It comes as no surprise that photographer/designer/creative Yumi crafted her own introduction for the 'List of Five' feature. Selecting five favorite location (with accompanying film), she hones in on place and environment and crafts yet another vibrant direction for this abstract column to take.
For my five, I wanted to share five photos I took sometime between last summer and today. I’ve been taking photos on film since I was sixteen. I think my sister was the one who gave me one of her cameras as a hand me down and have basically kept up with it ever since. I’m old as fuck now so I suppose I basically have been doing this forever.
I take film photos for two reasons:
1.) Film isn’t about having perfect composition, exposure, or lighting. It’s about capturing moments and feelings without worrying too much about the outcome.
2.) Shooting in film forces you to let go and not try to control every aspect of the situation. Some shots get fucked up, but some shots are incredible and irreplicable.
Location: Los Angeles
Subject: This is a photo of my sister, the one who gave me my first film camera. She’s a lawyer living in LA and has a heart of gold. As a public defender, she cares about the people society wants you to ignore and helps those who can’t afford legal counsel. Every day I strive to be more like her and I think everyone else should too. She lives right by Griffith Observatory and made her crouch into this bush for some reason.
Location: New York // Highline Ballroom
Subject: This is actually a really sad photo. Somehow I was able to go to the GOOD Music Showcase last year where Kanye, Pharrell, Pusha T, Migos, Teyana Taylor among others all showed up and performed. I was going through a major heartbreak during that time so when "Father Stretch My Hands Pt.2" came on I cried. Yeah, super embarrassing.
Location: Los Angeles
Subject: This is a photo of my friend Edrina aka Astronautica in LA. You see the light streaks in this shot? This is exactly why I love old cameras. The imperfections of the camera are really what gives the photo character and makes it feel special. I love this photo because I had such an amazing day. Edrina and I ate tacos and got really drunk off tequila while we shot photos all around in LA.
Location: Curacao
Subject: This photo was taken right by a magical hideaway we stayed at in Curacao. Looking at this photo reminds me of grilled conch, warm days and nights, and feeding iguanas bananas on the beach.
Location: New York // My Roof
Subject: This is a photo of my friend Eli. I took this shot of her about a week ago during my best friend Iggy’s birthday party. I’ve never worked with this film before so I was kind of nervous getting it developed. It turns out that this film we hand rolled is now one of my favorites. I love the grain, fade and character old film has.
