Kodak Tri-X 400

I shot a lot of Tri-X back in the '70's, and I still always keep some in stock.

I've used a lot of Kodak Tri-X in the last 45 or so years. This is a roll of the 120 size.

Here is my little pinhole camera I made out of an empty Kodak Tri-X 35mm film box once I had cut a length of unexposed Tri-X film to use in it as a single negative. (In total darkness, of course!) I had cut a special holder out of cardboard from a box of raisins, which was the same thickness as the film box, to hold the negative in place at the back of the camera. I had cut a frame in it so that the area which is normally exposed on 35mm film was approximated. It turned out to be a little wider than a normal 35mm frame, but I figured that wouldn't matter. The piece of duct tape down the top/middle was my "shutter." I doubled the end over at the top so I could pull it lose to start my exposures.

This is the very first negative I ever shot on Kodak Tri-X black and white film. And it was just a couple years ago that I found it. Actually, I uncovered it. When the lab was developing this roll, they had tape over the beginning, which covered up this negative two numbers before the properly named number 1 negative. I removed the tape, washed off the tape residue and it revealed this first ever shot I took. Pretty important to me! Camera: Konica Autoreflex TC Lens: Konica Hexanon 50mm, f/1.7 Film: Kodak Tri-X, 400 ASA black and white film Date: February 12th, 1978 Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Konica Tri-X Star Trek 00ef

Last night I took a picture of the television screen while Star Trek was on. I got to thinking that the shot looked familiar. Looking through my old negatives, I found an identical shot I had taken back in 1978. It's kind of weird having taken two identical shots that were spread out over so many years. Camera: Konica Autoreflex TC Lens: Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7 Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 ASA 35mm B&W film Date: February 12th, 1978 Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Konica Tri-X Star Trek 09df

This was my old girlfriend Susan, from September 1980, when we went to the local park and I took some portraits of her.

My old girlfriend, Susan, from September 1980.

This was my girlfriend at the time, Susan, posing for me at the local park. Camera: Minolta XD11 Lens: Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm, f/1.2 Film: Kodak Tri-X, 400 ASA black and white film Shooting Program: Aperture Priority Date: September 1980 Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Minolta XD11 Kodak Tri-X Susan 1981 12ef

This was my girlfriend at the time, Susan, posing for me at our town's park, with the local reservoir behind her. Camera: Minolta XD11 Lens: Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm, f/1.2 Film: Kodak Tri-X, 400 ASA black and white film Shooting Program: Aperture Priority Date: September 1980 Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Minolta XD11 Kodak Tri-X Susan 1980 18ef

Shot for a college photography assignment. Camera: Minolta XD11 Lens: Minolta MD Rokkor-X 50mm, f/1.2 Film: Kodak Tri-X, 400 ASA black and white film Date: October 1979 Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. College Tri-X 09-2ef

My homage to "Duel," taken in 1979.

My town had a complete power blackout back in 1981, so I went around and got some shots that night. This was taken at one of our local grocery stores,

An old shot of my 1964 Chevrolet Biscayne. Taken with a Minolta XD11 and Kodak Plus-X film.

My 1964 Ford Thunderbird. Taken with a Minolta XD11 and Kodak Tri-X film.

My old 1976 Dodge Motorhome Camera: Pentax K1000 Lens: SMC Pentax-A 28mm, f2.8 wide angle lens Film: Kodak Tri-X, B&W 400 ISO Aperture: F/11 Shutter speed: 1/250th sec. Date: May 9th, 2014, 2.50 p.m. Location: Norris City, Illinois, U.S.A. Developing process, chemicals were at 68 degrees: Ilford ID11 developer: 7 mins. Ilford Ilfostop stop bath: 1 min. Ilford Hypam fixer: 7 mins. Water wash: 4 mins. Kodak Photo-Flo 200: 1 min. Pentax Tri-X TSC 33ef

Taken as part of a college photography course back in 1979.

This is the first time I used my Keystone 470PM Focus Free Message camera. I can't figure out why one of the edges of my negatives keep getting exposed. The stairs in question used to be a rear exit to a glove factory that was located in that building. These stairs were tucked in there because right next to the factory, where the parking lot is now, there used to stand an old hotel on the corner. At one time, Norris City was a booming little town and had a railway station, three hotels, (and a motel on the outskirts of town), and was quite busy. The railroad tracks ran right through the middle of town and were located approximately about where I was standing in this picture. The train depot would have been about two blocks to the left of this building, within a block or two's walking distance of the hotels and downtown area. There was even a skating rink and a movie theatre within a block of this spot. This little town was hot! I wonder what happened to the world? We've got more people in it, but less people are here. Are they inflating the population numbers? There must be some reason why they killed off Norris City when it was thriving so well. We've got the same amount of residents as back then, just nothing else. No businesses, no hotels, no theatre, no skating rink, no visitors, no train station, no trains. We haven't even got any street lights to direct traffic at intersections.