I am Jordi Vives i Batlle, 58 years of age, a Catalan born in Barcelona and living in Mol, Belgium. I am a physicist and amateur photographer. I love to experiment with unusual cameras and films, particularly former USSR cameras. I explore the small details of the world around me with the camera, to let my inner voice speak and as a means of healing.

I have organised my albums in this page according to subject, and I am presently focussing on a “visual poems” series containing photos taken with a very small camera, the Kiev 303. This camera is designed for 16 mm film, and although it is not a very advanced camera, it is by no means simple, being capable of full manual control. As film I use expired Agfa Copex Rapid 16 mm microfilm, which is capable of good results when developed in diluted 1:100 Rodinal for 20 minutes.

The result is a type of black and white photo combining high resolution, high contrast and slightly soft focussing, to which I add a touch of colour during post-processing so that it fits my philosophy of a “visual poem”: photographic statements on the topics of longing, healing, faith, the passage of time and the relationship between love and solitude; with trees, sand, rocks and water as the actors of a subtle play of the mind.

Cameras:

Rangefinders: Zenit TTL, Zorki 4 and FED-2 (with Jupiter 8, 11 & 12 and Industar 26M, 61 & 50)
Miniature & Subminiature: Minox 35 GT, Kiev 30 and 330
TLR: Lubitel 166, Flexaret VI automat, Rolleiflex 3.5F
SLR: Minolta XG9, Rollei SL35, Ihagee Exa II
Large format: Intrepid 4x5
Folding cameras: Moskva 5 (my favourite camera), Voigtlander Perkeo, Agfa Billy Record, Kodak six-20, Zeiss Ikon Nettar, Kodak 1A autographic
Others: Diana F+

I retain all my ownership rights in my photographs. Please do not use, copy or print for any personal or professional use without my permission.