Goodbye Summer – Autumn with a roll of Rollei CR200

I’ve been away a while, or rather haven’t been shooting lately. It’s one of those things; I go through phases where other aspects of life take over and my inclination and interest in picking up a camera vanishes, in fact I lack any sort of interest in anything – everything just seems like a backdrop and lifeless. Even when away on holiday I didn’t take a camera, I just lacked any interest in it. It usually takes something; a change in life, or weather or something new to inspire me and dig me out of the hole I usually find myself in.

We’re in Autumn now, being late September and the trees are turning golden. The unsettled weather is starting to give the sky a lot more interest and after watching a movie called “The Lighthouse” I was mesmerised by the camera work and cinematography; shot in B&W and featuring wonderful use of shadow, tone and lighting – inspirational, so I have some ideas, one day soon I shall pick up the camera and use it creatively.

I found these photos while digging through the vaults, it was my Contax RTS II with a Carl Zeiss 45mm f2.8 T* Tessar I used to have. I loaded it with Rollei CR200 Film -a grainy yet characterful slide film based on an Agfachrome RSX emulsion.

I remember that time well, it must’ve been about 15 years ago or so and took some portraits of my late dad with it and life was good. Going back to it, the photos I took in Epping Forest, just within Greater London were quite interesting. Not only the trees and colour but also some murals of local animals and birds.

The Film itself has a very warm cast to it, almost yellow, and apart from being grainy it is quite muted in terms of colour. Skin tones aren’t great.

I shot just a roll, with many being variations on a theme. The Tessar, with the 45mm aspect was just the same focal length as the Contax G Planar, it does have some old school charm to it I think.

So Goodbye Summer.

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