Contax IIa And Early Autumn On The AT

[br1078lum]

I needed to get some more practice using the Sunny 16 method of exposure calculation, and since my Yashica YF decided to malfunction, I loaded up the Zeiss Contax IIa (Opton Sonnar 50/2 and orange filter) with a roll of Ilford FP4 PLUS 125, and drove up VA Route 311 to the top of Catawba Mountain.

There is a parking lot up at the top for day hikers who want to get the trail experience heading towards Dragons Tooth, or Macafee's Knob.  I had taken a short hike some time ago up both ways to find some photographic views of the valley below, and returned with a camera this time.  The section towards Dragons Tooth is rocky, rooted, and steep.  I have a hard time getting up there, but it is worth it.  On the other side of the highway, the trail actually is part of a Forestry Service fire road, so it's much wider, better maintained, and less steep.  Some day I hope to get to Macafee's Knob, as the view there is breathtaking.


Mountain Angel by br1078phot, on Flickr
Seen along the side of VA Rt 311, near Hanging Rock.


Mason Cove And Ft. Lewis Mountain by br1078phot, on Flickr
A little hamlet in the valley between Ft. Lewis and Catawba Mountains.  I found a pull-off when I saw this view, and walked back to get the shot.  There are not many clear areas on the side of the mountain, and one has to take advantage of them when they appear.


Marker On The AT by br1078phot, on Flickr
The Appalachian Trail (AT) stretches from Georgia to Maine for over 2000 miles.  It crosses the Blueridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and many other roads and mountains in Virginia.


Valley Home by br1078phot, on Flickr
One has to manuever down some rocks to get this view, but it's worth it.


Three Mountains by br1078phot, on Flickr
Catawba on the left, Ft. Lewis on the right, and Brushy in the background.  Va Rt 311 winds it's way past Ft. Lewis, and up Catawba. Bradshaw Road goes through the Mason Creek Valley down below.


Tree Fungus With Insect by br1078phot, on Flickr
It's kind of hard to see, but there is one there.  This was the last shot on the roll, and if I had known that (the Contax has a malfuntioning film counter), I would have waited for the bug to get in the light.  I'm too used to trying to get shots of bees, which are never still long enough for one to focus.

The complete set is at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7699588@N07/sets/72157627717569631/

PF

[Dennis Gallus]

Phil,

Your Sonnar gives some very crisp images.  I particularly like Mason Cove and Valley Home.  I must admit, I do miss my occasional hikes in Shenandoah National Park, especially at this time of year as the leaves are changing.

Dennis

[Julio1fer]

Looks like a beautiful trail to walk with a good camera. The shots are very sharp and you took pains to compose them well, and your Contax is a good substitute for the Yashica!

I remember an article in National Geographic about the Appalachian Trail - 2000 miles of trail is about 1000 times the maximum I have walked on trails, but I'm pretty sure there are people walking it all from end to end. The area must be wonderful in the fall season.

Did you see any wildlife besides that insect?

[CarlosE]

What beautiful place you have there Phil !!!
And your photos show us signs of the excellence of the Zeiss Contax.
Thanks you very much for to share with us.

Carlos

[LarryD]

Outstanding.

[br1078lum]

Dennis, I almost moved to Front Royal.  I was going to take a maintainers position there so I would be close to Skyline Drive.  But the Blue Ridge is no slouch for great views either.

Julio, there are folks who start on one end, and go all the way to the other.  Some just do it in sections if they cannot take the time for the whole trip.  Then others like me only make it to local portions of the trail.  I mostly stick to the easier sections as my ticker won't take the steep climbs for long periods.  And wildlife usually scatters when a human approaches, so I take the time to stop every once in a while, and just listen.  Soon enough, something will make an appearance.  As I was walking along the one section, I had the camera in my hand, to get a quick shot if neccessary.  But my hand started sweating, so I put the camera back in the bag.  I took three steps, and a small bird (Slate Junco) jumped up from the edge of the trail, and landed in a tree about three feet off the ground, and not more than four feet from me.  It had a bug in it's beak, and just sat there.  I knew if I went for the camera, it would just take off, so I just stood and watched it for a while.  Then a little while later, I heard a pileated woodpecker whistling high up in the trees.  I located it, but only got a view of it's back, and a small glimpse of it's head, then it took off.  I never would have gotten a shot of it without using a tele, and I had just ran out of film anyway.  It could have landed close like the Junco, and there would have been nothing I could do about it.  But these big woodpeckers like to stay up in the treetops, so getting a shot takes a lot of skill, and a modicum of luck.

Thanks, Carlos.  I'm lucky to have made the choice to move to this area when the job demanded it.

Larry, thanks Bro.

PF

[Murphy]

Stunning shots - what a lovely place to hike.

[jamesmck]

Simply beautiful, Phil.  I must give some exercise to my IIa.

James

[Austintatious]

Looks like you have sunny 16 down pretty well Phil.Very nice images...all of them! Three Mountains is my fav.

Charles

[br1078lum]

Thanks, Dave and James.

Charles, my big breakthrough on using Sunny 16 was when I took the Mercury II for a spin, as it has a built-in exposure calculator on the back.  But then I go and have to complicate things by using a 2x filter to increase the contrast.  It made me stop and think twice about which aperture to select for the mixed lighting in the woods.

PF

[George in Georgia]

Wonderful pictures and bring back fond memories.  I spent the years from 4th grade through college in the Richmond, VA area.  My family did A LOT of tent camping in the Blue Ridge.  Do the names Lewis Mountain park, Hone Quarry park, Peaks of Otter ring a bell?  How about Mabry Mill?  I remember hiking up Flat Top Mountain, the descent was perhaps more taxing than the assent.

I've got to dig out the negatives I shot during my teens in that lovely area.  Not with anything as grand as a Contax, how about a Retina 1, Komaflex S and a Japanese late 50's rangefinder with a f2 lens, the fabled Beauty 35.  Really! Not a bad box, until the Seikosha shutter blew up.

And I have the hundreds of slides my father shot with his Asahiflex IIb.

[br1078lum]

George, I've driven the Blue Ridge from Skyline Drive (also did that) to just shy of the NC border.  I've got an album of shots from when I first moved down here that I need to get digitized one of these days.  I don't recall the two parks you mention, but I've been to the other places.  I plan on taking the bus up to Flattop though, as I can't handle steep grades.

I've used plenty of other cameras when up on the Ridge, and I find that the biggest thing is to have some filters to handle the air conditions.  Yellow or Orange when shooting b&w, and a good Skylight 1A when using color.  And to go when it's right after a front comes through and clears everything out.  I have gotten good results from Yashica, Canon, and Konica rangefinders, and a couple of slr's too.  I've even got a couple of p&s cameras that give nice results.

Ah, the Canter Beauty.  Nice little camera.  Hope you can get it fixed sometime.  I came close to getting one, but got outbid at the last.  Then I got interested in something else, so maybe one day I'll come across one locally.  Get those negs scanned and posted.

PF

[radiophoto]

Phil, these are all beautiful, and I must add my praise of your Sunny 16 success to the others'.  What most impressed me, however (for some quirky reason), was how well you captured the sign marker's lettering -- there's a combination of light and shadow in each letter that makes such a rustic object beautiful.  Nice job all around!

I had a Kiev 4a (Contax clone, as you know) that I sold off recently because it, too, had a malfunctioning film counter.  It was the only thing I didn't like about it, but it was enough.

[br1078lum]

Thanks, Pete.  Some day I hope to get the film counter fixed, but I don't think I'll ever get rid of the camera.  Even if the thing fell apart internally, I'd keep it for an example of fine German craftsmanship, as it's too nice looking to just put away in a drawer.  Now if I could only remember to count exposures.

PF

[Raid Amin]

The images are beautiful. Thanks.

I have been up to the top of Dragon's Tooth with friends many times during my graduate studies at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg). The view from the top is just beautiful. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

I use an Opton 50/1.5, but also use Zeiss  50/1.5 before it was Opton labeled.
These old lenses are wonderful lenses.