We took a trip out west in September of 2023. I had a work conference in Scottsdale, and we hadn’t been to California in a few years. My son wanted to see Universal Studios Hollywood, and we wanted to see a friend who had moved to Santa Barbara several years ago. We stayed at the Santa Barbara Inn which is right next to the beach and is highly recommended. You can take in the view of the early morning cyclists and joggers from the patio as you enjoy your breakfast. We had a lovely stay, and look forward to returning soon. These shots are the last bit of Fuji 400H which I had in 35mm. It’s clear that the film looks much better fresh, but given that Fuji discontinued the film, there is really no option for fresh film. I do have some 120 left, so I had better get to shoot that before the beauty of that film is lost. All shot on the Canon EOS 1v with either the Canon 24mm f/1.4 or the 50mm f/1.2 lens.
You’re in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, home to the famous Orange Moose, and you have a few cameras and different film stocks with you. What would you do? Shoot the moose on four different films, of course.
Located just off Interstate 94, the Orange Moose stands approximately 15 feet tall, near a restaurant conveniently called the “Orange Moose Bar and Grill,” although it’s not entirely clear which came first, the restaurant or the moose. The story goes that the great moose was won in a dice game, and was originally brown in color. After the owner’s death, the moose made its way to the highway oasis and acquired its orange paint.
Armed with a Mamiya 645 ProTL and Mamiya 6, I set out to capture the moose on four film stocks, Kodak Ektar 100, Kodak Portra 160, Fuji Pro 400H, and Lomography X-Pro 200 (processed C-41). All film was processed by Richard Photo Lab. Take a look at the results:
The two square images were taken on the Mamiya 6 with the Mamiya 50mm f/4 lens. The remaining two were shot on the Mamiya 645 Pro TL with the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 lens. To add a twist, one of the rolls shot on the Mamiya 645 Pro TL with a roll of 35mm, shot using the Mamiya 135 insert. Have you made your guesses? Let’s see how you did.
Let’s start with the easiest, the Lomography X-Pro 200, shot on the Mamiya 6. This can be processed with E-6 or C-41 per the label. This roll was processed C-41, and certainly produced the citrusy tones promised by the folks at Lomography.
The other image shot on the Mamiya 6 was shot on Kodak Ektar 100. It brought vibrant colors and was closest to the color of the moose as I remembered it.
The next two were shot on the Mamiya 645 Pro TL. The image in the upper right hand corner above was shot on the Mamiya 645 Pro TL using the Mamiya 135 insert with a 35mm roll of Kodak Portra 160. Great for skin tones. Not so great for an orange moose.
The last shot on the Mamiya 645 Pro TL was a 120 roll of Fuji Pro 400H. This film loves greens and blues, but doesn’t embrace orange like the Ektar, although the sky looks great.
The road takes us to more stops around Wisconsin and Minnesota this month, so stay tuned.
