Trey Pentecost: Simple, common experiences on film

"Some good friends gave me a Mamiyaflex and a few rolls of T-Max. I was hooked."

Tell us about yourself.

I’m 39, live in New York City, and run a small IT services company. I also occasionally shoot photos for money.

When and how did the film journey begin for you?

I guess when I was a kid. I used to love playing with cameras whenever I could, and I'm sure I wasted plenty of my parents' film. I got into it seriously in 2005 when some good friends gave me a Mamiyaflex and a few rolls of T-Max. I was hooked. Within about a year I’d setup a darkroom and quit my day job to work as a photographer, though that was mostly digital work. :)

What Could we always find in your gear bag?

Tri-X, a point-&-shoot 35mm camera, and extra batteries. Maybe a beer.

What camera makes you click?

I just bought a Mamiya C220 so I'm pretty well into that at the moment. Generally though I’m partial to manual 35 mm cameras, and I have four or five Nikon cameras I rotate in daily use.

Who are your models? How do you interact with them before shooting?

I don’t do a whole lot of setup shots. In daily life I just try to capture natural moments. I used to take a lot of pictures with no film in the camera to get people used to the shutter and the camera in their face, but now I just get in and go for it.

What inspires you most?

Simplicity. I don’t like things to be overly complicated. I feel like I’m looking for the shot that says something important based on the simplest common experiences, because that’s what everyone can relate to. A man tying his shoe, or a child playing games.

Do you think you will still be shooting film in 20 years?

I can't say what I'll be doing in 20 years. If film and chemistry is still around and I still have my darkroom, sure. Why not?

You can find Trey Pentecost here:
treypentecost.com
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