some months ago in a foreign city, i stumbled upon a film cooler selling a plethora of freshly produced film. as i had been out of the analog photography game for the longest of time, most of the selections didn't interest me too much until i saw boxes of Lomography's LomoChrome Purple XR in 35mm. at 1500yen a pop, i hesitated a little bit before making my purchase. however, having recalled how the LomoChrome Purple XR pretty much emulates the feel of the Kodak Aerochrome, i bid adieu to 1500yen and brought a roll of the LomoChrome Purple XR home with me.
the biggest challenge for yours truly was to find subjects worthy of such a pricey roll of film. to get the best out of the film's potential was to photograph greenery, of which might be plenty about here in Kuala Lumpur south, however i had already photographed said places to death in my various photo walks in the past. same subjects be damned, but the purple experimentation meant a different take on the same subject, which i conceded at the end of the day. and drove around i did - with lengthy gaps in between when the mood strikes yours truly right. in total, it took eight months to fully expose the film, which surprisingly wasn't the longest gap between procuring said film and developing it (the award goes to the as-of-yet unexposed expired ISO800 rolls i procured way back in 2010-2011).
lengthy digressions aside, the LomoChrome Purple XR works phenomenally well when exposed properly. having played with various ISO settings ranging from ISO50-400, the results varied from properly exposed to mostly being underexposed. i suspect the underexposure in some of the shots were due to incorrect metering. the underexposure darkens the details to the point of seeming muddy. the occasional overexposure gives the images a turquoise tint akin to a cross-processed slide film which doesn't sit well with me. for the most part, i'm happy with the shots featuring greenery, and especially those featuring different shades and hues of purple and the occasional turquoise to contrast the purple. the grain is acceptable, but becomes prevalent in underexposed shots. correct exposure is key in order to obtain the desired shot - of which i lack for the more constrasty surroundings (strong lights versus shadows).
ultimately the LomoChrome Purple XR was an intriguing experimentation that i would love to explore even more. in fact, one might be hard pressed not to feel the urge to load another one of these babies into your camera after your first roll. though the price might be a turn off for some, it is an unavoidable fact that film is becoming more and more niche, what with the increasing prices of film and the discontinuation of too many film photography staples. despite all the hurdles one faces to enjoy film photography, i believe this roll is the first step in rekindling my love for analog photography. perhaps it is time to finish the remaining 35mm rolls in my dry box, or better yet, procure even more interesting films i've yet to experiment on! such exciting prospects!
Canon AE-1
Lomography LomoChrome XR 50-400
Canon AE-1
Lomography LomoChrome XR 50-400
