The Yashica Electro 35 GSN

The Yashica

This camera is often the one that gets most attention when I'm out shooting.

A day at the polo

- Yashica Electro 35GSN, Fuji C200

I think it has to do with its sixties aesthetics; leatherette with its metal-and-leatherette combination alongside the smooth edges. It really does please the eye. As well as that, its the camera used by Andrew Garfield in the first Amazing Spider-Man. Nonetheless, the real magic happens with the lens.

Frame within a frame

- Yashica Electro 35GSN, Fuji C200

The 45mm f1.7 Yashinon is surprisingly good for the camera's price range. I can't say its clinically sharp at closer looks, but the results are more than usable. Plus, the bokeh looks amazing.

Focus

- Yashica Electro 35GSN, Fuji C200

A camera that is this old is bound to have some issues. In my case, it comes in three forms: the focus, the viewfinder, and the leaks. The first two are likely related; the viewfinder is dim, so I miss my focus (as seen above). However, I still feel that the focussing mechanism might have need fixing anyways. 

A day at the polo II

- Yashica Electro 35GSN, Fuji C200

The last issue is the light leaks, present in the first two images. The streaks on the left side do look cool, but at the same time they can easily ruin a photograph. In these cases I like them, but I can see how they might annoy me in the future.

Simón.

SUNSET AT BASTAKIYA

The Birds
- Leica IIIf, HP5+

Finally, I have a proper scanner. This means I can get all of my negatives digitised for free, at will. This means that I can now post more often, and it makes for some rambling posts (such as this one).

Lonely stool
- Leica IIIf, HP5+

The creek has been one of my favourite locations for the past few months. It's saturated with a sense of what Dubai used to be, and it makes for some fun, interesting (to me, at least) photographs.

Bird and minaret

All these images are from the same photo walk, shot at around 4 or 5 pm when the light is nice and mellow. Once again, they were made using a Leica IIIf on HP5+ 400 film.

The guy that wanted to marry Kim K

There's a funny story behind this specific picture. In the souq area, everyone is clamouring for the attention of tourists to try to sell them their goods. This man, after seeing I didn't want to buy a ghutra from him, began telling me the story of how he plotted to escape his wife and get rid of Kanye in order to marry Kim Kardashian. Needless to say, I was entertained.

Leading lines

Honestly, I feel like the remaining photographs speak for themselves. Also, I cannot think of anything else to write. So I hope you enjoy them.

Negative space

Frame within a frame within a frame...

Texture of the creek

Flight of the seagulls

Rays of the sun

Simón.

FINALLY DEVELOPED FILM

Three days ago, I developed my first roll of film.

And it was amazing.

I have wanted to develop my own film for some time. The issues that stopped me from doing so:

• the fact that I'm broke

Thankfully, I got the supplies as a gift, and I quickly set up a not-so-dark darkroom. The next thing on the list was to take some pictures for me to develop.

I had also received five rolls of HP5+, alongside some ID-11 developer, Rapid Fixer, and a wetting agent. I loaded a roll in the Leica IIIf, and I made my way to Old Dubai

That day, I was acting as a tour guide for some family friends visiting Dubai, which meant I got to see some sights to photograph. We went to the textile, spice, and gold souqs in the Al Bastakiya area, providing me with interesting subjects.

When I returned home, I spent the next three hours preparing the chemicals, the darkroom, and finally developing the roll.

It was messy. Timing, as well as temperature, is supposedly essential to proper development. I now think that this is not necessarily the case. During the process, I was not accurate with either, (not by choice), and the results are amazing.

I still want to work on my process, since I was not as well-organised  as I thought I was. I now have a funnel, which I was missing the first time and I feel like it will make transferring chemicals easier and safer. In addition, I will have to play with the timings in order to see what results I prefer.

Scanning is the only way for you to see your images after developing (printing aside). To get it scanned from a store at a good quality tends to be pretty expensive. Thankfully, I have a personal scanner. Sadly, it's pretty bad. The images on this blog are from that scanner, so excuse the poor quality.

All in all, it was a fun experience that I am sure to repeat (and perfect) in the near future.

Simón.

DIGITAL IN AL-MADAM

This place has been a well-kept secret up until recently, when photographers and companies started showing it off on social media. Still, there are some who haven't heard of the abandoned village of Al-Madam.

They stopped the moving sands - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

Al-Madam, Sharjah, is located at the intersection of the Dubai-Hatta road (E44) and the E55, just a 20 minute walk from the road. It used to be home to the Al-Kutbi tribe, but it was deserted more than a decade ago. From what I read, its abandonment was due to the village being too isolated from the world, while there is a legend that says a 'djinn' actually drove the people out.

Overlooking the 'Big Red' - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

I first heard of it before last summer, on an article written by GPP (https://gulfphotoplus.com/blog/503/Top-10-Places-to-Shoot-in-the-UAE). I made a note of it and I waited for a chance to go there.

Symmetrical building - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

I then began to plan my equipment. I had just bought the Nikon D7200, and it was the perfect opportunity to test it out. I grabbed a tripod, my 18-55mm kit lens, and a 50mm F1.8, shoved it in a bag, and I was ready. I had organised with some friends to go one afternoon once the holidays began so that I had some subjects to shoot while I was there.

Ruined symme-'tree' - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

We reached the village just before golden hour. The ghost town has been a popular place for photographers in recent times and looking around, I could see why: the place had decayed beautifully. The peeling wallpapers, the cracked floors, the left-over furniture, and the slow-moving sand tides that swallow the buildings created an eerie atmosphere, emphasised by the fact that we were completely alone (in hindsight, we were quite lucky: the place seems to be full these days).

Frame within a frame - Nikon D7200, 18-55mm

After around an hour and a half of shooting, I thought I had the images I wanted, and we were ready to leave; however, I now want to go back and look for more pictures, as well as to correct the ones I took.

Several images have overexposed highlights, since I had taken a light reading for the shadows; partially due to the camera's metering system, partially my fault for not having bracketed my exposures. This led to the brighter areas of the photo lacking detail. In addition, I didn't use the 50mm lens, which is a shame, nor did I shoot any film while I was there.

Next time, though, I hope I will get it right.

Simón.

FUJICOLOR IN NEPAL

Buddhist prayer flags
- Leica IIIf, Fuji C200

Nepal was high up on my bucket list, and I got to check it off last October. It was worth it.

Local with a basket - Leica IIIf, Fuji C200

When planning for the trip, I had to think what photo equipment I should take with me. I needed a digital camera, so that I could have quick access to my images on the spot; I took the Nikon D7200. It was more complicated to choose a film camera, though.

Lady that sold me a bracelet for a picture
- Leica IIIf, Fuji C200

I wanted something small, so the Olympus XA sounded like a good idea: compact, light, and doesn't attract attention; however, it is also fragile, and I was limited to aperture priority and a maximum 1/500s shutter speed.

Welcome at the orphanage - Leica IIIf, Fuji C200

The Leica IIIf is my favourite camera of all time. Full-manual brass tank with a sharp collapsible lens and a clear rangefinder. It also looks amazing, and is very small compared to its DSLR counterparts. I didn't look any further.

Rickshaw drivers at the hotel
- Leica IIIf, Fuji C200

The next issue I had was choosing a film stock. I really wanted to take some black-and-white film (either Tri-X 400 or HP5+) because the Leica gives excellent results with it. Nonetheless, I opted for some Fujicolor C200: cheap, easily accessible, and I thought I would appreciate being able to see the colours of Nepal.

Overall, it was an unforgettable experience, and I'm glad I was able to take the photos I wanted so I could revisit the Kathmandu whenever I want.

Simón.

INTRODUCTION

A beginning is the time for taking the most

delicate care that the balances are correct.

             - Frank Herbert

I would like to start off by thanking you for checking out my blog. Bear with me, I am still figuring this out.

My name is Simón Ducos. I like to take photographs. I shoot both digital and film, and have a fair collection of cameras to help me pursue my hobby. My aim with this blog is to store all my work as well as the thought process I have before, during, and after taking an image.

Some of the photos I will post here will already be on my Instagram, @s.ducosphotos (https://www.instagram.com/s.ducosphotos/). My posting schedule is very random. School sucks.

I hope you enjoy my blog, and learn something along the way. 

Simón.