rollei – from swerve of shore

Strange days, so I’m digging through my archives, looking at lost images and forgotten stories and edits. Trying to stay creative while holed up at home. These photographs are from a few years back during a winter vacation in Japan. I had challenged myself to shoot one roll of medium format film per day–12 frames–for the duration of the trip. The idea being that I would be more mindful of my frames, slow down, etc. The usual things people say when they say they want to shoot more film.

We traveled through Osaka, Kyoto, Kurashiki, Ginzan Onsen, and Tokyo. Plus stops in random towns and way stations along the way. I didn’t set out to photograph anything in particular; I mostly just wanted to observe more and be more considerate and considered. There were times I wished I had another camera on me, but for the most part it was an incredibly peaceful way to travel. Just an old Rollei and some sunshine (and rain and snow) on my shoulders. Here’s a small edit, a few years later.

A few weeks back I took a trip to Ha Giang, in the northern reaches of Vietnam, with a few good friends of mine. One was in from Dhaka, and the idea of a multi-day motorbike trek across the nation’s northernmost province was too good of an idea to pass up. So we packed up our camera gear and took the overnight bus out of Hanoi. I traveled light, with just a single bag: a few changes of clothes and my Rolleiflex camera with several rolls of black & white film. I wanted a camera that would force me to be a bit more thoughtful in my compositions. Or at least one that wouldn’t have me firing off hundreds of useless frames over the course of the trip.

It worked. I shot only four rolls in four days. Less than 50 images in all. Here’s a small selection. Mountains, markets, swimmers, and more. If I were making a list of the top 10 things to do in Vietnam, a motorbike trip through Ha Giang Province would probably be number one. And as always, I can’t wait to get back.