Film Review: Fuji Pro 400h in Morocco

Hey folks.. thought I’d use the latest video release on our YouTube channel as an opportunity to write a well overdue blog post. The video, featured below, is the final episode in the ‘Phlog’ series that Jake and myself filmed whilst traveling through Europe and Morocco.

The series aims to provide viewers with an insight into how and why we capture particular photographs. In the final episode, we are approaching the end of our time in Morocco, where we shot a lot of street scenes.

We spent the majority of our time on Morocco’s west coast, in a town called Essaouira. The main point of attraction in Essaouira is its large fishing port, which plays host to lively mornings of trading between fisherman and street vendors.

With so much action taking place there, this part of town was an area that I knew I wanted to try and capture before leaving. I decided to shoot the majority of photographs here with Fuji Pro 400h film on my medium format camera, the Mamiya 645.

I had managed to capture similar scenes earlier in our trip, whilst traveling through Romania and Spain, which is why I opted to continue with the medium format film approach. Fuji Pro has become my go to film stock, and I was pleased with how these shots turned out.

What I found most challenging whilst shooting around the port was capturing subjects before they moved from the position that originally grabbed my attention. Shooting digitals on a camera with nice auto focus would have been a completely different ball game, but it was a great way to push myself.

Anyway, here are a few more shots from the roll.. these were all scanned with my Epson v800. Enjoy!

Week Six in Europe: Italy Recap

Mucho gratsi to you Italy!

This was a week filled with incredible highs (literal and metaphorical) and patience testing lows. Here's my attempt at recapping our journey from the countries North-East to its North-West..

After waking up beneath the Nordic Ski Fields in West Slovenia, it took just ten minutes until road signs began welcoming us into 'Italia'. From that point on our jaws would continue to drop at a rapid pace, as we made the journey toward the Dolomites Mountain Range.

I'm not sure Rosanna was as impressed as we were. The 180km ride from Kranjska Gora to Cortina d'Ampezzo ended up taking roughly 5 hours, but we were happy taking our time during this leg. After trying our luck at a few spots on top of nearby hills, we thought it'd be wiser to park up in a lot where two other homes were already settled in. Tonight was a no power night, which worked out perfectly as the only thing either of us had on our mind was pizza & vino.

Surrounded by beautiful rock-capped mountains, Cortina d'Ampezzo draws its crowds during the snow season and this meant another ghost town outing. We went small bar hunting and managed to find a couple of entrée vino's, before stumbling across a cosy looking restaurant where our dinner wishes came true. 

The following day we pencilled in a campsite night and headed up to Lake Misurina first thing to try and hook into power - only to reach another campsite closed due to low season. Dangerously late on Rosanna's porridge service, we pulled up beside the lake and dusted off the trusty trestle. Comfortably the number one brekky service thus far..

With a pristine looking day ahead, but no wi-fi, we went in search of hiking information at the local stores. A local guide also happened to work behind the counter of a mountain gear shop and advised us that with a vehicle, our best bet was the 'Tre-Cine' Loop. Unfortunately the mountain road requires a 35 euro entry fee, which was the equivalent to a substantial grocery shop for us. 

Plan B - Well, the parking lot next to the entrance was also the starting point for several lower routes.. Making it an easy decision to wing it. Fast forward two hours and we couldn't have been more pleased with this choice, or in awe of the view from up high. The four hour return trip is proof that one doesn't need a hike planned in this region.

Now late afternoon, our attention swung toward finding a campsite, and it looked like Cortina d'Ampezzo was our best bet. After a scare concerned with Rosanna's break pads, we checked into Camping Cortina and celebrated a day that provided one of the highlights of the trip thus far - just as the sky began to cloud over.

The following day, we left later than we'd hoped due to uploading duties - toward Soproni. The rain was now heavy, making driving sketchy, toll fee's confusing and free parking more difficult than we would have preferred. But hey - we got ordered through the toll without charge and put Rosanna to bed in between a vineyard and river.. So things could've been a lot worse.

Without much knowledge of our surrounds and no internet, we decided to head straight for Soproni and spent most of the day on the road. Passing through the town around 3pm, we realised it was far more industrial than we'd hoped, at which point it became a bypass to Lake Como. We'd had a great run of lakeside stops to date and Lake Como was no different. 

Although we were unable to find a campsite in season, we managed to park up adjacent to the main road that runs along the lake. Feeling like we'd earned a drink, we wandered to a nearby wine bar where we were accidentally given a free round that included 'Happy Hour Tapas'. It's the little things.

After a morning by the lake, we were forced to drive North to the only campsite open; Campeggio Ai Colli Fioriti. The distance/time ratio getting here was easily the slowest of our trip thus far, thanks to winding one way roads. Fortunately, the views over the lake made it worth the hassle and after checking in, we wandered to the nearest town - San Fedele Intelvi.

This is where we stumbled across Birramondo, a small craft beer bar nestled down a cobblestone laneway. As soon as we opened the door, Jake and I knew we'd be sampling more than one of their taps. Not only did the owner (Dominik) greet us with a few tasters, but he also gave us a tour of the place. We knew the weather was meant to turn and it so happened that the rain began to fall as we ordered our second round - a perfect excuse to stay for 3 or 4 more. The rain failed to let up and we arrived back into Rosanna drenched, at which point we noticed a leaking roof. Good luck, followed by bad luck. This seemed to be the new trend.

I was wrong. The following day it went from bad to worse when I managed to steer Rosanna into the softest spot of grass in the campsite. Unable to reverse her out myself, we had no choice but to seek the help of the manager and his tractor. Two hours and two hundred gear changes later, we managed to squeeze out of what now looked like a small crater.

Patience levels were running dry as the wet weather persisted. What could cheer us up? How about paying one last visit to our favourite craft beer bar of the trip. We had mentioned to Dominik that we were interested in filming some footage of the bar in action, and he was quick to give us his blessing.

We'd love to pursue filming more promotional material for bars and breweries once back on home turf and it was a great way to distract ourselves from the events that had unfolded earlier. You can also check out our time in Italy by watching the latest Motorhomies below.

The following day we would be heading up toward Switzerland, where (of course) there were more challenges waiting. 4 300km down. Thanks for reading! 

Week Five in Europe: Slovenia Recap

Finally.. this morning we woke up in Satu Mare knowing it was our last day in Romania, but more importantly - knowing that we would be reunited with our Motorhome 'Rosanna', after a 400km drive back toward Presov (Slovakia).

We have spent the past four days awaiting news on the progress of the repair, at the same time the mechanic were awaiting for the new part required (for repair) to arrive. It's been a frustrating period, but things could be much worse. Whilst waiting on the green light, we found ourselves in an Air B'n'B located in North-West Romania, with an unlimited supply of electricity, Wi-Fi & hot water - three things we had been consistently lacking on the road.

It was a great time to catch up on editing, whilst enjoying features that appeared "additional" to us - a small balcony, a widescreen TV, and a normal sized fridge. Luxuries aside, we were both itching to jump back in our Motorhome and the constant surprises that this method of traveling provides. We reached Rosanna by late afternoon, and after disposing of the filth present in her fridge (plus the 0% alcohol beers "donated" to us by the auto shop) we were on the road toward Slovenia.

We only had enough time to reach a countryside area in Central Hungary, but it felt strangely right. Behind schedule, we decided to aim for Lake Bled the following day (North-West Slovenia) - a 600km drive from camp. This leg of our journey proved to be one of the nicest yet, thanks to the incredible tunnels that run through the mountains of central Slovenia. Exiting each of them, we were treated to wide open views of the surrounding valleys, and reached Lake Bled by sunset.

After free camping just outside of the town, we explored the Lake itself the next morning, before making our way to the less populated Lake Bohinj. We parked up at Camp Bohinj , which - at only 23 Euros per night (Incl. Power, Wi-Fi and Showers) was easily one of our favourite paid spots of the trip thus far.

We scored a magical sunset which, combined with hummus and cold beers, left us feeling pretty pleased with how the day had panned out. With an abundance of treks in the area, we opted to hit they hay early and catch sunrise from a higher vantage point.

Our mental ‘Kramer’ alarm systems were in full swing as we beat the iPhone clock - 4.45am. I gave the gloves their long awaited debut and we began making our way toward Savica Waterfall  - about a 90 minute trip from the camp. We reached an opening about 15 minutes from the waterfall and decided this would be a good place to set up for sunrise, where I would also take off the drone to capture some aerial footage.

Don’t think I was going to let this post go on without the mention of any hiccups..

Turns out I didn’t realise that the home point of the drone had set itself roughly 60 meters from myself, which meant when it was time to land (due to extremely low battery power) I became very confused as to why I couldn’t hear or see it. Long story short, the rest of the day proceeded to revolve around finding the drone - scaling vertical rockfaces in the process.

I was feeling pretty down about the whole thing, but Jake was able to swing my focus to the good times ahead and with that in mind, it was time to start making moves toward Italy! We were on the hunt for a free camp, which lead us to the ski fields located in Slovenia's West.

We drove up toward a mountain known as Kranjska Gora and soon found out that it is also home to a Nordic Ski Championship Venue. Not only had Slovenia provided us with the best paid camp, but it had now delivered the most unique camp to date. It was also a great spot to debrief our time here, which you can watch in the latest episode of Motorhomies.

 Odometer currently reads 217 080, which means we have now clocked 3200km in Rosanna.

Next up - Italia!

Week Four in Europe: Hungary & Romania Recap

We have just spent the past 6 days driving through Hungary and Romania in a Toyota Aygo named 'Roxanne'.

Although the car couldn't be more of a change up from our Motorhome, we decided that it was Rosanna's niece. Niece? The colour helped us decide..

So when did we have to decide on a temporary set of wheels? When we received the following news..

Burnt Clutch - €343

Burnt Flywheel - €942

Labour - €350

One Night Accommodation - €70

Total - €1705

Not exactly what we had in mind...

The bigger problem, however, was the fact that the new flywheel required would need to be ordered from elsewhere in Slovakia (possibly overseas - I'm still unsure to be honest) and wouldn't arrive for a week.

We quickly realised that this length of time frame allowed us to consider the option of continuing our journey in a rental vehicle, before swapping back to Rosanna once the repair had been made. Funny how tings work out, because a few roads we've driven along since have made it feel like a blessing in disguise.

Roxanne's first chapter begun when we drove 4 hours South-West from Presov to Budapest. Back home in Aus, it was the biggest sporting day of the year - Grand Final Day. Jake and I decided to pick up a few tins on arrival and waste a couple of hours watching the game, before heading into town to meet up with his sister's.

We only spent two nights here, but left feeling satisfied after a morning spent shooting photo's around the city outskirts, followed by indulging in a couple of meals out. The neighbourhood we happened to be staying in was pretty rough, which actually meant that it offered up some interesting scenes to photograph.

A full day of driving East ended with us checking in to an Air B'n'B located in Sibiu, Central Romania. Arriving just before sunset meant we had time to go for a wander and sample the local cuisine. The town had a really nice atmosphere, although it was easy to tell how much influence tourism has had on its main drag.

A point of attraction that lured us toward Sibiu was the fact that it sits above what is known as the world's 'Most Beautiful Highway' - The Transfagarasan Highway. We decided to dedicate the following day to checking out this incredible mountain range and capturing some footage along the way.

When I mentioned that our time in Roxanne was a blessing in disguise, this road was the major reason for that (Jake and I were unsure Rosanna would have put much of a dent into the journey). Blessed with blue skies, we drove straight to the top, where Lake Balea is found, before filming a short sequence to introduce our YouTube audience to the Disco Machine.

Not having a huge amount of time in the country, it was time to head toward Cluj-Napoca the following day. Cluj is the third largest city in Romania, known for being a student hub with a hip atmosphere featuring some of the best techno music venues in the world. Our experience here was a little different, but we were both content with not having to deal with 2-3 days of recovery from a night out here.

Instead, we made sure to try more local cuisine. You'll notice a number of hole in the wall bakeries here, which usually serve up scrumptious pockets filled with either cabbage, mushrooms or cottage cheese - a great option to grab whilst wandering around town, or whilst getting tattoos. Yes, we did also decide to sample the local ink and couldn’t have picked a better day to do so, as the weather began to drop toward zero.

On the eve of Rosanna’s expected repair date, we received a message from the Auto shop in Slovakia informing us that they were still awaiting the part to be delivered. As a result of this news, we booked an Air BnB for the following night, only to find we’d been scammed when trying to locate the place.. it would appear we were running dry on luck.

Not completely dry on ideas, we decided to put a dent in the journey back toward Slovakia by moving shop to a North-West town known as Satu Mare. Another weekend would delay the repair further, which meant we stayed four nights in a town we had previously no intention of visiting. Fortunately, the apartment here had more space than we knew what to do with, providing us with the chance to catch up on editing.

On Tuesday evening we finally got the green light. We would be reunited with Rosanna the following day. Roxanne’s fun was over and our hot-cold shower ratio was beginning to look too privileged for a couple of Motorhomies. We now had our work cut out for us, but were both excited for the unknown that Rosanna provided us with.

Next up - Slovenia.. Thanks for reading folks!

Week Three in Europe: Slovakia Recap

Here I was thinking it'd be tough to trump Poland for the twists and turns it provided.

Well I was very wrong, for two reasons. Two very different reasons..

The first - how incredibly beautiful the Northern part of Slovakia is.

Driving into the Tatra Mountain Range just before sunset and finding our favourite ‘free camp spot’ to date, Jake and I were speechless, both quietly satisfied with our decision to beeline here.

The second - the fact that Rosanna is no longer with us.

Yes it was unexpected, but we are surprisingly appreciative for the challenges it has provided, and before you get too concerned - we will be reunited with the old girl. Her current whereabouts - Central Slovakia, in a repair shop, awaiting a new clutch and flywheel.

Our current wherabouts - en route to Romania after 48 hours in Budapest. It has simply been a strange 4-5 days, which begun with the realisation that she wasn't in a good way. After spending two incredible days in the Northern part of the country, hiking the Tatra Mountains, we begun heading toward Hungary, which sits below Slovakia.

Unfortunately, we were forced into spending a night parked up at a gas station - neither of us comfortbale with driving to where we'd hoped to make it to. This is when the challenges began to stack up. Too late to find a local mechanic, no Wi-Fi, and no authorised repair shops anywhere nearby.

What to do? How about hiking to that castle over there? (Which actually happened to be Central Europe’s largest castle, ‘Spiš Castle’)

En route to the castle, we noticed a local bar in an otherwise ghostlike town. Not only did they have Wi-Fi, they also offered shisha & toasted panini's. Well, there's Dinner sorted, and an evening that helped us realise things could be much worse.

Ironically we had an empty water tank and couldn't seem to find a tap anywhere, meaning that the following morning started with a face wash and brush of the bones from water bottle remains. We then attempted the drive to Presov, but only managed 10km's before Rosanna decided to throw the towel in.

Stuck in an even smaller town, we were forced to go door knocking.. After a few failed attempts, we met a man who didn't speak a word of English, but kindly put me on the phone to his son (working at the time) - who organised a tow truck for us.

Finally in Presov, we were taken to a family run auto shop, which would apparently be our accomodation until hearing the van's diagnosis. Of all the overseas adventure's I've been lucky enough to go on, this scenario was beginning to develop into one of the larger pickles I've found myself in. Little did I know, it would only continue to develop.

There's been a number of testing moments, but fortunately the sarcastic laughter has outweighed those. A strong example of this ratio was the night that followed our vehicle dilemmas. Deciding to go for 'one' beer at a local pub, we left having sampled the majority of 'Kelt's' Slovakian spirit list, and with what will probably be some questionable film photo's.

Stay posted for the next update, in which we make our way towards Romania with a new (temporary) set of wheels. Thanks for reading!

Week Two in Europe: Poland Recap

Our second week in Eastern Europe has seen us travel into Poland, almost reaching its border with Russia in the North, before traveling down to Krakow in the South.

Adding another 1400km to Rosanna's clock, we've completed some of what we now realise will be the longer drives of our journey. Our first night was spent roadside in the North-West (no where in particular) feeling slightly overwhlemed by the ground still to be made. Although a tad later than we'd hoped, we did manage to make it close to Lelek the following day, a small town surrounded by lakes and countryside in the North-East.

We stocked up on supplies in town, before checking out the layout of our surrounds on Maps Me. This had quickly become the go to play when attempting to park up somehwere that would be free of charge.

We tried a side road beside several farm houses, which took us to a lakeside campground currently in its off season. Although we didn't luck out with the power outlets, we were very content with the position of Rosanna's front door and decided on spending two nights here.

Patchy weather meant for a quiet couple of days, though we did manage to film some content indoors. Weather obviously plays an influential part of how one goes about a day trying to explore a new place and for Jake and I, it also provides the challenge - How can we stay productive?

Fortunately, our new series Motorhomies is developing into a style of documentary that allows us to enjoy ourselves whilst filming - so, naturally, Jake worked the camera and I whipped us up some tapas - coming to a screen near you soon. We're also having fun with conversation to camera setups, which enable us to breakdown the road trip as it unfolds.

Luckily, the weather swung back in our favour as we headed South to Warsaw. After spending a night parked up in the strangest spot thus far - an abandoned family campsite, we made it into the old part of Warsaw, a quiet set of streets fileld with tourist targetted restaraunts/bars, yet beautiful French-style buildings.

Now a little behind the 8-ball, we continued driving South toward Krakow. Jake was now driving with a cheeky amount of confidence, soon to be stifled in an unexpected turn of events. Once again trying to "free" park, we were required to 3-point turn back in the direction of a forest that neighboured a small town. Point 1 was made into the driveway of a local farmers house. Point 2 was then made (downward) into the ditch behind us. And finally, point 3 was the farmer's tractor pulling us out. A well chosen first turn I'd say.

The following day was dedicated to visiting the concentration camps at Auschwitz. Needless to say, it was a heavy experience, but definitely not one to miss if you're in the area. Our last full day in the country was a sunny Sunday spent in Krakow. Fortunately, the traditional "pierogi" dumplings at a local markets made the journey worthwhile, as neither of us were too fond of the foot traffic. We also managed to find a quiet corner in 'Viva La Pinta' - a craft beer bar specialising in Polish beers

Now at 215 880km on the odometer, it was time to head further South. Originally, we were set on dipping into the Czech Republic next, but after browsing possible camp spots and reviewing our time left, we made the call to beeline for the Tatra Mountains, in Northern Slovakia. Keep up with both of our video series here - thanks for reading!

Film from the Netherlands & Germany

In the second instalment of our ‘Phlog’ video series, Jake filmed me shooting a roll of medium format film. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get any of our film developed (and then scanned) whilst on the road, but we managed to drop a few rolls in to a Berlin based shop called Pixel Grain.

Unfortunately, they had a lot of orders on the go and weren’t able to scan them, but advised us of where we might be able to. I opted for the lowest quality scans and selected just 7 as the prices were ridiculously steep. These 7 were from a roll of 16 shots, which is the amount I get out of one roll of 120mm film when using my Mamiya 645 film camera. Here are those shots..

I wasn’t impressed with the scan quality, but I also wasn’t surprised. As for the shots themselves, I was pretty pleased! These were shot on my favourite colour film, Fuji Pro 400h. I think these particular shots really suit the natural look of Fuji Pro and they’ve helped me realise I’d like to take a lot more shots like this whilst road tripping in Europe.

You can watch me capturing the shots in the video below, and I’m hoping that we’ll be creating a few more videos that capture my film photography process (fingers crossed for film shops). Thanks for reading!

Week One in Europe: Germany Recap

As we approach our first 1000km in Rosanna, our time in Germany comes to a close.

Although it looks like we'll be cruising back up through the south of the country in about 6 weeks time, it's still a bittersweet moment.

Neither Jake nor myself could've asked for a better intro to the luxury van life of 30 second cold showers and re-using the least sweaty pair of socks on hand.

We entered the country through its North-West and spent two eventful nights on the outskirts of Hannover and Wolfsburg.

The first - a late arrival into a campsite where language barriers were stronger than anticipated, which resulted in a misunderstanding that we were broken down (when in fact, just clueless).

The second - an early arrival into a campsite where it seemed no one was living or working. After spotting a power box within reaching distance, we ran our leads through the bush and flicked the switch. Inside Rosanna, I was met with the symbol that I imagine will become the initiator of lavish nights - a power plug.

After a couple of quiet nights, we made our way into Berlin and simultaneously out of the driving comfort zone. Due to our equipment load, we decided on parking up at a campsite located 45km outside of the city, called Grünheider Camping am Peetzsee - which turned out to be a good call.

Getting in and out of the city became more of a hassle than we'd hoped, but a few sunny days helped the cause. We managed to catch up with some friends in the Tempelhofer Feld, a neighbourhood brimming with cosy bars. Naturally, we got a little carried away and missed our last train home, but it was well worth the extra pennies - not to mention we received some great tips on where to head to during our next stop, Poland.

You can catch up with our adventure via the Motorhomies video series that we're working on whilst abroad. 214 445km and counting!

New Video Series!

Motorhomies is here!

Before Jake and I departed, we decided on two different video series that we wanted to create content for, with one of them honing in on our road trip experience.

Whilst the premise is clear, we want to push our filmmaking skills and experiment with the storytelling side of things.

In Episode One, we introduce you to our new home ‘Rosanna’ and begin preparing for the 8 week journey across Eastern Europe - enjoy!

Our Europe Roadtrip Begins!

Unlock iPhone - Open Notes - Create New Folder - Title ‘Blog’ - Create New Note - Title ‘Europe Arrival’

That’s right, the day has come (and already been as a matter of fact). As I type away, “Icky Thump” by the White Stripes is sound tracking the last kilometers of Jake’s first drive in ‘Rosanna’.

Rosanna? Our new home and means of travel for the next 8 weeks.

It’s a dark, bleak afternoon, but spirits are high as we make our way further into Germany. Pulling over to relieve the bladders, I notice the ear to ear grin on Jake’s face,

I’m fuckin stokin! Can’t wait to tell Dad I drove 100 kilometers in a Manual!

Well there you have it Greg, first one is out of the way. Some context for the other readers - Jake has only driven manual a handful of times prior to this.

Being the owner of a manual car back in Perth, my first drive was a little less confronting.. but stoke levels are just as high.

It’s the first time Jake and I have travelled together, which makes the adventure an exciting opportunity. Back home, we run a videography business together, so it’s rare we get to capture and create with free will.

Hoping to keep you up to date with a few posts here, but more so via the two video series that we are launching soon. For now, here’s a few stills from the past few days. Enjoy!

Analog Archives: New Video Series

Hey folks!

I have just released the first of nine video’s in a travel series titled Analog Archives. This first episode is simply an introduction, explaining the concept and what’s to come..

So what is the concept?

Basically, I wanted to capture behind the scenes footage whilst shooting film photographs in Sri Lanka & India.

I had come across a few video’s on YouTube that adopted a mixture of Photographs & Video and I found this style really pleasing to watch.

I wanted to push myself and my photography skills whilst exploring both countries, and help bring those still moments to life with video footage.

What’s to come?

Eight episodes from three weeks traveling around Sri Lanka!

Each instalment will feature photographs from a single roll of 35mm film, and the parts of the country that I find myself in at those points in time.

You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel to follow the journey - thanks for reading!

New Website & Content Update!

Welcome to my new website!

A long time coming and still a country mile from where I’d like it to be, but exciting to have a space where I can share each of my latest projects & adventures with those interested.

Speaking of adventures.. the next one is fast approaching - this Tuesday in fact!

I will be heading over to Europe with my freelance partner & good mate - Jake Ferguson.

THREE MONTHS | FIFTEEN COUNTRIES | A HEAP OF CONTENT

That’s the plan! After landing in Amsterdam, we are picking up a little house on wheels that’ll be ours for 8 weeks. The lead up to our departure has been full on, but I can happily say we are both feeling prepared and excited to have a crack at producing some content together.

It’s the first time that I’ll be traveling alongside someone who is also producing content, which makes the trip an amazing opportunity. We’ve been brainstorming ideas non-stop since locking in the flights, as it’s our hope to bring you along for the ride too!

In addition to Instagram and Facebook, this blog will be a space where you can keep up with our adventure, so strap yourselves in!