London - 2025-08-05/10

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Notes

This was the first time I shot film abroad, second time I went through an airport with film (when I went to the US in spring 2025 I visited B&H in NYC and bought some stuff to bring back home). Of course it was London, probably my most favourite city in the world, for sure in Europe.

I went there during my summer holidays, as I often do I try to find places with a lower temperature than where I live, to enjoy some nice summer mild climates. I did not have many ideas, having been to London countless times my only goals were visit things I never saw before, and visit at least one of the Concordes I'm still missing on my list (someday I'll explain what I mean by that). I ended up visiting the V&A, Tate Modern, and Brooklands, among other things. And I even had time to go buy some interesting Ilford stocks that are harder to come by/pricier where I live. Also the first time I've shot a roll of HP5+.

I thought of bringing with me a compact camera, so I took my FED-5v Soviet manual rangefinder, my "poor man's Leica", a couple of rolls of Kodak Pro Image 100 and an already started roll of Foma 200. I ended up shooting 4 rolls over 6 days, the 3 I brought plus the aforementioned HP5+, and also a lot of digital images with my EOS 200D. Had no issues with hand checking film in Verona or Gatwick, the two airports I flew from/into, I flew BA so direct.

Roll one started life in my XG-2 on a summer day at my family's seaside apartment, then it was moved to my FED-5v. Shot it around Battersea (where I was staying in my Airbnb rented room), so Battersea Park with the Peace Pagoda, then Battersea Power Station, then I went to central London to Trafalgar Square, and the last images are from Chinatown. Roll 2 was shot in Chinatown, then Piccadilly, and finally Brooklands, where I was happy to experience a place that combined my love for cars, planes and contemporary history. Roll 3 is the first roll of HP5+ I've ever shot in my life, still at Brooklands, and roll 4 started there as well, then back to London, with Albert Bridge (always found funny the sign asking parades to break step when passing through it), Buckingham Palace, then Brick Lane, Camden, and finally the swans at St. James Park (that day I met up with a colleague on vacation with his family, so we did a lot of touristy things I know well you should avoid, like go to Camden on an overcrowded weekend). I also passed by a pro-Palestine protest in Parliament square, took a few nice digital shots, but had already finished the film I had with me.

The photos may be badly exposed because, of course, my FED is fully manual, I either used a lightmeter app on my phone or tried to guess on a few instances. Also my film squeegee left those nasty marks on the film, I should buy another set of those.

Data for nerds like myself ;)

Roll 1:

Camera1: Minolta XG-2, Kalimar 28-200mm f/4-5.6

Camera2: FED-5v, Industar-61 55mm f/2.8

Film: Fomapan 200, at box speed, developed in Rodinal 1:50, dev time X:XX

Roll 2:

Camera: FED-5v, Industar-61 55mm f/2.8

Film: Kodak Pro Image 100, at box speed, developed in Cs-41

Roll 3:

Camera: FED-5v, Industar-61 55mm f/2.8

Film: Ilford HP-5+, at box speed, developed in Rodinal 1:50, dev time X:XX

Roll 4:

Camera: FED-5v, Industar-61 55mm f/2.8

Film: Kodak Pro Image 100, at box speed, developed in Cs-41

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