Westpoint Academy overlooking the river. This week's post will be short and sweet, pretty much like my mini-trip to Poughkeepsie, NY to visit my sister. The few days I spent with her I managed to snag some cool images both in medium and large format. But while scanning remains on hold, the Hasselblad negatives will have to do for now.

The only day I managed to shoot anything was the afternoon my sister used her military access, marine wife (^_^), to get us a fun little tour/hike around Westpoint. It was a very classy place with a very "Ivy League" feel around some of its older buildings. And considering my only previous knowledge of Westpoint came from watching Patrick Swayze in "North and South", I really had no idea what to expect.

I now present to you some pretty basic scenics, most of which were taken while waiting for the light to shape up a little bit more for the 8x10.

A pretty cool inscription, click for larger size.

There was a suprising amount of traffic on the river!

My sister (right) running 8x10 guard duty. ^__^

Just something about gnarly trees over the water.

Something Good: Well, Portra VC films are supposed to be "vivid", and even Portra that's 10+ years old managed to come out as saturated as ever.

Something Bad: I'm by no means wow'ed by any of these shots. I'm not sure if it's the very odd grain structure apparent in 160 speed film, or just the lack of a favorable subject matter.

Something Learned: Color negative film grows unpredictable each year it goes beyond its expiration date. This roll was a shining example, filled with unexpected grain and "wonky" shadows.

Next Week: Taking a look at the grainier side of life, Ilford Delta 3200 style. ^__^