Brian Azcueta on Discovering The Joy of Lomography Films

Choosing your next film to use can be a difficult task, especially with the abundance of film stocks that are easily available nowadays. For Lomographer Brian Azcueta @kleuspaul07 he mostly had experience using well known films such as Kodak Portra 400 and Kodak Gold 200 and Fujifilm Superia 400. Stepping out of his comfort zone he decided to try the LomoChrome and Kino B&W family of films to see how they could inspire and change his photography.

Initially the LomoChrome family was not to his liking. Even when he was using the film, Brian was doubting why he would want desaturated colors or purple hues in his photos. His first experience proved him right as he did not like how it turned out.

"Taking some shots using this film, I experienced some difficulties because I was still experimenting with TLR cameras and different ISO of Metropolis at the same time. After the trip, I sent my negative to the nearest lab. When I got the scanned copy of my photos and saw the results, I couldn’t feel any spark of joy with the output, so I immediately decided that LomoChrome was not for me."

However, when doing more research into film stocks, he came across the Kino B&W family of Lomography films. He opted for his Olympus Pen F instead of using his TLR and loaded it with Potsdam Kino B&W ISO 100 for his trip.

Potsdam Kino in Kamakura and Enoshima

The Potsdam Kino was a great choice for him as he mostly shot portraits and outdoor scenery which is what the Potsdam Kino excels at.

"I loaded it onto my half-frame camera Olympus Pen F and brought it with me on one of my travels. This time, I didn’t experience any difficulties because Olympus Pen F is much easier to use than a TLR camera. After I saw the result, I unexpectedly liked it. I really like the contrast of this film! While checking the photos taken using Potsdam, I realized something that maybe there is no problem with LomoChrome Metropolis film all along. Maybe the bad output is because of the combination of the camera that I used coupled with my mediocre skills."

Babylon Kino in Mt. Tounodake and Yokohama

After his experiences with the Potsdam Kino, he decided to try the Babylon Kino B&W ISO 13. He found the handling of the film to be on the more challenging side however the results are breathtakingly intimate.

"Yes it’s hard which is why steady hands are the key but sometimes, I'd use something to help me stabilize like trees and lamp posts."

LomoChrome Purple in Yokohama and Shibuya

When Brian encountered LomoChrome Purple one of the things that came to his mind was how to use it in his photography. While trying that film, he had a hard time conceptualizing what to shoot or how to shoot it, saying that, "I can’t form an artistic image in my mind for LomoChrome Purple". To his credit, he is correct, because it's a film that defies the conventions of colored film. However, this makes LomoChrome Purple a great film since it will challenge what the photographer knows and give results you will never expect.

"I tried searching for some tips on how to properly use LomoChrome films and found some. I tried LomoChrome Purple first in a photo walk. Although the result is not bad compared to my first trial of LomoChrome Metropolis, I realized it was not my thing."

Berlin Kino in Yokohama

Unlike the other pictures, he used his Pentax Spotmatic SP for the Berlin Kino B&W ISO 400. Among all the films the Berlin Kino ended up becoming his favorite film due to its characteristics. These pictures capture routine things such as commuting and cityscapes, however the grains, deep blacks, and contrast give an emotional punch to these photos.

"As of now, my favorite B&W is Berlin. The combination of the contrast and the grains of this film is fantastic in my opinion."

LomoChrome Metropolis in Yokohama and Chinatown

LomoChrome Metropolis was the film that started Brian's Lomography film journey. From a poor experience in using LomoChrome Metropolis with a TLR, he decided to try it again with his Olympus Pen F and the results from that photowalk struck something deep inside him.

"Using Olympus Pen F with LomoChrome Metropolis, I walked around Yokohama with my friend. Knowing that I’m not good with street photography, I took some portrait shots of my friend since that was the kind of photography that I’m comfortable with. The next day, I sent my negatives to the lab and immediately received the output and there it is, the spark of joy that I’m looking for. If I take one film for a photo walk, I’ll definitely choose LomoChrome Metropolis. I concluded that the film is not the problem, but my skill in using the camera."

Brian's journey with Lomography Film shows us how people tend to look for certain things with film stocks. Brian fell in love with the grain and contrast of the Berlin Kino while he also changed his mind about the LomoChrome Metropolis, making it his go-to film for street photography. Experimenting with these film stocks allowed him to discover something new and push the boundaries of his photography.

We thank Brian for sharing his wonderful photos which you can also check out at his LomoHome and Instagram. Do you have any tips on how to shoot with Lomography film? Comment down below or share your story with me @rocket_fries0036

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2022-09-18 #gear #people #places #mountain #travel #street #japan #yokohama #olympus-pen-f #lomochrome-purple #berlin-kino #potsdam-kino #lomochrome-metropolis #babylon-kino