Autumn South of Olsztyn
Autumn colours require a film stock that can do them justice. I checked how Kodak Gold and Fujifilm 200 fared.
I spent the first week and a half of November out of home. I visited Olsztyn and had a chance to see how much of Autumn's beautiful colours were left to be captured. I also took a supply of colour film with me.
Gmina Purda on Kodak Gold 200
On the first Saturday, I hiked to the swampy forests of Gmina Purda. I had my Pentax P30N with me and I loaded it with some Kodak Gold 200. I kept the circular polariser on the lens at all times to reduce the greyish reflections on dry leaves.
The area I walked through is a bit swampy. I'd taken a few portfolio shots there in the past so it looked like a promising place to test Kodak Gold's ability to capture Autumn colours. The morning sun was just peeking over the horizon so only the tree tops were lit most of the time.
Wetlands of Gmina Purda
I also took a few general woodland pictures. I even managed to shoot a self-portrait. Admittedly, not the best of my work, but I think the images turned out pleasant.
Forests of Gmina Purda
The next morning, I went to Poznań, where I finished the roll. I took all of the shots in the Cytadela park or on my way there.
Gmina Stawiguda on Fuji 200
The following Saturday, I drove to the Las Warmiński nature reserve in Gmina Stawiguda. It's one of my go-to locations around Olsztyn. I loaded the camera with Fujifilm 200. The sky was overcast and a fine drizzle made everything humid and slippery. Again, I kept a polariser on the lens at all times to reduce unwanted reflections. The light was poor so most of my shots were long exposures.
Forest paths are a low-hanging fruit as far as woodland photography goes. They're everywhere, they often provide a symmetrical scenery with a bit of framing from the trees and a vanishing point of the path or road. They're missing a clear subject in my opinion. I don't recall ever publishing a picture of a forest path before.
Forest paths in Gmina Stawiguda
I found a few fenced-off areas with freshly planted evergreens between patches of young oaks with red-brown leaves. Again, not thrilling, but my goal was to test the film's colour reproduction.
Young trees in the forests of Gmina Stawiguda
The farthest I hiked was the Łyna river. I walked along the bank and even crossed it by carefully balancing over a fallen tree. I eventually reached a landmark I'd already photographed multiple times: a collapsed stone bridge. After reaching it, I turned back.
The meanders of the river Łyna
On my way back to the car, I took random photographs of whatever called my attention. I tried to emphasise the Autumn colours but there weren't as many opportunities as I'd hoped for.
Random woodland shots in Gmina Stawiguda
Closing Words
I wasn't aiming to compare the film stocks; the consensus around the internet is that they're the same. I wanted to check whether they did justice to the Autumnal colour palette. My overall impression is that sunlight is Kodak Gold's best friend. In dull overcast conditions, the colours fail to stand out. Editing helped a great deal though some photos were challenging.
I don't think I'll be able to capture any more of Autumn colours this year. For the next one, I'll try out other film stocks.
