winter journey

It’s been a while, don’t you think? Well, don’t worry, I think I’m finally getting back into the swing of things after having a well-deserved break, so you should see more posts soon. The last couple of days I ordered some film to replace my almost depleted stash, got my development equipment in shape and now I’m just about ready to start on that massive daunting job that I was avoiding for several months now: More than 100 rolls of undeveloped rolls from several trips are waiting for me and most of it is colour. As you might know, I’m not a big fan of colour development. It stinks, literally, and it’s a hassle as well. That’s why I’ve been putting it off. I’m curious to see the pictures though, which means that I will have to get over it.

What happened while I was gone? Actually, quite a number of things! One of my pictures from my Progress through Demolition project was exhibited at the Kranzberg Arts Center in St. Louis in a group show of the Film Shooters Collective in August. A selection of my more recent street photography was then shown at the beginning of September in a video installation during the Platzhirsch Festival in Duisburg.  And just a few days later I received the last edition of the German analog photography magazine PhotoKlassik 04-2016 which contains a German translation of my article on slide film that was previously published in English on the website of the Film Shooters Collective. All pretty exciting!

I obviously also shot some rolls here and there. However, the town was especially crowded this summer which I always find somewhat off-putting. When every picture looks like a crowd, I get insanely bored. All of August I was shooting only my Rollei as a challenge to spice things up a little, but I frankly found it a little too limiting for myself. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful camera, I really love my Rollei! However it’s a bit more bulky and less spontaneous than my Leica. It needs much more of a conscious effort, which wasn’t playing nicely with my bored-with-the-crowds attitude. Besides, adding more and more rolls to my development backlog was holding me back a little as well. So, to keep busy without adding more to my stash of undeveloped rolls I actually taught myself enough French to read novels and watch series, something I have been meaning to do for a while. By now I’ve read all of Harry Potter in French translation and I’m starting on some crime fiction now.

The only exception to my somewhat sporadic shooting this summer was a nice trip to Madrid, which idiotically happened during an unseasonal heatwave. Believe me, shooting street in 40°C weather isn’t very easy. Same goes for breathing. I did my best with both though and obviously survived … (Btw, remind me never to visit Madrid in summer again!)

Today I’m going to show you something completely different though: The pictures you will see today were taken during another trip last winter. I’m obviously not only behind on my development. Grab a nice warm cup of tea and enjoy.

All pictures taken with: Leica M6, Zeiss C-Biogon 35mm f/2.8 and Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.1; Rolleicord V, Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 75mm f/3.5.

Starting with: M6 / Biogon / Delta 400 @800 / HC-110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Twins?

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Our usual accommodation. A little cold in winter, but a lovely place nonetheless.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Good for self-portraits.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

f/2.8 at ISO 800. Didn’t have my Nokton on me that night.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Obligatory dogs on public transport shot.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

That’s the right attitude.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Odd …

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Heavy equipment.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Some sneaky pictures.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Life sized doll house furniture

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

I may have taken this picture every single time we stayed at that place.

M6 / Nokton f/1.1.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

So, one evening I wanted to see whether I could catch some night shots with my Nokton. Everything was pretty much deserted though. Stopping motion at night, that’s what the Nokton can do!

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Creepy hat shop mannequin.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Also creepy, but different creepy.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Nope, the Nokton is not a perfect lens, just look at the corners. It still rocks though!

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Why is this lens great? This is why!

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Rollei / HP5+ / HC-110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

As I said, our usual holiday flat is very photogenic.

M6 / Biogon / Delta 400 @800 / HC110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Stereocamera in the window of a second hand book shop.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Inside.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Picturesque, but not really very successful in the book department.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Just around the corner we found a quite lovely little bar.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

My husband obviously liked it too.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Stylish.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Rollei / HP5+ / HC-110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

A few years ago I took a similar picture on my old digital. I have been meaning to repeat that shot with a bit more style. I can’t wait to print this one in the darkroom!

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

M6 / Biogon / Delta 400 @800.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

I still can’t quite decide whether this was a success or a failure. In any case I find it confusingly interesting.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Super narrow.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Humans do strange things.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

I guess I liked the lines.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Rollei / HP5+ / HC-110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Glow.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

M6 / Biogon / Delta 400 @800 / HC-110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Cheeky tree!

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

I can rarely walk past such shots.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Exploring new places.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

The light was lovely that day.

Rollei / HP5+ / HC-110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Precisely the kind of shot that my Rollei likes best.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

M6 / Biogon / Delta 400 @800 / HC-110.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Perfectly functional stairs to nowhere.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Right next to the bikes going nowhere.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

And another self-portrait.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

I guess this counts too.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Clever, eh?

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Light was going, but I still caught the dog.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Excuse the phone zombies. I guess for once I couldn’t resist.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Cane.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Cone poetry.

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

© Lilly Schwartz 2016

Last one!

Comments

  • Harry Stevens

    Where you been girl :)..? Love that Delta 400 many fantastic shots, far too many to pick a favourite so nice to have you back hope the rest as done you good, looking at your photographs it seems so. I am going to view these several times over the next few days.Lovely stuff and thanks for sharing.
    Regards Harry.

    • Thanks Harry 🙂 Glad you’re enjoying the pictures. I think taking breaks to recharge the creative energies is really important. I don’t do it often enough actually. Oh and Delta 400 is magic. I really dislike T-Max 400, so I was rather surprised to find that I enjoy the Delta 400 so much. The problem with T-Max wasn’t the tabular grain, but the tonality! Delta 400 + HP5+ are my current favourites.

Leave a Reply