Alex Bickford's International Adventures with Lomography 35 mm Film

When we came across Alex Bickford's Instagram account sharing his fantastic worldwide travels on an array of our films, we knew we had stumbled upon a truly Lomographic hidden gem.

The Boston-based creative is here with us today to share a rundown of his analogue adventures as well as the reliable companionship of Lomography Color Negative 800 and LomoChrome Purple 35 mm film stocks throughout his journeys.

Hi Alex, welcome to Lomography Magazine! Can you please start off by telling us a bit about yourself and your work?

Thanks a lot, it's an honor! My name is Alex Bickford. I'm a photographer and filmmaker from Boston. I'm inspired by new places and take most of my photos while traveling. I love experimenting with all different types of cameras, films, styles, techniques, and subject matter.

How did you discover analogue photography?

I started shooting film in the summer of 2012. I was doing a semester abroad that fall and wanted to document my experience in a meaningful way. The general consensus of the photography world at that time seemed to be that film was dead and wouldn’t exist much longer.

I had always been interested in the look and quality of film photographs so I figured I might as well shoot a few rolls before it was gone. I bought an old Pentax K1000 and learned how to shoot, develop, and print black-and-white film. I loved the entire process and was hooked from the first roll.

What does your typical camera kit look like?

I travel with two Pentax SLRs (that same K1000 and an MX), three lenses (28mm, 50mm, 100mm), and a smaller point-and-shoot camera with built-in flash.

Does your background in filmmaking inform your photography at all?

It’s hard to say. I think they both feed into each other. I carry similar ideas of composition, color, and lighting with me into both.

My photography is more documentary style, capturing moments around me. With filmmaking, I’m usually writing and creating the moments.

Either way, in simplest terms, I’m telling a story visually. I often work as a film editor and love to tell a story in the most concise way possible. What's more concise than a single frame that holds an entire story within it?

With your extensive travels taken into consideration, why do you rely on Lomography film stocks time and time again?

When you’re traveling, you never know what sorts of scenes or moments will present themselves so you have to be prepared for anything.

Lomo 800 is my favorite all-purpose color film while traveling. The higher speed allows me to handle any lighting situation, day or night. I also prefer the grittier, grainier 35 mm look.

On the more experimental side, Lomo Purple is such a wild film that offers a different way of seeing the world. I’m never quite sure exactly how the photos will turn out, how the film will render certain colors. It’s exciting to see familiar scenes altered in such an otherworldly fashion. It becomes its own unique interpretation, separate from the confines of reality.

Do you have an all time shot taken on Lomography film? Is there a story behind it?

A recent favorite would be the Meat Man of Morocco.

It was my first night in Morocco, an entirely different world from anything I had previously experienced. I saw this meat vendor from a distance in the chaotic medina. He was swarmed with people buying meat at 10 o’clock at night.

I waited a while for the crowd to disperse and then approached him, asking if I could take a photo. He silently nodded without changing his pose at all. He had more incoming customers so I took a couple steps back and snapped the photo as quickly as I could. I didn’t even have time to adjust the aperture. I then spent probably the next month in agonizing rumination, hoping that I got the shot.

When I got the scans back I was thrilled. After every trip there's usually one quintessential photo that I feel encapsulates the entire essence of my experience. For Morocco, it’s the Meat Man.

If you could go back in time and offer your younger self one piece of creative advice, what would it be?

A lot of the work I’m doing now is just stuff that I procrastinated on when I was younger. So I’d say, “Stop procrastinating and do the work you little bastard.”

What are your hopes for the future of analogue photography?

It seems like film photography is currently in a rebirth phase with more and more people actively choosing it. It’s inspiring to see new film stocks being introduced and I’m excited to see what comes next. I hope it eventually gets cheaper or at least doesn’t get significantly more expensive.

I also hope the price tag doesn’t deter people from trying it. If I was just starting now, I’d probably look at the prices and consider it inaccessible. Luckily I’m already hooked, so I have no choice. I guess the important thing to focus on is that film still exists, a reality that seemed unlikely back in 2012.

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

I just got back from a month in Louisiana so I'm really excited to share the photos and footage from that. I don't have any big trips planned for the near future. Actually, one of my goals this year is to spend more time exploring the immediate world around me without feeling like I need to be in an exotic location to take photos.

Photography has made me a lot more curious. Whether or not I have a camera in hand, I love looking at the world with a photographer's eye. There’s beauty and possibilities in everything around us at any moment. I’m trying to slow down and not lose sight of that beauty.

If you're interested in keeping up with Alex and his work make sure to check out his Instagram.

written by eloffreno on 2024-07-17 #gear #culture #people #places #travel #35mm #international #documentary #traveling