Camera Porn #001 - My R3a

I think we all love photography, and more, we all love our camera. Some people like them as jewels, some as tools. I prefer tools.

This is my first camera porn :) with my very first own camera. I mean, the only one that i bought new, where i was the first owner.

My beloved bessa r3a and nokton 40mm. If you would like to know more about this Voigtlander lens, you are warmly welcome to consult this thread at rangefinderforum called "Nokton 40/1.4 photos, please".

I think the bessa r3a + nokton 40mm is one of the best selling kit in modern rangefinder. It's a high quality camera with a very nice lens in an modest budget. Also, the R3a has got the particularity to have an 1:1 life size magnification viewfinder. But what does that means ? Simply, if you are a right shooting eye, you could open in the same time the left eye without any problem.

So here is my first Camera Porn. Shot during a ballad in the wonderful arboretum of Dompierre-Les-Ormes.

P'tit dej

One of the best moment of the day, the breakfast :-)

OM10, Zuiko 50mm 1.8, Tri-X, X-Tol

Cluny's market

Last saturday morning, on Cluny's Market, a typical village of South of Burgundy where you can also visit the Abbey of Cluny.

All shot on Tri-X, with my R3a. Developped in X-tol (1st time i use this developper). The soup was at 28°C when i developped the roll, so i tried to compensate at 5'30 in place of 9'' (following the Ilford Compensation Table)

Finally back in my new darkroom

After more than one year and a new location, i installed again my enlarger.

It was plan to have a dedicated room but because of short time i decided to put it in my guest room.

Two shots that i wanted to print for a while:

Eukobrom 1+9 for 3 minutes f:11, 30x40 rc tetenal TT Varyo. Which from this negs:

I printed also this one which is a bit contrasty so i tried to get the maximum of it. Stil contrast is high. f:11 9s, 3' in eukobrom on the same paper.

This shot comes from this negs. Taken on the way from Arusha to Dar El Salam.

They are not extroardinary pictures but they means a lot. I officialy started again to print after so long time. It s the end of the process, much more pleasant than a scan from negs.

Rock of Solutré

We have been walking on the top of the Rock of Solutré a sunday afternoon with my family. 

All shot were taken on Ilford Pan-F plus with my Rolleiflex, souped in Diafine.

The Rock of Solutré (French: Roche de Solutré), is a limestone escarpment 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Mâcon overlooking the commune of Solutré-Pouilly and an iconic site of the Saône-et-Loire, in the south of the Bourgogne in France. Protected by the French law on sites classés and currently at the heart of a Grand Site National operation, it draws its fame severally as a rare geological phenomenon of the region, as a prehistoric site of the eponymous Solutrean paleolithic culture, and for the natural environment which it summit provides, the pelouse calciole grassland of Mâcon, with its distinctive flora and fauna. Occupied by man for at least 55,000 years, it is also the cradle of the Pouilly-Fuissé wine appellation. It has attracted media coverage since the 1980s when French President François Mitterrand started to make ritual ascents of the peak once per year.

Wikipedia

Early landscapes

During my way to the office, passing by the "Dombes" an area in the Ain departement, full of small lakes.

Rolleiflex - Pan-f plus - Diafine

Abbey of Cluny

Last week, i had the pleasure to have my family with me for some days.

We have been visiting quickly the Abbey of Cluny which is located in the South of Burgundy. The monument are very beautiful and we regret to do not have enough time to visit the whole place. Unfortunately, we regret also the cold welcome from the receptionist.

i took some shots with my beloved Rolleiflex. Tri-x souped in Diafine. Will add more photos later.