Industrielandschaften - Mannheim, Deutschland, November 1985

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Three years later, also on November, but on a very dissimilar mood from my previuos post, I felt an urge to shoot urban landscapes.

The Rhein (Rhine) and Neckar rivers are the home of one of the most important European inland ports, spreading around the German towns of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.

I decided on medium format equipment for the task, bringing along the Hasselblad 500 EL/M and the Rolleiflex T.

Wish I had done these photographs in large format, but that was still zukunftsmusik...

So, will you please excuse me for some inaccurate perspective?

Shot with Hasselblad 500 EL/M + Rolleiflex T

Technical Data:
Cameras - Hasselblad 500 EL/M + Rolleiflex T
Lenses - Carl Zeiss Tessar, Planar or Sonnar (Distagon?)
Film - Kodak Tri-X + Ilford HP5
Developer - Kodak D-76 1+1
Location - Mannheim, Germany (last one on the border to Ludwigshafen)
Date - November 1985
Scanner - Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

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Assorted Moments - Sinar F2 (1988 - 90)

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Looking through my archive, I came upon a little box with several 9x12 cm / 4x5 inches negatives. Most of them unidentified: no date, no location...

I believe that they must habe been made in the last two years, or so, that I lived in Germany, prior to my return to Portugal in 1990.

In those times I was enthusiastic enough to travel with a Sinar camera and a couple of Schneider lenses...

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Mannheim, Germany



Near Mannheim, Germany
(can you see the Christmas tree?)



Carrasqueira, Rio Sado, Portugal



Carrasqueira, Rio Sado, Portugal



El Burgo de Osma, España

Guimarães, Portugal

Alentejo, Portugal

Alentejo, Portugal



Because (Lennon/McCartney)

Because the world is round it turns me on
Because the world is round...

Because the wind is high it blows my mind
Because the wind is high......

Love is all, love is new
Love is all, love is you

Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry
Because the sky is blue.......

From the record “Abbey Road” – The Beatles (1969)

Wish you all a good time!

Silke in Mannheim, Germany, August 1989 (Agfachrome RS 1000 - Part Two)

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All photographs taken with a Nikon F or F3 camera

(probably equiped with a 200mm Nikkor lens),

using Agfachrome RS 1000 film.

On a recent post, I showed some images shot with the old, and long discontinued, Agfachrome RS 1000. As I have stated before, I found it's coarse grain wonderful for some subjects in 120 size, although a little too rough on 35mm film.

A couple of days ago, I happened to find these images taken on the same sessions, using the smaller format, so I thought it would be interesting to post them for you to compare.



I didn't want to fumble with the old slides, so I didn't take them out from the cardboard mounts I used to display them. That is the reason for the brown color of the film frames.

I hope that you enjoy...


P.S.: These photographs make me ponder that color photography has gone a long way, even in a very recent past...
As you know, I am a true film believer, but I must agree that digital easily surpasses (from a technical point of view) film quality at ASA/ISO 1000...

Anyway, I still think that film grain can be a loveable form of expression!

I will forever be a film crusader!!!

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Silke in Mannheim, Germany, August 1989 (Agfachrome RS 1000)

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All photographs shot with a Hasselblad 500 C/M,
with Agfachrome RS 1000 film

Sometime ago, I have mentioned a long discontinued film, that I very much liked to use every now and then.
I found its colours very attractive for some subjects, producing a nice mood.
The (very) coarse grain gave it a strong character of it's own.

Maybe a little too coarse in 35mm, it just produced lovable images in 120 size.

I surely miss it!

Somebody introduced me to Silke, because I needed a model for some school tasks, when I was doing my Gesellenprüfung in Heidelberg, Germany.

Silke was a nice and friendly girl, with lots of Geduld...
I enjoyed her company, and we had the chance to spend some funny days together.

It is a pity, and a shame, that I have lost contact with her when I moved back to Portugal...

On this particular occasion, we went to some Industriegebiet in the town of Mannheim, and I brought along my trusty Hasselblad 500 C/M and a couple of lenses: the Carl Zeiss Sonnar-C 4/150mm, together with the Carl Zeiss Planar-C 2.8/80mm or the Carl Zeiss Distagon-C 3.5/60mm.
Although it was obviously a sunny day, I decided to use the Agfachrome RS 1000, probably equipping my lenses with a ND or a polarizing filter.

It is a pity that I can't show the images somewhat bigger, as the grain get's more and more interesting as size increases...

My daughter laughs a little about the clothes on the photographs...

Well, it was twenty years ago today, as the Beatles would say!

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I am ashamed

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On the 25th of April, Portugal will celebrate thirty five years of democracy.

So they say...

On that April morning, young army officers finally put an end to Salazar's dictatorship.

A new era had began...

But the dream of equality, fraternity and mutual respect has long faded away.

We now have to deal with lies, greed and corruption.

We lost our dignity.

For some months now, almost everyone who crosses the door of my studio is struggling for surviving: they beg for something, or try to sell something.

I wish that I could give them a helping hand, but I struggle too.

The clients are long gone, the telephone seldom rings...

I am ashamed of beeing part of this society!

Each day I have a little faith...

Dear Landlord

Please don't put a price on my soul

My burden is heavy

My dreams are beyond control


When that steamboat whistle blows

I'm gonna give you all I got to give

And I do hope you receive it well

Dependin' on the way you feel that you live


Dear Landlord

Please hear these words that I speak

I know you've suffered much

But in this you are not so unique


All of us at times we might work too hard

To have it too fast and too much

And anyone can fill his life up with things

He can see but he just cannot touch


Dear Landlord

Please don't dismiss my case

I'm not about to argue

I'm not about to move to no other place


Now, each of us has his own special gift

And you know this was meant to be true

And if you don't underestimate me

I won't underestimate you.


Bob Dylan, "Dear Landlord"

(from the album "John Wesley Harding", 1967)

Some information about the photographs: the hand was pictured in Mannheim, Germany, September 1986.
I shot with a Rolleiflex 3.5 F equiped with a Carl Zeiss Planar 75mm lens, and loaded with Kodak Plus-X, developed in Kodak Microdol-X, 1+3.

My portrait was shot February 2009, and is courtesy of Helena Roque.

I happen to have on my neck the Rolleiflex that made the image above, and a Leica M5 with 50mm Summicron lens.

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