Color Film Images

Color film was at one time the holy grail of photography: mythical and elusive. Early attempts yielded sludgy colors, and took hours to print a single picture.  Then, Kodak introduced Kodachrome.  Color became easy.  Steady improvements in color rendition and color retention (remember all of those yellowing photographs in your scrap book) led to a flourishing of color film in the 80’s and 90’s.  And then digital showed up, and the house of cards came tumbling down.

Today, however, color film is making a comeback along side of digital cameras.  I never gave up on film, even though some of my favorite films were discontinued one by one: Konica Impressa, Kodak Royal Gold 25, Kodak E100SW, Agfa Ultima, Fuji Reala, and of course, Kodachrome have all gone away.  One film, however, has stayed around the whole time: Fuji Velvia.  Many of my best pictures are on that film.

There will be more to come.

Kodak E100 has recently returned to the market, but not the SW (Slightly Warm) version.   Things may be looking up.

Featured image: Multnomah Falls, May 2010.

©1999/2020 Gary L. Quay

I took this picture in 1999 at Cannon Beach Oregon on a particularly colorful evening.  I was still learning handheld metering, and I was not certain if my readings were correct.  I took 3 pictures, bracketing each one stop.  This was the middle picture, meaning that my metering was correct.

Slide film has a unique look.  It is not as forgiving as color print film in that when detail is lost in the highlights or shadows, you are less able to recover it.  Slide film tends to produce silhouettes in sunsets and sunrises.  I learned early on that this is okay.  It’s another way of seeing the world.

Slide film also scans closer to the look of digital photography.  There is no need to go through complex film correction and reversal from negative to positive.  What you see is what you get.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM.
Lens: 80mm Zeiss Planar
Film: Fuji Velvia

©2014 Gary L. Quay

To me, 8×10 color film has been an occasional dalliance.  At $18.00 per sheet ($13.50 when I took this picture), I don’t use it much.  But, the sharpness is unparalleled, and the sense of depth created by that large negative is astounding.  I intend to keep doing it, even though I will only be able to scan them, rather than print them in the darkroom.

When I sold my Portland house in 2015, I understood that the dream of having a darkroom big enough to print from 8×10 and to develop color films and slides was likely over.  My Hood River house was not able to have a suitable darkroom because of its size, and my current house has a small one. I can’t set up an 8×10 enlarger even if I had one.  So, to compensate, I am hoping to move to wet mount scanning: a process that creates the look of optical printing.

I took this picture near Woodland, Washington.  It’s a famous local landmark with a long history.  It’s the oldest operational mill in the Pacific Northwest.

Camera: Deardorff 8×10
Lens: 240mm Nikkor
Film: Kodak Portra 160

©2007 Gary L. Quay

A very large cruise ship was moving out to sea when I took this one from the deck behind a restaurant near the Astoria-Megler Bridge.  Astoria is not quite on the Oregon Coast.  It is on the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean in a churning, boat-devouring nautical phenomenon called the “Bar,” as in “Honey, bar the door!  A monster is on the porch!”

The upper left edge of Oregon is known for “weather.”  For the moment, let’s define that word as “that which causes seasonal affective disorder.”  Astoria’s weather is stormy, overcast, and occasionally pleasant (but don’t count on it staying that way).  Across the river is a place in Washington called Dismal Nitch.  ‘Nuf said.

All kidding aside, Astoria is becoming one of my go-to places (nearly) on the Oregon Coast.  The food is great, the gulls are hungry, and the people are friendly.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM.
Lens: 50mm Zeiss Distagon.
Film: Kodak Ektar 100

©1999/2020 Gary L. Quay

This is, as the title suggests, behind Lewis & Clark College. Now that everyone is doing this shot, I suppose that mentioning that I did it twenty two years ago won’t help much.

Early in my Hasselblad habit, I had only one lens: an 80mm Zeiss Planar.  It’s the equivalent of a 50mm Lens on a 35mm camera.  That made this image extremely hard to get on a breezy day with 50 ASA film.  I had to keep the shutter speed high enough to stop motion while getting as much of the tree in focus as possible.  I like the way it turned out.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens: 80mm Zeiss Planar
Film: Fujichone Velvia

©2007 Gary L. Quay

©2007 Gary L. Quay

A pair of angels alit upon a stone wall, soon followed by their dog, and were bathed in the newborn spring sunlight. I tool it at the Starvation Creek, Columbia Gorge, Oregon.

It’s hard to believe that these girls are probably in college by now.

This was another difficult image.  I needed to keep the girls from becoming blurry due to motion while getting the foreground into focus.  As you can see, only one part of that was successful.  The scene was backlit, which made for difficult metering.  The new spring foliage lit up, along with the girls’ hair and clothing.  I revisit this picture every few years trying to get the color balance right.  I’m still not there, but I like the olive tones.

Printing the image has also been a challenge.  The greens just did not look right on the first few attempts. It was early Spring, and the leaves were that lush, light green that we all love so much.  They are also backlit, which makes it even more difficult to get right on a film image.  I have added more yellow to the image over the years, and now the foliage has an olive look.  It’s not completely reaslistic, but I like it.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens: 55mm Zeiss Distagon
Film: Kodak 100UC

© 2007 Gary L. Quay.

I took this picture as part of my Night Shift series, which ran from 2007 through 20011. All of the pictures were made with large format film cameras (preferably 8×10), and all while I worked the graveyard shift.

This is my favorite spot to take pictures on Portland’s east side waterfront. I especially like it on the wee hours of the morning when the water has flown undisturbed for hours, and lays below Portland like a mirror. This image was taken at around 4:00 AM. Tired yet?

Color films can shift red during long exposures. I sometimes let the red stay.

Camera: Calumet 4×5
Lens: 150mm Fujinon
Film: Fuji NPS 160

©2001 Gary L. Quay

Hiking through the Columbia Gorge has always been a favorite pastime for me. Carrying a hundred pounds of camera gear along makes it a workout.  I’ve carried my gear for hours without taking a single shot, and sometimes I can’t walk ten feet at a time without planting my tripod in the dirt. When the scenery, the light, and the inspiration meet, the results astound me.  My Hasselblad camera with its compliment of Carl Zeiss lenses (I only had the 80mm until 2005) have been my best tool for years.

After the Eagle Creek Fire, and my knee injury in 2016, I have not been able to hike far into the wilderness.  However, I hiked up the Coyote Wall in Bingen, Washington in early November 2020, so I’m hoping to get back to the trails, strengthen my knee, and eventually carry the big cameras up the hills again.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens: 80mm Zeiss Planar
Film: Fuji Reala

©1999/2020 Gary L. Quay

I loved to take night pictures back in the days when I could stay up late.  Now, not so much.  I get up very early for work, so evenings are cut short.

I could color correct this one a little better, but it loses something.  I will keep it as it is.

Camera: Hasslblad 500 CM
Lens: 80mm Zeiss Planar
Film: Fujichrome Velvia

©2007 Gary L. Quay

There are a handful of really good overlooks of the Columbia Gorge:  The Portland Womens Forum Overlook, Crown Point, Rowena Crest, Ruthton Point, The Maryhill Stonehenge Replica, and this one–Cape Horn.  This view is especially good there in the Autumn on partly cloudy days as the sun is setting or rising.

The viewpoint is along Washington SR 14 a few miles east of Washougal, and is one of those dangerous, narrow unmarked turnoffs next to the road.  Cars and trucks zoom by on the left, and a sheer cliff drops off to the right with mere inches between either.

A few notes on wind:  I have waxed comic about the wind at the viewpoints in the Columbia Gorge on my blog on occasion.  You will see there descriptions of cars cartwheeling by like tumbleweeds, or folks flying dachshunds like kites.  All kidding aside, there are days when I can’t set up a tripod there because it would be blown over the cliff the moment I let go.  These winds are some world-class, industrial-grade sandblasters that can whoosh suddenly upon the unsuspecting photographer, and take anything with even the slightest wind drag into the abyss, or into traffic.  Large format cameras are particularly susceptible to this.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM with a 6×4.5 back.
Lens: 50mm Zeiss Planar
Film: Agfa Optima

©2012 Gary L. Quay

This is Starvation Creek Falls, taken in October 2012.  It’s another 8×10 color film image.  This has been one of my favorite location in the Gorge, but it’s a challenge to get it right.  it’s a busy image, so a strong foreground is a necessity.

Starvation Creek is always best in the Fall.  I missed it this year (2020) because of the pandemic.  Next year, however, I will be out with my big cameras at this spot trying to get a better picture.

Camera: Deardorff 8×10
Lens: 165mm Schneider Angulon
Film: Kodak Portra 160 VC

©2013 Gary L. Quay

Old structures like this catch my eye. I happened to be carrying my Speed Graphic, but no tripod. I held the camera down low to alter the perspective a bit. I could have approximated a back tilt to square up the lines, but I opted for this composition instead.

I went back to Pendleton in 2018, and this building was gone.

Camera: Speed Graphic 4×5
Lens: 127mm Kodak Ektar.
Film: Fuji Astia.

©2009 Gary L. Quay

The Saint Johns Bridge in Portland, Oregon has been a favorite subject of mine since I first drove across it in the 90’s.  The best views are to be had from Cathedral Park, from which this was taken, but I’m always on the lookout for new locations, and unique views.

I took this picture on 8×10 color film.  It’s interesting to know that every time I trigger the shutter, I’m spending $18.00, not including developing costs.  I pick my subjects very carefully.

Camera: Deardorff 8×10.
Lens: 300mm Nikkor-W
Film: Kodak Portra 160VS 8×10.

©2010 Gary L. Quay

The Portland waterfront is one of the things that make the city special.  I used to go there early in the morning to catch the sunlight reflecting off of the skyscrapers.  This is one such image.

Camera: Deardorff 8×10.
Lens: 300mm Nikkor-W
Film: Kodak Portra 160VC

©2012 Gary L. Quay

This is the view from the Rowena Crest Overlook in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon. It’s a favorite spot of mine to take pictures. I don’t live very close anymore, so it’s a little harder to reach, but not too hard. Instead of living 12 miles away, I live 64 miles away.

The eastern Columbia Gorge is really my home away from home.

Camera: Deardorff 8×10
Lens: 300mm Nikkor-W
Film: Kodak Portra 160 VC

©2000 Gary L. Quay

Before the demise of Reversal paper, I had this image printed for a local gallery. I was told by the owner that he felt like he could reach into the water. My scan of it doesn’t do it justice, and I can’t seem to get the look of the slide, or of the original prints.  That said, I still like it.  It’s been one of my favorite images over the years.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens: 80mm Carl Zeiss
Film: Fuji Velvia

©1999 Gary L. Quay

In honor of the firemen and women who saved Multnomah Falls Lodge, and many of the landmarks of Oregon’s crown jewel in the Autumn of 2017, I present this picture from 1999. I took this when I had only one lens for my Hasselblad, so I had to be creative.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: 80mm Carl Zeiss.
Film: Kodak E100VS

©2016 Gary L. Quay

This is Rowena Crest in the Columbia Gorge. I took this picture shortly bfore I injured my left knee in the Oneonta Gorge.

Sometimes, it’s OK to take pictures in the middle of the day.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: 50mm Carl Zeiss
Film: Kodak Protra 160

©2007 Gary L. Quay

A caboose in its natural habitat.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM,
Lens 55mm Carl Zeiss,
Film: Kodak 100 UC.

©2000 Gary L. Quay

In the waters of Wahkeena Falls, Columbia Gorge, Oregon.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens: 80mm Carl Zeiss
Film: Kodak E100VS

©2001 Gary L. Quay

I took this in late summer 2001. Wahkeena Falls was one of my favorite falls in the Columbia Gorge until they erected the new viewing platform, which blocked some of the lower part of the cascade.

Camera: Hasselblad 500CM
Lens: 80mm Carl Zeiss
Film: Fujichrome 64T (daylight corrected)

©2002 Gary L. Quay

The middle of the road is no place to be. But, on a fall Sunday morning on the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway, I set up this shot while listening for cars approaching from the rear.

Camera: Pentax 67
Lens: 90mm Pentax
Film: Fuji 160 NPC

©2017 Gary L. Quay

Balsamroot flowers at the Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena Crest.

©2010 Gary L. Quay

This is the same shot as one I uploaded a couple of months ago. Although, it is from a different negative. This one has more natural color, and the negative was seated flat in the holder, unlike the other one, which has a peculiar curve in the top steps that I hadn’t noticed. I also decided to make the colors more realistic. This is more of the way it actually looked.

Camera: Sinar Alpina 4×5
Lens: 90mm Nikkor
Film: Kodak Portra 160 VC

©2006 Gary L. Quay

The St johns Bridge has become one of my favorite subjects since I “discovered” it a few years back. Who’d have thunk that someone would put a bridge like that by that sleepy section of Portland. But, it was the Great Depression, and folks needed to work. As a result, we have one of the world’s most beautiful bridges,

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens 55mm Carl Zeiss
Film: Fuji Pro 160S

©2014 Gary L. Quay

This was taken during a sudden spring thaw in April when the Raquette River almost shed its banks near downtown Potsdam.  The sun was setting. I had tme for one more picture.

Camera: Sinar Alpina 4×5.
Lens: 90mm Nikkor.
Film: Fuji Astia

©2010 Gary L. Quay

The Columbia Gorge and Crown Point taken from the Portland Women’s Forum Overlook in the autumn of 2010.

Camera: Sinar Alpina 4×5
Lens: 210mm Schneider
Film: Fuji Velvia 50.