Sunny Days Out: Lomomatic 110 Photography by Shutterbug Jarelye Picado

The 110 film format is all about spontaneity and elevating the mundane. For its small size and convenience, it can be anyone's perfect buddy for everything from a short walk outside to a sunny vacation. We recently had a chat with long-time analogue lover Jarelye Picado (@aliveandwell_35mm on Instagram), who's been taking the Lomomatic 110 camera out on her daily adventures.

We asked her about her analogue history, embracing 110, and her thoughts on shooting this format with the Lomomatic 110 and Lomography Color Tiger 110 film.

Hi, Jarelye! Welcome to the magazine. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? How and when did you discover analogue photography?

My name is Jarelye (pronounced Jera-Lee) and I live in Southern California. I picked up analogue photography when I was about 17 years old. My family was always big on making sure every family party was captured on a camera of some sort. My sister also worked for a store called Sam’s Club here in California and developed film and printed lots of photos there. So we had tons and tons of printed photos of every family event.

My very first analogue camera was the Lomography Fisheye 35 mm film camera—the all-white one! I used it a few times to capture high school moments and pictures of my dogs. I’m 29 now and boy, do I miss that camera. Not sure where it went.

It took me a minute to find but I do have a few of those prints, not sure where the rest are but here are some from one of my first rolls of film with the Fisheye!

What do you love to photograph?

I really enjoy capturing moments, whether sentimental or just for artistic purposes. I tend to gravitate towards plants, palm trees, and street moments of any traveling I do. I also always test my new cameras and film with my dogs. I try to photograph everything I find interesting and fun except people. I think that’s a bit more personal but I’m trying to expand!

We came across your shots with the Lomomatic 110. What were your first impressions of the camera?

Oh, I think it’s beautiful! The shape and the look of it is what drew me in at first. I was looking into shifting into another format of analogue photography and 120 scared me a bit so I decided the Lomomatic 110 would be a perfect way to start shooting 110 film. The sound it makes when advancing the film is also so fun and technical, makes me feel like I’m physically putting in the work and cranking out the next photo!

Where have you taken the camera so far and what have you photographed?

I work from home, so a lot of the time my adventures are from weekends— going out for coffee or visiting farmers markets and the beach. I also did take it to a theme park— Knots Berry Farm. Got a few shots there!

Among the film stocks you've tried, which one is your favorite to pair with the Lomomatic 110 and why?

I love Color Tiger 110 film. I’ve tried LomoChrome Metropolis 110 and LomoChrome ‘92 and they’ve been great but there’s something about Color Tiger that makes me want to come back time and time again.

The colors and the grain really capture the type of mood and vibe I’m going for with my photography— nostalgic and worth remembering, even if mundane. The colors are vibrant enough for what I’m seeing when I shoot.

Speaking of 110, what makes this format special for you? What do you like about it?

My mind can’t seem to wrap around the fact that the film is so small, so tiny. It’s fascinating to me that I can take a photo with such a small strip of film and have it come out looking so clear. And the grain is chefs kiss every time!

I also like how small the camera is, I’ve had my fair share of bulky cameras and the Lomomatic 110 is sleek and fits perfectly in my purse. The shape of 110 cameras is also something that draws me into 110 film. I’ve had multiple people stop me and ask me what I’m shooting with, and they’re always amazed that someone so young is using 110 film or even knows what it is!

Do you have a favorite photo taken with the Lomomatic 110?

I think the photo below is definitely one of my top favorite Lomomatic 110 shots. I remember during this time, I was really stressed with life and my health and I was itching to do something creative to get my mind off things.

I got in my car and just drove down the street. Kept stopping every time I saw something interesting and then I came upon this stop sign. I took the photo and I felt like I had gotten the best photo ever. I’m definitely proud of it and I hope people love it too!

Do you have any tips for trying out this camera, especially for 110 format beginners?

I think my number one tip is to not take yourself so seriously when trying this camera out. I think it’s supposed to be fun and creative—be open to experimenting and making a few mistakes along the way. I tried a few double exposures but I wasn’t successful. I have yet to try the gel filters so I’m excited to do that!

I will say I did have some user errors, I think when clicking the shutter button, I didn’t press hard enough or I did something else and missed a few frames and I didn’t use the roll entirely. Which is a bummer since development can be costly. That’s probably my fault though but it only happened twice and hasn’t happened since.

Also! Don’t be afraid to take photos vertically. The frame size is so specific and the results are nice!

We'd like to thank Jarelye for sharing her stories and images with us! To view more of her photos, visit her Instagram Page.

written by sylvann on 2024-11-21 #gear #culture #people #color-tiger-110 #lomomatic-110 #jarelye-picado