Indonesian Photographer Alva Christo Shoots With Lomography Earl Grey B&W ISO 100

Alva Christo is a photographer who was born and raised in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He enjoys capturing culture and daily life through his photojournalism and street photography. He recently tried out our Earl Grey B&W 35 mm ISO 100 film while strolling around on a late summer afternoon and capturing the activities of his neighbours.

Alva explores daily life and cultural activities, presenting these stories in photographic series. He tells us that the focus is simply to create a connection between viewers and the subject; the viewers might experience the same particular issue from different perspectives, and there is an interaction between the subject, Alva, and the viewers. Read more about Alva's perspective on film photography in our interview below and check out his results with our Earl Grey film.

Hi and welcome to Lomography Magazine! Please introduce yourself to the Lomography community.

I’m Alva, a photographer based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. I shoot a lot of black and white photos, and I’d say it’s my go-to technique. Even though my photos are very heavy on “people and culture” subjects, I also explore other things such as commercial photography.

What's your photographic background?

I started shooting film back during high school in 2011. At that time, I was really interested in the process and I enjoyed the technical side of it. I went to Ringling College of Art and Design for college to pursue my passion in photography. Through college I learned more about black and white process. I also worked with Joseph Rodriguez in NYC after college and he really is someone I look up to.

Do you have any tips for shooting black and white film that you can share?

I usually overexpose it by 1/3 to 2/3 stops just to get the shadow details. Then I under-develop it just to give more room for highlights. It’s always about the lights and dark, and how we can make it dramatic, and easier for us to tell the story.

Can you tell us about why you decided to shoot with the Earl Grey B&W 35 mm ISO 100 ?

The fine grain side of it. Also, lower ISO with great dynamic range during a very bright day. It’s been really hot here in Indonesia during the summer and the light is just too contrasty. I want to retain more details without sacrificing the contrast. I think this film is a perfect choice for me.

Do you have a favorite photo taken with this film?

Aside from the pigeon racing practice, I actually stumbled upon a farmer who was burning the remains of his haystack to fertilize the soil for the next planting season. I think it’s very dramatic and I just love the grittiness of it. Him looking so small compared to the grey smoke and burning field.

What do you like most about the Earl Grey B&W film?

It’s versatile. It compensates for a lot of highlights and easily retains shadow details. It gave me a secure feeling with such a harsh light condition.

What do you think is the perfect situation for shooting this film?

I’d say a not so bright day with intermittent clouds would be perfect. I’d be able to use a faster lens to create more depth. I think it would be great for portraits.

Can you use three words to describe the Lomography Earl Grey film?

Reliable, classic, and versatile.

Why did you choose this location to shoot the Lomography Earl Grey film?

I was strolling around with my bike that afternoon to see villager’s activities in this late summer. It happens to be a perfect moment to practice pigeon racing before the wet season, and nearby the rice fields were ready to be harvested.

What do you think of the final results?

I think it’s quite interesting to tell my story this way. The process was enjoyable. I made a small mistake where I dried the film too hard after the final wash, resulting in scratches. But actually it made the look more classic and rough. Looks like a found archive from the past.

Lastly, what kind of photography would you recommend our Earl Grey film for?

You can do almost everything from portraiture, landscape, or even experimental photography with this film.

Anything else you would like to share with our community members?

I think it’s important to understand the film's characteristics and how we should shoot and process it. Photography is a way to communicate our views with the world, so it’s important to find the most suitable way of communicating as possible, and film choice is one of them.

Thank you to Alva Christo for sharing his work with us! To see more of his photography check out his Instagram and website.

written by adi_totp on 2023-10-20 #people #places #black-and-white #street-photography #indonesia #100-iso #earl-grey