Saving 120 with Marina Boichuk and the LomoChrome Family

In honor of our mission to save medium format film from extinction, we collaborated with LomoAmigo Marina Boichuk to put our 120 LomoChrome family to the test!

In her recent YouTube video over on her channel Analogue Diaries, Marina executed four separate photoshoots using LomoChrome Color '92, Metropolis, Purple, and Turquoise medium format film stocks.

Keep reading for our interview with Marina about her experiences with the film as well as to watch her video!

Hi Marina, welcome back to Lomography Magazine! Can you fill us in on what you've been up to since your last feature in our magazine?

Hi, it's been an interesting year for photography. I have picked up a 4x5 camera and started learning how to do large format photography. I'm still fascinated by the process.
Also been doing a lot of darkroom printing and that has been going well.

How did you get started in shooting with medium format photography?

I started shooting film in 2019, at that time I only briefly was shooting 35 mm. I randomly came across a few medium format cameras online and found them interesting. It definitely sparked some curiosity and I got my first medium format camera in early 2020. Since then it’s been a fun learning process that I enjoy a lot.

Why shoot medium format as opposed to 35 mm film?

I do enjoy shooting both formats. Oftentimes I find finishing up 36 exposure roll on 35 mm challenging, it’s just too many versus medium format, where I get 12 to 15 photos.

When it comes to printing I enjoy printing 120 film more because it has more flexibility in terms of cropping. Also 120 can handle more grain in cases of pushing film.

What made you decide to try out the LomoChrome film family as opposed to the regular color negative or black and white films?

I like experimenting with different film stocks. Results can be unexpected but that’s the most fun part.

It also makes you think which film types could be used for, what light would be the best or what colors in the scene to look for. It can be a great exercise when coming up with concepts or new ideas for shoots.

Can you tell us about the concepts you came up with for these shoots?

With Lomo Purple I decided to shoot in a scene with lots of greenery since the greens would become the shades of purple and leave a red as a color accent.

For Metropolis I wanted a grungy vibe, so we achieved that with location, styling and Metropolis just tied it all together.

With Lomo Turquoise I wanted to create some artsy close up portraits, because the color shifts of this film are wild and that was my favorite part.

With Lomo Color '92 I wanted to see how this film would look in sunny conditions, because I have only tried it in a studio setting.

In your video you mention that LomoChrome Turquoise was your favorite out of the LomoChrome family — can you expand on why that is?

The color shifts I got with Lomo Turquoise are so extreme, but at the same time they worked so well with the chosen color light. That’s probably why Lomo Turquoise was my favorite of these sets.

Do you have an all time favorite photo from those you shot for this video?

Probably this one, because the combination of light with this film gave such an interesting effect.

Do you have any tips or tricks for shooting with LomoChrome medium format films?

I think the biggest tip is giving these film stocks more light. Generally I overexpose them by shooting at ISO 200-320.

Another idea is not to be afraid of higher contrast light, when the shadows fall into darkness, it can render some interesting results.

Do you have any upcoming projects or shoots that you can share with our community?

There are a couple of projects I'm working on. I will be sharing the results once everything is finished. Keep an eye on it!

Anything else you'd like to share?

Just want to thank every person that worked with me and encourage people to give the experimental film a try.

If you're interested in keeping up with Marina and her work, don't forget to check out her LomoHome, YouTube Channel, Instagram, and website!

written by eloffreno on 2024-01-08 #gear #people #videos #medium-format #120-is-forever #saving-120 #a-future-for-120