My iPhone camera roll is chock-a-block full of high resolution captures of some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring locations in Barcelona. Those will see the light of day somewhere at some point. Today, I’m excited about all things analog. My local film developer has returned the five rolls of 35mm film I shot in and around Barcelona and there are some keepers (a relief considering the expense of both the film and development). I’m going to share some of those shots with you right here, right now.
To get things started, I must confess that I am not much of a photographer. While I’ve taken many professional photography gigs and produced great photo content for marketing clients in the past, I am comfortable knowing my limitations with this art form.
My limitations inform my approach: I like to keep things simple. That’s why I gravitate toward my iPhone for digital photography and point-and-shoot film cameras. I want my eyes and my intuition to do the work — if the subject and the lighting is right, I can click a button and expect satisfactory results.
My analog gear this trip consisted of a vintage Olympus XA 35mm camera — a beast of a rangefinder in a small plastic shell — and a mix of new and expired rolls of Portra 400, Kodak Gold 200, and Fuji 200. The expired film will be easy to detect due to the natural degradation of the film stock which often delivers unexpected and exciting results.
Without further ado, let’s look at Barcelona through my viewfinder:
That’s all for now. I’ll be back next week with a film photo diary of Tarragona, the most important Roman city on the Iberian peninsula, the medieval town of Girona with its rich Jewish history and Game of Thrones filming locations, and the Costa Brava.
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