This last week has been spent with colour film development, language learning – my newest project is to learn Russian – and I also got around to shooting a couple of rolls. Since the weather doesn’t seem to be cooperating these days I will continue to develop and scan mainly, and after I finish my current batch of C41 chemicals I hope to also have some time for the darkroom as well. Winter is always the best time to catch up on darkroom time. This is actually one of the reasons why I like shooting film – there is no reason to worry when there is nothing to shoot – there is always something to do and something new to try, even when it’s rainy outside.

And since we’re talking about winter projects, I might as well mention my newest attempt to learn Russian. I already tried to learn this horrifically complicated language a bit more than a year ago and failed quite miserably, because I focused too much on grammar. This time round I’m trying a new strategy I found when I was learning French last summer. With my French I didn’t practice any grammar apart from a gamified version on a website called Duolingo. Instead of learning grammar I followed an Assimil course, which is a very non-traditional course without any grammar drills. It’s really strange, but it works surprisingly well if done right. After a short time I also started reading intensively with a dictionary and after only 3 months I could watch series in French and read French literature without a dictionary, what a success! After lots of reading and watching I’m now even listening to audiobooks in French – notably Jules Verne at the moment. With Russian I’m now trying the same method and I’m curious to see whether it works equally well with such a complicated language. So far I’m progressing nicely and all the buried grammar is coming back easily. I even started reading simple graded readers already and so far it looks like I’m on the right track. Of course this might seem somewhat unrelated to photography, but believe me, I’m working up to a couple of projects in which my language skills will be very important. Watch this space!

Now let’s come to some pictures though, since this is what this blog is really about. This time I’m showing you more pictures from our last Argentina trip in April 2016. More colour, more fluff balls and of course book shops!

Pictures taken with: Leica M6 with Zeiss ZM C-Biogon 35mm f/2.8 and Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.1.

Starting with: M6 / Biogon / Kodak Gold 200.

Very golden indeed.

While walking!

Wrong country.

Pigeon waiting for empanadas.

Obligatory mirror self portrait.

Mirror self portrait in a book shop. Husband browsing.

I only remembered later that I had a colour correction filter.

For fans of Argentinian Sci Fi.

Accident, but I somehow like it.

That’s what it was actually meant to look like.

Revolutionary pigeons.

Cat looking at the revolutionary pigeons suspiciously.

For some reason I just love this one. Don’t ask me why, I can’t explain.

Nokton.

Super interesting building. Decided to change the lens to actually get anything in there with 200 film.

A favourite of mine.

Yep, that’s the place to be!

Neon love!

Invisible man closing up shop.

Translation: Home – work – home – work. Yard – cell – yard – cell. We’re all prisoners.

Keep on walking!

I do love my Nokton.

Another favourite.

Browsing in another book shop. I have so many pictures of bookshops thanks to my husband!

Light was going.

Husband browsing for books, of course.

Kodak Farbwelt 400.

Taxi strike to protest against Uber.

They were blocking the entire street right in the middle of the centre.

That film rocks in fading light!

Another bookshop.

Don’t ask me how this is connected to books.

Surrealist subway decoration.

What a whirl!

Feeling right at home. And I certainly found my BsAs subway film.

Stray dog wandering about on the subway.

Heidegger on the subway.

I just love this one.

Kodak Gold 200.

We went for a little walk in the neighbourhood on another day. Found this lovely car.

And an assortment of cats …

… and dogs behind bars.

Looks totally safe.

Husband sometimes jokes that I take pictures of every street corner. Not every street corner, just the interesting ones!

Empanadas.

… butterflies behind bars …

It was him, for sure.

Multiple photographer.

Bark bark.

Dog posing for me.

Miau.

Uhm … maybe every second street corner.

Pink and green.

Biogon.

Evening light.

Nokton.

And Rambo strikes again …

Kodak Farbwelt 400.

That 400 Kodak film rocks at night.

Focus ever so slightly off …

Actores en el subte! They were doing a little play and immediately improvised my camera into it.

I enjoyed it too!

Last one!