9 Rolls of Agfa Vista

I was visiting a very dear friend of mine, someone who I had known for nearly my whole life. As we chatted and caught up, I let it slip that I was interested in film and the darkroom process. Before I could say another word, she opened out a book and proceeded to share with me her darkroom notes. Pages upon pages upon pages of darkroom experimentation with ginger beer, coca cola, beer, even jam to make prints. As I poured over her notes, she handed me this beautiful Zorki 4 (which I still need to learn how to use. Zone focusing and Sunny 16 exposure is proving a little difficult).

It came with this jet black leather case, quite literally stunning. For a second I couldn’t believe what she had just handed me. Completely distracted by this beautiful piece of machinery, I didn’t see the 9 little red boxes she placed before me. Agfa Vista 200. Recently discontinued and certainly difficult to find in India, she had brought some over from the UK. ‘I cannot shoot these, so you might as well’ she said to me. Pretty sure I looked like a child who was just handed a giant lollipop.

I came home that day and put the rolls into my camera bag, determined to find an opportune moment to shoot them. It was during that semester of college that I had enrolled in a course on Tibetan Buddhism which entailed 2 field trips; one to Sarnath and Varanasi, and one to Dharamshala. It was there that I shot 6 of the rolls.

My first time shooting color film, and I really didn’t want to waste a single frame. To be on the safe side, I overexposed all the rolls by a stop.

I shot the remaining 3 rolls a few months later when I was in Bangalore and Hampi. and got them developed all together. I glanced over the negatives at the light table and they looked good but it was only when I managed to scan them did I see just how good they were. (Click on the location above to see my photos from each trip)

I loved the colours, they had a certain quality to them that felt organic. The grain was extremely fine, each shot tack sharp, and yet the background and the grain blended seamlessly.

As I perused through my negatives, scanning them and having my mind blown, I began to realize why people shoot film.

Yes, the colours are great and the cameras are beautiful. But I think the reason shooting film was important to me is because of the constraints.

I carried both digital and film when I travelled for my course and shot both. While reviewing the photos however, I realized how careless I was when shooting digital. I seemed to shoot just anything. Sometimes I would shoot a handful of near identical frames that were only so-so. My ratio of hits to misses was considerably low.

On film, I was measured; only if I felt the frame was perfect did I press

the shutter. I thought more about what I was photographing as well as why I was taking that photograph. I had to make sure every frame was a hit, from framing to exposure to focus.

I’m glad that I shot these 9 rolls when I did. They were the perfect step into film. I loved the experience of shooting film from loading the roll to seeing each frame. I can’t thank her enough for giving me those 9 rolls because those 9 rolls are what really made me love shooting film.

Some of my favourites off those 9 rolls.