Film Photo Story, narratives in images
By: Nonnette C. Bennett
Shooting images through celluloid film and developing these in the dark room are no longer practical but worth the exercise for some photographers who were given 36 shot black and white film by Film Folk.
Film Photo Story exhibit and workshop of Veejay Villafranca at Hillstation, Baguio City challenged photographers to go back to traditional cameras and develop the images in dark rooms. The process was to allow the photographers to tell their own stories of purposeful shooting of images.
Organized by Fotomoto PH, the exhibit is part of efforts to build the local film community through workshops and exhibitions in different parts of the country. Villafranca processed the thoughts of the photographers through the frames of the 36 images that they focused on. These answered the basic questions of How did the photographer choose the subject? What challenges did they face in capturing the story? How did they decide on the sequence? What feedback do they want? How do you like to continue?
There were 15 Baguio based participants in the experimental activity who were given one roll of 36 shots film courtesy of Film Folk and required dark room processing. They were: Andreo Bongco, JA Amores, Robin Piramide, Jason Apolonio, Carl Cupido, Andrea Tabanda, Kian Aliguyon, Ian Mangaoang, Gari Buenavista, Edzel Reyes, Fidel Catto, Russel Ariola, Jason Asiong, Kaycee Caoili, Ara Aradanas.
“Continue questioning how we see things differently,” Villafranca said and noted that this was the reason for the exercise. He added that the photographer should be able to relate this to younger photographers.
Gari Buenavista 36 shots in the film makes the photographer budget the shots unlike the digital cameras that have infinite images to choose from before these are printed.
Andreo Bongco leader of the Baguio Film Community and owner of My Dark Room PH expressed to Veejay, “It is a thankless job trying to unite all the photographers in the Philippines, the Baguio community is thankful for the opportunity.” Bongco is a celluloid film fan.
“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still,”
says photographer Dorothea Lange.
Fidel Catto said that he chose to focus on hands in his images because, “they are like faces because they express what people are doing.”
He sought the hands that expressed the occupations and hobbies of his subjects. He said that hands are more interesting than feet.
The images were imperfect in the contact prints because many lacked contrast or sharpness. The 36 shots relied much on the instrument, the adjustments, and the click of the button.
Villarica said that sometimes there is no photograph or image because of some miss in adjustments of the instrument, the celluloid, or the dark rooms.
