The Washington State Legislature is currently in session. Tuesday was Potato Day at the Capitol. Farmers from throughout the State gathered there to serve a potato lunch and attempt to promote favorable legislation.
In my attempt to document the event, I ran into a problem. I thought it would be held outside in front of the Capitol. It would be cloudy, but I could shoot the film at 800 or 1600 ISO and develop it in Diafine with good results.
It was inside along the halls, and it was dark. I had along with me the Nikon FM3a, with the 50mm 1:2 Lens attached.
I set the Camera’s ISO to 3200, hoping to give me enough exposure. The meter read 1/30th of a second at F2. I would not be able to freeze the action.
I put the camera in manual mode, set the shutter speed to 1/60th of a second, and left the aperture at F2. Some of the shots might have been captured at 6400 ISO. It was the best I could do.
Back to the Potatoes…
A few things you may not have known about Washington and its potato fields?
- 99% of Washington potato farms are family-owned!
- Washington state produces 23% of all potatoes grown in the United States
- Washington potatoes contribute $7.4 billion to the state’s economy
- Washington potatoes provide 36,000 jobs throughout Washington
- Most potato farming takes place in the central/southern part of the state (Grant, Adams, Yakima counties among others!) but the Whatcom and Skagit areas also grow potatoes! (https://everydayspokane.com/washington-state-potatoes/)
Here is a note on the spelling of Potato and Potatoe:
The singular spelling of potato doesn’t contain the letter “E,” so it is somewhat understandable that people would get confused when the plural does. The correct plural spelling is potatoes. Potatos is a common misspelling. (https://writingexplained.org/potatoes-or-potatos#:~:text=The%20singular%20spelling%20of%20potato,Potatos%20is%20a%20common%20misspelling.)
And yes, I did have a potato.
Steven Lawrence Pictures 
You got great results despite the conditions and setting f/2 1/60 and hoping for the best!
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Thank you. I think a faster lens might help also. Of course, that would introduce a more challenging focusing problem.
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These are great results under low light conditions. Information clarity across all the light/dark inclusions is well balanced too. All the best.
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I was fortunate to get any results under the conditions.
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I once photographed a dance troupe for a poster advert. I had to keep them in pose mode. It was a dark room with weak directional light. Any movement would have been picked up with long open shutter need. So your ‘caught’ results here, by adapting the techniques you used for coping with the described poor light, are admirable. All the best.
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