Weekend Holgasm
 

I haven't posted in a while mostly because I have not been any place too interesting. Fair enough. Finally got a chance to take a weekend away, so we headed west to Port Townsend, WA. I grew up there until the ripe old age of 5. Since I live in Seattle which is close, it's a short enough trip that we opt to go a lot. I have some great memories in the area, so the trips just mean a lot. I brought my color film camera and my Holga loaded with B&W Ilford HP5 Plus. As always, I learn more about the Holga/film combination with every print I see. So here are a few of my favorite shots.

1. Tower

Easily my favorite, the lifeguard watch tower is right on the salty Pacific Ocean. The shot I took of this with the Minolta just doesn't have the personality that the Holga grabbed. To me, the Holga asks more questions of odd structures than it answers.

http://home.comcast.net/~bhjazz/Tower4x.jpg



2. Parking

This old car with the stark background touched a part of my memory of my childhood here. My parents had a 1965 Mercury station wagon, and I recall a few shots in front of our own house in town which I remember had a similar garage door. Our car was, obviously, much cleaner.

http://home.comcast.net/~bhjazz/HolgaDeadCar4x.jpg



3. The Quarantine House.

(The house is currently being used as the Northwest Maritime Center Wooden Boat Foundation office. Check it out: my old house is on the main page at http://www.woodenboat.org/ !!!)

My dad owned this house for quite a few years back in the 70s. Historically, it was a quarantine station back in the 1930s. Around the corner from it is the quarantine officer's house. From the front porch and with a good arm, you could throw a rock across the street and hit the inlet where the boats and crab nets were. To the right of the photo about a block away is more Pacific ocean and a sandy beach where I used to throw more rocks. In the field to the right of the photo, I drove a neighbors go-cart once. I had no idea that there was a brake, so i just floored it. All I remember is that my dad was running behind me trying to get me to slow down. We still laugh about that.

http://home.comcast.net/~bhjazz/QuarantineHolga4x.jpg



4. Farmhouse

One more piece of history: this is the farmhouse my father grew up in. It was built in 1931 and still stands today. I estimate the house is probably 400 sq ft total, with an attic (yes, there really is one.) Out front used to be a 1930-something Ford Truck that everybody in the family wanted, in spite of the incredible rust. My uncle, a true "car guy" got it and went through hell updating it. The property that the house stands on used to be 40 acres until grandpa sold off 20 acres further back and kept the 20 closer to the road. There was a story that the original 40 acres were bought into the family from the Indians, but I don't know for sure. I can look at this photo and still smell the berries that grew behind where I stood to take the photo. Sorry for the contrast. Dark, late afternoon.

http://home.comcast.net/~bhjazz/FarmHouseDarkwrk4x.jpg



5. The Star Polaris

Port Townsend is a small port, but it houses more boats than you can shake a barnacle at. A large number of them are in drydock, getting repaired or painted or left to rust. The Star Polaris is a pretty good size, and a nice reminder of how beautiful wooden boats can be.

http://home.comcast.net/~bhjazz/StarPolaris.jpg



6. Flipper's.

When we would drive home from Port Angeles where my grandparents were to Port Townsend, one of the last restaurants we noticed as kids was Flipper's. As a child of the 60s, I'm sure I would have expected Flipper the fish to somehow be in the restaurant, maybe even serving us food on his nose. My sister and I would plead and hope that we could eat dinner there before going home. I don't think we ever did, but I can still hope to some day.

http://home.comcast.net/~bhjazz/Flippers4x.jpg

very nice juju.........great little stories to go along with some sweet pics.


thanks for finally taken pics again

These are great. I really love the feel that pictures taken with a Holga give.

My favourite is the last one.

Flippers is Yum! :)

My grandparents are in Bremerton, and the last time we were up there they took us ALL over the area .. and we stopped to have lunch at Flippers.

awesome pics... and even better commentary...

Those shots have a haunting atmosphere to them that I find very appealing.

Thanks for sharing these.

Nice slice of juju life!

Thanks for the peek into your past, and even doing it with my most favorite of toys...... :thumbsup:

Very cool - and I have to agree with you. My favorite is the lifeguard station shot. Can't wait for your next post! ;)

Many thanks, my friends, for the nice comments. What a grand reception!

I was studying what these photos eventually look like online and noticed what makes them stand out and look maybe more obscure or haunting. It seems to me that it's the sky. Look at that featureless, depthless backdrop. Most of the time it resembles a canvas hastily painted, and hung to cover up something else. Well, that's what I see. YMMV.

amonkie - ah, so you've been there. Cool! That's a pretty good drive from Da Brem'. As for trivia, Sir Mix A Lot had a tune on one of his earlier albums called Bremolo...about girls from Bremerton. But that was a long time ago and I'm pretty sure I've lost the cassette tape now........

Thanks friends!

That's true juju.
The lack of cloud is especially effective with the fall-off the holga gives in the corners.

I don't know, I get this 'Hitchcock-esque' feeling that doom is creeping in from the sides like a fleeting glimpse from the corner of my eye.(as Pink Floyd once said)
It makes them seem more lonely and abandoned. My imagination runs riot.

oooh I like that old house.

does the Holga cause that vingetting or are you editing the pics yourself? either way, they look really good. great atmosphere in all the pics. my fav is the shot of the old car.

Nice set of pics, I like your descriptions.
Thanks for taking the time to share them.

honey, you have a special gift.

Thank you for sharing in such a unique "America sorta" way!

Yes, by all means - make the book. It is time.

That is a property of the Holga. I believe it has to do with the distance that the film lies from the lens...unsure. Plus, Holgas have some focus problems that are different with each camera made. Mostly it is the outer edges. Mine, for instance is outer edges and the lower right hand corner. I try to remember that when I shoot.

God Bless you! Thank you very much.

Port Townsend is an awesome place for photography!! Lots of interesting stories in the sleepy little town!

I'm originally from Oak Harbor, just across a ferry ride from PT, and now I'm in Bremerton/Silverdale area, so it's only about an hours drive or so from here, I should look into getting up there more often.

Thanks for the pics and the ideas to get back up there!!

I needed that

NOT A LIFEGAURD STATION.............
 

http://home.comcast.net/~bhjazz/Tower4x.jpg

IT'S AN AUTOMATED LIGHT HOUSE/RADAR REFLECTER THAT HELPS CONTROL
THE SHIPPING IN PUGET SOUND.......... :thumbsup: XOXOXOO

Really cool pictures. I had to research the Holga camera since, after seeing your pictures I thought it really didn't a picture of what's there...more like a surreal impression, Dreamy. Cool Shots I like them.
Thanks to Bobby for explaining the Lighthouse/Radar I was thinking how weird to put channel marker on land.

Radar reflector, eh? That's even better! Thanks for the description. I was kindof wondering why that stinky ol' beach would need a lifeguard anyway...

cJoe: I highly recommend Holgas. They are cheap (usually $20) and you can get exposed (pun inteded) to really great professional films. I sometimes see it like putting expensive Pirelli's on a Yugo. And I like the shots they produce for the same reason as you: they end up looking more dreamy than they have a right to.

Thanks!