“Reeds and Reflections” by Robin Conover Canon EOS 3, Velvia film, ISO 50 EF 70-200mm at 100mm, 2.8 L lens fl8 at 1 second, Bogen tripod
Hiking along the South Fork of the Cumberland River in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is my favorite location for fall color, especially reflections. Between Jamestown and Oneida, the area has numerous trails, overlooks and photo opportunities.
As hints of fall begin to show in the leaves, the summer green palette transforms into subtle yellows, soon deepening to bright orange and brilliant reds as fall advances. I photographed “Reeds and Reflections” in 1998 on a sunny morning in mid-October. I recently ran across the original slide of this image, and that got me looking back.
Reflecting on nearly 35 years of photography experience, I realize that some of my favorite images I ever shot were on Velvia slide film. It is a 50 ASA film with very fine grain that you can still purchase today. It produces incredibly sharp images with vibrant colors.
I probably shot my last roll of Velvia in 2004 or 2005 when I transitioned to the digital workflow I use today. All of my digital images reside on external hard drives sitting on my desk. All of my negatives and slides shot before 2003 reside in 10 large file cabinets.
There is definitely a look and quality to images shot on film that I miss, but the convenience and versatility of digital outweigh film as an option for me today.
Finding this slide took me right back to standing on the riverbank, setting up my tripod to capture the light and colors of that day.
