John Blazzi's Hush Scenery with the Berlin Kino 400

New York-based photographer John Blazzi's one of the lucky winners of a roll of the Berlin Kino 400 film from the Free Film USA project, a conceptual project where the team travel by road with a convertible darkroom Aistream trailer to18 cities to distribute and process rolls of black and white film for free with a given theme. The winners would then be rewarded a roll of the Berlin Kino 400. Let's find out what the soulful photographer made out of the film through this feature.

Having been introduced to photography and film photography itself as a skateboarder, John got his first film camera around the end of his high school.

The earliest memory I have of analogue photography is probably getting that first polaroid camera and just shooting photos of whatever was going on at that time. There was nothing really artistic about my approach, mostly just snapshots of friends and skateboarding.

John has fallen in love with the whole creative process involved in film photography. The finite number of exposures one can only take in a single roll makes the experience more special and deliberate. Developing at home and the printing itself can also add to the personal experience.

Currently living in the Big Apple, John never runs out of stories from the unique visuals the city has to offer. He also believes that getting out of the city can also be inspiring itself, and loves to photograph more desolate, open and quiet environments. This is why he opted to use the Berlin Kino 400 film in capturing the silence and homey feel of Eastern North Carolina, where his family resides. John admits he is attracted to such places since they're so different from what he's used to -- like a breath of fresh air.

His shots taken with the Berlin Kino seem to have accomplished the aesthetic he's going after, especially the mystical silence found in the pictures of Bryan Schutmaat -- one of the photographers John admires.

"Recently, I shot a roll of Berlin Kino 400 speed film and my first impressions when looking at the scans were really pleasant. I love the softness of the greys in the scenes that were overcast and I also really like the contrast between the tones when the sun was much harsher. This film, to me, really shines in any lighting situation. It has a wide range of tones and I'm excited to shoot more of it. "

Currently, John is working on a project based in Eastern North Carolina which has been in progress over the last couple of years. He hopes to create a book out of it, while also creating some zines at the side: "What's next is simply to keep taking photos... I'm constantly shooting so I'm always looking for different ways to present work."

Thank you for sharing your breathtaking views with the elusive Berlin Kino 400 film, John! For more of John's works, visit his website and Instagram.

2020-02-10 #people #berlin-kino-400 #john-blazzi