Pushing Film to Its Limits with Ryan Kemp at the Matt Maltese Concert

For Pittsburgh-based film photographer Ryan Kemp, music and photography intertwine in a way that feels both intimate and deliberate. A longtime Lomographer, Ryan has since honed a dark, grainy style rooted in atmosphere and emotion. Recently, he brought that approach to the stage when indie artist Matt Maltese invited him to capture his show at the Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh.

With Lomography Color Negative 35 mm ISO 800 and a willingness to push the limits of film in low light, Ryan documented not only the performance but also the dreamy energy that filled the room. We caught up with him to talk about his process, his love for imperfections, and how Lomography film inspires him to take creative risks at live shows.

Hello, Ryan, and welcome to Lomography Magazine! Can you give us a bit of background on your creative work?

Thank you for having me! I am thrilled to be featured. I first dove into film photography back in 2009 when I discovered Lomography and got my first Fisheye and Diana F+ cameras, and I have been obsessed with it since. My original LomoHome ForNoise is still up, showcasing a lot of my older film work.

I’ve always followed the Lomography principles of taking a camera wherever I go and shooting anything and everything. This eventually led to me developing a dark, grainy photography style that reflects my current work, showcased on my Instagram account @TheWorldisAnalog. I love dark, gloomy, foggy scenes, and I often overexpose my film and push-process it in development to not only allow myself to shoot handheld in low-light situations, but to increase the grain, contrast, and moodiness of the photographs.

What first drew you to photographing live music on film, and what makes it different from shooting concerts digitally? What did you have in your camera bag for this shoot?

Funnily enough, I’m not a professional concert photographer – photography isn’t even my day job, but it is my passion. The musician Matt Maltese follows my photography account on Instagram and reached out asking if I would like to shoot when he was in my area on his next tour. I shot a friend’s band digitally about 10 years ago, but I knew that I wanted to shoot Matt’s concert on film for a couple main reasons. First, shooting film would get the look and mood that I am aiming for without needing to digitally add grain, noise, etc. The other reason is that I shoot film more deliberately than digital and therefore, each photo feels more special and important.

I kept this shoot as simple as possible as far as what was in my camera bag. I only brought my Nikon N90S camera, my Olympus 35RC as a backup camera, and the film! I also had a special effects blurring filter that I put on the end of my lens for some shots.

You got the chance to shoot photos at Matt Maltese's show at the Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh, what was the feeling in the room that you wanted to capture on film?

Matt’s concert and his fans had such a warm, magical atmosphere, which is what I wanted to capture on film. The show felt very intimate and dreamy, and I tried to translate that through my photography.

Lomography Color Negative 800 has its own personality and is a very versatile film stock. How do you approach exposing and metering film stock like this in low light venues?

Lomography Color Negative 800 35mm film ended up being the perfect film stock to capture Matt’s show. I love the warm tones it yields, and the high ISO/film speed is great for shooting indoors. However, I wanted to increase the ISO even further so that I could still shoot handheld without having blurry photographs.

I always overexpose color negative film by default so that the shadows retain their details – for example, if I were shooting Lomo CN 800 at its base ISO without push-processing the film in development, I would meter it as an ISO 400 film rather than 800. Because I was going to push-process this film from Matt’s concert by 2 stops in development, I metered the film as ISO 1600, which is two stops from ISO 400.

As you mentioned, you often use the pushing/pulling method in your photo work and this show was no exception. How did you find pushing Lomography Color Negative 800 and how did it affect your images?

The Color Negative 800 film handled being push-processed by 2 stops very well, even better than I had expected. Push-processing the film increased the graininess and contrast of the photographs slightly, but did not make them muddy.

Concert photography often happens in bursts of energy and fleeting moments. How do you balance instinct with technical choices when working on film?

I think being in the moment and feeling the energy of the performer and the room is important for capturing great moments on film. I was focusing on Matt, while also keeping an eye on the audience for beautiful, intimate moments to capture on film. I made sure not to just stay in the photographer’s pit at the front of the stage, but I moved all around the venue taking photos, even up on the higher balconies. This helped create a diverse range of photos and capture moments I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.

Do you embrace imperfections such as grain, blur, or light leaks as part of the story you’re telling with your images?

I absolutely embrace grain, blur, and light leaks – that’s part of the magic and surprise of shooting film. For some photos, I also used a special effects filter on the end of my lens that motion blurs of light and color, which helped to create dreamy photos.

How does Lomography film specifically push you to take creative risks during live shows?

I know Lomography film is very versatile and can be push-processed if needed, so I am free to focus on taking the most creative photos I can take. Lomography is built on having fun and experimenting with film, and I take those principles with me when shooting.

When you look back at your negatives from the show, what details or surprises stood out that you might not have noticed in the moment?

My biggest worry during the show was if the photos I was taking using the blurring filter on my lens would turn out, or if all the stage lights would make the photos unusable – I was pleasantly surprised with the results!

Do you see a difference in how fans, musicians, or even yourself connect with the work knowing it was created on film rather than digital?

I do think there is difference with how some people connect with film work versus digital work, even if they aren’t aware of it or can’t put it into words. Film photos can have more character, noise, grain, and unexpected results that makes them more memorable and more unique, in my opinion.

Concerts are emotional spaces. How do you use film to capture not just what the stage looks like but also how the music feels?

Focusing on the crowd almost as much as Matt performing was important for me to capture the feel of the concert. I took many photos of fans cheering and being emotional, and other fans in a sweet embrace singing the songs to each other.

What advice would you give to other photographers who want to experiment with Lomography film for live music, especially in dimly lit venues?

Don’t be afraid to overexpose your film and push-process it in development! Even if you don’t develop your own film, most labs will be able to push-process your film if you let them know beforehand. Be sure to move around the venue and try to capture photos from unique angles.

Any parting words for our readers?

If there is anything I’ve learned over 16 years of shooting film, it is to not be afraid of experimenting with film and to have fun. Shoot anything and everything that you want to, and over time, your own style will develop, whether you realize it or not. As long as you are enjoying shooting film and love your results, that is all that matters!

Thank you, Ryan, for talking with us here at Lomography Magazine! Make sure to check out his work on Instagram!

written by chloefuller on 2025-10-27 #people #in-depth #color-negative-film #indie-music #concert-photography Share Article