Blooms in Winter

Strange apocalyptic plant that blooms when the grass all around is dry and dead, and even the light is dim.

Sometimes everything looks like a 1950s horror flick on black and white film, especially using the old original 50mm lens. This metal sculpture of a rose bush fits right in with the theme. I had been thinking of these photos and was just in the mood for this one.

This photo was taken with Kodak 400 ISO black and white film using my 40-year-old Pentax K1000, on one overcast winter day, January 14, 2020. I used the scans from the company that developed them just as they came off the roll of film, no adjustments at all.

I mentioned to a friend that I’d considered getting my hands on some black and white film to use in my old Pentax K-1000 for my Christmas walk on the trail, but I couldn’t find any to purchase anywhere, and had no idea who developed it now. There is nothing like black and white film, and it’s been years since I’ve used it. He mentioned he had a few rolls and he’d give me some, which he did, and I waited for the right moment to load it in my camera and head out the door.

I’d decided I would walk to the grocery store along a path I’ve walked and photographed before (Misty Morning Walk, Walk to the Grocery Store). I had to re-orient myself to all the settings and discovered my light meter wasn’t working. That wasn’t stopping me, even though I was sure I’d get muddy dark or gray overexposed photos by just guessing, and I was thoroughly surprised when I saw the images. They are unfortunately grainy, even though I set my shutter speed as low as 1/15, and never higher than 60, just by guesswork, but the day was just that dark. I mailed it off to be processed, and these are the results.

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, visit my galleries of Photography on Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “Custom Prints” for availability and terms. I'll be more than happy to make a print for you.