Hayden Williams: A Diary of Lomo Chrome Purple

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Hayden William's is a photographer that likes to make their own worlds. Shooting on Lomo Chrome Purple film, they create a sense of unworldliness with their multiple exposures. We got to talk to Hayden about their photographs.

Hi Hayden, welcome to the magazine, can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Hayden Williams. I'm 23, and currently obtaining my second bachelor's degree in University.

Hayden Williams

How'd you get introduced to photography?

My introduction to photography was playing around with disposable film cameras on family vacations. It was nothing serious; I was very young. I remember waiting on the hotel balcony on a stormy night trying to capture a bolt of lightning on film. I also remember failing to do that. I began enjoying photography and from then on it progressed into the use of my phone-camera in middle and high school, and then eventually it became serious in college when I got my first DSLR.

Hayden Williams

What is it that you love about shooting film?

I just love how images on film look. I never really felt any sort of nostalgia looking at my digital images, but somehow, film is able to envoke such powerful feelings out of me.

Hayden Williams

Who or what are you influenced by?

Surprisingly, I'm very rarely inspired by photography. Photography, by it's nature, is very much of this world. I feel inspired by things that take me out of this world. Music, films, and shows are my biggest inspirations. Music has always transported me, and most of my images were envisioned while listening to music, daydreaming. I love movies with splashes of surreality: Ghibli films and Shinkai films make you feel nostalgic for a world that doesn't exist. I love this feeling, and it's exactly what I try to achieve with my photos.

Hayden Williams

You work a lot with multiple exposures, can you take us through the process of what you decide to expose over another?

There are two kinds of images that I decide to double expose. First, there are many things I find beautiful, but feel they are too boring to take a single exposure of, like water, flowers, sky, etc. When I see these, I take my first exposure and immediately begin looking for it's perfect counterpart.

Hayden Williams

Secondly, when I see a scene with heavy contrast, I begin imagining how I can fill in the dark portions of the scene. An obvious example is a silhouette; scenes with silhouettes are just begging to be double exposed with something. The hardest part is finding the perfect compliment of this first image. For me, it's a struggle of choices; there are so many options to choose from. Envisioning them all and deciding which one is "perfect" is where all the artistic decision is involved.

Hayden Williams

Your images also seem to have a stark contrast between city and country, can you speak a little bit more about that?

I love the idea of contrast, in all of its forms. By double exposing opposites, it creates a very interesting story. I've exposed fire and snow, winter and spring, land and sky, and of course, city and nature. I routinely create images combining city and nature because, in my mind, they shouldn't be separate. I've found that I need a healthy dose of both to be happy. Many American cities unfortunately segregate these elements. Hong Kong, one of my favorite places in the world, has achieved this combination beautifully. I love how intertwined the city is with nature. Maybe my images of this contrast are just love letters to Hong Kong, a place I called home for a short while.

Hayden Williams

What do you like most about working with the Lomo'Chrome Purple film?

My favorite thing is how it completely changes the reality of a scene. I always shoot with a roll of Lomochrome in one camera, and a roll of normal-color film in another. It's exciting, because I feel like I'm shooting in two different worlds. Thinking about how certain scenes look after a color change is something I do constantly. I wish I could wear Lomochrome glasses.

Hayden Williams

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I get bored very easily, so I'm constantly trying to shoot new things. My photographs will likely change a lot over the years, but I think my color palette will remain the same. I'm moving to Seattle for the summer, so I will likely be inspired by all the new and different sights this new city has to offer!

Any advice for those who want to experiment with the purple film or just film photography in general?

For purple, it's best to see what kind of color shifts you like by actually doing them. Personally, I always shoot it at ISO 200 and hunt for yellow, green and orange tones. The best advice for all kinds of photography is just to keep experimenting.


You can see more of Hayden's work on their Website, instagram, and Flickr

You can purchase the Lomo Chrome Purple film in our store

written by sarahlindsayk on 2018-05-25 #people

LomoChrome Purple Film 100-400 35mm

This unique color negative film will astound you by transforming natural tones of your photo into new eye-popping hues. A revival of the psychedelic infrared look from the Kodak Aerochrome film we all love, this film guarantees astounding photographic results.

3 Comments

  1. frenchyfyl
    frenchyfyl ·

    Great shots!

  2. starsinmytea
    starsinmytea ·

    These are so nice and I love how she captures striking images with very "plain" themes, like a pond or just some foliage. I've been saving my lomochrome for a "perfect occasion". but now I think it's just the perfect thing for making an "every day life" situation look magical.

  3. hannah_brown
    hannah_brown ·

    soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice

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