Yeah, this is a weird, weird winter. It’s five degrees above zero this morning, and as I look out the window – I don’t see a single snowflake. It’s like we’re getting set up for what could be the mother of all Nor’easters.
So…
Last Saturday, when I had to travel to Rochester for a Premier Basketball League assignment, I made a pit stop at my alma mater, Hamilton College. Took a couple of the cameras out for a shoot – one of them, my Rollefilex Automat MX, was packed with 20-year-old Soviet Svema 32 film – that film is slower than a jogger in Siberia. The Nikon F100, however, was packed with a film I hadn’t used before – German ORWO NP55 black and white film. Gotta test this stuff out.
I did get a very strong picture of the Hamilton College Chapel, along with the statue of Alexander Hamilton staring at the Chapel, by using the Svema film.

I’m really digging that mottled effect that the old Svema 120 film can produce. It almost looks like the Chapel and the statue were transported to downtown Vladivostok. Ha.
Then, as I was driving from the campus to the nearby town of Clinton, I saw that the Chenango Canal, which runs through Clinton and under College Hill Road, was flowing – despite the cold, snowy weather.
You know what that means.
I ended up getting two shots of the snow-tinted waterway with both the ORWO and the Svema film. The 35mm ORWO film is here…

Just to clarify something. I did not fall into the Chenango Canal. I had enough sense to actually hold on to branches and walk on solid footing. That being said, kids… don’t try this at home.
And then I went back, got the Svema-packed Rollei, attached it to a tripod … and got this exposure.

Then it was back to my car, and off to Rochester.
So if you’re wondering where all the snow went this winter, and you’re trying to find something snowy to compensate…
Hope these pictures help the cause. At least you can stay warm in your house or office and enjoy the winter scenes.
Wonderful pics, especially the canal! Of course, black and white is my favorite medium. Great job!
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Chuck – I love these photos! (B&W my favorite, too!) So good to see that Rollei working!
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Cool pics, Chuck! And how did you know that I needed a snow fix?! Thanks for sharing!
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Beautiful pictures! I’ll be back on the Hill this Wednesday, but the photograph of the Chapel makes these few intervening days seem too long!
Carissima,
Catherine Crone ’13
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