Yes, I’m still trying to pull a Buena Vista Panorama image – a super-ultra-wide panorama with 120 film and my Rolleflex Automat MX camera – for Competition Season 2024. And so far, I’ve had some okay shots and some less than successful shots.
So let’s try something else.
Road trip to my alma mater.
Hamilton College’s most distinctive building is its 200-year-old three-story chapel building. The Chapel is in the heart of the campus, and is a centerpiece of college life. I’ve seen some panoramic shots of the Chapel that were taken in the early 20th century, and those shots were stunning.
But can I pull something together with my panoramic film setup? Or does this just not have a prayer of success?
I arrived on campus on a late October morning. Set up the tripod on the side of Campus Road. Panned a few shots from left to right. If I can get this … maybe there’s a possibility this could work.
The film came back from the developers a couple of days ago. Let’s see how we do.
Here’s a three-image panorama. And …
And … hmm …
It’s not great … but I see something here. I was able to line everything up. I was able to create a flat grassline and get the Chapel straight up and in the center of the panorama.
It ain’t perfect … but it is making me think. And by “think,” I mean that I might just go back up to campus at some point … and try this shot again. Whether I use a more high contrast B&W film like efke or Kodak Verichrome Pan … or if I go color slide with some Fuji Velvia, or even just straight-up color print film (I swear I have some Kodak Ektar in the freezer) …
It’s not great … it ain’t perfect … but it’s actually making me think that I just … might … try this subject again.
And that actually makes me feel good about this project.
We shall see.
Chuck The Writer 
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