Author: Simón Ducos
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A month in the South of Italy on a Leica M4 and ILFORD HP5 PLUS
I always assumed people romanticised Italy; there is no way a country can host that much history, culture, and natural beauty without any drawbacks other than excessive tourism. However, in the brief time I spent in Sicily and Puglia in the summer of 2021, I was proven wrong. My uncle, having just moved near Palermo,…
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5 Frames… In my room on ILFORD XP2 Super (35mm format / EI 400 / Leica M4 + Summicron 5cm f/2) – by Simón Ducos
I don’t remember when it started, but at some point in the last five years, I began using photography as a means to explore a place. I believe that with photography, one is always getting to know new areas, or at the very least getting new perspectives on old areas, but it isn’t always with…
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A few thoughts on overcoming photography blocks
I am finding myself in a transitory stage with regards to photography. I haven’t picked up my camera with a decisive thought or the motivation to go and photograph something in a few months now. Everybody hits a wall at some point. I am only five years into my photographic journey, which is not much…
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5 Frames… Of street photography in Buenos Aires on the Mamiya RB67 (120 format / EI 100 / Kodak T-MAX 100) – by Simón Ducos
In the summer of 2019, I sold my trusty Olympus XA in order to buy my then-dream camera: the Mamiya RB67. Although these cameras are vastly different, the XA being ideal for travel and street photography while the RB is more for studio shoots and still-life, I was convinced that when the time came I…
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Enter the Leica M4: Upgrading my Barnack Leica
I had been planning to upgrade from my Leica IIIf for a while; it’s a great camera but it makes taking photos a complicated process. First, cut the film so that it fits the camera, place it on the spool, insert it, wind it, only then select the shutter speed and realise a few shots…
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The King’s Trail: Documenting my hike through the Swedish Lappland on the Leica M4 and Kodak ULTRAMAX 400
Above the Arctic Circle, amidst the wide green plains, enclosed in looming blue peaks, the ‘King’s Trail’ covers 400km of land devoid of civilisation, save for the indigenous Sami, their reindeer, and the occasional shelter. Here is where I found myself last year, Leica M4 in hand, photographing one of the most beautiful places on…
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5 Frames… Of mistakes on Kodak T-MAX 100 (35mm Format / EI 100 / Leica M4 + Summicron 5cm f/2)
A few months back, I wrote an article here about how I met some camels while on a desert shoot. They appeared out of nowhere, cresting over a dune some ways away, just as I found myself at the end of a roll of T-MAX 100. I went about opening the camera, but in my…
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5 Frames… At Sharjah’s Fossil Rock on ILFORD HP5 PLUS and a Leica M4 (35mm Format / EI 100 / Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 P II)
I have been using a 50mm lens almost exclusively for around two years, and I recently wanted to switch it up. The 35mm focal length has been on my radar for a few months, so when a good price for the Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35mm f/2.5 PII appeared online it caught my attention. Within the week…
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5 Frames… Of Camels on expired Fujifilm NEOPAN ACROS 100 (35mm Format / EI 100 / Leica M4 + Summicron 5cm f/2)
May 2020. With COVID in full swing, I decided to leave the city and make the hour-long trip to the desert to capture some landscapes. Still getting used to the new (to me) Leica M4, I brought it along with a Summicron 5cm f/2 and a box of assorted film stocks. There was a beautiful,…
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5 Frames… In Baku on ILFORD HP5 PLUS (35mm format / EI 800 / Leica IIIf)
I wasn’t ever a big fan of pushing or pulling film; developing prices tend to increase drastically, and try as I may I could not wrap my head around it. However, now that I develop my own film, and after seeing some photos online, I decided to have a shot at it with some ILFORD…
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5 Frames… With Kodak T-MAX 100 (EI 50 / 35mm format / Leica IIIf)
I go to visit my family in Argentina once a year, and ever since I got into film photography I have been returning from these trips with my carry-on filled with their old and unwanted cameras, flashes, and meters. This year, my aunt (who was an avid film photographer) found a bag of expired film…
Recently published
- Ultreia: Making pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
- 5 Frames… In the pits at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit on FP4 PLUS (35mm format / EI 125 / Nikon L35AF) – by Nik Stanbridge
- 5 Frames… Of my boy (skeleton) Jeffrey on Polaroid Color SX-70 film
- New film day! Say hello to HARMAN Phoenix 200, a brand new mid-speed colour film
- My First Roll… With a Yashica Mat 124G
- The Contax 645: Not just a wedding camera
