So here is the story. Some weeks ago Lovely Wife informs me over dinner that
pictures are required. I perk up. Such opportunities are to be treasured, as
they provide justification for owning more photographic gear (OM and other).
She has been shepherding the building of the new Tarrant County Family Law
Center (that's "Courthouse" for Walt) for the past seven years. Ribbon
cutting is coming up and the architects included a time capsule in the
construction. She wants aerials of the new building. Cool. This involves
flying, too. The time capsule will be opened in 50 years. So, we now have a
unique test opportunity, too. I can place archivally processed
silver-gelatin images in the same environment with color digital prints and
see what each looks like after 50 years hermetically sealed in an argon
atmosphere. I get to exercise the OMs AND the new c*n*n digi-SLR.
I assign her to procure a camera mount. She comes back the next day. Charlie
will fly you. What does Charlie have? "Some old Cessna."
Arrangements are made. Charlie's "old Cessna" is a restored 1946
Cessna 195. Two-hundred-and-seventy-five
horsepower Jacobs 9-cylinder radial engine. Sweet-sounding. Actual
Rolls-Royce interior yardage: mohair headliner cloth, maroon leather seats,
wool carpet. Four-time Oshkosh Champion Cessna 195. Nice ride. The only
window that opens, though, is a TV-dinner-sized crank-down on the pilot's
side. Charlie says, "Just lean over me. I can still fly." Yeah, but can I
shoot?
After I wipe my feet and climb in, we launch from Cleburne Muni early on a
Sunday morning in June. It's been pretty mild so far this year. Arriving
over downtown Fort Worth, I can see summer has arrived and that it is the
haziest day so far this year. We make six orbits of downtown at 1000
feet. Meacham
Tower is very accommodating. We are in their airport traffic zone but nobody
else is up this early.
I shoot the digital and the OM-1n (Morgan Sparks red lizard) with Delta 400
at 400. Deep yellow 15 and a red 25A. Leaning over Charlie really isn't too
bad. The window frame intrudes in a few shots but I can handle it. I mostly
shoot the 100/2.8 (sold my beautiful 100/2!) and the 180/2.8; along with a
few frames through with the 50/1.4 SN. I include the confluence of the Elm
and Clear Forks of the Trinity River as well as the Courthouses and
downtown. A planned massive redevelopment - with canals and urban
residential constuction - will completly change that landscape in a few
years.
On our last orbit a hot air balloon rises from the misty Trinity River
bottoms. I have Charlie come around again and I catch the balloon with the
new Courthouse and our beautiful 1895 pink Texas granite Courthouse in the
background. Then Charlie makes one more so that he can have me shoot his
S*ny digicam. Charlie shows me the pictures on his camera. Him and Gerry
Spence at Gerry's ranch in Montana. Gerry's own web site declares him
"America's
finest trial lawyer." Must be true; it's on the Internet. But Charlie is
fine folks; great taste in airplanes (he has four other classic
tail-draggers back in the hangar), and a steady stick. On the return trip to
Cleburne, I shoot Charlie in the cockpit of the airplane he clearly loves
with the Zuiko 16/3.5 and Provia.
Then, the film is off to our own Ken "Silver Snozz" Norton. A few weeks more
and the prints arrive. Ken has worked his darkroom magic and salvaged
downright presentable silver prints – despite the US Postal Service and
their shiny new X-ray machines. More rounds with the local pro lab and we
get a comparable stack of Fuji Professional and Crystal Archive digital
color prints.
The ribbon cutting was held today. LW was a featured speaker and was warmly
thanked for her dedicated efforts to help create our beautiful new
Courthouse. I shot more Delta 400. This time, with the OM-4T. It's off to
Ken tomorrow. The time capsule will be interred in a few weeks (a period
chosen by the County Commissioners to be long enough for a new news cycle
and another story in the paper). I will be sure to post the results to the
OM list when we open the capsule back up and compare the print.
Regards,
Gary Edwards
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