The Larz Anderson Auto Museum is home to America’s oldest car collection and is located in Brookline, Massachusetts. For over 85 years the museum has hosted weekend lawn events which showcase cars from around the world. Twenty-three lawn events were held this year and I was fortunate to attend the last two events. First up is Japanese Car and Motorcycle Day which was held on October 16 and I used Kodak Porta 400 film to cover this event. Hope you like the photos.

Since getting back into film photography, one my goals is to try as many different types of 35mm films as possible. This time its Kodak Porta 400 which is described by the manufacturer as “the world’s finest grain high-speed color negative film”. This professional film was introduced in 1998 and is available at ASA speeds of 160, 400, and 800. Since its introduction, the film has been upgraded to improve its grain, sharpness, and scanning qualities. Porta 400 film is often used for portrait and fashion photography for its natural skin tones and superb color reproduction. The film is also used for nature, travel, and outdoor photography.

So I thought I’d try using Porta 400 to capture the fall leaves which are apparent at this time of the year in New England and for automotive photography. This photograph was taken in the late afternoon from the top of Mt. Wachusetts, which is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/2000, f/5.6, PL filter).

The Japanese Car and Motorcycle day was held on the lawn in front of the Anderson Carriage House at the The Larz Anderson Auto Museum. This building was constructed in 1888 and was first used as a working stable, but later housed the Andersons’ automobile collection (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/8, PL filter).

Another early morning view of the cars on display in the lawn area. It wouldn’t be too long before the lawn was filled with cars and spectators (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter).

The Datsun 280Z (aka. Nissan S30) was a two-seat three-door sports coupe produced by Nissan and was on the US market from 1975 to 1978 (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 135mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/2000, f/4).

Federation Japan Automobile (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 135mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/1000, f/2.8).

Some examples of modified cars from Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Toyota (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/8, PL filter).

A couple of Honda Civic’s were on display (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/8, PL filter).

As the morning progressed, more cars filled the lawn. A beautiful white Nissan GT-R (Godzilla) (right) (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter).

A line of Nissan’s on the front lawn (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter).

Really liked how the film captured this shot, with the red bodywork in the foreground, going back to the radiator cap, and the engine set against the darkened background (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 135mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/4000, f/4).

A good selection of Japanese motorbikes were also on display (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter).

Was great to see the lawn full of cars and spectators (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter).

Their were so many cars to be displayed that the lower lawn was also used (Canon F-1N, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/60, f/11, PL filter).

A beautiful red first-generation MazdaSpeed Miata (aka. MX-5) (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/60, f/11, PL filter).

One last shot of the lawn event, as I kept walking down the hill (Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/250, f/11, PL filter).

(Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter)

(Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter)

(Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter)

(Canon NEW F-1, Canon FD 28mm f/2.8, Kodak Porta 400, 1/125, f/11, PL filter)

At the bottom of the hill is Larz Anderson Park, which consists of beautiful wooded, landscaped, and waterscaped areas. The park is situated on a 64 acre area and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the the city. At the top of the park is an ice shaking rink and a great view of the Boston skyline.

 

Really liked how the Kodak Porta 400 film recorded the Japanese Car and Motorbike Day and Larz Anderson Park. The muted desaturated colors and film grain with a yellow hue provided a unique look. Thanks for spending the time to read this blog. The next film I’ll be trying is Kodak Ektar 100.