5 Frames with Kentmere 400 along Portugal’s coastline

There was definitely a time where I thought I needed the right camera to make photographs at my highest potential. 

Piggybacking off my last ‘5 frames’ article, where I suggested going for an aimless stroll can help increase the calmness in your mind and concentrate on the act of photography alone,  similarly, reaching for the camera that brings you some joy can also be of benefit and erase the ‘if only’ mindset of wanting the right piece of gear. 

My partner and I, before moving overseas, decided to hike a section of the Camino trek in Portugal. We arrived in Porto and set off north. As a photographer, I naturally agonised over what camera to bring. 

There are many options out there that would have surely sufficed. But in the end, I settled for a camera ive owned for the longest, one that I’m most familiar with and feel the most comfortable shooting- my Voigtlander Bessa R4a with my Color Skopar 35mm f2.5 lens. 

I brought and shot mostly black and white film on this trip, too.  Black and white film? Crazy, I know, with the beautiful colors popping from along the coastline, the small towns and fishing villages, cafes and restaurants along the way next to mom and pa grocery stores, It seemed like a wasted opportunity. But hear me out, there’s often the thought in the back of my mind when i shoot that says ‘if thats my best photograph, shouldn’t it be printed in the darkroom…? 

So what a shame it would have been if the best shot I took on this trip was a color negative…

I digress. Having a simple, small yet very capable 35mm camera on my front meant that I didn’t have to dig through my bag every time I wanted to fire a shot off, and being small enough to tuck under my arm the entire hike, it barely ever got in the way. 

This wonderful combination of camera, lens and film allowed me to shoot on the streets as we hiked for days along the country’s edge up to our final destination. Would I have taken better shots with a better camera? Probably not, after all, as they say, isn’t taking a great photo just knowing where to stand? 

Technical data:
Film: Kentmere 400 shot at 1600iso
Camera: Voigtlander Bessa R4a set to aperture priority
Lens: Color Skopar 35mm f2.5
Lab Processed by Carmoncita Lab in Lisbon (D76, 1:1)
Scanned on a Fuji Frontier

Until the next time!

Share this post: