The Leak Of Light Posted On 19th March 2024 To Magazine & Stories

The Outcome

I am known as a black and white Photographer. I always prefer shooting in black and white. It helps me convey the concept of the image formed in my mind , through my photography. Another reason that always motivates me is the precedence of form over colour. However, sometimes I choose to shoot in colour to see the different outcome's. The outcome is usually that I should never shoot in colour because the type of light I shoot with isn't usually compatible for colour photography.

My Favourite Moment

The lens I use the most within my photography is my wide angle lenses. To be able to see the reflection of my subjects inside the viewfinder is one of my favourite moments during a shoot. Sometimes, I even just look at the scene for a while through the viewfinder before even loading the camera with film. More often than not, I  form a picture in my mind and then head out to take the photo, or I see the light, then stage my frame to take the portrait. My favourite time to shoot, to gain the best results is usually during the sunrise.

ILFORD FP4+

Learning

Having years of experience in documentary and street photography, using both analog and digital camera's, this helped me to understand what I wanted to capture. For my first rolls of film, I used ILFORD PANF+. I then continued to shoot with ILFORD HP5+ in 35mm, which has always given me a pleasant experience. I picked up a Hasselblad camera and got a bunch of expired colour film to learn how the camera worked. After a while, I started shooting with ILFORD DELTA 400 for outdoor photography. I mainly use HP5+ for indoor shoots, and very recently shot rolls of FP4+ and Kentmere to capture different experiences. After experimenting with a range of different ILFORD film stock, I have learnt that I prefer HP5+ for any type of shoot, and DELTA 100 if I want crisp sharpness and detail in my images.

ILFORD DELTA 100

How It Started

I started shooting film when I was 15 years old, during art school as a class project. I shot a lot of pictures, mainly on 35mm film. After looking at other photographer's work, meeting different photographers, talking, observing and getting better using 35mm camera's, I came to the conclusion that medium format give me the results I am looking for in my career.

ILFORD HP5+

Be More Observant

I picked up a Hasselblad 500CM camera and four rolls of colour and B&W film to learn how to shoot medium format. The first few frames didn't go so well. Soon I learnt not to take photo's of everything I see, but to be more observant and look for the composition, lines, forms, shadows and light to take great imagery.

The Focus

Personally, I never develop my own film. In my opinion, the focus of the photographer should just be on what he sees. Developing my own negatives only makes me distracted from my photography. Never say never, one day I may give it a shot and learn how to process myself. For the past two years I have gone to a local lab called Bandar Studio which is based in Tehran.

ILFORD HP5+

The Style

I learnt my style through documentary photography. I usually try to find the composition by choosing the location carefully. Using a tripod slows me down, so I prefer to hold my camera in a shoot. Previously, when I was shooting in 35mm, I didn't connect with the people I was photographing. This was because they either had their backs to the camera, were far away or were in the corners of the frame. Since then, I have tried to create them as the focal points, to learn how to create a positive relationship between form, light and the subject as if the light is a reflection of the person.

ILFORD FP4+ @ 200

©Mohammad Monfared