*“Is this the last day I’ll be able to lie in the sun?”*
Kodak Porta 800

This was the first time I rented a studio space for a shoot. I had a general concept in mind and considered modifying my living room to accommodate, but ultimately decided to look up available spaces. I made an account on Peerspace and searched around the Phoenix area. There were a number of great options at reasonable prices and I narrowed down some selections. A space listed as a 70’s retro living room best fit the overall vibe I wanted.

Photoshoots rarely go smoothly and this was no exception. I booked the space via Peerspace. That part went great; there were a number of interesting studio spaces to rent at varying price points. Where things went awry is on arrival. I made the mistake of not checking my messages on the Peerspace site, in which there was a message about how to access the studio. Alas, I lost 15+ minutes of my hour booking just to get into the studio. I had intended to work on some video to cut in with the superbloom clips, but I ended up focusing on photography to best utilize the remaining time.

*AI anime photoshopped onto a defunct CRT TV.*
Kodak Portra 800

As for the space itself, it was great. The aesthetic was dead-on and the diffused natural light from the windows was exactly what I wanted for this film stock. I originally intended to shoot Cinestill 800T for this, but ultimately decided to switch to Portra 800 in an effort to embrace the tone of the room. I am glad that I did, as the Portra results were exactly as I envisioned them. I primarily shot on my Nikon FM2/T with the Voightlander 58mm F/1.4, without any filters. I actually did intend to have a ProMist on the lens, but forgot. I don’t regret that mistake, as I am vibing with the sharper images produced as a result. I opted to use a tadbit of photoshop to superimpose an image onto the television. Maybe someone thinks that is blasphemy to do with film. I don’t really care.

*“I’ll take my time to see you from the other side.”*
Kodak Portra 800

My third time working with Brooke and likely not the last. She has just graduated from her master’s and is on her way to being a licensed counselor (congrats). Her schooling and my personal experiences have allowed us to portray some emotional works and operate within the abstract concepts of how people feel. My work is particularly derivative of my mental health struggles. Especially as I move away from cosplay, it is becoming more important that models I work with can act as an assigned character (e.g. “you just let someone down and guilt is eating away at you.”). Editing is the least important factor when aiming to pull emotion from a photograph. Shooting film helps to focus on that element, since I do very little editing on any scans - typically just correcting exposure.

Modal Soul

Urban Dino