THAT GIRL FROM HONG KONG: Neon Memories with the Lomography Color Negative 800

Film photographer THAT GIRL FROM HONG KONG has a fun and unique way of documenting city life. Her Instagram feed is filled with colorful, neon signs and bright lights. We had the chance to talk to her about shooting with the Color Negative 800 film and she shared some valuable tips about using high-speed film at night.

Hello THAT GIRL FROM HONG KONG! Welcome to Lomography magazine, please introduce yourself to the readers!

Hello! Nice to meet you all I'm THAT GIRL FROM HONG KONG! I can play around and shoot analogue without sleeping (but I actually like to sleep, which my longest sleeping time is 16 hours). I am a fan of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Besides sunrise and sunset, I also like to connect with people in the place I am living in - Hong Kong. I love Hong Kong very much.

How did you get into film photography?

I started my analogue journey in high school, and most of my experiences came from Lomography's products. The most unforgettable experience was that I would save money to buy different types of Lomography cameras and I become friends with the staff in Lomography's shop. The LC-A+, Diana Camera, Sprocket Rocket, Spinner 360, La Sardina, Horizon Camera, LC-Wide , Lomo'Instant Wide, LomoKino, etc. were the cameras that I have been using. I stopped taking film photos for a while, but now I'm back on it. The pandemic gave me more time to start my analogue journey again and have a deeper understanding of analogue than before!

What are the usual analogue equipment that you use?

I usually use Minolta Rokkor-TD 45 mm F2.8 in the morning, and Minolta MC Rokkor-X 50mm F1.2 at night (then I don't need to bring a tripod). If I have to shoot sunrise and sunset, I will bring a 300 mm lens and teleconverter (that means 60 mm) Among all of the Lomography's products, I usually bring Horizon Camera and LC-Wide！

Please share with us your experience in shooting with the Color Negative 800. How was it?

I like to use Color Negative 800 as it is a high-speed film, which can be used at night. After pushing the film, the effect is really good. I personally prefer high-contrast effects (especially when shooting neon signs), so I often use Color Negative 800 as ISO 1600 and push a stop (+1) when developing the film. Higher contrast on the film and neon signs can be highlighted. I like doing experiments on different filters with Color Negative 800 to create more fun and interesting photos.

How does Hong Kong influence your photographic work?

The biggest inspiration for shooting came from the place where I was born - Hong Kong. As there are many things in this place that are gradually disappearing, I hope to record the remaining. In the past, the streets in Hong Kong were full of large and bright neon signs. But now, only a few neon signs are left. Things that happened in the past years reminded us to cherish all we have now, so we must try our best to record the remaining neon signs that belong to Hong Kong.

Please walk us through the methods and tools you used for night photography.

I use Minolta + Minolta MC Rokkor-X 50 mm F1.2 with Color Negative 800 for most of the night shots. I will treat it as ISO 1600 and push a stop (+1) when developing the film.

I also use the following filters:

• Kenko - Vari Cross
• Kenko - Vari Mirage
• Aroma - Filter
• Cokin - Speed Filter
• Spektrem Effects - Just Another Blur Filter
• Spektrem Effects - Motion Filter

Any tips for shooting neon signs?

To be honest, I don’t think too much when taking pictures. This may be because I used Lomography cameras when I started to shoot films. The most important is to follow Lomography's golden rule "Don't think, Just shoot!". When you see a neon sign, add one or two (sometimes more) filters, then Just shoot!

What would you like to try more next time?

I hope I can try out more multi-exposure on film. I want to practice more and shoot multi-exposure films with skills!

Please share with us your favorite shot with this film!

This photo was a beautiful coincidence. There were 3 multi-exposures in total: the first time was shooting Lion Rock (one of the mountains in Hong Kong) and the "Freedom" neon sign in Victoria Harbour. The second time was some bokeh effects, and the third time was some tall buildings in Hong Kong. As my film camera malfunctioned, films couldn't work probably. As a result, the 3 films were overlapping.

Thank you THAT GIRL FROM HONG KONG for sharing your work, and for documenting Hong Kong's traditional culture! Please follow her Instagram for more of her work.

written by nikkicheung on 2021-08-20 in #gear #people #hong-kong #night-photography #that-girl-from-hong-kong