Brett Allen's Smith Neon Portrait Exposures with the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens

If you look into Brett Allen Smith's LomoHome, you can easily see how often he uses his Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens. It's one of his most favored companions, often accompanying it with fresh color negative films. Lately, Brett's been creating a huge multi-series of neon street portraits with the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens and the Lomography Color Negative 800.

The neon series is a visual chronicle of the nightlife and people in Tel Aviv, where Brett is based in. Each series would feature a "character" and give them code names. Here, he features actress Tal Michalovitch as Ice Cream, and how she looks like in midst of the picturesque nightscape of the city.

Being in the Middle East for around five years now, he couldn't help but notice the things that unfold before him during the city nightlife. Hence, this multi-series of neon portraits are focusing on juxtapositions of staged portraits, documented surroundings—mostly taken in long exposure.

Brett often applies the things he's learned in filmmaking and documentary—often on the lookout for cinematic conditions that will enhance his subjects. He prefers to keep lighting conditions natural and already part of the landscape. Using flash or external lights is a big “no” for him. Therefore, he opted for high ISO films such as the Lomography Color Negative 800—a true versatile formula.

"Lomo 800 has been a longtime favorite of mine for just about everything – even super bright, middle-of-the-day stuff. The colors are always so solid. And in this case, even when my shadows were darker than I wanted, the grain held up shockingly well. Skin tones were also really pleasant considering the kind of lighting I was sourcing from (mostly harsh neon and gross sulfur streetlights)."

Why keep shooting in film? For Brett, it's all about how film often gives him something fresh. There's also the art of letting go in film—freeing rigid control of the art. Doing portraiture in analogue enhances his mindfulness, and becoming more in the zone as a photographer. Like most film lovers, he loves the surprise of a developed film. Even 'bad' shots turn out interesting for him.

Brett's mentioned he also stocked up on the Berlin Kino film and the LomoChrome Metropolis—we can't help but anticipate what kind of eccentric series he's going to do with them next!

For more of Brett's series, check out his album! Visit his Instagram and website as well for more updates.

written by cielsan on 2020-04-02 #people #lomography-color-negative-800 #daguerreotype-achromat-art-lens #brett-allen-smith