Trip #671 Stetson Street, Brookline, Pittsburgh took place on November 11, 2021, and was published on December 10, 2021.
Pema Chodron’s advice, “change your attitude but remain natural,” came to mind as I watched this photo develop. For the last year, I’ve thrashed and gnashed with misery over working with expired Spectra film. Despite the rapid chemical and mechanical deterioration, I staunchly maintained that I would use every last pack and not switch to another instant camera. But I’ve recently grown weary of this battle, so I ordered some iType film for my Polaroid OneStep. My expectations weren’t very high. I briefly used this camera three years ago and didn’t like the results, but that was then, and this is now, so I took a photo and… I’m pretty pleased with the results. What a surprise! Of course, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t continue to wrestle with the Spectra until the very end, but it’s safe to say OneStep will be riding shotgun until the end of the journey. Welcome aboard, partner!
Field Notes: AAAAAAAHHHHHH! I really don’t want to like having to use the Polaroid One Step and its “i-Type” (just what does that mean??) film, but I have to admit the photos are coming out so much nicer than the Spectra and my rapidly deteriorating batch of film. I guess I’m going to need to stop being such an old fogey (how many rings around my eyes?) and go with the flow. 🙂
Love city steps? Get yourself the latest issue of Mis.Steps: Our Missed Connections with Pittsburgh’s City Steps! Each copy is unique and features 10 randomly selected “trading cards” of Pittsburgh’s 739 public stairways. Visit the Mis.Steps online store to see all issues and place your order.
Want to visit these stairs? You can locate them on the Pittsburgh City Steps Plan website!
Be a good neighbor! Have you visited these stairs and found them in poor condition or that illegal dumping (large items like tires, old furniture, and construction debris) and trash were abundant in the area? There are two things you can do to take action and make our city steps cleaner and safer for everyone! First, grab a photo if you can, and submit a report to Pittsburgh 311. All problems, both broken stairs, and railings, as well as trash and dumping, should be reported to the city. You can easily do this online or by calling.
