Original Image

This is another find from the archives, caught on film back when all I had in my pocket was the trusty Olympus Trip 35. It was loaded with a roll of Kodak TRI-X, a combination that practically defined that era for me. Recently subtly sharpened, but tried to retain the original film scan feel. Rollover it to see the original.

I remember jumping out of the car and laying flat in the middle of the road to get the perspective just right. I managed to fire off three frames before jumping back in and carrying on with the journey. At the time, I was incredibly pleased with the result, though looking at it now with more experienced eyes, I’d probably approach the shot quite differently if I ever made it back to that spot.

Still, the image holds fond memories. It represents a time when taking a picture was a much more deliberate, difficult process, and developing a roll of film was still exciting, uncharted territory. Looking back at that horizon, there was indeed a long road ahead.

Using the Olympus Trip 35 in Auto mode meant relying on that famous selenium light meter “red flag” system. To get f/22 at 1/200, you must have had some seriously bright light hitting that ISO 400 film. Digitizing it later in Photoshop CS2 allowed me to preserve that classic TRI-X grain that gives the shot its soul.

It’s amazing how a simple 40mm fixed lens can still tell such a expansive story.

Specific Road: The TF-21 highway.

Exact Stretch: The famous arrow-straight section that cuts across the Llano de Ucanca (Ucanca Plain), which is a massive, flat volcanic basin within the park.

Background Features: The towering, sheer cliff face dominating the horizon is the Pared de las Cañadas (the southern rim of the volcanic caldera). The prominent, slightly flat-topped peak rising along that ridge is Montaña Guajara, the highest point of the caldera wall at 2,718 meters.

• taken|19 april, 1990
• camera|Olympus Trip 35
• lens|40mm f/2.8
• focal length|40mm
• aperture|f/22
• shutter speed|1/200s
• shooting mode|auto
• exposure bias|0 ev
• metering mode|centre weighted
• iso|400
• flash fired|no
• image quality|scan
• raw converter|Photoshop CS2
• cropped|yes
• location|La Orotava, España