From the Studio to the Streets: Yvonne Hanson's LomoChrome Color '92 ISO 400 First Impressions

Some of Yvonne Hanson's first experiences shooting analogue were with our experimental film stocks, so we knew we wouldn't be disappointed when we sent her a roll of our new color negative film stock. The Vancouver-based photographer and Youtuber has previously shared her experience of shooting with the Diana lens digitally and is back today to share her thoughts on our LomoChrome Color '92 film.

Hi Yvonne, welcome back to Lomography Magazine! Can you tell us what you've been up to since your last feature?

I’ve been working on a lot of large scale creative photoshoots with a new editorial team, and recovering from the workload of a busy season! I did a lot of travelling for work in the last few months, so I’m happy to have some time to decompress and focus on new projects.

Can you tell us about what you decided to shoot with the new LomoChrome Color '92 film ?

My favourite thing about film photography is trying new and unusual things! Naturally, I’ve always had fun shooting with different Lomography products — two of the first stocks I ever shot were LomoChrome Purple and Metropolis. So when I heard there was a new color film stock in the works that would take the Lomographic elements of Lomography Color Negative to the next level, I was very excited to test it out and see what I could make with it.

How would you describe the look of this film?

The characteristics that stand out about this film are its rich and beautiful blue tones, slightly pinkish highlights, and a larger than normal grain structure. It reminds me of the late Agfa Vista in terms of blue and pink tones, though the grain structure really sets it apart from other color films. In black and white images, a lot of grain can distract from the subject, but in colour photos, it seems that it helps to deepen the overall colour contrast in a really visually pleasing way.

I’ve never shot with a color film that has these characteristics before and I’m really excited to see this on the market. Honestly, it reminds me a bit of old-school trichrome colour in terms of the grain particles and how they contribute to the colour saturation.

Do you have a favorite photo taken with the LomoChrome Color '92 ?

I was really happy with most of the roll I shot, but if I had to pick just one I think it would be this one of a row of taxis parked in front of a red wall. I photoshopped out some distractions and turned up the saturation selectively, but even in the original scan the blue tone of the sky is really striking. I like the color blocked, slightly liminal look of this scene, and I think the richness of the colour really contributes to its visual appeal.

What do you like most about this film?

Its uniqueness! Maybe a cliché answer, but I’ve never seen a color film with this style of grain structure. I couldn’t get results like this from any other film stock that I know of. I shot a few images of a 1920s inspired editorial, and the graininess really contributes to the old-timey vibe without sacrificing the beautiful colours in these looks. That’s the beauty of Lomography in my point of view— its not just about what is in the image, but how the image is composed and created that gives a unique result.

How do you feel about a new color negative film being on the market?

Excited! Film photographers are so used to seeing the variety of color films on the market shrink — its nice to see it grow for once. As someone who loves to try new things, playing with a new color film that isn’t expired is quite the novelty. I’m even more excited now that I’ve gotten good results with it!

What do you think is the perfect situation for shooting this film?

I would say blue sky, full sun, bright colours. I did one set of street photography on a bright sunny morning and I love how all of those shots turned out. I wish I had been able to find more brightly coloured walls and shadows to photograph, because white walls and grey concrete doesn’t do this film justice. I can imagine that shooting this film at a street festival, parade, or carnival on a sunny day would be absolutely phenomenal.

Which camera did you use?

I shot this roll with my Nikon F801-s and a 50 mm 1.8 lens. I shoot almost all of my film photography on this camera because its controls match my digital Nikon so well.

What are your hopes for the future of film photography?

I hope for more experimental color films. There are a lot of novelty film stocks out there that are actually just Kodak Gold 200 with something fun exposed over top, and while these are fun to shoot with, they don’t really bring anything new and exciting to the table. Something I’ve always loved about the LomoChrome films is that they all do something that no other film on the market will do, and are often difficult to replicate digitally. I’d love to see more weird new films in the future, hopefully from a variety of manufacturers!

Anything else you'd like to share?

Thanks so much for the feature, and for continuing to push this artistic medium in new directions! I will be eagerly awaiting the next release.

To keep up with Yvonne and her work, don't forget to check out her website, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube Channel!

written by eloffreno on 2023-07-05 #gear #people #portrait #color-negative #street-photography #new-formula #lomochrome-color-92