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Ten years in Ireland in Photography
On Valentine’s Day ten years ago, my husband brought me to Ireland
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Analog photography
Paris France in the 80′
I know it was the 80s, but no exact year. I was in high school and working during summer. That much I do remember. I managed to save enough to go to Paris on my own.
Recently, I started scanning all my old photographs and found these from Paris. I started wondering if there in them is a trace of my future passion for photography. It was the 80s, everything is taken on film. On one of the pictures you can see me and across my body is a leather bag for my fathers Kodak. That was my camera. Kodak Retina II (a or c). I didn’t have any photographic school, no teaching about framing the scene or any other ideas on street photography.
Snapshots from the past
No AI, no digital improvement, not even dust clean up. Just scan of an old photograph that was lying on the attic for a long time and not in very good conditions.
Analog photography
iPhone Photography and Hipstamatic
Fun with my new iPhone App
Even though I have an iPhone for ages and it’s almost time to replace it with a newer model, I acquired to photography apps just recently. Photographers and cameras, eh?! 🙂
It’s like having 6 different cameras with me, not counting regular iPhone camera.
So, even before dawn I was out in town playing with my new toys.
Camera that took photos I am sharing in this post was Hipstamatic Instant.
Enjoy.
First of all, in post all photos are resized to take less space on my storage. Second of all, I love analog look lol, and with small mobile phone now I can have it both.
Freedom to snap without worrying about the cost of one shot (especially with Instax).
More to come…
Until then follow me on Instagram
Or check some of the older posts here https://www.silaart.com/tag/alternative-photography/
Analog photography
Film Photography while traveling
My trusty Yashica Mat 124g and Kodak Portrait 400 rolls I had with me.
Only two rolls used
The problem with traveling like this (fast) with only short overnight stops and limited time for exploring, it didn’t feel right for me to use my analog camera.
I love to take time with my films and observe soaking in the atmosphere of the place. Driving 2500 km in 4-5 days means it’s more first impressions than expressing my inner feelings about the place. I did, however, manage to shoot two rolls, with two last frames taken back in Cork. I planned to use at least 10 rolls on this journey, not happening.
Here they are, the selected ones.
Analog photography
Freshly Developed
Mishmash on one 35mm roll
When we return from any journey, it gives me a great pleasure to develop rolls of film. While going through scans I can revisit all the places that made impressions on me.
If you are anything like me, you usually forget names of people you just met. It takes me a special technique of repeating the name immediately after it was given and that leaves deeper impression in my memory. When we travel it is just too much visual information to remember them all, so in a sense I need some tricks if I want to keep them in me longer. It helps to revisit photographs of the places we visited. Especially with images developed at home, in peace. They’ll leave deeper and lasting impressions than quicker snaps on the go.
I’ve already wrote about island Pag and Bura wind. It is a very special landscape that I love very much. Light and colours there are talking to me in a subtle ways. It is a connection that defines logic.
Another one from island Pag, where strong sunshine, no clouds and relentless Bura wind created this deep blue colour of the Adriatic, washout almost white land and light blue sky.
It was a peaceful morning and we were sitting on a terrace drinking coffee. Roses, red roses my favourite, framed this scene of a traditional wooden boat and a seagull resting. I wanted to remember this softness of the morning, colours lit like watercolour painting, and scent of roses in the air.
Small town Nin, so popular with tourists. It belongs to Zadar region as well as Pag.
What I wanted to remember during winter months from Nin is this scene. Empty, sleepy street, lazy cat napping, someone left a bike and went for an afternoon nap as well. Peace. Only crickets chirping as it is summer.
It was a hazy hot day with South wind blowing which was perfect for sailing. A picture to end the summer. Blown with a wind. This is the view from Zadar. An island that is so small and first to be seen is Ošljak and right behind it is Ugljan. Croatia, a land with over 1200 islands.
P.S.
Something completely different for the end of today’s post.
It is about barefoot shoes. I love nature, and my connection with it is vital for me and it goes all the way to wearing and preferring natural clothes, shoes, etc. As so called barefoot or zero drop shoes are difficult to find and as a photographer spending so much time in wet and muddy conditions (Irish weather and all) I needed a good Wellies. I am just putting this information for people like me – I found amazing Wellies, barefoot, zero drop, natural rubber and they are from a Danish company Mikk Line
The only problem is, they are producing for kids mainly, so size 38 is the biggest. Thank God for my small feet 😉
Analog photography
Dubrovnik, rich in history
What to say about town in one image?
Dubrovnik, or how numerous tourist often butcher its name – Djubrovnik, or Chuprovnik, often photographed and the same amount of time misunderstood.
Walled, guarded as its citizens. Overcrowded at summer, left behind in winter.
Every year we spend at least three days there, visiting our dear friend. I filmed this town from above, photographed snaps, digital long exposures etc. but never quite being satisfied with all I did.
So without further ado, Dubrovnik in only one photograph.
Analog photography
Travel with analog 6×17
On our trip to Croatia I took my panoramic 6×17 3d printed camera with Fujinon SW90mm lens. It was reserved for just two rolls of film.
When you are jumping from one place to another, it is not very practical to shoot with this type of camera. I guess I was hoping for a little bit slower pace this time.
My favourite place
Early, on morning like this one, when sun is barely passing over the hill and hitting calm surface of the sea in a little heart shaped cove, was my favourite place for a swim before masses of tourists flock down ruining it.
At the bottom of the hill, there are traditional boats lying around, posing for Insta shots, more than going fishing lately. Velebit as a blue horizon wall, a guardian sheltering from the Continental climate.
Zadar
This is a recently refurbished beach out of many in Zadar.
Since Zadar town put in to practice its collectors, the whole stretch of beaches right in the centre of town are clean and outstanding quality. The regular boat crew is taking samples and testing water daily (on this page you can see the results https://vrtlac.izor.hr/ords/kakvoca/kakvoca). One of the rare towns with such luxury, you can jump into the sea out of the street and cool your self down on hot summer day.
I cut this photograph to get rid of the distracting elements, other than that, it is as it was taken. This strong, vibrant colours are mainly due to polariser I had on all the time.
You can hit button follow me, at the bottom of this page. Never miss a post. Read more about this travel on other blog posts
Analog photography
Ireland with Kodak Colour
Exa 1a soft bokeh
Wedged. This image is already available here
In my wanderings around Ireland, I seem to be more keen to go back to soft, unsharp images. As in the whirlwinds of the Instagram all sharp, saturated, applied filters etc. images start to merge into one endless stream of sunsets, smiles, sandy beaches until all just disappear unnoticed.
At least in analog imperfections is a soul-filled goodness.
I intentionally leave scanned black edge of film.
We (as we in Ireland) hope for the summer.
Hope that starts in January and never stops. Hope that rain and greyness will disappear till the end of the day, or maybe tomorrow.
Living in trailers is not just for the sunshine and holidays.
A white cat curiously watched my every move from the window.
As always, your support is greatly appreciated.
I started new series of paintings, prints available here
Analog photography
Morocco album revisited
While Irish storm rages outside, I revisited photographs taken in Morocco in 2018. It was just a few days trip to Marrakech and I took only Canon Z135 with me, loaded with Kodak Color plus200 (black and white photos here ) . Not much, but what was on that film is something that made me want to go there one more time and do just photography. Moroccans don’t like to be photographed and I respect that. I didn’t want to intrude their daily life and for my future trip, I would take slr with at least one longer lens.
The usual market with all the veggies lying on the ground, just a thin layer of plastic spread beneath.
Houses are built with a courtyard in side. The whole life is behind walls and I was peaking over the roof terraces wondering what’s going inside.
At least one tree is always protruding among red houses.
Colours of dyed cotton everywhere in Souks.
Storks living and nesting there 🙂
For the end there are two photographs that were made by mistake and they are double exposed. Atlantic Ocean is shot over life in Marrakesh and in a sense created something expressive – a passing of time over life in general.
Analog photography
Traveling with Minolta x500
Hungry for travels?
Today, newspaper in Ireland announced significant easing of restrictions. We returned from our trip to Croatia a few days ago and are still in home quarantine.
Traveling was never so complicated like these days. If we didn’t have to, we wouldn’t. Apart from paying for all sorts of tests and increased stress in all this, we managed to get a few days of rest and my photography. Check my Insta page for drone photos and iPhone snaps. It was so good to change the surroundings. I can’t wait to travel freely again, without having to explain why and where etc. Just pack our bags and go.
I shot two Kodacolor 200 films with a Minolta camera ( Minolta which I leave in Croatia – trying to travel light lol) and these analog beauties are something that I looked for. They never disappoint. My regret was that I didn’t have my large format with me, hopefully next time.
We were mainly in the area of Zadar, with short trip to Sibenik county, just to visit Krka national park. Krka is one of the most beautiful rivers in Croatia and NP is big. My recommendations are to take a few days to properly enjoy Krka’s three main areas- northern part with fort, middle with Roski waterfall and lower part with Skradinski buk.
Vrsi Mulo on a windy (Bura) and cloudy day with snow caps on Velebit mountain. Colour of the sea turned in this brown orange, I guess sand was stirred with waves.
Sunset in Zadar, my view of “riva” – promenade.
Zadar, fisherman’s boats and yachts as an everyday view.
This is the road that we are taking every time we are going back and this is the best view of Velebit. Because of this view, it gets even harder to say goodbye.
Nin, sun-kissed and protected with mighty Velebit mountain
Krka National Park
I developed and scanned my films only yesterday and it is hard to pick favourites. These that are here on this post are not the only ones, off course, but it is enough to get the taste of it.
Check my old post – Around Ireland with Minolta
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