LA Walks • Van Gogh on Lomo

Is it cliche to say I love Van Gogh? I love his impasto art style of bold, dramatic brush strokes because I can feel the movement in his artwork. When I saw that Immersive Van Gogh had an exhibit opening up in Los Angeles, I immediately bought tickets to take my sister. The shot below is my favorite from the whole roll, two strangers who I assume were on their first date. I've posted it on other platforms and I got a comment noting that the people in the shot look like they are a part of the painting. Loved that description, it sums up exactly what I loved about the experience.

The exhibit was breathtaking and inspiring. We sat through two sequences of the exhibit. Once to experience its entirety uninterrupted, second for the moments we wanted to capture. Shooting film with alternating bright scenes and complete darkness was a challenge. I was relieved I brought my digital camera because I was overwhelmed. I literally felt like I was shooting blindly at the wall. The scenes flashed quickly that I did not have time to meter and compose properly. Definitely recommend it if you like learning in a sink or swim environment because there is a huge risk of wasting money to scan and develop a bad roll.

When I started shopping for high-speed colored film to use, Kodak Portra 800 was either sold out or sold at a crazy price point. Lomography was an alternative, but I was really hesitant because I had never shot it before. From what I scoped out online, outdoor results varied, and I found few indoor low-light examples. I was super skeptical that any shots would turn out well, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got the scans back. Legit held my breath when I saw the email and didn't breathe until I saw the scans.

Seeing the results now, I think I would have chosen Lomo over Kodak for this specific exhibit - even if in some weird alternative universe Kodak was cheaper. I have to say that Lomo 800 carried the colors well, with amazing saturation and contrast. I loved how well the silhouettes came out against the vibrant imagery. Very true to the colors I saw in person.

^ this was my second favorite shot of the whole roll. I remember rushing to take it because it was one of my favorite scenes during the exhibit. Van Gogh's tragic life always reminds me to check in on myself. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so I hope you're checking in on yourself too.

LA Walks • Arts District at Sunset

Film rolls always take me a while to finish. My first roll of Ultramax 400 was completed in Los Angeles, a few weeks after my San Francisco trip, so it was sitting in my camera for almost 2 months. A majority of it was shot in gloom or bright midday. I wanted to see how well it did during golden hour. To my surprise (not really), this set of shots is my favorite.

This set was shot at box speed as well, around 6 pm during winter. That sunset went QUICK. I love and prefer these pastel hues comparing them to my previous post with the bold building colors from SF. Would you believe that this was the first time I ever shot film at golden hour? I can see why it's considered the magic sweet spot for film photography. Ultramax looks so different; romantic even though I was shooting industrial buildings. The area I was in had huge windows, and they reflected the colors and golden sun beautifully. Even in the shade (shot below), there is a balance between the shadows and highlights.

Definitely sold on Ultramax at sunset. Summer is here - I'm hoping for more rolls of it and golden hour sunsets.

Quick tangent: I've had a love-hate relationship with Instagram lately. I created my Instagram in 2010, and I've seen all the trends come and go. Currently mourning how the app is slowly moving into video, but my shared square memories make me hesitate to delete it completely. In my search for another photo-sharing platform, I was fortunate enough to be invited to try Glass. I fell in love immediately with its UI and simplicity. The interactions with other photographers ranging from professionals to hobbyists like me have been amazing. It's been great to watch the community grow.

Posting on other platforms has also led me to rethink how I structure and what I post on @ad.venturing and my blog. My last recent rolls and digital shots have shown me I really do enjoy documentary-style photography, not just people-less architecture and landscape. I want my shots to tell a story, not just show off a view. I'm challenging myself to write more poems and haikus for my captions ...even if no one cares to read them. If this means deviating from my structured posts, it might be a mess until I figure it out. Honestly, if it sounds like I'm trying to convince myself it's ok, it's cuz I am lol.

Last year I wrote about being in a creative slump and being grateful I can reflect in this space. I'm writing this to say I'm slowly coming out of it feeling more freedom in what I shoot and choose to share. As always, thanks for being here ˙ᵕ˙

San Francisco 2021 • Golden Bear Trading Company

I didn't mention in my previous post that I loaded the roll of Ultramax 400 into my 'new' Olympus Pen FT half-frame camera. I love this camera because I can double the number of shots in one roll. During this trip I actually shot with my second Pen FT ...because I dropped and broke my first one. Such a paradox these fragile mechanical tanks are. I was devastated - still am. Tino and Bon chastise me for not having it wrapped around my neck knowing how clumsy I am. I bought another one online only to be reminded how perfectly awesome my first one was.

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The first morning of every visit, Kara takes me to one of my favorite coffee shops in the Bay. Golding Bear Trading Company has a special place in my coffee-loving heart, and its name is an homage to our alma mater. I love this little cafe and the barista Sam. He makes an awesome cup of Turkish coffee and matcha lattes. Tino always comes out with a few bags of coffee beans he's excited to try as soon as we get home.

The weather was what I would expect on a fall SF early morning. Foggy. I rated Ultramax at box speed, trusted sunny 16, and my intuition to take a few test shots. This particular set of photos does actually remind me of a grainy Portra because of its warmer tones. One of my favorite things I found shooting Ultramax is how true to life the stock's colors are. The greens and reds always come out great, regardless of the weather and how badly I read the light.

It wasn't until I took a look at my indoor shots that I noticed the difference between professional and consumer-grade films. Basically why Ultramax can look like Portra, but with closer inspection doesn't compare. Portra is versatile, forgiving, a film with fine grain, but also expensive. Kodak Ultramax 400 was actually made for cheap cameras, so I knew that by nature the stock's low resolution would not handle being underexposed. The shot of the coffee bags (below) was my first example of that. I set my camera up to take the picture of Sam making our drinks at his coffee bar (bottom left). Then I did a 180 and shot the coffee bags on the shelves without adjusting anything on my camera. As a result, the shadows came out muddy, some detail is lost and there is an abundance of coarse grain.

A more experienced photographer would say I underexposed, while a frugal one would argue I shouldn't have wasted a shot. Honestly, I am neither and it doesn't bother me at all. I've noticed a trend on social media of artists editing and adding grain to digital and cellphone shots, so clearly, the grain essence of film is always appreciated ˙ᵕ˙

Right now a roll of Ultramax is going for about $7, while a roll of Portra 400 is $13. With Fuji, Kodak, and Lomography announcing another round of film price increases, this second set with Ultramax has convinced me to keep trying it out.