An old Hasselblad, a few rolls of film, and the strange feeling of slowing down again. Reflections on shooting the 500 ELM with Cinestill, and rediscovering photography through weight, rhythm, and intention.

My current film scanning setup has gone through a few changes, but this is where things started to click. The VALOI easy35 helped simplify quick 35mm scans, while the RF 85mm Macro worked well enough for medium format. But for sharper, more consistent 35mm results, I eventually moved toward a true 1:1 macro lens and a copy stand setup.

I know.
A moody photo of a Leica lit like it’s about to headline a synthwave album cover is about the most cliché first-Leica-owner thing imaginable.

But honestly? I get it now.

There’s something about these cameras that makes you want to slow down and romanticize photography a little again. The mechanical feel, the simplicity, the intention behind every frame — it pulls you into the experience in a way modern cameras rarely do.

So yes, this photo is absolutely part of the tradition.
And I regret absolutely nothing.