Time traveling with Martin Gomez

Time traveling with Martin Gomez
"I like to discover the grain of all this old films stored for years, sometimes I dream this is like playing with time."

Tell us about yourself.

Hi! I'm a 38 years old French teacher, based in Corrientes, Argentina.

When and how did the film journey begin for you?

I began taking pictures 20 years ago with a Canon 5000. Soon I desired to develop them myself, so I ran my own laboratory in my mother's house. The beginning was easy with film but it would never be the same for copies. I did some expos with the photographs I made, in this laboratory.

In 2007 I won the first prize in an international competition (Paradigma Digital, Macstation Argentina, 2007). At this time I was trying digital, but I have never stopped making and developing analogs images.

What type of film do you usually shoot and what made you choose it?

Normally I like to shoot with expired films like Kodachrome or Fujichrome. I have some Ektar that expired 3 years ago (4x5) waiting to be used too.

For black & white I use papers (Ilford (4x5) direct positive and regular too) I like to experiment with a Harman Titan pinhole Camera, papers and films (Portra 160, TriX and some old Kodachrome (circa 88). Lately I prefer to use 120 and 4x5 films.
The little format has lost interest for me in this last two years...

What camera makes you click?

I try to use all my cameras and I cannot say which one is my favorite. Recently I have been interested in large format -I have a Chamonix 45n2 with two lenses: a 90mm and a 150mm. My whole practice changed, because I need to think more about each image and of course about locations and subjects...

The Harman Titan is a lovely camera to use, she demands thinking about photography in other terms: you need to pay attention to those kind of situations that deserve being taken with a pinhole camera; not so simple.

I have a Hasselblad for my squares pictures, truly I think this camera has changed my way of seeing photographs, just like that.
The two other cameras are being less used at this time: a Nikon F6 with a normal and a sony RX100.

Between black and white and colour film which would you choose?

I don't have an answer for this.
Sometime I think that in B&W it's much easier to have some decent results; then I realize it's a tricky matter.

For colour film sometimes I like having odd results, something that you can recognize as an old picture but executed in the present. This is my idea, a kind of memorabilia of the 80s...

What lenses do you use?

I don't have many lenses, my favorite is the 80mm that came with my Hasselbald 500C/M.

Do you make any experiments on film?

I always try to vary a little in my work with film. The surprise factor is following me since forever. I like to discover the grain of all this old films stored for years, sometimes I dream this is like playing with time.

Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez
Martin Gomez

You can find Martin Gomez here:
Flickr