QT Luong's visit to the 61st national park with LF camera

[QT Luong]

WTTW, the Chicago area’s PBS affiliate, aired a story about my visit to Indiana Dunes National Park, where I hauled out my Canham 5x7, like I do whenever a new national park is designated. I thought it might be fun for you to see the piece in this blog post (4/4): https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/indiana-dunes-national-park-final-spreads-and-thoughts/

The film photography angle also intrigued WGN-TV , and I have linked to their piece in this post (2/4):
https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/indiana-dunes-national-park-impressions-from-the-shore/

[EH21]

Neat!

[Hugo Zhang]

Nice, QT!

[Tin Can]

I think I might have posted a thread about this.

If I can find it....

I believe I wrote QT is our hero and he is!

[aaronnate]

Cool

[Merg Ross]

Thank you for sharing, QT.

As always, beautifully composed and captured.

Best,
Merg

[Jim Noel]

Thank you for the images.

[Gudmundur Ingolfsson]

Great images and news from the very father of this forum!

[Andrew Plume]

Great work QT, thx also for your post

regards

Andrew

[Bruce Barlow]

Congratulations!

Greetings from my son, Evan, whom you met when you visited Ken Burns' operation in Walpole, NH a few years back. He really enjoyed meeting and spending time with you.

[chassis]

Congratulations QT. Indiana Dunes is in my neighborhood, so a visit is in order.

[Tin Can]

Some have heard of hidden danger in the Dunes area

The Mystery of Why This Dangerous Sand Dune Swallowed a Boy (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/mystery-why-dangerous-sand-dune-swallowed-boy-180953404/)

Written by The Smithsonian

Other less reliable sources abound

I stopped climbing the Indiana Dunes long ago

[Pere Casals]

It looks some Astia was used for this job...

This is treasured film !

[QT Luong]

It looks some Astia was used for this job...

This is treasured film !

Indeed, but my 20th-century stock is becoming problematic. I opened a box of 8x10 Astia less than a year ago and cut 25 sheets, resulting in 50 5x7s. I used about two dozen to photograph Gateway Arch National Park, with good results, and the rest were immediately stored back into the freezer where they have stayed continuously until last month's trip to the Indiana Dunes. However, upon receiving my 5x7s from Indiana Dunes National Park back from the same lab as last year (Prauss Productions), this time there was a very noticeable magenta cast. I was able to correct it after scanning, but that frozen stored film degraded within a year of opening the box surprised and worried me.

By the way, thank you everyone for the kind words!

[Pere Casals]

film degraded within a year of opening the box surprised and worried me.


You mentioned that some time ago... interesting observation. Perhaps it is because of oxydation, IMHO it may be tested if by removing oxygen the keeping is good. Perhaps we have two ways, one is using a high vaccum pump and a vacuum bag sealer for food. Another way would be keeping the oppened bags inside tupperware and filling with Protectan gas, or Argon, or bare (flamable!) butane. Argon and butane are denser than air, so if some oxygen remained in the tupper it will be displaced up. With a lower vacuum food sealer we can apply vacuum, then filling with Protectant, and applying vacuum again, two or the cycles, and then sealing.

Perhaps the straighter way would be keeping the slide film in a tupper and filling with Protectan, at least it should slowdown degradation.

[John Kasaian]

Beautiful images! Thank you!

[Drew Wiley]

Because Astia sold slowly, Fuji's own stock was sometimes old when it got delivered, and this kind of crossover is characteristic of that. Once the film is thawed, it happens at an accelerated rate compared to fresh film. Once I learned this, I became very careful with batch numbers. But congratulations on your on-going Park project!

[Vaughn]

So excellent!

[Pere Casals]

Because Astia...

What is clear is that crafting beauty on LF Astia (this 2019) it is a great privilege...

[Drew Wiley]

Astia 100F did better if kept frozen soon after mfg. But I always had suspicions about how Fuji USA handled slower selling products.