Travelling from Conneticut to Georgia: The Travelling Canonet 28 roll #4

By Bob Janes

The world can be dauntingly huge, yet sometimes also very small.

You can read about the Travelling Canonet project here. We have over 50 photographers on 4 continents waiting to take part. Two Canonets are involved, each travelling in a different direction. Participants take 5 or more shots and send the camera on to the next person on the list. Previous pictures from the first, second  and third rolls from this camera and the first  and second rolls from the Original Canonet are also available on 35mmc.

This article covers the fourth roll taken with the Canonet 28 as it makes its way south down the eastern United States.

Dan

I usually work with people in my photos. Not exactly street photography, but people as a compositional element. Occasionally I’ll shoot informal portrailts. For this series of photos, I was looking for ‘Pairings’ or similar compositional elements – for example, the two shots of murals. The artist was a pleasant surprise, caught on the fly.

These shots were all done on one day, June 14th, 2022. Except for #9, all the photos were taken in my hometown of Portland CT. I wanted my work to represent where I live. If you look hard enough, any town has interesting sites & people.

Dan’s pictures

#1. Our garden Buddha with one of our resident chipmunks. They are great mooches, and it was getting a peanut from me.
#2. “Top Dog” is a converted mini-Airstream converted to resemble a hot dog. Great hot dogs.
#3. I wrote an article for 35mmc on attempting to make a panning shot of the wagon & the Checker cab. It’s called “Chasing a Hot Dog w/a Leica CL.”
#4. Another local restaurant serving breakfast & lunch. They have a pair of fiberglass elephants the switch out over the year.
#5. Footings for a new boat house being built on the Connecticut River. The footing reminded me of Stonehenge.
#6. A wall mural on a local Veteran’s of Foreign Wars (VFW) building. This is a social organization for any American Veteran. Like a clubhouse & bar. Non-veterans cannot enter unless accompanied by a member.
#7. This is our ‘mini – Stonehenge” being built for a garden center.
#8. Paul is a local, self-taught artist. He had a mini art show on the lawn of his house.
#9. Another mural painted on the side of a multiplex movie theater.

Marty

My name is Marty Cutrone and I am an amateur photographer, living in Charlotte, NC. My first real camera was an Olympus OM 10, and I have shot primarily film since. I primarily shoot landscapes, and in the last few years I have concentrated on large format, 4×5 landscapes.

My photos were taken in our neighborhood in Charlotte, NC. The houses in our neighborhood are similarly themed with small yards, front porches, bright colors – to give a “Charleston” look to the neighborhood. I included a skyline shot of Charlotte, because it is an attractive sight and symbol of Charlotte as a lead city of the new American South. Shooting the camera was enjoyable, a nice bright rangefinder is always fun and easy to focus. I think the meter did a good job, and I hope you like the images. I enjoyed taking part in the traveling Canonet. I’ve always found the community of photographers friendly, helpful, fun, and this experience only reinforced that.

Marty’s pictures

#10. A shot of myself so you can put a face to the name!
#11. Standing Tall. The unique style of houses in our neighborhood, as seen in this picture. As you can see from the porch bunting, it was July 4th holiday when I took these.
#12. Crape Myrtle flowers. This tree is ubiquitous in Charlotte, with blooms all summer long to provide color and shade to the sidewalks.
#13. Summer Sidewalk. I think the camera did a nice job with this image of our street in the summer evening.
#14. Charlotte Skyline.
#15. Freedom Park. The park is a large one in Charlotte, a frequent setting for photos, gatherings, craft shows – especially in the fall when the temps become more reasonable!
#16. Park Bridge. The scenery in Freedom Park is very nice – peaceful, shady, water and bridges.

Abby

I applied to the Traveling Canonet project while finishing out a semester-long photography project class during which I shot a portfolio of images on medium format black and white film. Although I unfortunately received a C in the class due to some poor time management towards the very end of the project, nothing could ever diminish my enthusiasm to shoot some more film on campus, so I took the camera back out to my university with me for the beginning of my fall semester as a junior. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in such a fun project!

Abby’s pictures

#17. For my identifying shot I decided to be as cliché as possible and take a shot of my university’s iconic lakeside carillon. My photo teacher had an explicit rule where she would take off points if you submitted a shot of the bell tower.
#18. Butterfly at the lakeside flower garden
#19. View from the far side of the lake
#20. Heron in front of lakeside housing
#21. Realized the heron would let me creep around to the other side of it and get a shot of it in front of the bell tower.
#22. Fountains in front of the university church
#23. View from below the awning of the outdoor amphitheatre
#24. Dog walkers passing through a wooded area
#25. Bell tower through foliage (have you gotten the memo about the bell tower being iconic yet!?)
#26. Sunbeams through a tree
#27. Runners passing through. The university is right in the middle of a city-maintained biking trail and locals like to use it as an extension to the trail.
#28. Accidental exposure. Apologies to the person after me!

Ferris

Growing up in small town Connecticut, we were always surrounded by photos. My parent’s families always had cameras at hand, both sides had reams and reams of photos. There were carousels of slides but, unfortunately, precious few negatives. I was given a Pentax k1000 for my birthday in 1984 and developed my first roll of film the following year. In the second half of my high school years I set about learning (at least rudimentarily) the printmaking process and carried that camera most places throughout the remainder of school and college.

Like many, once the cameras became affordable, I drifted to digital, but returned to shooting film in the summer of 2019. Some part of me was missing the analog process. The mad scientist chemistry. The brown glass bottles. The smells of the chemicals. That first-peek reveal of what the camera and I collaborated on making. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes … not.

I had been following 35mmc for a while when the announcement of the travelling Canonet project was made. Having seen the images and stories from the Traveling Yashica, I quickly fired off an email to see whether I could take part. Shortly thereafter I was told I was on the list! The camera made its way to my doorstep on a Tuesday in mid-September, loaded with a roll of Kentmere 400. Looking over the notes included with the camera, it seems the first person to contribute lives close to where I grew up, nearly a thousand miles away up the eastern seaboard. The world can be dauntingly huge, yet sometimes also very small.

Wanting to get things underway, I went out that Saturday intent to shoot five or so frames. The counter on the camera read thirty, so I knew I would likely be finishing the roll. Having read the notes, I knew the first frame was a garden Buddha, so I headed out back and took a starter pic of mine to bookend the roll. I then headed out towards a nearby state park. Always having a soft spot in my heart for capturing entropy, I stopped off on the way at a partially demolished industrial facility and an abandoned house to capture a few images. Finally getting to the park, I wandered through the woods, trying to be careful as to how to spend the last few exposures.

Ferris’ pictures

#29. Garden Buddha, Newnan, Georgia
#30. Entry Gate, Abandoned Facility, Newnan, Georgia
#31. Partially Collapsed Wall, Abandoned Facility, Newnan, Georgia
#32. Abandoned House, Newnan, Georgia
#33. Abandoned House, Newnan, Georgia
#34. Brook, Chattahoochee Bend State Park, Newnan, Georgia
#35. Pensioners, Chattahoochee Bend State Park, Newnan, Georgia
#36. Outdoor Boater’s Shower Head, Chattahoochee Bend State Park, Newnan, Georgia
#37. The Chattahoochee River, Chattahoochee Bend State Park, Newnan, Georgia

Processing

Dan writes:

With the final four frames done, I returned home and replaced the Kentmere with some Foma 400. The next step was to develop the roll. I wouldn’t describe my feelings going in as terrified, per se, but will admit to some fear that something would go all cattywampus and that I would ruin the work of all those who came before. Yes, I first developed film in 1984 or ’85, but then took a break for thirty-odd years. In the end I stuck with the old reliable: Rodinal 25:1. Consulting the Massive Dev Chart, I opted for the recommended seven and a half minutes and, nerves and neurosis adide, everything seems to have worked out just fine. I scanned the negs, re-packed the camera, and sent it on its way.

I’m thankful for having been able to take part. It was a great experience and would definitely recommend it to anyone who’s a bit curious.

Summing up

That brings us to the end of another wonderful set of photos from this (understated) little camera.

My thanks to all participants and congratulations on producing such great results – Your ethusisasm and ability to compose with a basic point-and-shoot rangefinder camera leaves me very much inspired.

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About The Author

By Bob Janes
Retired IT guy. Volunteer stem-cell courier. Interested in education, photography and local history. Lives in Greenwich, SE London, UK.
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Comments

Daniel Castelli on Travelling from Conneticut to Georgia: The Travelling Canonet 28 roll #4

Comment posted: 06/11/2022

Dan C here,
Dear Bob, thanks for all the hard work connected with putting together todays posting. People who tell me digital is much easier than film should try and coordinate a project of this scope. They'll find it's time consuming and sometimes frustrating.
Hamish, your site is a must-read for me. I look forward to the new posts and I've archived past musings. Thanks for your hard work.
To Marty, Abby and Ferris - because we are united by a roll of K400, are we brothers & sister in arms united by silver halide? I like looking at each and every shot you all made. I have my favorites, but in my family, we don't favor one over the other. But I must give a nod to Ferris for HIS garden Bhutta, thanks for remembering shot.
The camera. It's like a note in a bottle tossed into the sea. It keeps going, and its love by all who find it. It's a tough little camera, isn't it?
I look forward to seeing the next batch of pics. It's a very democratic/all-inclusive project. Thanks again Bob for all your hard work.
Wishing all a safe and happy upcoming holiday season.
Dan (flickr.com/photos/dcastellli9574/
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