On November 2, 1991 from about 4am until 1pm, Walter Naedele and I spent time with a group of geese hunters as they sought their prey. It was a time when I shot with film cameras.
I remember it being really chilly that morning and loading my Nikon F3 cameras with the Kodak T-MAX 3200 was a bitch. My hands were too chilly to feel anything. After a bit of a struggle the cameras were loaded. T-MAX 3200….what a film. It was almost pitch black when we arrived at 4am. The hunters planned to catch the gases at sunrise, when they were foraging for early morning food. I had and still have a disdain for hunting, but that was my assignment. So, I had to make the images. Besides, if I didn’t someone else would.
That T-MAX 3200 was push processed to 6400 ISO and enabled me to make some really early morning pictures in the duck blind where we were hidden. The images look a bit grainy to me, but worked well considering the lighting conditions.
Once the sun started to come up I was able to switch over to trusty old TRI-X 400 speed film. I do believe that I push processed that to 1600 ISO. Anyhow, here are some of the pictures and a picture of one of the Nikon F3’s and a contact sheet on a light table.
Bill Lewis and Cuddy the dog fetch a goose that fell into the water after hunters shot it Saturday November 2, 1991 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)
While sitting behind the blind, Bill lewis calls geese with a goose call Saturday November 2, 1991 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)
Ron Kobli, left, loads his gun as Herb Booth shoots at a goose Saturday November 2, 1991 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)
A goose lies in the pond after being shot by hunters as decoy geese float and bait the trap Saturday November 2, 1991 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)
Bill Lewis places a goose onto a pile of dead geese that they had shot as Ron Kobli fetches the decoys from the pond Saturday November 2, 1991 in Buckingham, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain) (William Thomas Cain/Cain Images)
