Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Cécile (aka La Fille Renne), I’m 26 and I live in the South of France. In my day job I do a lot of animal osteology, and I like biology, tea, animals with antlers, cats, body modifications, hiking, post-rock and books. I also like film photography, which is a real way of expression for me now.
I grew up in a family with a father and a grandfather who did film photography, and I always saw a lot of old cameras and black & white prints at home. I had my first film compact camera at ten years. At the end of adolescence, I moved to digital, with a compact, a bridge and then SLR cameras. It allowed me to learn, to exercise myself and to define better what I like.
After a few years I started to stagnate. I was using my very nice Canon EOS 7D, I found my pictures pretty, but quite flat. I saw more and more photographers on Flickr using films, and I loved the results. I first tried my return into films with a plastic camera (Lomography La Sardina), then my Canon AE-1 Program. With this camera, it was love at first sight. Since that time, I think I found my way into photography and I try to develop this passion more and more.
Do you professionally work as a photographer and why do you like to take analog pictures?
If by professional you mean earn one’s living, so no, I’m not a professional photographer. It’s not my day job, just a passion which takes a lot of space in my life. And it’s for the best.
Analog pictures are so different to digital ones, with the grain, that depth. Films are real ; it’s not just digital files. The choices between the film cameras and emulsions are infinite; this can lead to endless experimentation. I like experimentations so much with films, like film swap, trying very old expired films, cross processing, double exposure, … Film cameras are often beautiful and I like hearing their mechanisms when I take a picture. I also like the surprise when I discover the results on a new roll, with unpredictable effects and forgotten subjects.
What’s your favorite subject and why?
My favorite subject is human. I love working with humans, and I always try to capture a secret part of what people are, and what make them unique.
And do you have favorite cameras or films?
My favorite camera is my Canon AE-1 Program. This camera follows me everywhere and always gives me the results I expect. I also like a lot my Semflex Standard 4.5 for medium format, the Polaroid Automatic 330 Land Camera for instant photography and Russians cameras, like my lovely Zenit 11, which came from my parents.
My favorite films are cheap ones with great colors like Fuji Superia 200, Fuji Superia X-tra 400, Lomography Color 100, Lomography Color 400 or Tudorcolor XLX 200. Professional films like Kodak Portra or Kodak Ektar are amazing but they are too expensive for an everyday use. For cross-processing my favorite are Agfa CT Precisa 100 and Fujichrome Sensia 100 (with cross-processing, this film turns fuchsia). And for others experimentations I really like using Revolog Kolor and Lomography Lomochrome Purple ones.
Thank you Revolog ! I really like your work, so keep working on new creative emulsions.
Film used: Kolor