Wow, it has been a while since I was last capable of sharing my true passion here on Hive: 35mm film photography. This was my introduction to the world of photography at the age of 23, now turning 29, I feel I've been really limited in what I can do with it all. The pandemic kept us inside for two years, and the insanity of the inflation problem led to a massive shortage and increase in demand for film format itself, drastically rising the prices of both film and its development. In England, film now costs at least $15 per roll, excluding the $15 for that development. It was too much, and my motivation in England was just nonexistent. High costs of everything everywhere and limits in travel being on a small rapidly americanised island. I have missed being able to shoot film so much, and it feels like the only time I really do is when I get out of the country, venturing somewhere new and really appreciating the difference in culture, the architecture, and the beauty in it all.
Film prices and development tend to be cheaper for me when I travel, with a USD income, paying instead around $6 for film and development reminds me of the easier days of getting into photography, where I would pay even less than that. But it's just so fun to run around with that blocky Canon AE-1 in my hands again, hearing the sound of that shutter, the winding of film. The not knowing how things will turn out, and forever second-guessing or entirely forgetting what you took in the first place, leaving it all a surprise a few weeks later.
Each of these photographs were taken a few weeks ago, around the first few weeks of my time here in Yerevan, Armenia. I felt a bit rusty with the camera because of how long it has been. Almost a little fearing of it, as if I had to relearn it all again, but it didn't take long for it to again feel natural. I shot these images with what I believe was expired Kodak Colorplus 200, or at least a different variation to the film type that I have used before. The colours being much different to what I remember, but very beautiful. Gentle warm tones and plenty of grain. The real fun and good stuff of shooting film!
It took me a few days to settle in, but I purchased a SIM card here and got access to unlimited data. I remember walking through the unknown streets with no destination in mind, one of my favourite things to do. I remember that day the weather was starting to turn, still a little warm. I could wear a t-shirt with an overshirt and that'd be enough. Though a little rainy those days, leaving behind moisture and small puddles in the surroundings. The signs of autumn very much present, but the warm and dry air of Armenia lingered on. Trees started to shed their leaves, beautiful sounds of their rustling to the ground, sometimes in large sums. Even now the streets are coated in leaves from the many trees around the city.
The atmosphere was so odd to me to begin with. It immediately felt like home. The calmness in people that would carry groceries home. Women and children walking through the old streets with huge Soviet era apartment buildings that too showed their age, standing above all else around. Little lights on here and there would appear as the sun would set. Going on well into the night. I walked into the very centre of the city on one day, to do so you walk across a large bridge, the rest of Yerevan seen in the distance. Hilly and mountainous regions; some days you can see those mountains in the distance, coated in layers of snow that come and go during the day. Somewhat visible here, but the haze of autumn in the middle of the day mostly hid them from view.
I searched for composition everywhere, looking for places that I imagined no other person would capture and notice. My film photography is often like this, searching for light, lines, and emotion in the moment, sometimes there are just one of these things, other times a beautiful blend of them all. It is why I often pursue photography void of people, to see the emotion in the moment and almost be capable of creating the moments yourself in your head as your eyes navigate through the image.
A lot of the time I don't feel like I'm intentionally going somewhere to take photographs. I just go somewhere and take my camera and walk around. Sometimes, something stands out to me. Makes me feel something when I stop and look at it. I'm like this when I walk with others; and I've been told that when I do photography around people, I almost enter a trance. Completely changing and being entirely focused, observant on my surroundings. It's interesting to hear, but makes sense based on how introverted I used to be, always choosing the corner of rooms where I could sit a bit isolated and observe my surroundings. Funny how something like that can influence creativity in some aspects later on in life.
Sometimes I'll just see something and have to grab the camera. Like the image above. Watching the beautiful sunset unfolding, the golden light hitting the buildings, pulling out contrast. A beautiful mixture of earthly tones that sum up autumn. Matching the horizon's mountainous landscape that holds Yerevan inside dearly.
I don't think I'm a good tourist, in fact, I would never really refer to myself as one if I travel. After all, I try to avoid other tourists, I hate the idea of being in a foreign land and being surrounded by my own language and nationality. But Yerevan is different, almost ignored by the world. The huge structures of the Soviet Union hold no interest, it seems. Often empty, Only enjoyed by the odd locals that walk by. I find myself captivated by their beauty, the sheer scale and impressive designs. The greatness in the achievements and the political meanings behind them. Yerevan takes great pride in these buildings, and it's easy to see why. Though, I think I could've handled things better with this image if I had a wider lens, something lower than the 50mm F1.8 I used for each of these photographs.
Brutalist architecture is really something. I highly appreciate it. It makes you feel something, gives you questions about yourself. Makes you think of society and your place in it. It's incredibly powerful, and these designs lost in time are in my opinion a massive tragedy in the pursuit of clinical, modernist designs. In some ways, walking through such brutalist designs, especially with how empty they now are, it feels otherworldly. As if to have stumbled across the leftovers of an ancient civilisation.
Still, I await impatiently for my digital camera's gimbal to arrive to capture these places on video. Even so, this last month has been incredible. To freely roam the streets of a peaceful location, so rich in history, culture, and beauty. Capturing snippets in time on film! I can't wait to share more.