Walking on a cloudy day

It was 2019, I was so stressed, and I needed to give a breath to my mind. My Mamiya camera always has been my therapy, that machine is so heavy, around 2.5kg, is slow to work, really slow, it generates that I measurement the light with my phone because it’s only mechanic, it doesn’t have a battery compartment, just metal, glass, 10 photos each film and precision. 

I remember it was April, at the middle of the month, the sun wasn’t present, there was clouds only, a really cloudy day, and cool too. My freezer only had low speed films, but those films were legendary emulsions, the Kodak Vericolor III and the Plus-X, the second is my favorite film ever (I’ve only used it 3 times, that day was the second). I picked up my backpack, the camera, those two films and my journalism student card. I went out, took a bus and arrived at the nearest train line. 

I began to walk and shot the first photos on the color film, the lasts on Vericolor were taken to some “animitas”, then I put the Plus-X and continued walking. I saw people some minutes later, I asked if I could take some photos to them, they told me “yes, of course”, I took three or four. They gave me their mails because I offered to send them the images. 

The walking continued until I stopped due of a farm partially near to the train line, there was working an old man, I spoke him, we conversated some minutes and then I photographed him.

I love those frames, all is magic at those photos, beginning with the film, the camera, the moment and the result of the photographs. 

The incursion ended around 15 or 20 minutes later, I took the bus near its first bus stop with my heart full of emotions and happiness. I’ll always remember that day!

Text and photos by Felipe Cornejo Oyarce