Frugal Film Project September 2024 - Dayton in the Details
For this month’s Frugal Film Project roll, I decided to go with a rather loose theme of shooting architectural details in Dayton, Ohio on 9/21/2024. I say “loose” because during my walk around town I more or less just shot what was interesting to me. Looking to get a little more reach and flexibility in my compositions, I left my trusty 50mm f/1.8D prime lens at home, and instead opted for the rather un-loved 28-80mm kit lens that many of the Nikon N/F80’s were sold with originally. With a variable aperture of f/3.3 to f/5.6, the kit lens isn’t great for low light work but for a sunny day its just fine. This lens came with one of my dead N80 bodies that I bought for parts, so the cost for me was less than $10. These lenses can be picked up rather cheaply on eBay for $30 or even less if you are patient.
For my walk, since it was super bright and sunny, I also screwed a cheap 25A red filter onto the end to help pop the skies a bit, and also add some contrast. Unfortunately, the last day of Summer also felt like the hottest, as if Mother Nature was telling us that Ohio was going to go straight from Summer to Winter, skipping Autumn all-together. By the time I finished it was already 91 degrees and felt even hotter in the city.
I parked at Deeds Point and started my walk. This was a great starting point with the fountain towers, the bridge, and the newly constructed Greater Dayton School. Here are a few shots from that location. Click on the first image to open larger in a new window.
From there I walked to Courthouse Square on Main Street. This area has a lot of different architecture that’s a blend of both old and new. Click on the first image to open larger in a new window.
I then started to head West, taking shots along the way. Click on the first image to open in a new window.
I made my way from there across the river and on the steps of the Masonic Temple. This is one of my favorite buildings in Dayton, and I tried to capture some of the details rather than taking the easy shot straight on of the front of the building and the columns. Click on the first image to open in a new window.
I finished the roll of film while at the Masonic Temple, and then walked back across town to Deeds Point where I parked the car. One thing I should have done was take water with me on the walk - 3.5 hours in the heat really dehydrated me, and I did not feel good at all when I got back to the car. Thankfully I had a bottle of water in the back and was able to rehydrate and feel better before heading home. They say that you get wiser with age, but I still somehow find a way to make stupid mistakes.
I developed the EZ400 film at home later that afternoon with Rodinal mixed to the 1:25 ratio for 5.5 minutes. It’s been so hot here lately that the water coming out of the tap was 75.2F degrees. I had to cool it down for a bit to get it down close to 68F before I began. That’s the hottest I’ve seen our water - usually it is about 72-73F at most during the Summer. For the last day of Summer, that’s a bit extreme. Times they are a-changing.
After developing I scanned the roll with my Nikon CoolScan V, with some light dust removal in photoshop.
With only 3 more months left for the Project, I’m already looking forward to shooting a different film and camera for the challenge in 2025. This has been a great way to keep me motivated this year and I plan on continuing it thru next year.
That’s all for now! Thanks so much for reading, and if you have any questions please feel free to email me.
Jeremy
