Potsdam Kino Film and Fernando Sciotto's Eye: Perfect Combination for Fantastic Double Exposures and B&W Portraits

A few months ago, we asked Fernando Sciotto, an Argentinian photographer based in Spain, about his photographic background in this interview. Today, he will reveal his tricks to make wonderful double exposures and will tell us his first impression on the Postdam Kino 100 ISO B&W film.

Hi Fernando, welcome back! Tell us about the photographs of this amazing series: where did you shoot them and who's your beautiful model?

Hi Lomographers! The model is my Italian friend, Federica Greppi, she was perfect for this black and white series.

I chose two different areas as location: Bogatell Beach and the old Poblenou cemetery in Barcelona.

What camera and lenses did you use?

I used a Contax RTS from the '70s and its Carl Zeiss 50mm f 1.7 lens.

How did you choose your shooting locations?

In this case, since I wanted to shoot double exposures — I needed an outdoor spot with white sky, to be able to do the portraits. But in general, I do a lot of researches about my city and surroundings and I also use Google maps: there are many great places that are not known and that's the only way to find them.

in your opinion, what’s the most important element when composing an image?

In the visual arts, the objective is to tell stories, generate emotions in the viewer; the remaining details of the project are branched out. As I dedicate myself to portrait photography, I research for models who know how to express with their eyes and gestures.

Then I decide if I want to respect the rules of photography or not: art is very subjective.

Can you reveal a tip to our readers that want to start doing portrait photography?

They need to work on ideas before they start contacting other people and looking for the right models. Do not make the mistake of going out to take photos anywhere and to anyone. Improvising is fine sometimes, but if you want to be taken seriously, you need to have a concept behind, a moodboard and many other details, when you want to start a project.

Handling the model is not easy, you have to worry about the technical side and the model at the same time; I recommend doing things calmly and trying to convey your idea as clearly as you can.

This was your first time using our film Postdam Kino 100. What characteristics of the film did you like more?

I was looking for a film like this so it was a pleasant experience. I have been analyzing some photos, zooming in on them, and I am very satisfied with the results.

I like the contrasts: I will continue to use it for my black and white works.

You did several beautiful multiple exposures in this series: can you reveal your process when doing multiple exposures?

In my Contax RTS camera I don't have the option to do double exposures: I have to shoot all the photos on the roll, rewind, put the film back in the camera and start shooting again. So, I usually note down what I shot with the reference of the exposure counter, in order to know which photo I am putting on the other. The only problem is that sometimes the frames does not fit one with the other.

In my Hasselblad 500C it's different, there's a little trick to be able to do two exposures at the same time.

Follow Fernando in his LomoHome or in his Instagram.

written by melissaperitore on 2021-03-19 #gear #people #black-and-white-film #potsdam-kino #fernando-sciotto