The Potsdam Kino Film, Reviewed By Social Media Testers

A while back we had a callout on social media for photographers and artists who would like to give the Potsdam Kino film a shot. Previously we've featured photographers with distinct styles, and now we have a new batch to get inspired by. Here is the continuation of this First Impression series!

Cristian Geelen

Cristian Geelen is a photographer from Haarlem, Netherlands. A fateful incident led him to pursue photography — he went to Belgian Ardennes to relax and enjoy nature, then posted a photograph on Twitter. The Luxembourg tourist board happened to find the photo and asked if they could use it. Since then, photography became Cristian's way of expressing himself, shooting digital for a while until he "fell madly in love with analogue photography." For this Potsdam shoot, he used his favorite setup: a Nikon FM2n with a Carl Zeiss 50mm.

Because the Potsdam Kino film is based on the new German cinema from the '60s, I wanted to make something elegant. Luckily I am blessed with some beautiful woman in my life that I can call my friends. So I asked the one my monkey mind thought that would make the perfect fit for this type of film. We put up some music and just documented the concept. And the rest is history. The film, I just love it! I do everything myself. From developing to darkroom printing. And the Potsdam Kino did not disappoint. It's easy to get on the spool. Developing also no issues. When it dries it does not curl. And also with printing no issues at all. And with the results, it does exactly as it says. It brings you back to those German Cinema days ... The only downside is, is that it is at 100 ASA. So that means you need plenty of light. Unfortunately, there is no data available for push processing and with just one roll I would not dare to test that out. In the end I just love it! It will be a good addition to all the other film that I shoot.

Grégoire Huret

Artist and photographer Grégoire Huret fell in love with film photography when he arrived in New York City seven years ago. He left Paris with an old Rollei 35 SE and rolls of Kodak Tri-X film, and found it perfect as it was easy to use and compact. Aesthetically, he was attracted to the grain and contrast. Since then, he found himself immersed in street photography and documentary, emphasizing his passion for the energy that seems to come through the lens. Inspired by people and stories, he wants to be the photographer "who was there at the right time to make a good photo that tells a story." A perfect candidate for the Potsdam Kino film, indeed.

It was the first time that I used a Lomography film and I have to say, it was easy to develop (I develop my own films) and the result is nice. The balance between black and white is really soft. I'm using 90% of my time the Leica M6/summicron 35mm and I loaded the Kino film for my street photography walk when I saw the big fire at Notre Dame Cathedrale. It's weird when you try to make a beautiful picture of something terrible. It's like a war photographer... I'm always impressed by the quality of the result and how a tragic situation can make a beautiful photo. It's life... I also tried portraits with the kino film and the result was well beyond my expectations. Deep black, nice grey and white are strong enough, you can shoot low speed too without too much noise. In conclusion, the film is a good "ready to shoot" film to me.

Tyler Glasenapp

Tyler Glasenapp started photography when he was on vacation during a freshman high school student. His cousins had a Canon T1i, and fell in love as he experimented with it. He describes his photography style as a mix of lifestyle and fashion, but doesn't want to limit himself to one style. He draws inspiration from movies and music, which help him plan out more in-depth concepts. On walks with friends, the things and people around him inspires him as well.

"I had the film sitting in my desk for a while, I didn’t want to waste it on average photos. I went to Chicago for Spring Break and knew it would be the perfect place for it. There wasn’t a specific photo shoot for the film, it was just a collection of photos throughout my days in Chicago. I used a Canon EOS Elan 7e with a 24-70 2.8 II. It is honestly my favorite B/W film I have used. I love every aspect of it. The tones, grain, and contrast all go together incredibly well.

Capture the tones and rich contrast of the world around you by stocking up on the B&W 100 35 mm Potsdam Kino Film, available at the Online Shop and Gallery Stores worldwide. And don't forget to use #heylomography in your analogue social media posts!

2019-06-20 #film #black-white #usa #france #netherlands #potsdam-kino-film #lomography-potsdam-film