Sunday, December 9, 2012

Series - airport


austrian
(Contessa 533/24, Kodak Portra 160, ISO 160/23°)

come in
(Contessa 533/24, Kodak Elite Chrome Extra Color 100, ISO 100/21°)

turn around and look
(Super Ikonta A 531, Fujichrome Provia 400X, ISO 400/27°)

empty baggage claim
(Contessa 533/24, Kodak Elite Chrome Extra Color 100, ISO 100/21°)

waiting in redscale backlight
(Rolleiflex Old Standard 621, Lomography Redscale 100, ISO 100/21°)

gate
(Vito I, Agfaphoto CT Precisa 100, ISO 100/21°)

fifteen
(Super Ikonta A 531, Fujichrome Provia 400X, ISO 400/27°)

Saturday, December 8, 2012

(2nd) Winter 127 Day 2012

Yesterday, December 7th, was the 2nd Winter 127 Day (12/7, as written in American fashion). Although the "official" date seems to be January 27th, I decided to load a Rollei Nightbird 800 into my Voigtländer Rollfilm 5x8 and take a couple pictures on 127 film.

foto
(iPhone 4, Hipstamatic, Jimmy lens, Ina's 1982 film, no flash)

I am not expecting great pictures, because there were too many exposure mistakes (I forgot to set the aperture at least twice!), but maybe some kind of fate muse smiled at me anyway. The exposed film is already prepared to be sent to the lab next Monday.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Series - b&w week 2012

These are the pictures that I posted on a B&W week that I took part on with a couple of flickr pals. Take a look at all contributions in this flickr group.
For this week, I decided to post portraits, both of Mar and self-portraits.

a year ago...
(Vito I, Ilford FP4 Plus 125, ISO 125/22°)

in the train
(Super Ikonta BX 533/16, Ilford FP4 Plus 125, ISO 125/22°)

ghostly
(Rolleiflex Old Standard 621, ADOX CHS 100, ISO 100/21°)

bored
(Contessa 533/24, Efke 50, expired, ISO 50/18°)

four eyes [super ikonta selfie] (+1)
(Rolleiflex Old Standard 621, Kodak T-MAX 400, ISO 400/27°)

in the library
(Ideal 250/3, Fomapan Classic 100, ISO 100/21°)

team work [our gazes converge through mirrors and lenses]
(Rolleiflex Old Standard 621, Kodak T-MAX 400, ISO 400/27°)


Sunday, September 2, 2012

renfe te da la bienvenida [stranger 20/99]

renfe te da la bienvenida [stranger 20/99]
(Vito I, Kentmere 400, ISO 400/27°)

My twentieth stranger checked her smartphone once again as the train was leaving the station.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Herrensalon Wistuba

I am not a superstitious person. I like black cats no less than any other cat, I have no problem walking under a ladder and I do not seem to show any feeling whatsoever about Friday the 13th. What I do have, though, are certain funny little ways, certain everyday "rituals", that I unconsciously link to the success or failure of my daily enterprises. Crossing a certain street at a very concrete point on my way to work, leaving the fork to rest on the plate pointing down at the end of my meal, or hanging my bag to my right in the morning and to my left in the afternoon are a few examples of such rituals.

As taking photographs is an important part of my life, these kind of obsessions have spread throughout my photography as well. In fact, it seems to be not uncommon. I read that photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson had the superstition to test new camera lenses by taking photographs of ducks in urban parks. He never published them, as he considered it a "baptism" of the lens.

Since I am not only attracted to old cameras but also to vintage typefaces as well, the sign of a hairdresser, gone out of business a long time ago, caught my attention on my way to the office very soon. I could not resist the elegance of the bold '70s typeface, the off-center "holes" of the Rs, the well-balanced colors, the two windows, the tree, the cobblestone, ...

herrensalon wistuba
(Hapo 66-E, Rollei Retro 400S, ISO 400/27°)

That's why I started taking this picture again and again, at first almost without realizing it, later challenging myself to have a photograph of the Herrensalon Wistuba taken with every single camera and lens that I own. Talk about obsessive-compulsive disorder... ;)

herrensalon wistuba 02
(Flexaret VI, Fujichrome Velvia 50, ISO 50/18°)

herrensalon wistuba
(Nikon Coolpix S200, digital shot)

herrensalon wistuba
(Rollfilm 5x8, Kodak Farbwelt 200, expired, ISO 200/24°)

Well, sadly I have to admit that I failed the challenge, although it has been not entirely my fault. After at least 8 years of no activity, someone came to the idea of using the old hairdresser salon for a spice shop. Of course, a sign reading "Herrensalon Werner Wistuba", no matter how elegant the typeface, could be a little confusing for customers willing to buy exotic spices. The sign has been recently removed, putting a premature end to my challenge.

herrensalon wistuba
(Super Ikonta BX 533/16, Lomography Redscale 100, ISO 100/21°)

Anyhow, I have 23 pictures taken with 17 different cameras and lenses. The ultimate goal of photography is to keep memories. I'll be able to further admire the sign every time I want, in 23 different fashions.

My "Herrensalon Wistuba" set on flickr