filmy stuff and not as much snow as i would have hoped
like most of us in the east coast of the us, we got hit with a pretty big winter storm today. i spent much of last night reading too much into forecasts and was getting a little anxious, though i think some of that has to do with some lasting ptsd from hurricane helene, while i was in asheville. it started snowing late last night, around 11:00 or midnight. i woke up to quite a winter wonderland, and immediately put on boots and my trusty peacoat (my ride or die navy issue that i've had since i was 16 years old), and trudged through the sleety snow covered streets with my plastic diana camera in tow (also a camera that i've had since i was 16, a 2007 urban outfitters exclusive, haha), loaded with some color film. i walked by my car, cleared it off, and then continued to walk around the block, clicking photos at random. there was no way i'd be able to drive anywhere today, so it was up to my feet to take me about my day. richmond doesn't do a very speedy job of clearing the roads when it snows like this, and even now they are still covered in a thick icy blanket. it was honestly kind of cool, through out the day and even into the night, people were just hanging out in the middle of the streets, chatting and walking around. the energy was very warm, despite the actual temperature. i walked by a dad who was trailing a sled tied to his car down a side street, his kids laughing behind and trying to stay on the plastic sled. i eventually made my way to my friend's house, and spent the afternoon developing some film. i developed two rolls of color film.
i saw a car with a blue tarp loosely tied over the hood and roof, in hopes of making clearing the snow off easier. i hope that goes well for them. i took a picture of that, enjoying the play of colors between the blue of the tarp and the white of the snow.
when i got to monument ave, the famed place where a certain horrid monument was taken down in 2020, i took a pinhole photograph, balancing the camera on my knee and letting the shutter hang open for a few seconds. i knew it would be blurry, but i was hoping it would still capture the atmosphere. it ended up being one of my favorites from the roll.
getting closer to my friend's house, i was walking along a barbed wire fence next to a shipping yard. naturally, i had to direct the camera towards the top of the fence, hoping it would be in focus that close. the barbs ran diagonally along the bottom of the frame, and the background gently phased out of focus with that effect only cheap plastic lenses can provide.
finally, another classic, overdone shot of some telephone lines, running diagonally through the bleak winter sky. i've taken so many photos like this, everyone has, but its the kind of thing that always looks interesting and never gets old.
i'm not sure what i'll use these for. maybe they will just exist, as part of my ever continuing visual diary (its been 10+ years of this). i like all of these photos a lot, and using the diana really made me appreciate the simple act of just shooting, without thinking or planning anything, or worrying too much about camera settings or gear. i want to use this camera much more, and get my own c-41 development kit so i can do this at home sometimes too.
some of these photos immediately looked like things i'd like to use for album art too, and i have some ideas brewing (finally) for new music.