Winter bleakness on 35mm film

I told myself I'd attempt to force out a few posts and see if I can get back into the 'swing' of things. It's very easy at the moment to just not post and let time pass by. These breaks can easily turn into something longer and I'm trying to avoid just disappearing entirely. Though these breaks are largely influenced by what I would consider a significant case of writer's block where writing anything feels like a great challenge and my brain is fogged up the second my hand touches the keyboard. But of course, I remain as active as ever with the camera. Still outside every day taking pictures and trying to find the unique moments of life around me. I've taken to jumping back into 35mm film after quite a hiatus from it due to the prices of film. Though a recent bit of research made me realise that film is actually not that expensive after all! I had a roll of film, Kodak Colorplus 200 that had lasted through winter and into spring. I didn't shoot much during that time, but the first few frames were some tests that showed the bleakness of it here in Armenia.

Wintery settings can be a bit of a difficult thing to shoot on film, sometimes the snow comes out a bit overexposed and isn’t quite accurate to the light metre, snow reflects a lot of light and can lead to generally brighter and more harsh environments to shoot in, but this was a time where the snow was met with a low, dense fog. Where visibility was thin. You'd look ahead and maybe see the faint silhouette of a building, a car light, or people. This lack of visibility varied from day to day, as did the density of the snow. Though large amounts of icicles remained which was the main fear of doing anything outside. Old Soviet era buildings with these huge spikes of ice dangling from above, some you couldn't see. Some you could which made walking anywhere a bit of a nightmare. You'd hear them melting, or crumbling under their own weight. Trees frosted over entirely. A layering of frost was just everywhere.

You can see that in this image. Powerlines completely frosted over. Icicles dangling from the edges of the rooftops. The mixed and (mid game) jenga-like structures of Soviet buildings that have had illegal constructions done to them over the generations to make them larger for the growing households. It's a dangerous environment to be in, but Armenians are mostly familiar with it all. Icy streets. The dangers above. The cold harshness of winter is something they never seem prepared for though, it's like the world empties, time stops. The frost consumes all. Few people go outside. There's a silence to the streets, especially the courtyards.

I'm going to buy a 28mm lens for the Canon AE-1 soon, just have to go through a bit of a search to find a good one online and ensure it ends up in Armenia. I think with my recent return to film stock, a 28mm would be a great addition to the more street style that I have, capturing a bit more and not having that quite so tight 50mm focal length that these images tend to have. I do feel like I need to capture more of what's around with less tightness.