Footprints Around the World on Film: Notes from an Exhibition

After nearly three years of learning photography, I finally understand how a masterpiece is made: sling heavy, expensive camera gear over your shoulder; trek over mountains and through rivers; brave the elements and sleep rough; set out before dawn and stay up late; wait in the bitter wind for that first shaft of morning light, or linger at dusk for a wisp of crimson cloud… Add filters, bracket exposures, focus-stack… deploy every technique at your disposal, and then…But that is not the end of it.…once home, transfer the photographs to the computer, then crop this, layer that, blend this, adjust curves, and apply all manner of other tweaks… At last, the picture emerges: vivid, pristine, beautiful, and visually arresting. Then shrink it to a 900-pixel square and post it on social media. The “masterpiece” stands out, but all the pleasure has vanished.

Perhaps that is one reason I began experimenting with film photography.

In late August 2019, I stopped in Hong Kong for a day and visited several exhibitions: Notes on The Photographic Journey of Willy Ronis

Among them was this one:

Exhibition: Footprints Around the World on FilmDates: August 8–25, 2019 Venue: Gallery by the Harbour, Harbour City, Hong Kong

Footprints Around the World on Film: Notes from an Exhibition

The exhibition was held at Gallery by the Harbour. Despite the name, the “gallery” was really just a space of roughly two hundred square metres inside the Harbour City shopping mall. There were not many works on display, and the show was very small. I had made a special trip across the harbour by ferry from Central to see it, so at first I was a little disappointed.

The gallery had a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Victoria Harbour. Sunlight shimmered on the water as boats came and went. It was beautiful, and I took a photograph of the view with my phone.

The exhibition began with an introductory panel about the LomoWall ahead.

First exhibited in 1992, the LomoWall remains one of the most common ways to display Lomography. It is a vast mosaic assembled by hand from hundreds, sometimes thousands, of colourful photographs. A LomoWall not only gives film enthusiasts a platform for showing their work, but also brings different countries and cultures together. This one gathered travel-themed film photographs by Lomography enthusiasts from around the world. Wherever they may be, all Lomographers share the spirit of joyful photography and delight in the limitless creative possibilities of film.

A word here about Lomography. Strictly speaking, it is a trademark belonging to a European camera company. Over time, its users gave rise to a distinctive aesthetic in film photography, and the term “Lomography” came to describe that aesthetic and its underlying philosophy as well.

Lomography’s motto is “Don’t think, just shoot.” Its ten golden rules encourage spontaneity and taking photographs anytime, anywhere, with as little concern for technique as possible. A typical Lomography camera is deliberately low-fidelity and simply constructed. Some have multiple lenses and rainbow-coloured flashes; others produce extreme optical distortion and light leaks. The Lomography aesthetic embraces these flaws, largely for the singular images they create. The look has become so popular that most photo-editing programs now include a Lomo filter.

Although there were not many works on display, these panoramic photographs caught my eye.

They were captured in a single exposure with this kind of panoramic camera. Each image occupies more than two standard frames on the film.

(The Sprocket Rocket camera will appear again later.)

It was a small exhibition and did not take long to see, but I learned something new. On my way out, I bought a disposable toy film camera, so I did not leave entirely empty-handed.

……But that is not the end of it.……

After returning home, I kept meaning to write down my thoughts about the exhibition. There was not much material, though, and I never managed to finish. Then I read the editor’s note in the latest issue of PhotoLife and felt the urge to complete it.

Here is my rough translation of the editor’s note:

“Spontaneity and Simplicity — Guy Langevin
A few months ago, I spent a day roaming the countryside with several photographer friends. Far from the clamour of city life, we strolled along the St. Lawrence River, talking more than taking pictures. After all, one purpose of the trip was to celebrate a friendship that had grown out of our shared passion for photography.
For a while, Joanna and I walked together, talking about life, family, and the fickle passage of time. Suddenly, I felt the urge to capture the moment. It never even occurred to me to use my phone; it did not suit the way I felt. Instead, I reached into my bag and pulled out a plastic contraption resembling a villain’s weapon from a bad science-fiction film. ‘What’s that?’ Joanna asked. ‘A Sprocket Rocket!’ I explained. ‘It takes panoramic photographs on 35mm film and, believe it or not, exposes the entire width of the film, even around the sprocket holes. All you have to do is press here, and…’ Click! ‘But don’t expect too much: this roll expired more than twenty years ago!’ ‘It’s like a game!’ Joanna said. ‘I can’t wait to see how it turns out.’

She could not have put it better: it was like a game. When we allow ourselves to have fun with photography, the ‘rules’ disappear, as does the urge to please other people. The photograph itself is enough. A moment moved us, and we tried to catch it. It was that simple. We chose to let go and see what happened. The point of the ‘game’ was not perfect composition or correct exposure, but the excitement that made pressing the shutter irresistible.
Embracing the simplicity of a toy camera can give us a great deal. It reminds us that empathising with our subject matters at least as much as achieving sharp focus. The experience can help us grow more comfortable with uncertainty and chance. And who knows? We might even get lucky and capture a beautiful, genuine moment that we love!”

……But that is not the end of it.……

As I left the exhibition, I bought this disposable plastic toy camera from the gallery. Even the lens is plastic. The focus, shutter speed, and aperture are all fixed; there is nothing to adjust. The film comes preloaded, and the whole camera is discarded when it is finished. It cost about HK$200. At long last, the photographs I took with it have been developed and printed. Here are a few of them: