5 Rolls of Cambodia Part 1

We have just returned from a week in Cambodia, and I must admit that the trip was an eye opener on a great many levels.  

On a familial level, and arguably the most important, the family bonded wonderfully well when internet was curtailed. We all had a wonderful time together and bonded more than I had hoped.

On a historical level, it was astounding to see a culture of people, so battered through war and violence, able to create such magnificent temples.

On a human side, I fear that the lack of justice for so many over the Khmer Rouge atrocities will only invite others to try the same.

On a photographic side, I only shot five rolls of film!?!? I was not trying to shoot less nor was I short of film. Why, during a trip to one of the wonders of the world, did I only shoot five simple rolls of film? Oh sure, I had my Leica ME with me and shot about 500 shots with it, but usually I shoot more film than digital.  Film for me are shots that I want to keep, memories I will enjoy reliving during development and darkroom printing, while digital is a chance to catch something complex that will require a bit of digital post processing to replicate what I see. 

So, considering this site is mostly for my photography friends, let me dive into the photographic side of things. This trip I took my Nikon F2, Leica ME and my iPhone 6. These all play a roll in my photographic plan of attack. Lets start with the Nikon F2, I went with this camera because on my last trip to Italy & Greece I took my OM-1, so I opted for the F2. No other reason, I try to take different cameras on different trips as it helps create memories of using that camera in that place.

For the digital I went with the Leica but it was a tough call.  I wanted to take my Nikon D800 but it is summer and I knew it would be hot....and it was VERY hot.  So, lugging around a second large SLR body was not something that appealed to me. I am glad I went with the Leica as I was able to do some people shots that the DSLR would have not been able to capture.

The iPhone is used for selfies, we do not do that too often but do like the occasionally family selfie, or to get a group shot where I will give the phone over to someone to grab our picture.  Everyone knows how to work a iPhone but they are not very good with any other kind of camera!  Finally I like the simple video capability to take short videos of the family.  I keep this to 30 seconds or so, in order to keep the file sizes reasonable as well as to avoid making videos that no one ever watches.  I find 15-30 seconds is about perfect.

​I tried some different approaches to my film shooting, some worked others did not. I am developing the film now, with three rolls done and two more to go, and while that is drying I am post processing my digital images. The amazing rock architecture of the ancient temples cries out for B&W conversion, which gives me hope that some of my images on film came out well. 

I will be posting more images over the coming weeks which will include some street shooting, portraits, videos and a few shots of monkeys....ok I will give you a sneak peak on the monkey shots...got to love monkeys!