Jjjjuxtapositionnnn's Diana F+ First Impressions

Oregon-based film photographer jjjjuxtapositionnnn came onto our radar thanks to their experimental medium format photography on Instagram and we knew they'd be the perfect match for trying out the Diana F+ camera with our 120 film— all in the name of saving a future for 120! Let's take a look at their fantastic results and hear all about their first impressions.

Hello and welcome to Lomography Magazine! Can you start off by telling us a bit about yourself and your work?

My name is, well, “jjjjuxtapositionnnn”. I go by J or Jux for short. I keep my personal name private as being anonymous allows me to feel free to get behind my camera and shoot what I see. I am still a beginner to shooting film, but I have such a growing obsession and love for film in general.

About two years ago, I was lucky enough to be introduced to the world of photography and film specifically by my girlfriend. She let me try a roll out on her point-and-shoot camera and I fell in love from the first sound of the shutter.

I don’t necessarily know what I would consider the pictures I take, but I feel like I view things through a daydream-like state and get inspired by my surroundings. I believe in bringing my camera with me as much as I can and that’s pretty much how all my shots have happened. I wish I could say that I go out and take pictures of things on purpose, but I can’t. Once I feel something, I try to listen to my gut feeling.

Can you tell us a bit about your experience with medium format photography?

I have just a bit over a year of experience with medium format, since last November. My first camera being my Pentax 645. I’d say I’m still quite new but getting the hang of things.

I recently was fortunate enough as well to be able to buy my dream camera, the Hasselblad 500CM and am still working on my first roll at this moment. I'm hoping to learn more as I’ve really enjoyed shooting medium format as I learn more about film.

What was your first impression of the Diana F+ ?

My first impression of the Diana F+ was honestly that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to operate the camera correctly. The simplicity in the camera almost confused me into thinking “it couldn’t be that easy?”

What kind of film did you load the Diana F+ with?

I was fortunate enough to be provided a roll of Lomo 400 and I also used one of my rolls of LomoChrome Purple.

Do you have a favorite shot taken on the Diana F+ and Lomo 400 film?

I’d say my favorite shot from the Diana F+ and Lomo 400 is a shot at Trillium Lake. My favorite shots I’ve taken on film have always been when going someplace I’ve never been, and I wanted to do the same with the Diana F+.

I got this shot of Mt. Hood in the background of Trillium Lake with some low clouds and was lucky to have a person on a boat in the middle to add an extra layer of depth.

I spent all year with the theme of self-discovery being a big challenge and the person on the boat is myself viewing two sides of myself. I see who I am right now, but I am still in the process of figuring out the person I’d like to be.

The shot is imperfect due to my mistakes, but I think that mistake made for a more special picture I can look back on.

Do you have any tips or tricks for shooting with the Diana F+?

I’d say the thing that helped me was to lean on the side of overexposure. I had a couple of unsalvageable shots due to underexposing.

What was your favorite part about shooting with the camera and film?

How simple the Diana F+ is to use made me feel confident and carefree when shooting, which allowed me to have a lot of fun. Lomo 400 is such an awesome film, because of the versatility the film holds. Even though I purposefully leaned on the side over overexposing, it turned out to give me my favorite shots.

If you could take the Diana F+ loaded with Lomography 120 film anywhere in the world, where would it be?

In truth, a place I’ve been recently thinking of visiting would be the Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia. It’s such a beautiful, unique, and special place I’d love to be able to visit.

I’d definitely shoot the Lady Grey B&W Pushed +1 at 800 ISO, Lomo CN 800 and my personal favorite, Lomochrome Purple rated at 250 ISO.

Do you have any upcoming projects or shoots that you can share with our community?

I am currently working on a project specifically with the LomoChrome line. I’m in the process of shooting the whole line with the idea of shooting my favorite places with a twist. Once I’m able to shoot the whole line, I think I’ve got an idea of what the final project will be.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Just happy and grateful to have this opportunity. When I first got hooked with shooting film, I joked with my girlfriend how if there was one goal I had with shooting film, it would be to get a chance to work with a film company. Who would’ve thought that this passion I found two years ago would get me to this point? Thanks so much for having me!

If you're interested in keeping up with jjjjuxtapositionnnn and their work, make sure to check out their Instagram and website.

written by eloffreno on 2024-01-13 #gear #people #medium-format #120 #first-impressions #120-is-forever #120-is-worth-it