My first Best Picture: Coca-Cola Relieves Fatigue

This shot was taken in Schenectady, N.Y. in the spring of 2010. I had modified my Holga 120N to accept two layered rolls of 35mm film – in this case, Fuji 200 – and went to take some pictures. One of the rolls of Fuji 200 was inserted into the camera backwards, to get the desired “redscale” effect – that’s the film at the top of the photo. This building contains an old ghost sign that was painted on the building maybe 100 years ago. I had two rolls of film in the camera, I took aim and with the sun at my back, got the shot.

The tough part about getting a shot like this is that you’re counting on a lot of things. You’re hoping that you’ve advanced the film far enough, that the light leaks in the Holga are minimal, and that you’ve taped that bad boy up to the point of near-mummification. You might get about nine or ten usable images on a 24-roll exposure, but I’m very happy with this photograph. It actually inspired me to take more “split film” photos, which I still do today.

written by chuckthewriter on 2011-04-20