Boy & Girl

Boy & Girl

This is a photograph that has been shot with a Yashica Electro 35 GTN with IIlford HP5 400 pushed to 800 film, in Rethymno, Crete, Greece.

A year ago I was into film a lot and I loved shooting black and white trying out pushing and pulling and generally enjoying the film experience. One of the film cameras I own is the Yashica Electro 35 GTN, an absolute gorgeous fixed lens rangefinder camera that sports an amazing 45mm f1.8 lens. With that lens and the correct film I can shoot all the way into the night without any issues. The film sensitivity is different to the digital sensor sensitivity and when employing pushing techniques one can get some pretty impressive results.

The day I shot this photo I was experimenting with pushing for the first time. I had no idea what the result would be like. The guys from the SHRC had told me that when you push your film it is usual to get more contrasty images. So, I expected as much. What I noticed when I later developed and scanned the negative was that in addition to contrast, the film grain was more noticeable, more big. This look that got produced was a first for me but I remember liking it very much.

What you see in this photograph is a random couple sitting on wooden decking, looking out to sea where the Rethymno Old Town beach is. In the distance is the old Rethymno lighthouse, the harbour walls and a ship that was there for the day. The couple never heard the ever-so-silent click of the Yashica’s shutter and I thus managed to preserve that moment without spoiling it in the slightest. Even though it was a hot summer afternoon during the high season of Rethymno, it seems as if the beach in front of the couple is empty, giving them a sense of isolation I quite enjoy.

Snap!