Urban Medium Format Portraits by Davide Goegan with the Color Negative 800 ISO film

Italian photographer Davide Goegan has been shooting with film for a few years now, but it was his discovery of medium format film that totally changed his perspective and creative output. In this interview, he shares his latest work using our Color Negative 800 (120) film and talks about his current projects and future plans using analogue photography.

© Davide Goegan - Color Negative 800 ISO

Hi Davide, welcome! Could you give a short introduction for the readers of our Online Magazine?

My name is Davide, I'm 25 years old and I'm from Turin, Italy. I graduated in clarinet at the Conservatorio G. Verdi and I am currently a clarinet and orchestra teacher.

Tell us about your background. When did your journey into the world of photography begin?

Photography has almost always been by my side as a necessary passion, the first camera I started exploring the world of photography with was a very basic digital Nikon. Thanks to the web and thousands of shots I have gradually understood the various photographic techniques, those with all the strange names like HDR bracketing, focus stacking, etc. This flooding of concepts and techniques gradually made me tired and bored; not that it was simple but it was almost all automatic and if it wasn't, a few clicks on Photoshop were enough to save the damage or create fantastic photos. Therefore, I stopped shooting completely for four years.

In 2019, the flame is rekindled thanks to a Pentax z70-p found among the junk in the garage, a 90s automatic film SLR. Shooting the first roll of film gave me emotions of uncertainty, fear, and amazement; it captivated me to the point of making me think, "This is it, this is what I want. This for me is the photography of wonder."

© Davide Goegan - Color Negative 800 ISO

Tell us more about your first approach with the analogue world.

The first step was the 35 mm with the Pentax but the blow to the heart came from a Cupid called Medium Format. The 120 is the only format I would continue to shoot. The 35 mm is nice, but has aged badly compared to the 120, which has been synonymous with "professional" since the 50s. The size of the film, the quality of the lens, and all the physical characteristics involved are immortal.

For this fantastic series, you used Lomography's Color Negative 800 ISO 120 film. What are the features you liked most about this film and what are the cons?

The Lomography Color Negative 800 amazed me in so many ways, the color rendering, the grain that comes out of the shots in the sun, and well-lit locations are really nice. It's not super fine but it manages to create the right patina for the desired atmosphere, which is to catapult us back 40 years.

It doesn't have any relevant cons, but if it can be of help to other enthusiasts, I'll give you some personal thoughts. If the negative is under-exposed, it will have a greenish tint, which is absolutely adjustable during retouching and printing, but not without affecting colors that you might have wanted to keep vivid. I advise you to evaluate the exposure well. And in low light conditions, shoot it from +1/2 or +1 stop. If necessary, equip yourself with ND filters! An 800 film is a tough one for cameras that often have a maximum speed of 1/1000, so if you want a very pleasant bokeh, don't be unprepared!

© Davide Goegan - Color Negative 800 ISO

What cameras did you use for these photos?

I used a Zenza Bronica s2a for the 6x6 and a Zenza Bronica ETR for the 6x4.5.

Which camera is a must on your travels?

For my travels, I always bring the Bronica 6x4.5, although it is not very comfortable to carry, medium format photography somehow manages to calm me down; a few shots, unautomated... the time to load and set it are parts of a ritual that I don't want to miss in my travels.

You are part of a very interesting photographic project entitled "Megazine." Can you tell us more about it?

Megazine is a project that aims to bring together the analogue community close to me, it is not the first project that exists but it is definitely ours. Over time, I have connected with many people both from Italy and the rest of the world, and I felt the desire to give my contribution. There are already many pages that post and repost photos, and direct competition would be unthinkable, so I thought of a monthly booklet that's completely free. It is free to participate as it is to read it. You can download it from my website or via my Instagram page, which acts as a communication bridge.

It differs from the classic "I like your photo, I'll re-share it" method as it aims to question the photographer by giving him carte blanche as we uncover his feelings and the reasons why he shoots on film in this world ruled by pixels and bytes.

The project was born recently and the volumes do not have more than 20 pages, four photographers, and their photos. I partly like this niche because it allows a very direct-contact approach with people. Examples are Marco and Pavel, both of them participated in the alpha and beta volumes as photographers. Today, they are part of the team. Marco is the translator and lives in Tuscany. Pavel is the designer and lives in Smolenks, Russia. Almost every day we talk and search for photographers for the next volume as we try to give the project a homemade and world-made feel. Ultimately, it is still for us and our close, intimate friends. The project is called and spelled Megazine, with the letter "e". This is a deliberate error due to the union of MEGA and ZINE (the photo booklet project).

Do you have any interesting new projects or collaborations planned?

At the moment the Megazine is the project that requires the most time and attention. The intention to expand it is strong and we will certainly work hard to reach as many people as possible while maintaining our community ideal.


Follow Davide on his Instagram, YouTube and website. His project "Megazine" can be found in this link.

written by melissaperitore on 2022-02-04 #gear #culture #videos

Lomography Color Negative 800 (120)

400 ISO still not fast enough? The Lomography Color Negative 800 120 film will bring you fantastic results at all lighting conditions.

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