5 Frames… Of Icelandic industrial edge on Fuji Pro 400H and a Mamiya 645 Pro (120 Format / EI 400 / Mamiya Sekor-C 80 mm f/2.8)

In between covid lockdowns, my girlfriend and I had the chance to visit Iceland. We went lightweight and camped everywhere. Lightweight except that I had brought my digital Pentax SLR in conjunction with two film bodies: the Mamiya C220 6×6 format TLR and my Mamiya 645 Pro 6×4.5 format SLR. Although I regretted the extra weight, hassle, and comments from my significant other about the amount of camera’s at the time, I’m now quite content. The hassle is history and I can only see my images now.

I’d visited Iceland before and knew what to expect, although this was the first major trip where I’d brought a film camera as well. I used the Mamiya 645 Pro for color film, as it can fit more images on a roll and film isn’t getting any cheaper. The film I used was Fuji Pro 400H. It was recommended by the local camera store in Haarlem because of its green tones and as I was expecting a lot of greenery in Iceland it seemed a great fit. The C220 was only used for black and white film. The other reason I brought the Mamiya 645 was because of its integrated meter. I could therefore bring the camera with me more easily on hikes without having to bring a light meter.

Nearing the end of our trip we spent a night in a little village called Sandgerdi. It was also next to an industrial fishing port. I love these seaside villages for it’s character. In the Netherlands, close to where I live, is the port of IJmuiden which has a similar vibe: it’s a bit rough around the edges. The salt slowly eats away the paint, fishing tackle is stacked all around the place and everything is built for functionality. It’s probably the same reason why almost all photographers love derelict buildings, industrial areas or, preferably, a combination of the two.

I put on my winter jacket, as most summer days in Iceland resemble something autumnal in the Netherlands, and took with me my Mamiya 645 Pro. My goal was to photograph this village’s rough industrial edge. I was on the lookout for abandoned cars, tyres, crates and all other kinds of rough looking places. Besides blowing a gale it had begun to drizzle as well I shot the whole roll on iso 400 as it allowed me to handhold the camera. A tripod also attracts more attention and since this was a rough looking village I was as fleet footed as possible with this camera hidden inside my rainjacket.

After an hour and a half of walking through a drizzly gale I’d found an abandonced car, a parked ship and lots of fishing tackle. I carefully unloaded the roll of film and stored it in my bag. After we came home I immediately cycled to the local camera store and had it developed. All images are with minor tweaks to the white balance and contrast.

~ Bram