#6×6

Helvellyn

Hasselblad 903 swc Kodak Aerochrome B+W 099 filter

May 2018

Photo taken by Mark Rowell.

Marquam Bridge, study 6... or maybe it is Tilikum Bridge, Study 2

I've been working on a work project the past couple weeks. We have a customer who has encountered an issue with Tri-X film and I work with a darkroom tech who tends to jump at shadows but then never pursue them. So Kodak sent me a couple pro packs of Tri-X to test shoot. Specifically it was to see if I could produce static electricity exposure on the film. This is a thing that happens, but not that often. Film itself has an anti-stat layer in designed to help prevent this and environmental conditions have to be just right. Personally I was not expecting success with this... or I suppose it would actually be failure, but I set out to see what I could do nonetheless. In truth, a part of me likes projects like this. I like the technical exploration of film only slightly less than the creative exploration of it. Many years back I spent over a year photographing all the bridges of Portland with nothing but Tri-X. Over the past year I have shot very little Tri-X as I have been trying to keep room in my cameras for alternate black and white films. There are only so many film backs out there to fill.... So it was nice to have Tri-X back in my Hasselblad. And with those two together again I figured there was no better place to head than the bridges. As luck would have it, I was gifted a chill, foggy night that was the cherry on top.

It didn't take me long to finish off a roll of film. And none of it showed static exposure. Oh well, I expected as much. The project goes on though and the count stands at something like 6 exposed rolls so far with no sign of this issue. Still a few more rolls to go but it doesn't appear the film is proving any more susceptible to this than normal.

Oh, and it was fun to revisit these bridges and find some new compositions on them.

Hasselblad 500C Kodak Tri-X

Photo taken by Zeb Andrews.