Hidden Falls, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.
The spectral figure by the water is a fellow camper who was throwing sticks to his dog (which didn’t even register on the film). One of the things that I’ve found fascinating in this excursion into pinhole photography is that the long exposures add a dimension of time to the otherwise two-dimensional image; you can see, in the three minutes the shutter was open, what things are permanent (or nearly so) and what things are not: a fast-moving dog leaves no trace; his master leaves just a blur; moving water is reduced to streams of white; and limestone walls abide. Add to this the long set-up time (I’m down to about two or three minutes to get myself ready to take a shot–set up tripod, mount camera, lash film holder to camera, remove dark slide, glance at watch, open shutter, wait), and the long developing process (standing in the old coal room in my basement in total darkness with five trays of liquid–soak, developer, stop, fix, wash–using an iPod playlist of 5 minute songs as a timer), and I’m starting to get glimpses of a different way of seeing time, and a better understanding of patience.
Let a man take time enough for the most trivial deed, though it be but the paring of his nails.
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