Landscapes on medium format by Antonio García Lara
"Yashica Mat LM. When I finally had one in my hands, I just couldn't fight it anymore"
Tell us about yourself.
I am Antonio García, I am 33 years old and I am from Bujalance, Córdoba (Spain). I work as a graphic designer for a packaging business, so I don't have so much free time to photograph.
When and how did the film journey begin for you?
I started by chance, when I bought a Yashica Mat LM on Ebay. I always loved that kind of cameras so when I finally had one in my hands, I just couldn't fight it anymore and I bought some films and all materials I would need to develop it myself. I really started getting into it, learning to work with it in a totally different way than I have done so far. Due to the fact that you have a limited number of triggers (12 in the case of 6x6), you have to be very selective and have to think about choosing the use of points, lines, composition, light, colour, textures, framing, optics, camera movement…
I prefer the aesthetics of this kind of cameras and this type of photography is much more natural than the digital one.
What type of film do you usually shoot and what made you choose it?
A little of everything. In colour, I like slices (I love Fuji Provia), although I also shoot Velvia 50, 100F, Ektachrome 100G and 100VS. In B/W I tried a lot of things, but I prefer Kodak Tri-X and Fuji Neopan 100 acros, which is really good for long exposures. Fomapan 100, triggered with a 25-31 ISO and developed with Rodinal 1/50, is another example I like.
What camera makes you click?
My two 6x7 camaras: Mamiya RB67 and Pentax 6x7
Between black and white and colour film which would you choose?
It is a really difficult question, because although I use colour-stable film, I prefer B/W because I think you must focus on the photographed object.
What lenses do you use?
Mainly, “55 and 75 mm” cornerstones, although for landscapes I use a 200mm for the Pentax 6x7.
You can find Antonio García Lara here:
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