Dreamlike Landscapes and Portraits: Pietro Puleo's Photos on LomoChrome Turquoise Film

Recently, Pietro Puleo, photographer from Sicily shot his first roll of LomoChrome Turquoise film. The photos that he got out of it are amazing! Let's get to know him better in this interview.

Hi Pietro, welcome! Please tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm Pietro Puleo, I live in Palermo and I am a freelancer. I do photography, websites and advertising graphics. Clients commission me to take pictures for websites, social media or advertising, so photography is a really important part of my job.

How would your describe your photography journey and how did you get into photography?

I used my first camera when I was five, it was a Mupi point-and-shoot 126. I've always been passionate about photography, and over the years I have managed to transform this passion into a job. For my job, I use a Nikon full frame camera with different professional lenses. A couple of years ago I rediscovered my passion for analogue photography, and since then I have been collecting vintage cameras of different formats and with many filters, and I have a lot of fun experimenting. I'm always looking for places surrounded by nature and from there I build a concept, a project, look for the model and very carefully choose the roll of film that best suits the setting. Unlike digital photography, I believe that analogue photography has a timeless soul that conveys unparalleled emotions. I also develop black and white rolls of film, and the next step will be analogue printing.

A year ago I bought a 6x6 machine at an auction, and while opening it I realized that the film was still inside. It was a film from the 1950s, and I decided to develop it even though the risk of not seeing any results was high. But the attempt was successful, the film contained images taken seventy years ago that were waiting for someone who could bring them to light. This anecdote, in my opinion, fully represents the charm and beauty of analogue photography.

For these awesome shots you used our LomoChrome Turquoise film for the first time. Which features did you like the most?

Since the pre-order, I had been looking forward to trying this film and imagined testing it in a lake landscape with reflections from the water. Once I saw the results, I got confirmations of what I saw in the preview for this film. Spectacular images of the sky and vegetation. It literally built a magical setting. The shots with model, Giulia Terzo, are really beautiful too. She joined me in this new experimentation and I really want to thank her.

Would you recommend this film more for portraits or landscapes?

I would recommend it for both. I am a nature lover and have always tried to contextualize shots by adding subjects. This film manages to make both the subject and the surrounding landscape unique by blending both into a fairy-tale atmosphere.

What are the challenges in shooting with color-shifting films?

I love experimentation so much. The LomoChrome Turquoise is now one of my favorite Lomography films (along with LomoChrome Purple, Metropolis and Fantôme Kino) With color-shifting films like Turquoise, Purple and Redscale, you have to think differently, you have to conceive the shot knowing that then what you see at that moment will be made magical by the film. Therefore, when I'm about to shoot, I try to imagine the composition with the characteristics of the film loaded in the camera. And all this is very stimulating, I assure you.

Which camera did you use?

I used my favorite camera, the Pentax Spotmatic F with Super Takumar 50 mm f1.4 lens. Soon I will also shoot this film in the 120 format and I am really looking forward to it.

Do you have any tips to share with those who will be using this film for the first time?

I shot the LomoChrome Turquoise at 200 ISO and it has given me really satisfying results. If you want to intensify the "Turquoise" effect even more, shooting at 400 ISO might be the solution, which I will try soon.

You shoot in both digital and analogue. In your opinion, what role does analogue photography play in 2022?

Analogue photography manages to convey feelings to me that are hardly comparable to digital photography. Analogue has a beating heart that has never stopped beating. I am convinced that this period is only the beginning of a great comeback of film photography. I also hope that this fervor, the rise of numerous communities, the wonderful initiatives, such as the Lomowalks, may also lead to increased film production volumes.

Do you have any interesting projects or collaborations planned?

I always have lots of ideas. One of the next projects will be a set at the beach with a typical winter mood. Of course, I will bring one or two analogue cameras and several rolls of film with me!

Follow Pietro on Instagram and follow this profile to see all his analogue shots.

written by melissaperitore on 2023-01-03 #gear #people #landscape #portrait #color-shift #first-impressions #lomochrome-turquoise