5 frames with a Rolleicord Va on Lomography Purple

Every once in a while since trying it for the first time, I get the itch to shoot some Lomography Purple; I enjoy the colour shifts, the surprise and excitement when I get the scans back. However, until recently, I still mostly looked at it as just something fun to play with, but that I hesitated to load when going out to shoot as I was afraid I’d “miss” a good picture which I would have preferred to shoot with a normal stock.

After this most recent roll, my perspective has changed. Maybe it is because I shot it on medium format rather than 35mm, or maybe it’s because I’ve learned more about Kodak Aerochrome and have discovered the work of Richard Mosse that he shot in the Congo. Either way, I really enjoyed the results from this latest roll shot on my Rolleicord Va, which had recently been repaired.

An unexpected benefit of shooting Lomo Purple on the Rolleicord is the variable ISO: Lomography indicates that Purple can be rated anywhere between 100 and 400 ISO, with higher ISO (and thus less light) creating more intense red and purple colour. But unless one is trying to achieve a specific look, this also means that shooting without a light meter is made quite easier – which added to my enjoyment of shooting this film.

Rolleicord Va type 2

The Rolleicord Va is a twin-lens reflex (TLR) that shoots 6×6 square format on 120 or 220 film, produced between 1957 and 1958 for the type 1, and between 1958 and 1961 for this version (type 2), according to camera-wiki.org. Both versions sport a Xenar 1:3.5 75mm taking lens, and produce great results. The focusing screen is said to be relatively dim, but I personally find it quite good, certainly better than previous TLRs I’ve used (Rolleicord IV and a Flexaret, and easy to focus with.

The pictures

The pictures below were taken on two different days in July around the town where I live in Jutland, Denmark. I rated the film at about ISO 200 – but as explained above, I wasn’t too careful with it as I knew that anything between 100 and 400 would produce acceptable results. The roll was developed and scanned by CPH Lab, a film lab in Copenhagen.

I really am quite happy with how these images turned out; I think that the contrast of the light blue sky and purple vegetation in the wind turbine picture were reminiscent of Richard Mosse’s “Infra” book.

Not included here were also some portraits I took on this roll, which render surprisingly well. Taking all of that together, Lomography Purple has become a favourite film stock of mine, and I plan on shooting more of it.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this short piece!

You can find me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/totch_s/

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