5 Frames with the Bessa L, Kodak Gold 200 and Alpine Classics at Lake Walchensee

Some cameras make you feel clever. The Voigtländer Bessa L makes you feel… well, slightly mad. A 35mm body without a viewfinder is like a pub without beer: technically possible, but one wonders who thought it was a good idea. And yet, armed with this oddball and a roll of Kodak Gold 200, I found myself among a fleet of classic cars in the Bavarian Alps, somewhere near Walchensee.

Imagine rows of gleaming Alfa Romeos and stately Porsches, all burbling away like a choir of gentlemen who’ve had one too many schnapps. There I was, hopelessly underdressed (not a drop of engine oil on my shirt), pointing my viewfinder-less box vaguely towards the action. Shooting with the Bessa L is less “decisive moment” and more “educated guesswork.” You aim, you pray, you click. Voilà.

Thankfully, Gold 200 is the loyal Labrador of film stocks. Cheerful, forgiving, and endlessly warm. It turns rusty bumpers into objets d’art and lends the Alpine light the glow of a 1980s postcard. This isn’t cinema—this is Sunday afternoon television at its finest: cosy, nostalgic, slightly soft around the edges.

And speaking of soft: my scans ended up, shall we say, a little on the gentle side. Sometimes too blue, sometimes with a hint of green. That’s because I use nothing more glamorous than a humble Rollei DF-S 180 scanner. I adjust brightness if absolutely necessary—but no more. Out of principle. Otherwise, why not just shoot digital with a “preset recipe” and be done with it? No, these frames stay as they came out: flawed, analogue, unfiltered.

The results? Imperfectly perfect. Grainy lullabies rather than hi-fi symphonies. Each frame a small reminder that photography isn’t about technical mastery, but about standing there—sun setting behind Alpine peaks, cars rumbling off home—smiling at the absurdity of it all.

The Bessa L and Kodak Gold may not impress your Leica-toting neighbour. But they will charm you into slowing down, laughing at missed focus, and treasuring the unrepeatable oddities. Which, in the end, is rather the point.

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