Falling in Love with Film Photography Again

In a world dominated by digital photography, film photography is experiencing a resurgence. This episode explores the reasons behind this renewed interest in an analog medium. We'll delve into the unique qualities that film photography offers, such as its tangible aesthetic, the slower and more intentional process, and the nostalgic appeal that draws both seasoned photographers and a new generation. We'll also discuss the challenges and joys of shooting on film in the 21st century and consider what this revival says about our cultural relationship with technology and art.

Guest: Oscar Delgadillo
             @oscar_delgadillo93
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To learn more about Oscar and his photography, you can find here work here:
Oscar Delgadillo

J-Squared Atelier, LLC
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Transcript

00;00;00;09 - 00;00;32;17
James
Welcome to Lattes & Art presented by J-Squared Atelier, the podcast where creativity brews and inspiration flows. I'm your host, James William Moore, and today we're taking a look into the world of film photography with a special guest, Oscar Delgadillo. As we explore the theme of falling in love with film photography again. Oscar shares his passion for the analog process, its tactile charm, and the creative constraints that spark innovation.

00;00;32;20 - 00;01;03;03
James
Whether you're a seasoned film photographer or just curious about the magic of shooting on film, this episode will rekindle your appreciation for a slower, more intentional way of capturing moments. Grab your favorite latte and let's get started! Today I'm really excited. One of my best pals is here, Oscar. He and I met in San Jose State's program for the BFA and Oscar, I'm really excited to have you here today.

00;01;03;03 - 00;01;04;19
James
Thank you for joining me.

00;01;04;22 - 00;01;08;28
Oscar
Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure. I couldn't be more excited to be here.

00;01;09;00 - 00;01;19;10
James
So one of the things I was so impressed with your photography right from the start is that you were using film. Can you tell us why you were using film?

00;01;19;17 - 00;01;43;13
Oscar
Well, I wouldn't have to say that. The reason why I love film so much is because of my childhood. Every time growing up, me and my family, we would go on these week long vacations to Mexico. My mother would always bring a disposable film camera. So honestly, my love for film photography started because of my mom. She's the reason why I got into photography, to be honest with you.

00;01;43;15 - 00;01;55;03
James
I love it. I wonder if that's why we have a connection? Because my mom gave me an old Kodak Brownie when I was four. And so there's just something with that that sticks in our hearts.

00;01;55;05 - 00;02;21;11
Oscar
Yeah, I would have to say it was just me being mischievous. Like, I love to grab the camera, and if my parents were like, just groggy, just waking up, taking the photos of them, like at their most vulnerable state or my brothers to if they're in the bathroom brushing their teeth or combing your hair, or doing anything I love just to steal the camera and just take photos of them and just run away, because I knew that it would anger them or tell them like, no, no, stop, no, wait.

00;02;21;11 - 00;02;33;13
Oscar
Like, I just I love getting that type of response from people. I've always been very mischievous and I love pranking people, so. But to be honest with you, yeah, my mom is a reason why I love photography to begin with.

00;02;33;20 - 00;02;41;27
James
Because you talked about the mischief business and capturing these moments. Is that why you're drawn to doing street photography?

00;02;42;02 - 00;03;15;09
Oscar
Oh for sure. I think just the unknown. Just not knowing what I'm getting myself into. Just I just that's why I love street photography. And then, to be quite honest with you, I was scared of street photography until recently because, as you know, I did a lot of portraiture at my time at San Jose State. I felt like I was just needed to get out of my comfort zone and try something new, and that's why I decided to do street photography since Covid started, because a lot of the photos I've been posting online recently, it's all stuff from the early Covid days.

00;03;15;09 - 00;03;37;06
Oscar
And that's probably the most fun I've had since I started doing photography in 2016. Low pressure, not knowing what I'm getting myself into. It's the where Henri Cartier-Bresson said the decisive moment. There's so many times where I forgot my camera and I looked at a scene, or a person on the bus, or someone sitting on a bench feeding pigeons, whatever.

00;03;37;06 - 00;03;52;23
Oscar
Whatever the scene is. And I'm like, man, I wish I would have brought my camera. But there's also times where I did bring my camera and I took photos of leading lines or the light hitting a building just right in it. I can't even describe the joy that it brings me.

00;03;52;29 - 00;04;23;06
James
Well, and that's the exciting thing, because, like, when you and I were in school together, you were doing these portraits and it was amazing watching you capture these individuals. But even then, I felt there was this sort of streetwise eye that you use when you were photographing them. If you had them on a staircase in an apartment building, or you had them getting on or off light rail or whatever it happened to be, but there was just something that it felt like your I was always in that street mode.

00;04;23;12 - 00;04;24;26
James
Do you feel that?

00;04;24;28 - 00;04;46;03
Oscar
Oh for sure. I think that just has it just has to do with me just being just always being an observant of my of the things around me, in my, the environment. I have always been like that since I've been a kid. I just always been super observant. My imagination is always running wild. I'm always looking at buildings, reading signs.

00;04;46;05 - 00;04;52;28
Oscar
I think as a kid it was just a form of distraction to keep me occupied. That has to do with it when it comes to my photography, for sure.

00;04;52;28 - 00;05;11;17
James
With film photography we have no idea what we caught. It is on this celluloid that's inside the camera, and it's not that instant gratification that we get with digital. Can you tell me how that feels for you when you're in that decisive moment?

00;05;11;19 - 00;05;31;02
Oscar
We live in a world today where everything's about instant gratification. Yeah, you can use your digital camera and you can look at the image that you captured instantly. And you either like, you not like and boom, you can delete it off your your camera. With film you take the photo and you don't know what's on it until you get your interview developed and you get your film scans back.

00;05;31;09 - 00;05;49;10
Oscar
And to me, that's what excites me the most, is not knowing what I captured. Sometimes I can be disappointed and I can, and I missed the mark. And I say, you know what? Maybe next time I'll try to compose the image differently. I'll try. I'll think about scaling or use different angle shoot, I have a different angle. I'll look at it differently next time.

00;05;49;10 - 00;06;12;24
Oscar
But if it's something that I really love, oh, there's no better feeling. Yeah, I say like I tell my. I tell my friends whenever I get my film scans back from Henry's at Photo Express, it's like opening up a pack of Pokemon cards when I was a kid. You can either this can either be the best roll of film I ever shot, ever in my life, or it can just be a pack of hot garbage.

00;06;12;26 - 00;06;17;26
Oscar
But either way, it's all learning. It's a learning curve. It's a labor of love, for sure.

00;06;17;27 - 00;06;38;03
James
Well, and that's what I think is so great about your work. You're always learning, like, I can see what you have done with the newer photos. And what is it about going with inspired film that is so important for you?

00;06;38;05 - 00;07;04;26
Oscar
Again, I think it's, it's a Russian roulette. You can you could either. It can either be you can get your film scans back and it just can be black. Just nothing. No information, nothing on it. Or you can get it's a pleasant surprise. You can get something, an image that's very beautiful. And I feel like a lot of people are scared of shooting a film because they fear nothing's going to come back out of it.

00;07;05;00 - 00;07;10;28
Oscar
It's going to be too grainy. But I love that. I love the graininess. It is something about it.

00;07;11;02 - 00;07;39;11
James
If you're listening, definitely check out Oscar's Instagram and I'll make sure. And the the show notes that his handle comes through. But when you see the images that you take, I love there's this nostalgia. There's with that expired film, you're getting different colors. You're getting kind of, almost, not a vignetting, but there's just because it's expired, it doesn't have the right color.

00;07;39;12 - 00;08;00;07
Oscar
If you if I were to take a photo of a building or whatever, anything that doesn't make it seem like it's in the present time, it also it makes it feel like it's something like captured it from the past, the like there's a definitely there's a color shift in the in the film and loses the sensitivity to light as well.

00;08;00;07 - 00;08;03;15
Oscar
So it's it's more of a dramatic feel to it.

00;08;03;21 - 00;08;21;09
James
Well, and it feels also that you have a connect version to that crap. Shoot. You don't know what you're going to get. You talked about the image could come back black. It could have not the sensitive to light. So it might be a little underexposed. Exactly.

00;08;21;09 - 00;08;21;20
Oscar
Yeah.

00;08;21;20 - 00;08;27;28
James
But you seem to have connected to that and still can find these amazing shots.

00;08;28;00 - 00;08;48;27
Oscar
It's it's a gamble honestly. It's a gamble. And I think that's what excites me the most. I am a degenerate guess. Yeah. I, I love gambling by my you can tell by my Pokemon addiction where I buy all these packs and yeah, it's, it's I feel like it's the same thing. It's just, it's it's the unknown is what gets me excited.

00;08;49;04 - 00;09;06;06
Oscar
And I never used to be like that. I didn't try to take risks because I didn't. I didn't like change or I am scared. The known in the last few years, I decided just to kind of let that go and kind of just gamble, gamble myself and gamble that, you know, everything's to everything's gonna be fine. Even if the images were to come back black, that's totally fine.

00;09;06;08 - 00;09;08;10
Oscar
Everything's a learning curve, trial and error.

00;09;08;14 - 00;09;34;03
James
Well, and it's funny, because one of the points that I was hoping to hit this learning curve, you have taught yourself how to adapt to that film that's expired because it, like you said, might not have the sensitivity, might have a color shift for someone who's looking to possibly try working with film, an expired film, what pointers can you give that?

00;09;34;05 - 00;09;54;01
Oscar
Number one, definitely. Don't be. Don't be afraid to experiment. As you can tell, that's why I've been experimenting with expired film. Don't be discouraged if you do get a blank roll of film back. It happens to everyone. I remember my first roll of film, Henry. Luckily he loaded it for me at Hold Photo Express. He loaded my first roll film ever.

00;09;54;07 - 00;10;10;12
Oscar
I watched him do it, and when I built up the courage to do it myself the second time, I don't think I put the film on the latch strong enough. So I just closed the the door of the film camera and when I got it developed, it was completely blank. And that's fine. That happens to everyone that happened at San Jose City.

00;10;10;12 - 00;10;26;11
Oscar
I remember I would be in film class and a lot of people would get their, their film, their, negatives out of the dark room, and they put it to the light and do the light test and, and there's nothing. And then they just, like, slumped their shoulders and they're just so discouraged. And I totally get that.

00;10;26;11 - 00;10;35;19
Oscar
That's it's going to happen to everyone. Take that as a learning experience. And yeah, don't be don't be afraid to fail. Failing is the best way you can become better.

00;10;35;19 - 00;10;58;19
James
I love that it's I'm teaching introduction to photo right now at Gabo in college and I tell them with the first assignment when they come back and they're working on digital because we don't have the darkroom to to develop their. But I tell them, if you get nothing but a white square or a black square, it's okay. We can still look at your settings and learn from that.

00;10;58;19 - 00;11;08;00
James
There's this learning experience, and I think that's what you're saying you're not going to know walking into it. Play have fun. Yeah. Discover what it does.

00;11;08;02 - 00;11;31;20
Oscar
Yeah. Because if you if you if you walk into it and you expect to be perfect and expect to be Ansel Adams or these famous established photographers, you're you're already setting yourself up for failure by having high expectations to begin with. Just have fun. Just just experiment something new. Be obsessed with it. That's what I did to learn how to become a better photographer.

00;11;31;20 - 00;11;47;06
Oscar
I brought my camera everywhere, even when I started with a digital camera. I wish I would have kept some of those old photos just to see how far I've come since then, but I just got so embarrassed I just deleted them because they weren't great. But honestly, you become better by practice.

00;11;47;09 - 00;12;05;06
James
Well, and I think it's funny how we've all had those embarrassing shots, right? We've decided they're embarrassing. They didn't turn out. They weren't the way we hoped. And we just kind of throw them away. Yeah, but with film, you can't delete it. It's there. It's extra on the film away. But then, you know, do you really want to do that?

00;12;05;06 - 00;12;25;02
Oscar
Yeah. Then that's just a waste. But yeah, just don't don't be scared to experiment. You know, try different angles. Composition use light. Light is your best friend. Mastering how to use light in photography. That will definitely make your photograph more dynamic and more, more beautiful. And it will still stand out.

00;12;25;06 - 00;12;41;28
James
Dude, I need you to come into my classroom and that that you just said about light, because that's what we're talking about right now. It's the light's so important for a photograph. And if you can teach your eye to see it and how it bends and colors and does these things.

00;12;42;00 - 00;13;06;28
Oscar
Oh for sure. Yeah, even leading lines like, I'm a sucker for leading lines, leading lines, color, complementary colors, anything. That's stuff that I definitely look for when I'm doing street photography or my portraiture. Why I'm having these people stand in front of colorful buildings or staircases. I make sure that whatever they're wearing, like, matches the building. Like, that's how my my brain just is wired.

00;13;06;28 - 00;13;26;01
Oscar
Like, I get happy, like I just love seeing leading lines. Color. And Yvonne at San Jose State should always tell me that I have the eye, the eye. She said, you can't teach the eye. It's either you have in photography or you don't, but you have in. I feel like that's one of the best compliments I ever received.

00;13;26;07 - 00;13;51;11
James
Well, I agree with her in that because when I look at your images, I mean, I've always been drawn to them. There's a story in there and it's and sometimes it's the most simplest composition. There's a bunch of negative space or whatever it happens to be, but there's just something in the way that you draw and paint with your camera that's captivating.

00;13;51;14 - 00;14;08;05
Oscar
The reason why I feel like it's like that because I don't have to say, well, all starts with my parents. Like I said, if it wasn't for my parents, especially my mother letting me borrow their disposable camera, I don't think I would be here today or the Polaroid camera. I said. I said, I have some of those Polaroids.

00;14;08;05 - 00;14;23;10
Oscar
I gotta find them. Where my mom is is like washing the dishes or cooking. And she just looking back with their mouth open and I'm boom. I snapped the photo and I run away and she's chasing me, trying to get it back. Those are like the defining moments where I can say, that's what started it all on. And just my parents being so lenient.

00;14;23;10 - 00;14;49;08
Oscar
I never knew this until years later that my mom said that reason why our dad, like he was strict about certain things, but certain things he wasn't because he said he just wanted us to have a normal upbringing, American upbringing so we wouldn't be teased at school. I feel like that's another reason why I am who I am today is because my parents were just so lenient, so just cool with just like letting us do what we wanted to do.

00;14;49;08 - 00;14;51;27
Oscar
Like letting us express ourselves and like.

00;14;51;29 - 00;15;14;26
James
Well, it's interesting too, because with art, a lot of parents, it's like, no, don't do art. Yeah, like go learn science, go learn, you know, engineering, go learn something. I hear your story, which is very similar to how my parents were with me. And I look at what you and I are doing now and how happy we are.

00;15;14;28 - 00;15;34;03
Oscar
Yeah. I say like my parents, not always agreed with what we did, but at the end of the day, as long as we were happy, we loved doing what we were doing. They were fine at the end of the day, but as long as we weren't getting into trouble and we're just doing what we're supposed to do, like at the end he was super lenient.

00;15;34;03 - 00;16;02;02
Oscar
Or even my mom too. Like, yeah, there's times where she would say like, oh, I wish you your doctor, your typical immigrant parent wish, I wish you were a doctor. I wish you're a lawyer. I wish you're this in that. But at the end of the day, my mom would always just reiterate that as long as I was happy learning what I was learning, studying at school, and she saw like my grades were always good and I was just super interested and like in level when I was doing shoes, that was just more than enough.

00;16;02;05 - 00;16;07;21
Oscar
So yeah, if it wasn't for my parents, I don't think I would have been in an artistic field to begin with.

00;16;07;21 - 00;16;36;01
James
So now you shoot with 35 millimeter. And for some that have never touched film, there are different sizes. There's 35 millimeter, there's 120, right? There's large format and four by 5 or 8 by ten. And you work in 35 millimeter. What kind of cameras do you use? What brands of film do you find that you like best? What's up with.

00;16;36;01 - 00;17;03;05
Oscar
That? Yeah, I shoot primarily 35 millimeter. I wish I can get in to 120. That's next. So hopefully when I, when I go abroad and when I go overseas to Japan soon, hopefully I can find a cheap 120 film camera and really start getting into that. So 35 millimeter is primarily what I shoot with 24, 36 exposures. I know 120 depending if it's six by nine, six by ten, it's less images is like what?

00;17;03;07 - 00;17;05;23
James
Maybe it's be ten, ten.

00;17;05;25 - 00;17;15;13
Oscar
10 to 12, 10 or 12 images. Right. Less room to, you know, mess up with the bigger payoff I guess is 120 is higher quality images as well.

00;17;15;13 - 00;17;16;15
James
The negatives, larger.

00;17;16;15 - 00;17;39;14
Oscar
Negatives larger for one, and higher image quality, something about 35 millimeter. I always, I don't know, it just always draws me back with digital cameras. They have the term spray and pray right where you can. How I remember I would do that. I was very guilty of spraying and praying where I would have a thousand images and I'd just go through them and I'm like, oh my God, this is kind of kind of too much.

00;17;39;14 - 00;17;49;22
Oscar
And it's funny now that even with 36 exposures, like, I sometimes get my roll of film back and I'm like, oh my God, I think five photos are like the same thing. I say, that's kind of too much.

00;17;49;24 - 00;18;01;21
James
But isn't it helpful if you've got a few of the same thing? If you're not sure of that light, if you're not sure of that angle and you shoot a couple of times.

00;18;01;23 - 00;18;18;03
Oscar
Yeah. And then during those five and I usually end up picking the, the one that I like the most, like, like you said, like the one with the best angles, the one with the best lighting, the least distractions, you know. So yeah, it it does have the pros and cons of. Yeah. It definitely there's pros and cons that come with that.

00;18;18;03 - 00;18;28;23
James
Cameras both film and digital come in point and shoot. They come in single and three flags the SLR. Which do you gravitate to?

00;18;28;23 - 00;18;48;26
Oscar
I have point and shoot camera, so I have a Yoshioka T3. So it's a very famous cult classic film point and shoot camera has a really great lens on it, and that's why I love the most about it. Has a Carl Zeiss lens. Carl Zeiss lens to me are probably the best lenses in photography, like a camera uses them.

00;18;48;26 - 00;19;06;17
Oscar
Contact top notch quality glass and I feel like that really does make the difference because I use other like Olympus points, use cameras and it's not Zeiss and there's kind of like, a soft focus and almost cloudy. Cloudy. Yeah. Not only is.

00;19;06;17 - 00;19;08;09
James
It glass or is it plastic.

00;19;08;15 - 00;19;13;03
Oscar
I don't it could be plastic. Whole guys use plastic cameras and.

00;19;13;05 - 00;19;13;23
James
And.

00;19;13;25 - 00;19;38;18
Oscar
And with hoagies. You'd be surprised at some of the images that you can take with that. If it's a 35 millimeter holder or a 120. I seen 120 augers. And even though it's plastic, they get some pretty great images from that. Honestly, I always go back to my ishka T3, or I use, a Nikon L 35 AF super 80s camera where it's just like plastic on the outside, but the image quality is just so amazing.

00;19;38;18 - 00;19;47;13
Oscar
The Nikon lenses are really sharp too. And then for my SLR, I use a canon. What's that famous canon camera that everyone uses? It's equivalent of.

00;19;47;13 - 00;19;48;13
James
The Nikon.

00;19;48;13 - 00;20;04;12
Oscar
Voice. You're an icon. You know this. You know, this is my first Nikon camera, the L 35 AF that ever got even with digital. I was a canon boy. Yeah, this this Nikon that I got, I really love. I'm going to be taking it to Japan with me, so I'm really excited.

00;20;04;12 - 00;20;13;07
James
You mentioned Japan, your growth in photography. How much of that has drawn you to do this amazing trip?

00;20;13;07 - 00;20;37;07
Oscar
I since I since my photography journey, I've taken my camera to New York City, San Francisco countless of times, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle. I think just I'm just ready now, if I would I went to Japan earlier, I think I would have been too scared to like, even go up to a person and say, hey, like try to in my broken down Japanese, try to say, like, you have a really cool outfit, like, can I take a photo of you?

00;20;37;07 - 00;20;41;00
Oscar
Like years before? I wouldn't be able to do that now. I think I'm ready for that.

00;20;41;00 - 00;21;02;07
James
I was excited when you told me you were doing this trip to Japan and Tokyo, and and all I could think about was the eye candy of photos you were going to capture. Because your street photography, I feel place right into that nostalgia and neon ness of Tokyo.

00;21;02;10 - 00;21;26;03
Oscar
And then going back to like, film stocks like I already have, like all the film stocks in mind. Then I'm going to take like since still a hundred. That's really great for nighttime photography. If there's light, neon light, I'm going to take portrait hundred, portrait 400, in stencil 400 and Lomography 400. Yeah, Lomography 400 is definitely a new film stock I haven't used before.

00;21;26;03 - 00;21;27;20
Oscar
And then I'm going to try out for the first time.

00;21;27;20 - 00;21;32;05
James
So I'm excited that you're using some Lomography. Yeah, I love their stuff.

00;21;32;05 - 00;21;38;05
Oscar
Yeah, I know that they're based out of Brooklyn, New York. Yeah, I'm really excited to try this stuff out.

00;21;38;05 - 00;22;10;27
James
It's interesting, with Lomography way back in the day, you would get the film specific to the kind of light you were shooting, and that meant if you're under tungsten, light or sunlight or whatever, right. And especially in the slide film, that was important. But Lomography censor jumped on this ban. Reagan of film and given us all of these different types that kind of mimic that coloration or mimic sort of inspired, but not really because their films not expired.

00;22;10;29 - 00;22;13;02
James
Have you played with any of those yet?

00;22;13;05 - 00;22;36;07
Oscar
No, I know there's I know there's a lot of new, different films, like the one film that I have played with before. It was, called Psychedelic Blues and it's pre exposed film to like, I think they use a light prism and then you shoot it. It's I think they use Kodak Ultra max and then they, they pre expose it to light using I think light prisms I'm not too sure.

00;22;36;10 - 00;22;59;23
Oscar
And then yeah they reroll it I guess. And then you shoot the film and it just looks like giant light leaks throughout the throughout your images in it. That's not only one that I played with, but definitely it's an exciting time to be an analog photography fan because harm in technology, for example, the the people that make Ilford, they come out with, new film stock called Phoenix 200.

00;22;59;23 - 00;23;21;21
Oscar
So it's very a warm film. Henry says that if you like street photography, shooting in abandoned buildings, that's the type of film that you can use. Not so much for portraiture, because it will make your skin look kind of like orange, yellow, orange, but definitely for, for street photography. That's another one that I think I might bring to for daytime.

00;23;21;21 - 00;23;36;18
Oscar
Yeah, definitely. It's an exciting time with Harman developing new film since still making the 400 film speed Kodak Gold. It's on 120 film now. I think people say that film is dying, but I think there's a resurgence going on well.

00;23;36;18 - 00;24;03;01
James
And I want to talk about that for a second, because it did. You know, we lost Kodak for the longest while. They sort of disappeared and they kind of messed up from a business model standpoint. But people were still like hungry for film. And there was this, you know, the hipster movement that seemed to be gravitating towards the point and shoot cameras that they'd find in old antique stores.

00;24;03;03 - 00;24;21;16
James
Yeah. And now here we are with just a plethora of choices to use for film and sizes that we're not limited to a 35 millimeter. We can shoot in 120 or in large format. And Ilford, who's been around forever.

00;24;21;19 - 00;24;22;07
Oscar
It's incredible.

00;24;22;07 - 00;24;31;16
James
Yeah, yeah. And they've got a new stock. They've got a new film we can use, which is almost unheard of.

00;24;31;18 - 00;25;01;01
Oscar
Yeah. Within the in the digital age. Yeah, I agree that's unheard of. And I think that's amazing. That's a testament that I think as long as there's a need or want or a market out there, I don't feel like film photography will fully go away. And and then if that day does come, I've told a couple of my friends or cohorts, I don't think I told you this, but I definitely told other people that the day that there's no more film or no more film cameras, that's the day I stop being a photographer.

00;25;01;02 - 00;25;18;07
Oscar
Oh, and I, Yeah, I don't yeah, I don't think. And that's not a knock against people who love digital photography, because at the end of the day, it's just a tool in a toolbox. It's literally just a light box. We we're as photographers, we're just capturing light. That's it. We're just capturing light.

00;25;18;09 - 00;25;27;03
James
So now you shoot in color, correct? Correct. Yeah. Do you still put black and white into your camera at any time?

00;25;27;05 - 00;25;46;01
Oscar
I have a lot of black and white film. I just haven't shot it. I think I'm waiting. It just comes in moods and seasons and just one day I will go back to black and white. That's something I definitely want to I want to do, but I'm just having so much fun using color right now. An expired color film that I don't see myself going back to black and white anytime soon.

00;25;46;01 - 00;26;16;02
Oscar
One day though, if I do go back to black and white, I definitely want to shoot 1600 film stock. Yes. Super grainy. Yeah. The Ilford, the, what's it called? The, it's super grainy. It comes in. It's the Purple and Black Label Ilford 30, in Ilford, Delta 3200. That's that's what it's called. Yeah. I when I was at San Jose State and my black and white, film photographer class intro, I use a lot of Delta 3200.

00;26;16;04 - 00;26;29;18
Oscar
I love a lot of people don't like grain in their photos they think is distracting. I love it, I love Ilford 3200. It's super grainy, super punchy. I think it's just raw. It's just.

00;26;29;20 - 00;27;06;14
James
Well, you were you inspired part of my lectures that I do for Light and film speed, even in digital, because we can push it to 1630, 200 and we can push grain or noise into our picture. But you just embrace that. You find it is something that allows mood or style or mystery into your picture. Having that, there's a nostalgia that just never seems to leave your work.

00;27;06;16 - 00;27;31;24
Oscar
Yeah, I think it just has to do with that. Film is so forgiving. The attitude of film like, oh my God, like, you know, the pushing, the pulling. Like if there's so many times where even when I got this new film camera, I think the previous owner left it at, they left it a thousand ISO, and then I had 400 box speed and I just let Henri know, hey, like, oh my God, like, I totally goofed.

00;27;31;24 - 00;27;45;28
Oscar
Like, this person left a thousand ISO and it's 400. And he's like, no, no, no, it's totally fine. Like since like, since this is totally forgiving, like it's the latitude of film anyways. Like, it's fine. It allows you to like to mess up.

00;27;46;00 - 00;28;15;17
James
Well, even those mess ups can be on purpose because with film. So we've mentioned Henri a few times. So here in San Jose, we have this amazing space called Soto Express that Henri is run forever. And if you are into cameras and film and that you have to go see Henri, he's brilliant. But when we shoot film, we don't have to set the camera to the speed that the film is.

00;28;15;20 - 00;28;24;21
James
But when we develop it, we need to make sure it gets developed. With that adjustment. Yeah, this push and pull that you're talking about.

00;28;24;24 - 00;28;34;21
Oscar
Yeah, you push it two stops, you pull it to stop. You make the corrections in the development process, and that's the that's the key part. Yeah. If you do that you're golden. You're you're fine.

00;28;34;26 - 00;28;43;12
James
With color photography and color film. We can't develop that ourselves. There's just too much in that process.

00;28;43;14 - 00;29;00;26
Oscar
It's. Yeah it's it's just too much. Unless I think the cheapest way you can do it is if you get the sense still. Kit. But even then, like, it's really expensive. It's not. It's just not cost effective. Black and white. You just need like 2A2 ingredients I think. Right.

00;29;00;26 - 00;29;01;21
James
In a dark bathroom.

00;29;01;24 - 00;29;11;08
Oscar
In a dark bathroom, that you can just put a towel down, just make sure there's no light coming out. Just develop it. Boom. Within an hour you have magic happens.

00;29;11;08 - 00;29;24;02
James
Yeah I still I haven't shot black and white film in a while, but I still develop it myself. I've got the developer bag that I can get it into the canister to do all of the chemical work.

00;29;24;02 - 00;29;39;14
Oscar
And yeah, you can even if, if you want to get a single roll or if you want to save money, you can just buy the roll film and just, you know, put in those back the, the little darkroom bags, or you can just put your hands in, you can just roll your own film.

00;29;39;14 - 00;29;57;19
James
Oh yeah. Well, and that's funny because I got my hands on an old Kodak Brownie and the film size for that because it's so old was 126. So it's slightly off from a 120. Yeah. But I can roll 120 film on to those reels and shoot in my.

00;29;57;21 - 00;30;18;09
Oscar
Yeah you can, you can still totally do that. I think a lot of, those old older cameras, as long as have you some I seen you and some people online, they 3D print adapters so they can just split the roll of film onto those old cameras and shoot it in, and it still works. Yeah. The that Kodak Brownie camera.

00;30;18;09 - 00;30;19;27
Oscar
Yeah. So that's the started it.

00;30;19;27 - 00;30;21;21
James
All right. It was almost.

00;30;21;21 - 00;30;22;08
Oscar
Almost.

00;30;22;08 - 00;30;28;18
James
Almost it was in that same realm of those first Kodak boxes.

00;30;28;21 - 00;30;46;28
Oscar
Because I know that what Kodak did is that if you bought a Kodak Brownie, they included that roll of film. And then when you shot that roll of film, you could send it back to Rochester, New York, and then they develop it for you and they send them back your images. On top of that, they send you another roll of film.

00;30;46;28 - 00;30;47;23
Oscar
So it's kind of like.

00;30;47;25 - 00;31;16;17
James
What is the one that actually brought film photography to the masses because they made it a process, their, their logo or their slogan, which was, you snap the picture, we do the rest, and you would send the box back to them and they'd get the film out and they'd reload it. And yeah, it's really what brought photography to the masses.

00;31;16;20 - 00;31;30;21
Oscar
Is where the every, every day, the blue collar, anyone, anyone, anyone can do it because before that, it's kind of rich people. Exactly. Yeah. They, they were to get their portraits taken with the, the old timey four by five camera.

00;31;30;21 - 00;31;31;26
James
And.

00;31;31;28 - 00;31;33;13
Oscar
They get their types, all of.

00;31;33;13 - 00;31;56;06
James
That stuff. And Kodak is the one that actually with I believe it was world or two that with the enlisted men, they had the pocket sized camera that fit in their shirts. So we had these men that were going off to war with cameras, and then they all came back. And in the 50s, you know, there's this everybody wanted pictures.

00;31;56;06 - 00;32;15;04
James
Everybody was traveling and doing, and they all had these cameras from the war. It was amazing. When we're in the process of shooting with film, do you think it changes how a photographer sees time and the subject matter that we're photographing?

00;32;15;04 - 00;32;38;14
Oscar
I think for sure. Definitely time, I think patience, I think time, patience, subject matter. It definitely makes you slow down and being be present in the moment for sure. I think that's what I learned the most about shooting film. It really makes you slow down, take your time, really, really look at what you're going to photograph and really like.

00;32;38;14 - 00;32;54;03
Oscar
Not second guess yourself, but be like, do I really want to take this image? Do I really want to use this exposure? Or do I really want to use it for something better? There's times where I do that now. I really take my time with the role of film. Forces you also to be creative too. I think that too.

00;32;54;03 - 00;32;57;04
Oscar
It brings out the creativeness in me as well too.

00;32;57;06 - 00;33;08;11
James
Do you think it's slowed you down in other parts of your life, like you're more considerate or more thoughtful, all making decisions and whatnot in other areas that are beyond just the camera?

00;33;08;14 - 00;33;35;07
Oscar
Oh for sure. I would say I'm a more patient person than I was a couple years ago, for sure. I was never a patient person, but with, photography and definitely film photography, it allows me to kind of smell the roses, as you can say, kind of just really just enjoy life and not feel the need to be to rush anything anymore and just kind of let things be, let things happen naturally, organically.

00;33;35;07 - 00;33;37;24
Oscar
I think definitely that's something I've learned.

00;33;37;24 - 00;33;55;24
James
Well and how amazing to learn that lesson at the point you are in your life because you know, you're you're a young individual compared to me, but you already have learned this, this patience. I'm a little envious.

00;33;55;26 - 00;34;13;04
Oscar
So like I said, I've, I just turned 31 in August, so I feel like, I've played a lot of catch up. I don't know, I always felt like I, I was always playing catch up. I was always behind, always behind, always behind. Like that was something that was always bothering me. But now I'm like, I don't feel like that anymore.

00;34;13;07 - 00;34;22;06
Oscar
I'm in a place in my life where I, I am where I need to be right now. And that's I'm totally okay and I'm comfortable with that. And I don't feel like I need to rush to do anything.

00;34;22;06 - 00;34;23;22
James
Or you found your pace.

00;34;23;22 - 00;34;39;23
Oscar
I found my pace finally. Like, yeah, I'm not playing catch up. Finally, I don't I am where I need to be and I'm, I'm happy I this is this, yeah, this this is probably, like, the happiest I've ever been in my life right now. And yeah, I, I'm so ecstatic I can't I'm just so excited for the future.

00;34;39;23 - 00;34;55;08
James
Well, and I think too that all of that, that you're feeling comes through and the pictures that you're taking, there's the thoughtfulness. There's, a history, there's a memory, there's a passion, and all of this comes through, and it just feels very natural.

00;34;55;10 - 00;35;14;00
Oscar
Yeah, if you don't, if you don't, I'm just a very passionate person to begin with. The way I think about things, if you don't love what you do or why do it if you don't go when like a full 100, like, yeah, there's no point in doing it. Like I get to the point where if I learn a new hobby or learn new, I fully invest into it.

00;35;14;02 - 00;35;31;05
Oscar
Like I pour hours and hours into it because I just get so interested and I just have to know everything about the subject or what I'm when I, I'm getting into. So yeah, with film photography, I remember when, I got my first camera, I just go online and look up manuals, just look up the history behind the camera.

00;35;31;12 - 00;35;47;00
Oscar
If you don't, you know, I'm obsessed with it like I do it. Why bother to begin with? And I guess you can see that through my photography. Like, I truly love analog photography. Film photography. So. So just invest into it. I just I love it, I love it with all my with my heart, my being.

00;35;47;00 - 00;36;01;10
James
Well. And your work shows that. It absolutely shows that if someone's trying to take that leap, you know, they may be a photographer or not, but they decide, you know what, I want to play with film. How do you start?

00;36;01;12 - 00;36;29;08
Oscar
Just look, just, research like how you said. How you asked me. Like what film cameras you like, find a SLR online. I know there's a Pentax K 1000 if you're if you're out there listening right now and you really want to get into film photography, the Pentax K 1000 is such. I. I learned that back in the day, like in the 70s, that was like the starter camera where if you're in high school or in a college, cause they gave you that camera to learn how to start your photography journey.

00;36;29;08 - 00;36;53;26
Oscar
So definitely start looking into cameras that you like. Or if you want to, if you wanted less pressure. Anyone like autofocus? Just find a nice point and shoot camera. Fine. Find a the Nikon L 35 I have I have is really great. Olympus cameras canon. Just looking to different film cameras that you think you might enjoy shooting with film stocks or you a nighttime photographer.

00;36;53;26 - 00;37;01;00
Oscar
You want to go 800? Are you a daytime? Do you want to go 100? Do you want to go 200? 400? There's just so many ways to start.

00;37;01;00 - 00;37;11;11
James
So of your cameras you've gotten online. Yeah. But have you gotten any from the thrift shops or the charity shops and had amazing luck with them.

00;37;11;11 - 00;37;28;25
Oscar
Okay. So the one camera that I did get from a third shop was a Olympus Magoo. So it's, very it's a cult classic camera and, and, and I got it for like, $5. And I always wondered why, you know, why would someone give it up and then I would get these images, and it was very beautiful images.

00;37;28;25 - 00;37;44;04
Oscar
It just had a slight light leak, but I didn't mind the light leak. I thought I had a little something to the images. It just died on me. One day I finished the whole film and then, just like the lens wouldn't go back into the into the inside of the camera and then it just it just died on me.

00;37;44;06 - 00;38;05;08
Oscar
And I was really sad. But I'm not like one of those people that found, a Yoshioka t for context, T 2 or 3, T three for, like a dollar at the dollar bins at the thrift shop. I'm still waiting for that moment, hopefully, hopefully in Japan because I know in Japan they have a lot of great film cameras for cheap and they take care of the cameras really well.

00;38;05;08 - 00;38;07;27
Oscar
So I know I'm getting some quality stuff, but well.

00;38;07;27 - 00;38;28;21
James
And I think that's something we need to make a point of because, you know, we're talking thrift shops, we're talking buying it online. And a lot of people may have had cameras in their closets or their parents or grandparents, and they may be clearing out houses or closets or whatever. They run into this equipment. Just because it's being sold doesn't mean it's going to work.

00;38;28;21 - 00;38;37;23
James
So again, you got to take a leap of faith when you're doing these things. And be very careful when you're buying one of these to use cameras.

00;38;37;25 - 00;38;45;24
Oscar
Yeah. Oh, definitely. Yeah. Because I bought a Polaroid from, an antique shop, and it's the Polaroid I gave you, and. And you told me it didn't work.

00;38;45;24 - 00;38;52;29
James
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was a great. It was the style that, Warhol used and I couldn't even get the dang thing to work.

00;38;53;04 - 00;39;09;03
Oscar
Yeah, that's that's the reason why, I bought that camera. Because I looked at it and I looked online. The history of it, and. Yeah, that's the same camera. The Andy Warhol would take. The famous portrait series. Sylvester Stallone is like the one that, for some reason, the one that sticks out to me the most.

00;39;09;06 - 00;39;10;14
James
I love Polaroid.

00;39;10;14 - 00;39;16;22
Oscar
Yeah, Polaroid. And yeah, I'm. I'm sad that the one I gave you didn't work. That was really.

00;39;16;24 - 00;39;37;13
James
You know, but it was a good lesson for me because it, like you taught, you've been talking about. Take risks, take chances, try something new. I opened the camera up to see if there is mechanisms that came to be adjusted or played with, or if there was a board in there I could switch out or whatever it happened to be.

00;39;37;13 - 00;39;39;06
James
It just wasn't going to come back to life.

00;39;39;06 - 00;39;53;18
Oscar
That one. Yeah. And I know those ones were pretty expensive. If you go online then the like last time I checked, they're like in the $300 range. Yeah, I don't know. I haven't checked recently, but I remember the last time I checked it was like $300.

00;39;53;21 - 00;40;03;23
James
So now with your film, the unexpired film, we've got a bunch of places we can get that from. Yeah, but your expired film. Where are you finding it out.

00;40;03;26 - 00;40;06;00
Oscar
You gave me it. Yeah.

00;40;06;02 - 00;40;07;16
James
That was not a plus. Yeah.

00;40;07;16 - 00;40;10;12
Oscar
No, no no no no. Yeah. You game.

00;40;10;12 - 00;40;13;05
James
You're still working through that stash? I'm.

00;40;13;05 - 00;40;19;04
Oscar
I'm done. The last the last two roles that I got developed recently a henries.

00;40;19;07 - 00;40;24;22
James
Yeah. Oh. I'm done. I'm okay. You need to get into 120 because I've got some 124.

00;40;24;22 - 00;40;36;27
Oscar
Yeah, yeah, I, I'm, I'm done with the 35 millimeter expired film you gave me in class. You gave me lens for 19 and he sees his class. I remember he asked me, do you want to expire film, music? Sure.

00;40;36;29 - 00;40;50;15
James
Well, why not? Was right. I was shooting 120. You were on 35 millimeter and I. You were absolutely passion with expired film. Like what you were creating was unreal.

00;40;50;17 - 00;41;16;20
Oscar
I know Cat gave me some. I think it's, Fuji Pro plus some some film stock. That's not even that's been long gone for like over ten years now. And it's, 200 speed, so I definitely have to shoot that at least at 100 and in a day time. Yeah. So that's that's definitely another thing. Two people, if you definitely want to get into, aspire film, the more light the better.

00;41;16;20 - 00;41;29;20
Oscar
Because if you have, the less light, the chances are because there would be photos that I took in in San Francisco when the sun's going down and it's just kind of just it's just a muddy mess of just colors, like it's nothing really comes out of it. So definitely. Yeah, at any.

00;41;29;20 - 00;41;39;08
James
Time it is a learning experience. Oh for sure. It's been a journey for you coming through it. Any last thoughts about film and the the beauty of it?

00;41;39;08 - 00;41;56;04
Oscar
If you haven't shot film, please shoot it. Since I've been shooting film since 2017 is like when I started doing it. So it's been seven years now consecutively. I have been shooting film. Yeah, I don't think I can ever see myself. Going back to digital film has just caught my heart. It's just something like you said, something so nostalgic.

00;41;56;04 - 00;42;11;04
Oscar
It's just so beautiful. Colors, the texture, the warmness, the coolness. It's just so it's it's just amazing. I can't even put to words. Just shoot it. Just try it. If you. If it's not for you, that's totally fine.

00;42;11;06 - 00;42;19;06
James
And definitely go check out Oscar's work on Instagram. It you will be impressed and it will have you fall in love with film then.

00;42;19;08 - 00;42;25;18
Oscar
Yeah. If you can just look at my page, you know, you have to give a follow. Just look at it. Leave a like comment.

00;42;25;21 - 00;42;27;14
James
Share it. Show some love.

00;42;27;14 - 00;42;40;24
Oscar
Yeah. Anything. Anything. If my work just even inspires you a little bit to go out and just pick up a camera, that means the most to me. I feel like I'm doing my job. I'm doing my part as being an artist or a photographer in general.

00;42;40;26 - 00;42;45;02
James
Oscar, thank you so much for joining me today. I appreciate this conversation.

00;42;45;04 - 00;42;47;16
Oscar
Thank you so much for having me, I appreciate it.

00;42;47;17 - 00;42;49;17
James
Have a safe trip and we will talk soon.

00;42;49;18 - 00;42;52;22
Oscar
Yes, I'll see you when I come back from Japan. Thank you so much.

00;42;52;24 - 00;43;24;05
James
That wraps up today's episode of Lattes & Art presented by J-Squared Atelier. A huge thank you to Oscar Delgadillo for taking us on this nostalgic journey into the world of film photography. If today's conversation sparked your interest, go dust off an old film camera or pick up some fresh rolls and see where it takes you. If you want to discover the amazing artistry of Oscar's photography, please be sure to follow the links found in the episode notes.

00;43;24;12 - 00;43;40;00
James
Don't forget to follow Lattes & Art for more inspiring conversations with artists and creatives. Until next time. I'm James William Moore and I hope that you'll keep creating. Keep exploring and always find the beauty in the little things. See you soon.