette and the courthouse in the city that bears his name. I like how this photo turned out. I really wish that more of this roll was usable. It has a unique look to it that could have been awesome.

Wrap Up

This is usually the part where I try and pick a favorite. This time though I will just say that I had a great time walking around the square on a beautiful morning. The two film stocks that I tried just were not the best for me. I would like to try a walk like this again later on down the road with a couple of film stocks that I really like.