Halloween isn't something that is widely celebrated within Armenia. The nation is deeply traditional and incredibly religious. So the thought of Halloween to many still brings some relatively dated concepts. Yerevan, of course, being the largest city in the country, is full of more modern thinking and thus Halloween has slowly made its way into the nation through marketing attempts as well as just sparking some joy for the younger generations. On Halloween evening I walked around the city with my Canon AE-1 for the first time in a long time, it held some Chinese branded Pan 400 black and white 35mm film stock that I was attempting to finish with just six or so frames left.
I started to notice some oddities in the streets as I roamed. I saw people in various costumes or wearing masks, and as the evening progressed I noticed more of it all. Mostly teenagers that would accumulate on the main street in the small city. A lot of photographers and news media appearing to capture them. I decided to roam around it all myself, and I dialed in some settings into the camera in an attempt to range focus and be really speedy with it all. Some true street photography in the moment. At 250th of a second and at around an aperture of F8 and F5.6. Though this changed as the light disappeared fast.
Near the Opera House in the city, again off the main street, I noticed a large group of people standing around. Many in costume but also some holding some signs. I instantly knew this was a protest against the Halloween spirit. Jehovah’s Witnesses appearing out of nowhere to spread the 'no fun allowed' agenda and more misery in a nation that's already seen so much suffering in recent years. Halloween is a harmless holiday after all, and with Armenia being so small, with little for the youth to do, I was in full support of them having some creative outlet to enjoy once a year. Making their own costumes, of which most were anime inspired. Hardly celebrating Satanism, more just their Japanese cartoons.
I wasn't a big fan of how these images turned out, primarily because of the film grain the Pan 400 stock threw out. The images were incredibly grainy which I think removed a bit too much detail from the stills in the end. Now, I love grain, but this is a bit too much. But there's some fun stuff. I am more surprised that my attempts to range focus with the 50mm lens turned out decently. I really guessed everything and had never tried it before, but I instantly felt that rush that street photographers feel when they shoot film and never really know what they're shooting as there is no time to stop and dial things in. Just a quick snap of the shutter and an advancement of the lever to progress to the next frame. Super fun, and it really makes me want to get some better black and white film and try it again, perhaps with a range finder though, a wider lens that is more appropriate for the streets. Mostly people use something around 35mm or something in the 20s.
I felt that confidence allow me to get right up in with the action. Thinking of the images first and what people might think after. Nobody did care though. Everyone was too busy doing their own things and having fun. I think Halloween was the reason, and any other day probably would've yielded far different reactions had I shot more ordinary people that weren't in costumes. I think when it comes to doing more of this in the future, I do have to find events in which people are more collected and I'm not necessarily standing out too much as I navigate throughout the crowds.
In the end the crowds ended up disappearing. I have no idea where people went. It felt like everyone just walked in a circle around that main street and they'd empty up a bit. I roamed around and captured a few additional images to finish the film. Quite happy and feeling motivated again with film. A shame about those film prices still, though.