Urbs Roma

Between Xmas and the new year we went to Rome. Not one of our best outings. It was cold and rainy best part of the time, the city was chock full of people, graffiti and grime everywhere and the B&B in Albano was much further (or longer) from town than anticipated. Nevertheless, we were able to keep a cheerful mood most of the time. After all the city does have some fabulous things on display.

All I took as a camera was the Bronica RF645. Not even the LX-3 in my pocket. Just the Bronica and a good stock of 220 rolls Tri-X 320. One roll yields 32 exposures, almost as if one is shooting 35mm. And it's a nice, compact camera - with just a standard lens - to work with. I wasn't particularly tuned to taking pictures. I took about 200 shots, but honestly without much conviction. Or at least without wanting to make things complicated. I just shot stuff I liked pretty much straight on.

Negs have been developed and I have been surprised by what I see. There is quite a bit that I like. Simple things, nothing out of the ordinary, but to me interesting in a way. The negatives are a little more contrasty than I am used to, which I like. Maybe it's the warm winter light (when the sun was, on rare occasions, out), maybe it's just that the negatives have been slightly underdeveloped (I exposed at 800 iso, but stupidly forgot to notify the lab so they developed at the standard 400 iso). Anyway, there's quite a bit of material I can work with. Together with negatives from previous visits to Rome I can compile a nice portfolio.

It's weird. Often you do your very best only to find that the negs are just right for the bin. In Rome I shot on automatic pilot and the result is more than promising. What's the trick?