An epic ride
Here I am, by now in the North of Spain, after crossing quite a big part of Portugal and a few other parts of Spain as well.
Last year I rode my bike from the Netherlands to the South of Spain, where I left it at a place I thought I would go and live. Life is what happens while making other plans though. So this year I decided to pick up the bike again and ride it back.
Of course this is not a travel blog and it’s not a travel site. I do have some photos to show you know, the ones I made with my Iphone, as I didn’t bring any other digital camera. I decided to do this trip old school and bought myself a 50 or so year old Rollei 35 and 10 rolls of film. All kinds of different film: Fuji 200, Ilford 400, Portra 160, Ilford Pan 50 and an Ilford FP4 125.
I have no idea what will come out of it. Not until I’m back home, have them developed and go through the lengthy process of scanning the lot. Still it has freed me quite a bit. I dare to say it would have done even more so, if I didn’t have that iPhone with me as well.
This I noticed within a week after deleting the app Instagram, where I had an immense urge to post stories all the time. To post these stories, I started shooting more and more vertically in a 16:9 format… most suited for “stories”. Also, I had to charge my phone twice or three times a day, as I only posted edited pictures.
I deleted the app though for completely unrelated reasons - being the fact that other peoples stories and the algorithm off the app would suck me in and not only keep me there for an hour at least but also giving me a less happy or sometimes even depressed feeling. The idea would be to reinstall it once a week to just do a photo dump.
Within days, I realised because I didn’t immediately would post, more of my images were horizontal again. I even started to make a lot of panoramic images, even more unsuitable for Insta. I still shoot a lot of images with the iPhone, just because I’m so aware of the selected amount of frames I have with the Rollei and the Rollei only offers me 40mm which to be honest is not my favourite focal length. As a third reason, because the light meter is external and focussing is external as well or only using zone focus, taking a picture is quite the process. Besides all that, when the camera is loaded with Black and White, what would I have done with this sunrise?
Still, this is definitely an experiment I’m willing to work with even more… as I noticed the extreme difference in my own experience between shooting with an immediate result vs shooting and not even knowing if the image will have worked. The latter providing something way more important to me as well; making sure I also am really very aware and present in what is actually happening, instead of producing this pleasing image. Enjoying the process of fumbling around with the light and focus meters. Actually experiencing joy in the limiting factor of film choice of two days ago.
This journey is just that I guess: an extreme schooling in being in the moment and being aware of doing so. That is what off-road motorbike riding does, it certainly is what falling of the bike does for you, it is what the uncertainty of the different destinations brings and, apparently so, it is what photographing analogue does for me as well. It’s the proces that makes it all worth while.
So, these are images from my phone, as I’m still on route. I will post some of the end results - providing there will be any - in a later blog.
