Welcome to Point Pleasant Beach: the second stop on my Lomochrome Metropolis tour around New Jersey.
After work one night a few weeks ago, Neil and I went to Point Pleasant Beach. It’s been quite some time since we’ve been to that particular shore town, and we’ve never gone without the kids. We had dinner next to the ocean. I spilled part of a strawberry daquiri onto my feet, and spent the rest of the night with sticky toes. We walked down the boardwalk, and wandered into the amusement area. A teenage girl complemented the film camera I had hanging around my neck. I took some pictures, and then we drove back home.
I suggested Point Pleasant in part because of the Lomochrome Metropolis film in my camera. If you missed part one of the Metropolis story, you can find it here. But in a nutshell, I had taken a film designed for cities, and tried to use it among nature. And the results were fairly meh. I needed a subject that was not of the natural world. The boardwalk shops and amusements seemed like a good bet.
Phone Photos
But first, the digital images. I didn’t bring my fancy pants digital camera with me, because this trip was meant to be all about the film. But I did have my phone. And I couldn’t resist using it. I don’t think these phone pictures live up to those from previous Point Pleasant trips, though.
Maybe that’s because I think it’s really best when you’re there with your kids and they’re little and smiling, playing in the sand, and being cute.
So, these are ok. But like I said, I’ve taken better. The sky was super cloudy, the atmosphere was odd, and I was having trouble capturing the scenery the way that I saw it, especially in the amusement area. They’re fine snapshots, though, and I should not be too critical. It’s not like I’m trying to win any awards here. I’m just capturing a night out with my husband 😀
Film Photos
These were taken with my Rebel 2000.
As I mentioned earlier, I chose a boardwalk town for our night out because I wanted to give the Metropolis film a chance to shine. And I do really like these images. They’re not entirely realistic, but that’s kind of the point. They were never supposed to adequately represent what we saw that night. They were meant to capture a vibe. And I think they did that.
The vibe is vintage. It’s mechanical yet warm. Stuff built by human beings. Buildings. Metal things. Blinking lights. High contrast muted tones with pops of red or yellow here and there.
I like it. I think Lomochrome Metropolis is much better suited to boardwalk stalls and amusement rides than it is to trees and waterfalls.
This film has an ISO range of 100 to 400, and from what I’ve seen around the internet, the Metropolis vibe is strongest at 400, and weakest at 100. I wish I could remember what setting I used, but I’m pretty sure it was probably 200. I like to be middle of the road with these things when I’m first trying them out. Though I might have changed it to 400 if the lighting conditions required it. I should have written this stuff down 🤦🏻♀️
Anyway, the Metropolis saga is not over! I had some film left after this outing, so there will be a third installment to this story. Can you guess where I used the last of the roll? I’ll give you a hint: choo choooooo!
