A pair of high-top sneakers placed side by side on a black background. The left sneaker is red with white laces, while the right sneaker is blue with white laces. Both shoes have a worn, vintage appearance with visible scuff marks on the toe caps and dirt on the rubber soles. The laces on both shoes are loosely tied, with the ends hanging down to the sides. The image has a striking contrast due to the dark background, making the colors of the sneakers stand out prominently

Back At It

I was reenergized and ready to flex my creative muscles again, and flex I did. I went back to SVA to finish my degree, and as the digital camera revolution was in full swing, I stuck to shooting film. I wasn’t just shooting on film for nostalgia’s sake, though; I was obsessed with film and with the random light leaks and distortions from my Holga.

A Holga is a cheap Chinese-made camera with a plastic lens that is now out of production. You used to be able to get one of these crappy little plastic toy cameras from the impulse display at your local camera store for 20 dollars.

They shoot on medium format film (120mm), but I decided to tinker with it. I wanted to shoot on 35mm film, so I made an image that included sprocket holes. For those of you who haven’t seen film in 20 years, 35mm film is the kind that came in those little metal cassettes.

The image features a Holga 120N medium format film camera, modified to shoot 35mm film. This classic black camera has an optical lens with a focal length of 60mm and an aperture of f/8. The body of the camera is held closed with Velcro, which has handwritten text in yellow. On the left side, it says "Changes the world" and on the right side, it says "This Machine." Additionally, the viewfinder is covered with black tape. The camera is set against a black-and-white patterned surface, and the overall appearance of the camera is rugged and well-used, reflecting its role as a tool for creative and experimental photography

That wasn’t enough for me, though. I had modified the camera, but could I modify the film? After all, film is nothing but silver salts on celluloid. So, I started to mess with the chemistry by adding household chemicals to each roll. What would happen if I soaked the film in lemon juice? What would hydrogen peroxide do to my film? What about electricity?

Gooey Film

This project became an exploration in controlled chaos. It became my thesis at SVA and went viral in 2013. I called it Photogenic Alchemy and you can see the images here.

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