Tag: Mercer County

Walking Princeton

A few weeks after New Jersey's Governor, Phil Murphy issued executive orders which effectively shut down non-essential businesses I ventured into downtown Princeton for a solitary photowalk with my Fuji X-T2 camera and XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR lens. I walked for over an hour, photographing everything and anything that caught my eye. I know I pushed the shutter button way too many times, but when I download the images to my iMac, there were several noticeable themes. I had photographed mostly doors and storefronts.

It was early spring, and many of the trees in Princeton were filled with blossoms. Normally the downtown would be filled with the hustle and bustle of people eating or shopping in the downtown stores and restaurants. However, the pandemic lockdown had forced most people to stay home. The streets and sidewalks were empty. That provided an opportunity to photograph storefronts without parked cars blocking the view.

I uploaded a set of images to Unsplash. They are licensed under a Creative Commons Zero license. You are free to download them from Unsplash and use for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial.

Palmer Square Kiosk, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Palmer Square Kiosk, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 250
Bench, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 500
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 200
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 1000
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 1250
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 1600
Den, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Den, 242 ½ Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 1000
Blue Point Grill, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Orange Brick, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 250
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Orange Chairs, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 400
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 400
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 1250
Princeton University Store, Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 400
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 200
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 200
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey
Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey | Tuesday 31 March 2020 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/6.4 | ISO 640

Thank you, Amy, for hosting Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #117.

Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.

Kodak Portra 400 with Minolta X-700 and MD Rokkor-X 50mm F:1.7

With 35mm film, you develop, scan and post your images weeks after the photographs were made.

NOTE: I'll begin this experience report with a brief disclaimer. It's been less than three years since I returned to shooting 35mm film after switching to digital photography over 20 years ago. I've inundated myself with as much film education as possible between web articles and advice from experienced film shooters. But, since my prior experience with film is decades old, this review is from a rather novice point of view.

Kiran, Bhavna and I walked in the Gulick Farm Preserve a few weeks ago. I brought my Fuji X-T2 and XF27mmF2.8 lens, my Minolta X-700, MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 lens, and a fresh 35 exposure catridge of Kodak Portra 400. Kodak Portra 400 is a fine-grain high-speed colour-negative film. I had never used Kodak Portra 400 before, but based on my experience with a roll of Kodak Portra 160 at Avalon Beach, I expected good results.

Bhavna and Kiran | Gulick Farm Preserve | Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film
Gulick Farm Preserve | Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film

The Gulick Farm Preserve walk was shorter than expected, so we dropped in at Barbara Smoyer Park. The light here was much brighter as we didn't have the forest to provide shade. The Kodak Portra 400 and the Minolta X-700 performed well.

Barbara Smoyer Park | Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film
Barbara Smoyer Park | Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film

Later that week, Bhavna and I were at Brick Fram Tavern for our regular weekly "dinner and chat". At this time of the year, the sun sets sooner. I was interested to see how the Kodak Portra 400 would perform in changing lighting conditions as the sun went down.

Brick Farm Taveren | Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film
Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film
Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film
Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film
Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film

Earlier in the week, I had stopped at the Princeton Fire Department on Witherspoon Street to make some images for the Lens Artist challenge.

Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film
Minolta X-700 | Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 | Kodak Portra 400 Colour Film

Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Hoping to make some photographs for a photo challenge, I went into Princeton and walked around near the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

From Wikipedia:

In 1930, Princeton University established the School of Public and International Affairs, which was originally meant to serve as an interdisciplinary program for undergraduate students in Princeton's liberal arts college. In 1948, the School added a graduate professional program and was renamed to honor Woodrow Wilson, who was the 13th president of the University, governor of New Jersey and the 28th president of the United States.
...
In 2015, student protesters forced Princeton to reconsider having the School named after Wilson due to his racist views, of which they disapproved. The Wilson Legacy Review Committee ultimately decided to keep his name attached to the School, noting that, like many other notable figures from American history, Wilson had a "complex legacy of both positive and negative repercussions".

On June 26, 2020, following the eruption of George Floyd protests and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Princeton University Board of Trustees decided to rename the Woodrow Wilson School the "Princeton School of Public and International Affairs", citing Wilson's "racist thinking and policies [that] make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students, and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms." It was also announced that Wilson College, the first of Princeton's six undergraduate residential colleges, will be renamed First College. Woodrow Wilson opposed admitting African-American students to Princeton and introduced racial segregation into the United States federal civil service as President.

I wanted to capture the intensity of the contrast between the white of the columns and the shadows but the overhead clouds didn't care what I wanted, obscuring much of the light. I also think I arrived an hour too late.

Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.