Seattle with my $13.50 Canonet (Sea 06)

Reflx Lab light meter

Some appointments took me to Seattle in early April. My intent was to take the Amtrak to King Street Station and then use one of the Lime rental bicycles. But rain was predicted, so I left my helmet at home. Well, as per typical Puget Sound weather, rain was falling in Olympia, but Seattle was sunny. 

OK, time to walk and try one of the Seattle Stairway Walks, the one from City Hall to Pike Place. Plus, it was another opportunity to test my $13.50 Canonet Camera. It is equipped with a 40mm ƒ/1.7 lens, a remarkably capable 6-element double-Gauss design, single coated. 

Because the camera's built-in light meter no longer works, I used a small meter that fits into the flash shoe. Mine is a model from Reflx Lab. At least ten electronics companies in China make compact light meters to attach to vintage cameras. They appear to be very accurate when used the right way (i.e., point them at the appropriate subject). This Reflx model has one of the larger fonts in its display, perfect for my vision.

King Street Station Area

Amtrak at the King Street Station

The Amtrak is only $14.50 from Olympia to Seattle (as of spring 2025). It saves you from the constant Interstate 5 traffic congestion at Joint Base Lewis–McChord. But the train is often delayed, so accommodate your schedule.

South Jackson Street at 4th Avenue

Parking garage, 400 4th Avenue

Business District

Seattle City Hall steps

Seattle's "green" City Hall is located between 4th and 5th Avenues. These impressive steps are part of the Stairway Walk. A stream gurgles down the left side of the steps. An employee inside told me that the fountain had just been restarted the day before. 

The 1914 Arctic Club Building with terra cotta walrus sculptures 

3rd Avenue view south (with a grumpy bus)

Federal Building steps leading to 1st Avenue

1224 1st Avenue

Pike Place

Public Market entrance from Pike Place

Vendor, main floor, Pike Place Market

Mmmm, nothing better than good ice cream

Lunch means Cioppino (Samsung digital file)

Maybe a hearty Cioppino in the market is better than ice cream. Maybe? 

Belltown

Waiting for riders on Pine Street

4th Avenue view south

By about 1 pm, the rain really started coming down. I took the trolley to Lake Union, completed my appointment, and returned to King Street station for the ride home. 

I took these pictures on April 7, 2025, using Kodak Portra 160 film, exposed at EI=100. I scanned the negatives with a Nikon Coolscan 5000 film scanner run by NikonScan software on a Windows 7 computer. 

Update: the Canonet has been overhauled and cleaned at Zacks Camera Repair in Providence, RI. I am awaiting its return home.

NO KINGS! in Olympia, Washington (Oly 20)

On June 14, 2025, over 5000 Olympians and other Washingtonians gathered at the Washington State Capitol to protest against the Trump administration and show solidarity with millions of protestors around the country at other rallies. 

I headed up the hill on my bicycle and took photographs, stopped at the booths, spoke to people, and sent a postcard to an eligible voter in Georgia, urging her to register to vote and support Jon Ossof. Several protesters and I commiserated how we now have a lot more respect for  Richard Nixon.

Signs and costumes lined Capitol Way, turning it into a honkfest from supportive motorists. 

I saw more policemen at the periphery of the Capitol grounds than during the previous protests, but they  were just standing around and chatting.

Recall how Jeffrey Epstein just sort of committed suicide while under supervision in a prison cell in New York State. Hmmm....

Less greed? Could it possibly be that this administration has become a giant state-sponsored kleptocracy? Naw, not our USA.....

This protest was one of hundreds held around the United States and even abroad. 

840 protests in USA (from ACLED)

I took these photographs with my Fuji X-E1 digital camera and the Fuji 18-55mm zoom lens. These are jpeg files from the camera with some cropping for display here. I used the Fuji Astia emulation (Astia was one of their later transparency films).

I photographed the Not My Presidents Day protest with black and white film. It has a different aesthetic look compared to the color digital frames above.

Nice Surprise! Tacoma with Fuji Presto 400 B&W Film (Abandoned Films 14b)

Classic B&W Film

My Indiana friend, Jim Grey, sent me some 3-packs of a type of Fuji film I had never used before, Presto 400. This was the Japanese name for their Neopan 400 Professional, a high-speed, black and white negative film with an ISO speed of 400. I read that Fuji originally aimed this product at sports and documentary photography. Sadly, Fuji discontinued it in 2013.

This film reached me via one of the handy connectivity functions that the internet can provide (sometimes). A fellow in North Carolina wrote to Hamish Gill of 35MMC.com that he wanted to donate some film to help fund the web page. But there was a minor problem. The film was in North Carolina, and Hamish was in the United Kingdom. Hamish emailed some of his regular US contacts, and, by amazing coincidence, Jim Grey was heading to North Carolina on business in a week. Jim went to see the donor and found a refrigerator full of film that had been imported from Japan. I do not know the details, but Jim sent half the film to Hamish and distributed the rest in USA. Jim generously sent some packs to me.

Tacoma, Washington

I like Tacoma! The waterfront is full of interesting industrial and railroad subject matter. On a rainy-drizzly day, I wandered around the waterfront with Presto in my Pentax MG camera. I set the exposure index at 320. Click any picture to see more details.

BNSF rail yard from East D Street (50mm ƒ/2 Pentax-A lens)

Turntable, BNSF rail yard

BNSF rail yard (50mm ƒ/2 Pentax-A lens)

East D Street view south (toning as a result of scanning as RGB full color; 135mm ƒ/3.5 Pentax-M lens)

Berg scaffolding company (35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lens)

Berg scaffolding company (35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lens)

Crossing tracks, J Street (35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lens)

Rail cars, J Street (50mm ƒ/2 Pentax-A lens)

Wood warehouse, East D Street, from under the 11th Street bridge

East D Street from the 11th Street bridge (35mm ƒ/2.8 Pentax-A lens)

This Presto 400, I love it! It is grainy, like 1970s and 1980s Kodak Tri-X (pre T-grain technology). This Presto has a gritty sharpness to it. I hate to use the term "sharp"because it has become a semi-useless buzzword among internet photo posters ("Is my lens sharp enough?"). But I am referring to contrast and edge distinction. Regardless of nomenclature, I plan to use more Presto in the future. Thanks, again, Jim! 

This is Abandoned Films no. 14b. I used Presto earlier this year when I took portraits at the Not My Presidents Day protest. Please use the search button if you are interested in other long-lost films. 

Another milestone: this is Urban Decay's 800th post.

Not My Presidents Day Protest with Presto 400 film (Oly 19)

Last Monday, May 26, 2025, the USA celebrated Memorial Day to commemorate fallen service members. Many died in action to help maintain the federal form of government that we now enjoy. We all benefit from their ultimate sacrifices.

I thought it was appropriate to show pictures from the "Not My Presidents Day" protest that was held at the Washington State Capitol on February 27, 2025. That these people can gather and express their feeling and beliefs is a key element of our form of government. Will we be able to continue protesting in the months ahead? When will the repression start? It has already begun on some university campuses.

Read the posters and signs below and consider what they are saying. The people in individual or group portraits gave me permission to take their pictures.

The Olympia State Capitol

SNAP refers to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Oozing into Gilead

The Handmaid's Tale is a horrifying allegory of a totalitarian state (The Republic of Gilead) where white women become breeding machines for the ruling class. "The novel explores themes of powerless women in a patriarchal society, loss of female agency and individuality, suppression of reproductive rights, and the various means by which women resist and try to gain individuality and independence." (from Wikipedia).

"It Takes All of Us to Make the USA" 

Checking out Truth (Fraud) Social?

The protesters were vocal and energetic, but largely mellow. No fire bombs or torching buildings. 

I took these phortographs on discontinued Fuji Presto 400 film, the same emulsion as Neopan 400 Professional. The camera was my little Pentax MG with a 50mm ƒ/2 Pentax-A lens. My Indiana friend, Jim Grey, sent me some boxes of this superb film. Based on limited experience, I think it resembles the classic older style of Tri-X. I will write about Presto in more detail in a later article. Thanks for the film, Jim!

This is Abandoned Films no. 14 and Oly no. 19.