Sonnenberg Mansion & Gardens

Sonnenberg Mansion and gardens is a New York State Historic Park located in Canandaigua, New York. The property originally encompassed 300 acres and is the former home of Frederick Thompson, a New York City banker. He and his wife developed an extensive network of gardens and greenhouses on the property before Mrs. Thompson died in 1923. The property was sold off to the federal government in 1931 and a Veterans Affairs Hospital was built adjacent to the mansion. The gardens fell into disuse as the federal government was unable to foot the bill for their upkeep. The hospital is still in use but the VA passed the mansion and 50 acres, including the Thompson’s original greenhouses, to a non-profit in 1972. The non-profit sold everything to the state in 2008, which has administered the park ever since. 

I visited Sonnenberg during a trip upstate to Cornell. I really should’ve gone when the gardens were in bloom, but it seems I just missed them in the early fall. The main feature of the greenhouse complex is a glass domed building divided into multiple sections. There are rooms dedicated to specific plants like orchids and cacti, and a large central room with trees that scrape the glass domed ceiling. The greenhouse reminds me of the National Arboretum in Washington DC, or what the greenhouse at Lyndhurst might’ve looked like back in its heyday. There are also a number of smaller greenhouses in varying states of disuse, many with missing glass paneling. Sonnenberg hopes to restore more of these structures as money becomes available.

Greenhouses

The Mansion

The mansion interior is beautifully restored, and the exterior is in good shape. I love the slate roof and contrasting color of the stonework against the crimson red siding. The Thompsons were amateur ornithologists and built an aviary to house their exotic bird collection. Many taxidermy birds can be found in the mansion, and an ornate painting of a peacock is a prominent feature near the first-floor entrance. Mr. Thompson was a photographer himself, and I immediately recognized the Kodak 8x10 camera and stereoscope viewer inside the study. I love stereoscopic images, which are shot at slightly different angles and viewed though a special set of glasses. The slight difference in camera angle produce a 3D effect. There were many rooms in the mansion I wasn’t able to visit as we were restricted to touring the first floor. Among the rooms I could see were the billiards hall, dining room, living room, and study. While the mansion was certainly opulent, I didn’t find it as overbearing as the Vanderbilt mansion I visited in Hyde Park while shooting my Hudson Valley Mansions series. I could see personal touches left by the people who lived there, the things they collected on their travels around the world. It felt lived in, which some historic mansions do not. Hopefully, when the world returns to normal post-COVID, I’ll be able to make a return visit to see the gardens in full bloom.

Nikon F100 Metering System Selector Repair

I recently made some big changes to my camera collection including selling some of my least used systems in an effort to cut down on the amount of equipment in my dry cabinet. I sold my Bronica ETRS and Canon F1n, replacing them both with a Nikon F100 for 35mm work. I found the beautiful F100 above on eBay and I couldn’t believe it - the camera looked unused! Excited to see what it could do with my new FX lenses, I shot two rolls of Ferrania P30 during a day trip to Albany. Everything worked flawlessly except for one feature: the “Metering System Selector”. Located on the righthand side of the OFV, this selector is supposed to let you swap between spot, matrix, and center weighted metering. Mine was stuck on matrix, and I figured this out about 1/2 way through my first roll when I needed to spot meter for a backlit shot but didn’t see any movement when I changed modes. I have a pretty good feel for how over/under my meter readings are and made exposure compensation adjustments when necessary, but I spent the rest of the day frantically trying to figure why the F100 was stuck in matrix mode.

Turns out the “Metering System Selector” is the Achilles heel of an otherwise excellent camera. Over time, the contacts behind the selector oxidize and the metering system gets stuck at whatever mode the selector was left in. I did some research and found a few different solutions including sending the camera back to a Nikon service center (probably wouldn’t work in 2021), exercising the selector until it starts responding, and shooting some contact cleaner into the selector. I started with the least invasive option, moving the selector back and forth around 50 times without any signs of improvement. I always keep a can of contact cleaner on hand for general repairs but I was nervous to use it given the selector’s proximity to the pentaprism. Having exhausted my other options, I decided to give it a go.

I stuck some gaffers tape over the LCD screen and viewfinder, flipped the camera upside down, and shot some contact cleaner into the selector. After two rounds of applying contact cleaner and exercising the selector, I could finally get the camera out of matrix mode! I repeated this process six or seven times before all the modes worked reliably. I’ve found it helps to be decisive when changing metering modes because sometimes the camera will default back to matrix. Simply nudge the selector and it should jump back into the mode you selected. A word of warning – a bit of rubber came out from behind the metering system selector lock release button on the fourth shot of contact cleaner. I used some sharp tweezers to remove it. The rubber was clearly perished (another weak spot in the design?) but it hasn’t affected the camera operation thus far. I imagine it had something to do with the weather sealing, so it might not be wise to attempt this fix if you plan on taking your F100 into extreme environments. I’m not one to be hard on my equipment, so this wasn’t a concern for me.

And there you have it – how to fix an unresponsive Nikon F100 Metering System Selector!

USS Ling

The story of the USS Ling is a sad case study of what happens to historic ships when the money and momentum to fund their upkeep runs out. Settled into the bed of the Hackensack River in Hackensack NJ, the USS Ling is trapped and in worse shape than she ever was during WWII. The ship is a Balao-Class submarine which spent a little over a year in commission between 1945 and 1946 without seeing any real action. Later converted to a training ship at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, she was donated to the Submarine Memorial Association in the 1970s and reverted back to the interior of a typical WWII submarine. A string of bad luck including vandalism and Hurricane Sandy caused expansive damage to the ship through flooding, leaving it in the state we see today.

There’s a movement to bring the ship to a new home in Louisville KY, but a few obstacles stand in the way between the USS Ling and its journey to the Atlantic - for one, her ballast tanks haven’t been serviced in years which leaves the ship unable float let alone move under her own power. Additionally, large boat traffic and the regular dredging that accompanies it has been absent from the Hackensack River for many years. Even if the submarine could float, it’s unlikely the Hackensack River would be navigable for a vessel her size. The most practical solution is to load the submarine onto a barge and tow it to dry dock for a complete overhaul. With any luck, the folks at the Louisville Naval Museum will be able to figure out a way to patch the submarine and get it into dry dock. Whatever happens, it’ll take a herculean effort to restore the USS Ling to her former glory.

It’s been freezing cold here in New York for the past few weeks, but I’m glad I stopped in to see the USS Ling this winter before it’s gone for good. I just wish that I was able to take a tour before things fell apart. Thankfully we still have the USS New Jersey in Camden and a host of other ships nearby in Battleship Cove. It’s funny - I’ve never been onboard a US WWII submarine, but I have visited the only U-Boat in the United States, U-505. Sounds like I have some post-COVID travel planning to do…

Fort Stark

One of Battery David Hunter’s empty 12-inch disappearing gun mount, Harbor Entrance Control Post (HECP) in background.

I’m always on the lookout for abandoned sites to explore, and I discovered Fort Start while looking for things to shoot in the Portsmouth NH area. This fort was part of a greater network of seven forts that protected Portsmouth Harbor, home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The port played a vital role throughout WWI and WWII, servicing the Navy’s submarine fleet. The shipyard continues to be the primary location for the overhaul, repair, and modernization of the active duty submarines.

The fort was first established during the Revolutionary War, with armaments secured from the nearby Fort William and Mary after capture from British forces. The fort continued to serve a role in harbor defense up until 1983 when it was turned over to the State of New Hampshire. As it stood during WWII, there were 4 batteries: Alexander Hays, Edward Kirk, David Hunter, and William Lytle. A mix of 3-inch guns and two 12-inch guns (long since removed) made up the primary firepower and were eventually outclassed by the 16-inch guns of nearby Fort Dearborn. The main feature of the fort was the Harbor Entrance Control Post (HECP) which directed harbor defenses from Biddeford, ME to Cape Ann, MA. A collection of other buildings, none of which remain, surrounded the parade field to serve the needs of soldiers stationed there during WWII. Only the concrete bunkers and machine shop still stand, the latter converted to a small museum.

12-inch Gun Mount at Battery Hunter, showing the rails upon which the gun carriage would ride.

Walking through the remaining concrete bunkers, it’s easy to get a sense of the sheer scale of the 12-inch guns that once sat atop Battery David Hunter. These guns were never fired at the enemy, but were primarily a deterrent to minesweepers that might try to clear the main protective measure in place at Portsmouth Harbor – a vast minefield that was controlled from Fort Stark. The HPEC still sits atop Battery Kirk, which was painted “battleship gray” during WWII to disguise it from enemy observation. Other buildings at the fort were masked by camouflage netting supported by telephone poles.

While I was unable to visit the museum at the park due to COVID-19 restrictions, I was able to pop my head inside and take a brief look around. The one remaining 3-inch gun, an original search light, and other artifacts from the fort can be found inside. It doesn’t take much time to lap the entire park, but it’s fun to climb around the concrete bunkers and imagine what life was like for the soldiers stationed there. The park has limited hours and parking is only available past the entrance gate, but is worth a visit if you’re in the area.

A 3-inch gun mount added during WWII slides toward the ocean.

Graflex Speed Graphic

Every time I pick up a new film format, I’ll tell myself I don’t need another one: 35mm was first; I don’t need medium format. Then came 6x4.5, 6x6, and now 4x5. I’ve been trying to build out a kit for my WWII Signal Corps Photographer impression which started with the PH-324 I picked up last year. While 35mm was used during the war, especially with Leica II cameras, 4x5 was still king. And an SPC photographer was almost guaranteed to have a 3 ¼ x 4 ¼ or 4x5 Speed Graphic on them for official portraits or more important work. Bigger negatives mean sharper prints and the Speed Graphic was the most portable large format camera of the time. You could either shoot cut film or use a film pack for quicker exposures (not sold anymore). Luckily companies like Kodak and Ilford still make 4x5 film and this camera can still be used today.

 I got relatively lucky when I picked up my Speed Graphic on eBay, winning it in an auction for about $350. I couldn’t tell much from the pictures posted but the lens looked clean which is the most important part on these old cameras. A lens that’s been etched by fungus and mold is useless, but a slow shutter can usually be fixed. I pulled an all-nighter to completely disassemble the camera and put it all back together again using a combination of PDFs including old service manuals and WWII training manuals for similar cameras. The unique feature of the Speed Graphic is the cloth focal plane shutter which allows exposures between 1/10 sec. and 1/1000 sec. This was probably the hardest feature for me to overhaul because it requires oiling small bearings and setting the curtain at the right position so all the shutter speeds work correctly. I also had to refocus the lens, fix the infinity stops, and calibrate the rangefinder.

I did my best to date the camera based on the lens serial number using Kodak’s CAMEROSITY dating system. Because the serial number started with EO, I could tell the lens was manufactured in 1946. I think the camera body might be a bit newer than that but I don’t have a definitive way to tell. I’ve been shooting Ilford FP4 Plus at ISO 200 because it lets me use a faster shutter speed of the focal plane shutter. The test shots in this post are from a long drive I took out to the Delaware National Water Gap, a favorite place of mine to shoot because of the abundant abandoned buildings. The last shot I took of the lumber mill was actually overexposed two stops (if you open the lens up to use the ground glass, don’t forget to stop it down!). I’ve found FP4 Plus has great latitude and produces excellent negatives when developed in DD-X. While the Speed Graphic and 127mm Ektar lens don’t allow you to do all the movements normally possible with a 4x5 camera, I still enjoy shooting handheld large format. I’ll probably look to get a 4x5 rail camera at some point in the future, but no other setup will beat the Speed Graphic for portability.

Edison NHP

Thomas Edison National Historical Park (NHP), located in West Orange NJ, is home to Thomas Edison’s laboratory complex and nearby residence. While I didn’t get to see the house on my first visit as they don’t offer tours in the winter, I plan on taking a trip back sometime this summer when things start to open up again. There are a few different things to see at the NHP: Edison’s machine shop, the laboratory where he attempted to synthesize synthetic rubber, a mockup of the “Black Maria” built as a moving film stage for motion pictures, and his private office/library. The weekend I visited actually had a presentation from an archivist with the Library of Congress who worked to restore nitrate film held by the library and sound recordings obtained from Edison NHP.

It’s actually interesting how the film and sound recordings became separated in the first place – but first a little history. Edison NHP was created shortly after WWII when Edison’s descendants shut down the laboratories and donated the property to the federal government. They had left everything as it was when Thomas Edison died, including his personal office and library. The National Parks Service sent the unstable nitrate film negatives they found to the National Archives for safekeeping but neglected to send the associated wax cylinder recordings. Many years later the curator of Edison NHP found they wax cylinders and worked to restore the complete films. 

One of the major drawbacks to Edison’s phonograph was the recording technique required to produce master cylinders that could be copied for commercial distribution. The technology required actors or musicians to practically shout at the recording horn if a usable master cylinder was to be obtained. In fact, you can sometimes see these recording horns used to produce the sound for Edison’s motion pictures dip into shot as the phonograph operator tried to pick up their voice. The end result produced very uneven audio, and the quality of the audio-motion picture sync was almost entirely dependent on the operator projecting the completed product. The projector and phonograph would be connected together by an extremely long string that was meant to sync sound and picture together. The projector operator had to manually adjust the wax cylinder when the picture and film went out of sync. Sometimes the very long string which connected the projector and phonograph would break, sending the two wildly out of sync. Edison built the “Black Maria”, a revolving sound stage, to produce his motion pictures. The entire building spun to follow the sun, which produced the intense light needed to expose the film negatives.

Stepping into Edison’s office and private library, you can’t help but marvel at the four stories of book shelves and belongings strewn about the room. This building was home to a heavy machine shop for prototyping, a recording studio above Edison’s office to produce the master cylinders for his phonograph business, a photography studio, and drafting rooms. I always joke that fixer smells good, but I find it funny that 100 years later you can still smell the fixer in the darkroom that occupies the top floor of the building. The large 8x10 Eastman View camera still sits in the studio, ready to make some glass plate negatives.