culture shock

Normally I wait at least a couple of weeks before processing a roll of film, but last weekend I actually shot a test roll of Orwo N74+ and really wanted to see how it rates before shooting a second roll of it. I developed the film in Caffenol-CL and the roll seemed very dense so that they were hard to evaluate with the magnifying glass. In comparison to Rollei RPX400 it also had more pronounced base fog which was probably why they were so dense. They scanned alright without highlight loss though. Strangely enough I also had some surge marks in 4 frames on the roll. This seemed entirely random since quite a number of frames with plenty of sky didn’t show any sign of bromide drag. Next time I do Orwo in Caffenol I’ll increase my inversions a bit to see whether the problem persists or not.

Shooting this roll was an experience of profound culture shock though. We somehow stumbled into this big happening at the beach and couldn’t figure out at all what it was all about, because all the announcements were in Basque. It was so disorienting that we decided to leave mainly because we couldn’t even figure out what was going on. The next day we learned from the newspaper that it was an event to show support for struggles for independence by other regions like Catalonia and Scotland. It would have been well worth it to stay and show support, but of course I would never join anything that I don’t understand. It’s not the first time that political protests and events like this have confused us completely. What stumps me every time is the question: If you want to be heard, wouldn’t you shout in a language that people have a chance of understanding? Let’s be honest: Basque really is one of the most complicated languages on this planet, so very few people have the chance of understanding it. In fact even most locals around here speak Spanish on the street. I do get why it is important to promote the use of your own language especially if you struggle for independence, but in this case I think it would be really helpful if other people had a chance of understanding what is being said as well, especially if the idea is to show support for other regions where different languages are spoken!

All pictures taken with: Olympus XA, F.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8.
Orwo N74+ @400 stand-developed in Caffenol-CL, 60min.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Collective hand clapping with silly music in the background.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

People enjoyed it though.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

He was kissing the little girl’s hand, so adorable!

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

The kids were having fun too.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

It was quite chilly and for a long time absolutely nothing was happening.

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

© Lilly Schwartz 2014

Not sure what happened here, but a surfer was helping, barefoot and still dripping wet.

Comments

  • Nice pics — you seem to have mastered film ! Well done !!

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