East German is weather is currently a melange of different kinds of grey interspersed by light rain and uncomfortable winds. That is a typical Berlin winter for you and it has been like it since November last year. Which means that there was not much photography to be done. So this time why not have a small photo walk in grey weather with a black and white film recipe like Ilford Ortho plus 80. I can use my city as a kind of testing ground for film recipes because I still want to shoot and write.

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Back in the days of Kings and Queens the servants and administrators lived right next door to their masters and employers. They never really had time off of work, their lives were intertwined with the nobles they served. But I guess it was decent arrangement compared to other occupations.

The 20th century saw the rise of professional bureaucracies which over time ended up being housed in quite austere and functional office blocks. At least the servants of rules and regulations can afford their own homes. And at least on paper they no longer serve Kings and Queens but the People. Though the latter often regard these administrators as intrusive and often incompetent masters of their lives.

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Photographic Notes:
These images were taken with a Fujifilm X-E4, a Fujinon XF27mm F2.8 and a TTArtisan 17mm F1.4 lens. I am not sure about this recipe. It is certainly “interesting” because it uses a green filter and a white balance of 7000k with a noticeable shift away from red. For general photography it makes things a bit unpredictable so I would consider this an experimental recipe. The whole reason for orthochromatic film was to allow the transfer of film under safe light (that is red). Something that has no bearing on digital files. This kind of film emulsion trades off visual fidelity for better handling. Personally I’d rather use a black and white simulation with raised contrast but neutral color response. I might add a yellow filter though.