Today, we’re featuring a beautiful travel story from film photographer Cassandra Jackson-Baker. Here is more from Cassandra about traveling to Maderia, an island off the coast of Portugal and Morocco…
Madeira. The island of eternal spring. I have been returning to this Atlantic paradise time and time again since 2013. An antidote to the craziness of wedding season, Madeira provides me with the sense of adventure and creative inspiration needed to recoup and recalibrate. To truly get away from it all, I travel alone with just a few sets of hiking clothes, my boots, and a selection of film cameras. My days are spent in a similar rhythm. Wake up, hike, photograph, eat, sleep. Repeat.
Madeira is a true hiker’s paradise with an incredibly diverse landscape packed onto an island spanning just 34 miles long and 14 miles wide. One day, you can traverse some seriously grueling mountain passes and the next day you can sedately meander one of the island’s many mountain canal walkways, called levadas. There are a plethora of coastal walks and a fair few urban ones, too. Despite having been to the island more times than I can count, I always find somewhere new to explore.
My favorite 35mm film to shoot on Madeira is Kodak Ultramax, and I always shoot at box speed. I love its strong saturation, latitude to shoot in a variety of lighting situations, and color accuracy. Ultramax is a workhorse film I think unfairly gets overlooked in favor of its pricier sister Portra, but I just love it.
When using my Holga, I tend to work with Kodak Gold 200. The warmth of the images and lower contrast create a lovely nostalgic feel. Gold loves super bright light just as much as the Holga, so it is a match made in heaven for me.
The best part about shooting film on Madeira is that once it is processed you get to relive all the hiking vibes!
Analog cameras and films used: Canon EOS 5 (Find at KEH Camera or on eBay), Holga 120N (Find on Amazon) | Kodak Ultramax 400 (Find on Amazon), Kodak Gold 200 (Find on Amazon), dubblefilm Solar (Find at B&H Photo)
Connect with Cassandra: Website | Instagram
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