Finding Freedom in 120 Format With Chengdu Photo Store and the Diana F+

Hu Yingjun is the owner of the Chengdu Photo Store, an independent camera studio and darkroom that regularly hosts film photography events in the city. This time, Hu Yingjun has collaborated with us in our campaign to save 120 film, using the classic Diana F+ camera and LomoChrome Metropolis film to record the daily of the Chengdu Photo Store. Let's take a look at the photos and hear Hu's thoughts on shooting the Diana F+.

Hello and welcome to Lomography Magazine! First, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello everyone, I am Hu Yingjun, the store manager of Chengdu Photo Studio. This store started in 2016 and has been updated four times. Initially, it was a private film studio run by my photography teacher. In 2020, I took over as the owner. This store has also become a film photo club, with film developing and a darkroom. We are committed to promoting the authenticity of photography and the beauty of analogue.

How was your experience shooting with the Diana F+ ?

As the manager, I am very familiar with every machine in the store. After a long time, I may feel tired, because few machines will bring me new surprises. However, using Lomography's Diana F+ film camera, it was a shock to me and a very novel experience. It has been a long time since I used such a simple machine for photography. It looks very attractive and is different from all other film cameras on the market.

What did you think of the LomoChrome Metropolis film ?

I can say that the images exceeded my expectations. Because Lomography has always been unconventional, the style is also very magical. People who shoot film professionally or take commercial photos may pursue stability, and the colors need to conform to the public's aesthetics. Lomography will give people more surprises. The sense of the unknown also brings everyone back to their original feelings about film.

When shooting with Lomography, you don’t need to pay special attention to the exposure, you only need to consider the composition. Shooting with Lomography for me was like an infinite universe where I could express myself freely.

What was the theme of this shoot?

After I got the Diana F+, I browsed through the user manual and official sample images, which gave me a lot of inspiration. I wanted to create multiple exposure works.

So the theme of this roll is experimenting with multiple exposures. I shot the same character two or three times to give a dynamic effect. Double exposure allows two similar photos to be combined to create a sense of movement, and the effect is very unexpected. Everyone in the photos are our Chengdu Photo Store staff. I used this film to record our daily work.

What do you think of the future of medium format film photography?

I still like medium format very much, and I also recommend that everyone use 120 film. After all, a larger format will result in better image quality. Theoretically, the effect and image quality are more than four times better than 135. The shooting and operating methods of 120 cameras are different from those of the 135. Many of them involve waist-level viewfinders. There are a lot of accessories that can be replaced, and the playability is also higher!

I firmly believe that more and more people will shoot 120. People who play with film will start with 135 and then gradually move to medium format. After experiencing the quality of 120, few would be willing to downgrade to shoot at 135.

What advice would you give to others who want to try 120 format film?

The best advice I can give is to shoot more. There is no need to deliberately pursue excellence, and there are not many skills to speak of. Don’t be stingy with your time and costs, put more enthusiasm and energy into the shooting itself, just shoot more and think more.

The deepest feeling I had using Lomography's machine this time was that it was easy to operate, which allowed me to pay more attention to the picture itself. Moreover, the price is relatively cheaper, the financial pressure will be much less, and you can try more film. Join the world of medium format together!

Thank you to Hu Yingjun and Chengdu Photo Store for this fun collaboration! You can keep up to date with everything from Chengdu Photo Store here!

written by ladyorange_zxc on 2024-02-06 #gear #partners #medium-format #gear #120-film #diana-f #lomography-partners #saving120