I was a little hesitant to try LomoChrome Metropolis 100-400 film. Historically, while I have fun with the experimental - everything is a happy accident - quality of color shift films, I have also felt that they can cross the line into looking over manipulated. As if they are a little heavy handed in their inclusions, and too purposefully wrong.
I am finicky and picky and deeply committed to using my camera as a tool for preserving the truth. I like my new films to look new and my old films to look old and when a new film looks old I look at it as if it is like a puzzle that can’t be solved.
This film, manufactured by Lomography to have an intentional color shift, boasts a retro aesthetic, according to Lomography: “This film comes with a unique chemical formula specifically developed in our Lomography film manufactory, which desaturates colors, mutes tones and makes contrasts pop.” I decided to rate my light meter at 200, right in the middle of the 100-400 variable range, since it was going to be mostly shot on winter days in bright conditions. I was so pleasantly surprised by the results that I yielded with this film. The color saturation really brought depth to anything green or earthy, and the skin tones that I captured were dimensional and spot on. All of the brighter colors were a lovely contrast, with nothing feeling contrived. Overall, I would love to use this film again and take more portraits with it in deeply forested areas, to get the rich lush greens and woodsy vibes that this film honed in on so spectacularly.
Originally Published, winter 2020
