“Expired film is fun because it’s always a surprise,” says Ren Valera, our special Film Folk feature. Here she talks about the particular pleasure (and accompanying adventure) of shooting expired film. Published in time for the Expired Film Day event today, March 18, at Shutterspace Katipunan, this is to celebrate the allure of expired films with a peek into a film stash of someone who’s getting a whole lot into it!
How did you start out with film photography?
I started out with film photography through the advice of a friend who is also a photographer. We both started out in digital photography and I was a fan of his work and he introduced me to film photography. He showed me the Facebook groups that sold rangefinders, SLRs, TLRs, and point-and-shoot film cameras. I wanted to challenge myself with photography because, with digital, you can take as many shots as you like until your battery or storage runs out, but with film, you have to be more involved in the process of choosing your subject, setting up the camera, and taking the shot. I always thought film photography was locked away when the new millennium arrived but it turns out that shooting manually with a film is still an on-going hobby/profession. And here I am.
What is your favorite part of the photographic process?
My favorite part of the photographic process is choosing the subject. With film, you only have a limited amount of exposures so you need to make the shots count, at the very least. I usually do street photography so my favorite subjects are buildings, structures, architecture, vehicles, and candid human interaction/activities. I understand that I’ll eventually have orchestrated photo shoots, but I like the candidness and now-ness it provides. Also, you have more than one focal subject when you shoot out on the streets because there’s so much going on – in terms of people, vehicles, architecture.
What makes choosing the subject/s my favorite part of the photographic process is the amount of emotional and mental involvement that’s involved. I’m an introvert so that affects taking photographs especially of people; I’m hyper aware of people passing by and looking at me holding a bulky, metal camera with their passing thoughts. But when I’ve found my subject and it’s enraptured me in its complexities, I can easily shake away all these anxieties and technicalities and walk away happy and confident that I got what I went there for.
How many cameras do you have in your collection?
Currently, I only have a rangefinder in my camera collection. It’s a second-hand Minolta Hi-matic 7s. I bought it two years ago. It was recommended that I start my film journey with a good rangefinder before I move on to film SLRs.
Which is your go-to camera/lens?
Since I only have one camera (for now), my go-to camera is my Minolta Hi-Matic 7s. It’s lens is 45mm with an aperture of f/1.8, shutter speeds of up to 1/500, and film speeds up to 800.
If you can only use one type of film for the rest of your life, what would that be?
Recently, the film community has been hit by the news that Agfa Vista has been discontinued. I read an article that there are two alternatives that’s close to what the Agfa Vista can offer and one of them is the Kodak Color Plus 200. I’ve been using it as well, expired mostly, but it’s still dependable. So Kodak Color Plus 200 is the film I’d save in case the end of the world is nigh.
Who is your favorite film photographer or biggest inspiration when it comes to film photography?
I would have to give this one to my friend, Rafael Villanueva, fellow photographer and close friend since college. He’s so passionate about photography, I’ve followed his journey since he started while still studying and as he grew his style and eventually carried over his passion to film. He has an Instagram account that’s dedicated to his film photos, you should check them out (it’s @analog_rcv). Though we have different styles, I’m indebted to him for my own journey into film photography.
Can you tell us more about your Analogues project. Do you have future personal projects you want to pursue?
Analogues was a project that was first shelved and kept away for a very long time because I focused more on my job and I guess I forgot about my hobbies. But since moving on from being employed to self-employed, I’ve had more time to mull over my projects and Analogues came out of the box and formed itself into an extremely bold project that it’s actually (and this is going to be cliche, hang onto your camera straps) the reason I get out of bed in the morning. I’ve always had lots of passion projects which were never EVER followed through and though Analogues is still quite developing (hehe, film photography pun), I know that I will not leave it.
As for future personal projects, I’m currently working to develop my own social media management consultancy. I’m still building my client base for it, though. And I am also focusing my energy on building a website which contains my portfolio as well as my services, both photographic and social media marketing so I’ve kind of married the two initiatives together because I’m running social media pages for Analogues which will also serve as an entry in my portfolio so everything’s good.
What got you into shooting expired film?
It was a tip from my fellow photographer friend that when you first get into film photography, because fresh film is expensive, I can use expired film to test out my shots and learn the technicalities of the camera that I’m using. So I bought around 3-4 rolls of expired film and tested it out first during 2017’s Chinese New Year. The photos weren’t impressive but as time went on and I read photo blogs and experimented more with expired film and camera adjustments, I think I’ve found the right settings for my film photography.
Do you remember the expiry date of the oldest film you used?
I think the oldest film I’ve used isn’t THAT old. It’s only 2010. But I recently bought two rolls (one 24 exposure, one 36 exposure) Fujicolor Print 100 expired in 1998 so I’m excited to shoot with that soon.
Which among your photos gave you the most shocking outcome? What’s the story behind it?
There is no grand story behind the photo. I was at Regis Center in Katipunan, waiting for the elevator because I was going to visit a studio to enroll for Kali classes. While I was waiting for it to arrive on the floor I was on, I decided to take a photo of the hallway/waiting area. It was quite dim inside and I was a bit hesitant after I pressed the shutter button and turned the dial, expecting it was going to be underexposed (because I had loaded an expired film that day), but when I got the scans, I was pretty impressed. I showed it to my Kali classmates and quoting him, “Oh, I love this. Regis!” So that made me happy.
What’s the best advice you received from a fellow film shooter?
I haven’t talked to much film shooters but there is a valuable piece of advice which I read online: “One camera, one lens, that’s all you need”. Because I only have one camera, sometimes I feel inadequate with pushing my film photography career because I lack the gear such as other rangefinders, some point-and-shoots, and especially SLRs and several lenses. But the merit of being a good photographer is not in the equipment – it’s how the photographer interacts with the equipment. You can hand an amateur a really expensive camera and they’ll be overwhelmed with the different adjustments you have to make. But hand an experience film shooter even a disposable camera, and he can give you obras. These are just my opinions but film shooting really does involve a lot of fiddling around and being more sensitive to your surroundings as well as the subject you’ve chosen, the film you have loaded, and the camera you packed.
Do you have advice for newbies who want to get into using expired film?
Don’t be afraid to use expired film. First, it’s cheap, so you can get bundles of them (especially with the upcoming Expired Film Day). Second, seasoned film photographers also use expired film, so you’re not alone. Third, it’s really a good starting off point especially when you have no experience in handling a film camera. You won’t regret much the money you spent for purchasing the film and having it processed. Expired film is fun because it’s always a surprise. It will get you more involved in the process of shooting especially if you’re a bit shy on your first photowalk.
Check out her IG profile here!