Marta Arjona's Dance Photography on Lomography 110 Film

We happily welcome back Marta Arjona, photographer and filmmaker based in Valls, Tarragona (Spain), who this time amazes us with wonderful dance shots taken with the tiny Color Tiger and Lobster Redscale 110 format Lomography films.

Hello Marta, welcome back to our magazine! What have you been up to recently?

Hi! It is a pleasure talking with you again. As you know, my passion is working with dancers in the fields of photography and filmmaking so I am always trying to keep on fighting to achieve it. In the last months I have been working on several dance photography shoots and in some of them I brought my Pentax Auto Super 110 camera and I experimented a bit with it. I have been also preparing the World Premiere of our newest dance short film, “Dolors”, which talks about the story of Dolors Vives Rodon, one of the pioneering women in piloting aircraft in our country and who played a vital role during the Spanish Civil War.

You shot this wonderful series on Lomography Color Tiger and Lobster Redscale 110 films. What are the challenges you faced with 110 film? And what were the features you enjoyed the most?

Well one of the biggest challenges is that when you receive the scans, they come with the frame of the negative, and sometimes, if you have to make little reframing or alignment adjustments, this is difficult. But it is also part of the magic of 110! I also have to say that you are the only ones who keep on producing 110 film so, when you don’t have stock, this is a problem because you won’t find it in another place. What I like the most about these films is the brightness and light of the Lomo Tiger and the vintage tones that Lobster gives. And well, it's great having the chance of working with cameras that you can keep in your pocket.

What was the reaction of your dancer models to seeing such a small camera?

They were amazed, and even more when they saw the results, because it feels impossible that with such a small camera you can get these good pictures. And you have to keep in mind that in most of the shoots I was using four cameras more, so, when I literally took it out in my pocket, they were like “oh my god, you have cameras also in your pocket”. And well I suppose that when you compare it with a Hasselblad 500C/M or a Yashica 635 that I was also using in those shoots, you get surprised with the comparison.

Which camera did you use?

I used a Pentax Auto Super 110 that I bought in December in my favourite vintage camera store in Madrid, Miyagi Studio. My film cameras are really big and heavy and you can’t carry them always by your side. I wanted one that I could always bring with me. I tried an Olympus PEN EE2 but I wasn’t convinced by half frame, so I sold it and changed it for this one. And in addition, I don’t like point-and-shoots so this was a cool and different option.

Having the chance of working with the smallest SLR camera in the world is great and I like how it reacts in different lighting situations. I got a pack with different lenses and this time, I used the 18 mm and the 24 mm and both gave me really good results. I also have a Diana Baby but I travel a lot and I don’t carry it with me too much because I am afraid it will break.

You shot in different locations, both outdoors and in the studio, in different lighting conditions. For what kind of photos in particular would you recommend these films?

I shot Lomo Tiger both in the studio and outdoors and even though both results are great, my favourites are the ones outdoors. The blue sky that it gets, the contrast it creates between shadows and lights and also the brightness of the colors is really special. It kind of brings you back to the 80s colors. And in the studio I fell in love with the vintage tones that I obtained with the Lobster and I would repeat with it again for sure. Today I put a roll of LomoChrome Purple 110 in the camera and I am wishing to see the results I obtain with it. And I am waiting for LomoChrome Color '92 to be back in stock in 110 to buy one and give it a chance!

From the pictures you sent us, do you have a favorite?

Wow, this is a difficult question, deciding those things is always like an ordeal for me. Let me say that the photos are from four different shoots and every one has something special. But if I had to choose one, it would be this (below.) First of all, working with Lioba it’s amazing, she will be the model in my next dance photography project in el Rastro of Madrid. She is very young but has an amazing talent for ballet, it was my fourth shoot with her and I enjoyed it a lot. In this session we were three people working and I was able to conceive different looks, different frames and I obtained really good pictures.

This one for me is very special because in some way I could create the mood, the type of picture that was flowing in my mind since I was a child dreaming of capturing dance images. It reminds me a picture that there was in my first dance school and that in some way became a reference for me. I have been looking for this kind of image for many years and I think that's one of the reasons I have found it now it is because I started dancing again some months ago in that dance school, the one of my childhood. And in some way I reconnected with that essence. Also, I have to thank Lioba and her family because she always relies on me and let’s me guide her on the photoshoots for achieving these incredible results.

Do you have any tips or tricks for those who would like to start shooting with 110?

I think that lots of people avoid 110 because they think that they won’t obtain good results or that the pictures won’t have enough resolution. Have a look at these images and see that that’s not true! You can get good results with 110 too! But you must have good skills in Photoshop if you need to reframe your images (it happens to mostly everyone, don’t worry!)

Some weeks ago I did a survey in my Instagram stories with this picture of the amazing Raquel Rodríguez asking my followers the camera that I used for taking it. The possible answers were: Pentax Auto Super 110, EXA 1b, Yashica 635 and Pentax K1000. The one that most of the people chose was de Pentax K1000 (35 mm) and the one with less votes was the Pentax Auto Super 110. I guess because people think that a small camera with this small film can’t get these type of results. So if you want to have a try with a camera, do it. If a photo moves you, thrills you, it will do it even if its taken with a 35 mm, 120 or a 110 camera. If you want to take photos do it, experiment, try new things and never stop enjoying the magic of analogue photography.

Thank you Marta for sharing their work with us! To view more of Marta's work, check out her website and follow her on Instagram as well as the dancers Raquel Rodríguez , Dúnia Pena Iranzo , Andreza Carvalho, Ana López de los Arcos and Lioba Serra Rubio.

written by ludovicazen on 2024-03-11 #gear #dance #110-film #pocket-film #lomography-color-tiger #lomography-lobster-redscale-110